Sweet Home wrestlers came up short of All-American status at this year’s Cadet and Junior wrestling national championships at Fargo, N.D. July 18-26.
Tyler Fincher, competing at 120 pounds in the Cadet division, finished 0-4.
“He competed hard and he wrestled in the national tournament. How many guys can say that?” Coach Steve Thorpe said, noting that only 94 wrestlers qualified for nationals.
Tyler Schilling, wrestling at 120 pounds in juniors, went 2-2 in Greco and 2-2 in freestyle, missing the medals podium. His first loss in Greco was to the wrestler who ended up second in the division, Thorpe said.
“There’s not a lot of difference between the top eight guys and the top 12 guys,” he said. “Tyler’s been wrestling all summer and he’s where he needs to be to meet his goals for next year.”
He said he was particularly pleased to see Schiling get out of bed early the next morning to help Cole Rowan of La Grande get set for a consolation bracket bout.
“I thought, ‘How many guys who have been cutting weigh all summer would just want to sleep in,’” Thorpe said.
He said he was proud of “how Oregon represented itself” – one national champion in Cadet Greco, one in Junior Greco and one in Cadet freestyle.
Two other Sweet Home wrestlers, Anthony Hardee and Kobe Olson, who are on an exchange trip to New Zealand, both finished second in the Northern Island Championships in Auckland Sunday, July 27.
According to a New Zealand wrestling website, Oregon is visiting Hamilton, where they are being hosted by local wrestling club members and will “enjoy some blackwater rafting and the experience of a hangi.” They will then travel on to Katikati/Mt Maunganui on July 31 to compete in the New Zealand Club Championships on Sunday, Aug. 3, before departing back to Oregon on Aug. 4.