The Antigo Wrestling Club delivered an impressive performance at the Aviators International Tournament in New London over Easter weekend. The event featured athletes from five countries: USA, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, and Mexico, with competition in Greco-Roman style and Women's Freestyle on Friday, followed by Men's Freestyle on Saturday.
Three Antigo wrestlers claimed gold medals in Greco-Roman competition. Nolan Kielcheski dominated the Junior 78 kg division with two victories. His first match against Andrew Derouin of Oconto Falls ended in just 41 seconds with a technical fall after Kielcheski executed an arm drag takedown followed by three trapped arm gut wrenches. In his second match against Odin Nico of Juneau (Ringers Wrestling Club), Kielcheski overcame an early 4-point deficit with his own 4-point takedown that led to a pin at 1:46.
Joseph Stimac captured gold in the 16U 78 kg Greco bracket. His opening match against Samuel Cushman of Barrington, IL saw Stimac rally from an early 4-0 deficit to claim a narrow 11-10 victory. Stimac then faced Sean Sleznikow of Marshfield in his second match, securing a pin at 1:16 after executing an arm throw that transitioned to a headlock.
Gryphon Beer collected the third gold medal for Antigo in the 14U 70+ kg Greco division. Beer dominated his first opponent, Zander Jandrin of Sturgeon Bay, with a 10-0 technical fall in just 36 seconds. His second match against Dylan Sardina of Milwaukee featured an action-packed first period that ended with Sardina leading 9-7. Beer rallied in the second period, ultimately securing a pin at 3:04 following a powerful feet-to-back takedown. Beer completed his gold medal run by defeating Nolan Wilson of Ida, Michigan with a 12-2 technical fall.
Logan Gallenberg earned a silver medal in the 14U 58 kg Greco bracket. After losing his opening match to Miles Wollersheim of Mosinee by fall at 3:49, Gallenberg rebounded with a 12-2 technical fall victory over Colton Roffers of Seymour.
In Women's Freestyle, Olivia Hofrichter secured third place in the Junior Girls 66 kg division. She opened with a 10-0 technical fall over Sevanna Hoyer of Brillion in just 1:15. Hofrichter then lost to Swedish national team member Leah Acar in the semifinals before bouncing back with pins against Jacey Cowden of Shawano (2:00) and Sydney Turner of Sturgeon Bay (1:30) to claim bronze.
Joseph Stimac added a silver medal in the 16U 78 kg Freestyle division on Saturday. After losing a rematch against Sean Sleznikow by technical fall (13-3), Stimac rebounded to pin Easton Mueller of Hilbert at 1:35, securing second place with a 1-1 record.
Clayton Perry also competed for Antigo, facing tough competition from both international and Wisconsin opponents, including Markas Mazurevicius of Lithuania and Wisconsin wrestlers Logan Goodreau and Henry Metzler.
The tournament marks an excellent start to the Greco-Roman and Freestyle seasons for Antigo Wrestling Club. Their next competition will be the following weekend at DC Everest, which will host both the WWF Beginner State Tournament and the Northern Exposure tournament.
The strong showing at the Aviators International Tournament saw Antigo wrestlers collecting three gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal across various age groups and weight classes, demonstrating the club's excellent preparation and competitive ability in international styles of wrestling.
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