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Biggest Team South Dakota ever ready to rumble at 2022 USA Wrestling Junior and 16U National Championships
The largest contingent of South Dakota wrestlers will be competing at the 2022 USA Wrestling Junior and 16U National Championships
Photo courtesy of Bree Adam, Just One More Moment Photography
Jul 16, 2022
 

By Rich Winter

605 Sports

FARGO — Action began today at the biggest and baddest high school wrestling tournament in the country. Over 7,000 wrestlers will take to the mat over the next week as wrestlers compete at the 2022USA Wrestling Junior and 16U National Championships. 

For the past week Team South Dakota has been practicing and South Dakota USA Wrestling State Chairperson Ray Ringstmeyer likes what he’s seen for far. 

“Things have been going really good, kids are working hard and I think they’ve learned a lot,” Ringstmeyer said. “We’ve got good girls that make good partners and we have quite a few state champs that everyone is learning from.” 

The road to Fargo actually began on July 10 as athletes gathered in four separate sites, Custer, Aberdeen, Brookings and Beresford. On Tuesday everyone met in Beresford and trained at the Legends of Gold wrestling academy for several days. The team left for Fargo on Thursday and have been training there for the past few days.

Action began Saturday morning with wrestling mats sprawled out all over the FargoDome. 

“I went to weigh-ins last night and what used to take twenty minutes took over an hour,” Ringstmeyer said. “This is the biggest and best high school wrestling tournament in the world.”

Some of the brackets have over 100 entrants and Ringstmeyer noted the normally sparse girls brackets have sixty to seventy entrants this year. 

Team South Dakota is sending its largest ever contingent of wrestlers to the national tourney. 

“We had two girls last year and this year we have 10,” Ringstmeyer said. “We have over 30 young men representing South Dakota this year, the largest group we’ve ever had.” 

Ringstmeyer said the team has been bonding over the last week and seem to have good team chemistry. He also noted the magnitude and importance of this national event. 

“If you have college aspirations you have to wrestle at this tournament,” he said. “Some of our younger athletes are seeing the success of our older athletes signing to wrestle at the collegiate level.” 

Two female wrestlers at the Fargo tourney in 2021, ten in 2022 - Photo Courtesy of Bree Adam, Just One More Moment Photography

Team South Dakota Roster

Men’s Junior Freestyle:

113 - Sloan Johannsen, Watertown

120 - Logan Graf, Rapid City Stevens

126 - Owen Hansen, Burke/Gregory

132 - Ayson Rice, Canton

132 - Rayden Zens, Aberdeen Central

138 - Alex Mentzer, Brandon Valley

145 - Treason Oehme, Brandon Valley

145 - Kaden Keiser, Winner

152 - Cael Larson, Webster

160 - Gavin Chapman, Brandon Valley

170 - Ethan DeLeon, Sioux City Heelan, Iowa

170 - Soren Aadland, Harrisburg

182 - Tanner VanScoy, Rapid City Stevens

195 - Tanner Meyers, Canton

195 - Ryan Hirschkorn, Harrisburg

220 - Luke Rasmussen, Brookings

220 - Noah Hutmacher, Chamberlain

 

 Junior Women’s Freestyle: 

117 - Mary-Katherine Joseph, Brandon Valley                                                                        117 - Cassandra Witte, Rapid City Central

132 - Taylor Fierbach-Graveman, Spearfish

200 - Zoe Adam, Canton

225 - Hope Orr, Viborg-Hurley

Junior Men’s Greco-Roman:

132 - Ayson Rice, Canton

132 - Jordan Oehme, Brandon Valley

138 - Alex Mentzer, Brandon Valley

145 - Trason Oehme, Brandon Valley

160 - Gavin Chapman, Brandon Valley

170 - Ethan DeLeon, Sioux City Heelan, Ia.

182 - Tanner VanScoty, Rapid City Stevens

195 - Tanner Meyers, Canton

 

16U Men’s Freestyle: 

88 - Carter Kendrick, Beresford/Alcester-Hudson

88 - Judd Hansen, Burke/Gregory

100 - Landon Walker, Brandon Valley

100 - Aidan Wells, Sioux Falls Jefferson

106 - Tyler Trant, Custer

113 - Trayton Weiss, Custer

113 - Trevon Oehme, Brandon Valley

120 - Gavin Braun, Kimball/White Lake

145 - Keenan Sheridan, Sioux Falls O’Gorman

160 - Jhett Eklund, Burke/Gregory

182 - Parker Noem, Custer

 

16U Women’s Freestyle:

117 - Quinn Butler, Lemmon/McIntosh

122 - Regina Stoeser, Harrisburg

122 - Peyton Hellman, Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon

127 - Kayley Roy, Hot Springs

138 - Marieda Kalahar, Rapid City Stevens

 

16U Men’s Greco-Roman:

 88 - Carter Kendrick, Beresford/Alcester-Hudson

113 - Trayton Weiss, Custer

113 - Trevon Oehme, Brandon Valley

182 - Parker Noem, Custer