FARGO, N.D —- Entering his junior season, Rapid City wrestler Shea Richter decided to get serious about his craft. 

With very little freestyle experience under his belt, Richter became a part of South Dakota USA Wrestling looking for opportunities to get better.

“A lot of college coaches go to these freestyle tournaments and that is something I’ve been thinking about,” Richter said. “I did a little freestyle when I was younger. So I figured I would have some fun with it and see where it would take me.” 

After wrestling at the Northern Plains qualifier in Minnesota and competing in a dual tournament in Utah, Richter, who spent a good share of his summer in Aberdeen, readied for the biggie, the national tournament in Fargo. 

Wrestling in the cadet portion of the freestyle competition in the 113-pound weight class, Richter steamrolled to the semifinals before dropping a 5-0 decision. After losing that semifinal, Richter battled back to earn a sixth-place finish and All-American honors from the biggest high school tournament of the summer. 

“Initially, I felt like I could have wrestled a little better after my semifinal match,” Richter said. “After looking back and thinking about what I accomplished I feel really good about my placing.”

Shea Richter reached the semifinals (113) at th U.S. Marine Corps Nationals in North Dakota

In February, Richter placed fifth in the 106-pound weight class at the Class AA state wrestling tournament. 

“I personally felt like I underperformed at state last year,” he said. “I had a slip up in the semifinals that cost me.” 

The Richter family will be moving to Watertown for school this fall. Initially, Shea and his mother Leah will live in an apartment while the new home is being built. Richter said the move away from the Rapid City Stevens wrestling program will be a tough one.

“Travis King has been one of my greatest coaches and that will be hard to move on from,” he said. 

Richter is looking forward to the move to Watertown to get closer to the Brady Berge Elite Wrestling Academy in Brookings. Richter said the work he put in with Berge this summer had a positive impact on his freestyle wrestling. 

And he’ll be in the same wrestling room with Gage Lohr, a two-time South Dakota state champion. 

“We are already pretty good friends and I think we’ll end up being practice partners a lot,” he said. 

Richter said his performance in Fargo makes him a confident wrestler heading into his junior season. 

“It felt good to be in Fargo and showcase what South Dakota kids are made of and how we can perform against elite competition,” he said. “Knowing that I can hang with some of the best kids in the country gives me a lot of confidence.”