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March
19, 2008: The Wrestling Mall, High School News
Utah Wrestlers Shine at Kuna Classic,
Intermountain Champion Series
Utah Wrestlers traveled up to Kuna, Ida.,
to compete in the Kuna Classic freestyle and Greco-Roman
wrestling tournament, the second leg of the Intermountain
Champion Series. Those athletes represented Utah well, 46
placements and winning Outstanding Wrestler awards in
every division where a Utah wrestler competed in
Greco-Roman, and only one fewer Outstanding Wrestlers in
freestyle.
Utah wrestlers earned 46 placements
between the two styles: 25 awards freestyle and 21 in
Greco-Roman. Six Utah wrestling clubs represented also
earned seven Outstanding Wrestler awards and one Fastest
Pin award. Bill Kilpack, coach of Sandy-based Mountain Top
Wrestling Club and co-founder of the Intermountain
Champion Series, said, "It's really something else that
Utah was so well represented, particularly in the
Outstanding Wrestler categories. In Greco-Roman, in
particular, to be recognized in every age division where
there was a Utah wrestler — that's just amazing."
Those Outstanding Wrestler award
recipients in Greco-Roman were Conner Wengreen of
Hyrum-based Pony Express, who wrestled in the Midget (ages
9 and 10) 65-pound division; Matt Lee of Murray-based
Pride, Novice (ages 11 and 12) 60 lbs.; William Kilpack of
Sandy-based Mountain Top Wrestling Club, Schoolboy (ages
13 and 14) 105 lbs.; and Jacob Falk of West Jordan-based
Vandit, Cadet (ages 15 and 16) 112 lbs.
Being named Outstanding Wrestlers in
freestyle were Jed Lee of Pride, Bantam (ages 7 and 8) 45
lbs.; Conner Wengreen of Pony Express, Midget 65 lbs.; and
Jake Ribald of Vandit, Schoolboy 120 lbs.
Wengreen was the only wrestler in the
tournament to be named Outstanding Wrestler in both
styles, and Ribald also received the Fastest Pin award for
the freestyle tournament, with a six-second fall, edging
out another Utah wrestler, Kilpack, who had an
eight-second fall.
Just as remarkable, of the 46 awards,
exactly half of those earned were championships: 13
gold-medal finishes in freestyle and 10 gold-medal
finishes in Greco-Roman. Winning gold medals in both
styles were Cole Moody of Pride, Midget 60 lbs.; Conner
Wengreen, Midget 65 lbs.; Helaman Suesue of Pride, Midget
75 lbs.; Matt Lee of Pride, Novice 60 lbs.; Chris Wengreen
of Pony Express, Novice 75 lbs.; Jake Ribald of Vandit,
Schoolboy 120 lbs.; and Jacob Falk of Vandit, Cadet 112
lbs.
Winning gold in freestyle were Cooper Cox
of Lehi-based Pioneers of Wrestling, Flyweight (ages 6 and
Under) 40 lbs.; Jed Lee of Pride, Bantam 45 lbs. (Bracket
A); Garrick Kilpack of Mountain Top Wrestling Club, Bantam
45 lbs. (Bracket B); Justyn Ribald of Vandit, Bantam 65
lbs. (Bracket B); Derek Fisher of Mountain Top Wrestling
Club, Midget 50 lbs.; Derek Spachman of Mountain Top
Wrestling Club, Novice 90 lbs.; and Carson Kuhn of Vandit,
Cadet 105 lbs.
Winning gold in Greco-Roman were Jake
Holbrook of Brigham City-based Stingers, Midget 55 lbs.;
Chandler Strand of Vandit, Novice 80 lbs.; and William
Kilpack of Mountain Top Wrestling Club, Schoolboy 105 lbs.
Finishing second were Sean Johnson of
Pride, Midget 80 lbs. (both styles); Tyler Schwendiman of
Mountain Top Wrestling Club, Novice 70 lbs. (Greco-Roman);
Jake Holbrook of Stingers, Midget 55 lbs. (freestyle); and
Chandler Strand, Vandit, Novice 80 lbs.
Earning bronze medals were Derek Fisher,
Mountain Top Wrestling Club, Midget 55 lbs.; Tyler
Schwendiman, Mountain Top Wrestling Club, Novice 70 lbs.
(freestyle); MacKelti Kilpack, Mountain Top Wrestling
Club, Novice 80 lbs.; Tyler Jensen, Vandit, Schoolboy 70
lbs. (both styles); William Kilpack, Mountain Top
Wrestling Club, Schoolboy 105 lbs. (freestyle); and Ella-Maereen
Kilpack, Mountain Top Wrestling Club, Cadet 112 lbs.
(Greco-Roman).
Finishing fourth were Siondileigh Kilpack,
Midget 55 lbs. (Greco-Roman); Tanner Cox, Pioneers of
Wrestling, Novice 65 lbs. (freestyle); Derek Spachman,
Mountain Top Wrestling Club, Novice 90 lbs.; Justin
Schwendiman, Mountain Top Wrestling Club, Schoolboy 70
lbs. (both styles); and Jordan Wengreen, Pony Express,
Schoolboy 91 lbs. (freestyle)
Finishing fifth were Allison Spachman,
Bantam 55 lbs. (freestyle); Tanner Cox, Pioneers of
Wrestling, Novice 65 lbs. (Greco-Roman); Jordan Wengreen,
Pony Express, Schoolboy 91 lbs. (Greco-Roman); and Ella-Maereen
Kilpack, Cadet 112 lbs. (freestyle).
"This tournament really showed what a high
level of wrestling there is in Utah," said Kilpack. "We
took a relatively small group of wrestlers, some only one
or two representing on of the six clubs present, and every
one of them showed how powerful Utah is in the
Intermountain West. I think that this goes to show that
last year was just the start of a strong tradition, when
six of the seven Intermountain Champion awards went to
Utah wrestlers. This year, there will be 14 Intermountain
Champions named, and I anticipate that Utah will be very
well represented in those final awards again."
The Intermountain Champion Series was
created to recognized the finest wrestlers in the
Intermountain West. The goal is to give freestyle and
Greco-Roman wrestlers similar opportunities through USA
Wrestling-sanctioned tournaments as are offered in a lot
of big private folkstyle tournaments held around the
country.
All tournaments in the Intermountain
Champion Series are sanctioned through USA Wrestling, and
offer both freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. For more
information, go to
www.IntermountainChampion.com or call (801) 641-9832.
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