April
20, 2008: Wrestling USA
Magazine
Utah Wrestler Wins FILA Cadet National Championship
AKRON, Oh. — Spencer Brown, a sophomore at Cottonwood
High School in Salt Lake City, defeated Josh Kreimeir of
Colorado to claim the FILA Cadet 58 Kilo (127.75 pound)
Greco-Roman Wrestling National Championship in Akron, Oh.
Brown won seven matches to claim the gold medal, five of
which were by way of fall. In the championship finals,
Brown jumped out to a 6-0 win of the first period on the
strength of a three-point throw, a one-point reversal at
the first clinch, and a two-point gut wrench in the second
clinch. Although the second period ended in a tie score
of 5-5, Kreimeir won the period by scoring last, which
evened the match. Brown won the third and final round by
the score of 4-2. He scored a one-point takedown, a
two-point gut wrench, and defended Kreimeir's final lift
attempt in the clinch for an additional one point. This
was Brown's first of two years of eligibility for the FILA
Cadet Nationals. Brown's best previous performance was a
pair of wins at Rocky Mountain Regionals, and a 5th place
finish at Nationals as a Schoolboy. Brown said, "Greco
is my best wrestling style. I have been working really
hard in the weight room, and at practice trying to recover
from knee surgery last November. This is by far my
all-time best win. I am lucky to be from Salt Lake where
we have great Greco coaches, and I have great Greco
partners to train with. I was out to make a statement, to
show that Utah kids can compete with anyone in the
Country." Brown plans to return to Akron next year to
defend his title. Other individual champions included
Tyler Fraley of New Jersey at 92.5 pounds, Kevin Norstrem
of Florida at 101.25 pounds, Tony Pena of Colorado at 110
pounds, Joshua Castellano of Illinois at 138.5 pounds,
Tyler Beckwith of New York at 167.5 pounds, Max Huntley of
Virginia at 187.25 pounds and Nikola Bogojevic of
Wisconsin at 275 pounds. Kade Moss, a sophomore at
Bingham High, was the only other Cadet from Utah at the
meet. Moss finished third, also at 58 kg by beating Seth
Thomas of Oregon in a decision: 3-8, 5-0, 5-2. Brown's
win earns him a place on the FILA Cadet National Team,
which will represent the USA at the Pan-American
Championships in El Salvador July 11-13.
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