Fargo Nationals Day 1 recap for 16U Wisconsin wrestlers

1. Top-Seeded Undefeated Wrestlers (Alive in the Bracket)

These wrestlers carried a pre-tournament seed, took care of business on Day 1, and remain undefeated heading into the Round of 32.

• #1 Easton Kammerud (Mt. Horeb/ Barneveld – 16U 165, 2-0): The top seed cruised through opening day. He faces a tough test next against the Washington freestyle state runner-up.

• #1 Kade Splinter (Stoughton – 16U 215, 2-0): Lived up to his top billing with a clean 2-0 start. He has a massive Round of 32 clash waiting against the Pennsylvania freestyle state champion.

• #2 Collin Hamm (Weyauwega-Fremont – 16U 165, 2-0): Handled his business flawlessly. Next up is a highly competitive matchup against a D1 Wisconsin high school state qualifier.

• #2 Leland Havens (Mt. Horeb/ Barneveld – 16U 285, 1-0): The heavyweight powerhouse secured his opening win and moves on to face the Connecticut Northeast regional 3rd-place finisher.

• #4 Kolten Mueller (Milton – 16U 113, 3-0): A busy 3-0 day puts him firmly in the hunt. He draws an Illinois 2A state 3rd-place finisher next.

• #5 Tyler Paulson (Aquinas – 16U 138, 3-0): Kept his title hopes spotless at 3-0. He will square off against an Oklahoma freestyle state runner-up in the Round of 32.

• #7 Gage Gross (Milton – 16U 190, 2-0): Looked dominant on day one. His next test is against a tough New Jersey Northeast regional 4th-place finisher.

• #8 Jacob Penzkover (Aquinas – 16U 157, 2-0): Kept his record perfect and moves on to wrestle an Illinois Greco state 4th-place finisher.

• #10 Liam Crandall (Evansville – 16U 150, 2-0): Stays undefeated but faces a massive Round of 32 bout against a California freestyle state champion.

• #11 Elias Green (Waukesha South – 16U 190, 2-0): Marched through his bracket to hit 2-0. He awaits a matchup with a wrestler out of Virginia.

• #14 Brodey Lewis (Milton – 16U 113, 3-0): Racked up three solid wins on Day 1. He meets the Wisconsin Central Regional 3rd-place finisher next.

• #19 Keilan Yang (Regis/ Altoona – 16U 113, 3-0): Put together a strong 3-0 performance. He sets up a highly anticipated all-Wisconsin battle against a Wisconsin high school state champ.

• #24 Mason Moody (Arrowhead – 16U 120, 3-0): Finished the day unblemished. He will wrestle a tough Pennsylvania freestyle state 3rd-place finisher next.

• #28 Lincoln Swick (Oconomowoc – 16U 120, 3-0): Kept his record perfect at 3-0. Next up is a battle against an Illinois 3A state runner-up.

2. Unseeded or Lower-Seeded Undefeated Wrestlers (Alive in the Bracket)

These wrestlers flew under the radar or are unseeded, but fought through Day 1 completely undefeated to secure a spot in the Round of 32.

• Cole Train Vanderwerff (Burlington – 16U 88, 0-0): Eearned a bye or late bracket placement to sit fresh at 0-0. He makes his debut in the Round of 32 against a Wyoming wrestler.

• Reed Akkerman (Wisconsin Rapids – 16U 88, 0-0): Also starts fresh in the Round of 32, where he will face a wrestler from Kansas.

• Isaac Kruse (Plymouth – 16U 88, 0-0): Advances fresh to the Round of 32 to take on the Northwest Regional 4th-place finisher.

• Travis Smith (Whitehall – 16U 285, 0-0): Stays fresh into the Round of 32, drawing a tough Pennsylvania Northeast regional 2nd-place finisher.

• Ayden Ewing (Richland Center – 16U 94, 1-0): Picked up an important opening win. He gets a major test next against a New Jersey Youth state champ.

• Nathen Swing (Eau Claire North – 16U 285, 1-0): Won his heavyweight opener. Up next is a matchup against a AAA Pennsylvania high school state qualifier.

• Austin Peach (Milton – 16U 106, 2-0): Put together a great 2-0 run. He gets a tough Round of 32 drawing against an Iowa 3A state 3rd-place finisher.

• Caden Schwartz (Oregon – 16U 165, 2-0): Unseeded but dangerous, going 2-0. He faces a fellow home-state star in the D3 Wisconsin state champ next.

• Nolan Ferrell (Arrowhead – 16U 175, 2-0): Navigated his day perfectly to hit 2-0. He draws a Wyoming 2A state runner-up next.

• Treyton Altuve (Hamilton – 16U 190, 2-0): Dominated to hit 2-0. He will wrestle an Indiana high school state qualifier in the Round of 32.

• Jacob Phelps (Cadott – 16U 190, 2-0): Kept his sheet clean at 2-0. He has a stiff challenge ahead against a 2025 Fargo Greco All-American from California.

• Daniel Meurett (Mauston/ Necedah – 16U 215, 2-0): Put together a strong 2-0 opening day. He will meet an Illinois freestyle state 3rd-place finisher next.

3. Wrestlers with One Loss (Still Alive in Consolations)

These competitors dropped a match on Day 1 but bounced back or received a fallback option. Their backs are against the wall, but their All-American dreams are still alive.

• Aidan Imhoff (Ithaca/Weston – 16U 94, 0-1): Dropped a tough one to the Northern Plains Regional champ. He looks to rebound against a Colorado freestyle state runner-up.

• Jackson Otis (Grafton – 16U 94, 0-1): Lost his opener to the Northeast Regional 3rd-place finisher. He aims to bounce back against a Colorado freestyle 4th-place finisher.

• Ryan Gartman (Grafton – 16U 100, 0-1): Fell to a tough New York freestyle state champ. He tries to get back on track against a Pennsylvania freestyle state 3rd-place finisher.

• Connor Woosencraft (Pulaski – 16U 100, 0-1): Dropped a match to an Iowa state 3rd-placer. His consolation road goes through an Indiana freestyle state 3rd-place finisher.

• Rafe Henrickson (Freedom – 16U 150, 0-1): Lost a close one to a Nebraska runner-up. He looks to stay alive against an Indiana freestyle state champion.

• Gavin Mulloy (Waukesha West – 16U 157, 0-1): Fell to a Missouri regional 4th-placer. He fights for survival next against a Michigan freestyle state runner-up.

• Joseph Neese (Cedar Grove- Belgium – 16U 157, 0-1): Dropped his match to a highly credentialed PA US Open All-American. He looks to rebound against a Wyoming 3rd-place finisher.

• Dylan Sardina (West Allis Nathan Hale – 16U 157, 0-1): Fell to a Minnesota state qualifier. He draws a Pennsylvania Northeast Regional 6th-place finisher next.

• Jason Heiser (Evansville – 16U 165, 0-1): Lost to an Ohio regional 4th-placer. He battles a Montana 3rd-place finisher next to stay alive.

• Marcus Brezgel (Shawano – 175, 0-1): Dropped a match to a Washington state champ. He faces a tough Kansas 6A runner-up in consolations.

• Grant Melichar (Port Washington – 16U 175, 0-1): Lost to an Oregon state runner-up. He next takes on a Virginia freestyle state 3rd-place finisher.

• Baron Krueger (Slinger – 16U 190, 0-1): Fell to a Tennessee state 3rd-placer. He meets a Minnesota Northern Plains regional 4th-placer in consolations.

• Sam Moore (Freedom – 16U 190, 0-1): Dropped his bout to a Kansas runner-up. He fights to stay alive against an Indiana 7th-place finisher.

• Logan Aumueller (Eau Claire North – 16U 215, 0-1): Lost to an Ohio regional runner-up. It doesn’t get easier as he draws an Oklahoma freestyle state champ next.

• Ian Powell (Reedsburg – 16U 215, 0-1): Dropped his opener to an Ohio regional 6th-placer. He matches up with a Utah state runner-up next.

• Cayden Podeweltz (Weyauwega-Fremont – 16U 100, 1-1): Lost to an Illinois state champ but remains alive. He will face a New York state 3rd-place finisher next.

• Lawson Mitchell (Pulaski – 16U 144, 1-1): Fell to an Ohio runner-up but bounced back to stay in the tournament. He wrestles a New Jersey opponent next.

• Logan Salm (Luxemburg-Casco – 16U 144, 1-1): Suffered a tough loss to a New York US Open All-American. He continues his back-door march against an Illinois 1A 4th-place finisher.

• Alois Leisgang (Seymour – 16U 165, 1-1): Dropped a match to a Washington runner-up. He has a massive challenge next against an Oklahoma Greco state champion.

• Dax Steinbach (Cornell/ Gilman/ Lake Holcombe – 16U 165, 1-1): Fell to an Ohio state 3rd-placer. He keeps pushing forward against a New Jersey competitor.

• Sterling Schanen (Ozaukee – 16U 106, 2-1): Lost a battle to a New Jersey runner-up, but stays very much alive. He faces a Missouri Class 2 runner-up next.

• Malakai Barker (Osceola – 16U 120, 3-1): Put together three wins on the day but picked up a loss to an Idaho champ. He looks to bounce back against a California 3rd-place finisher.

• Rex Lancaster (Holmen – 16U 126, 3-1): Dropped a match to a tough Western Regional champ but racked up three strong wins. He gets a Colorado 3rd-place finisher next.

• Bentley Nowak (Coleman – 16U 126, 3-1): Had a great day outside of a loss to an Alaska state champ. He faces a National Prep Qualifier next.

• Brayden Breider (Stoughton – 16U 132, 3-1): Picked up an elite win over a Wyoming state champ, but with one loss on his record, he now shifts focus to a Texas Prep State Champ.

• Braiden Hale-Toomey (Reedsburg – 16U 132, 3-1): His lone blemish came against an Arkansas champ. He will meet an Illinois 2A 3rd-place finisher in his next consolation match.

• Riddick Meyer (Spencer/ Columbus/ Granton – 16U 132, 3-1): Lost to a Texas regional 3rd-placer but collected three big wins. He draws a Florida Southeast regional runner-up next.

• Xander Knowles (Port Washington – 16U 138, 3-1): Fell to an Idaho regional champ but fought back hard all day. He draws a Pennsylvania state runner-up next.

• Benny Braunschweig (Evansville – 16U 138, 3-1): His only slip-up was to a Florida 3rd-placer. He looks to keep rolling against an Ohio 5th-place finisher.

4. Wrestlers with Two Losses (Eliminated from Tournament)

These wrestlers fought hard but picked up their second loss on Day 1, bringing their Fargo tournaments to a courageous end.

• Ben Pece (Mukwonago – 16U 126, 0-2): Eliminated after dropping tough bouts to a Georgia 5th-place finisher and a Northeast regional 4th-placer.

• Reid Nicklay (Aquinas – 16U 144, 0-2): Had a brutal draw, bowing out after losses to a California state champ and an Iowa state qualifier.

• Garrett Bowden (Pulaski – 16U 150, 0-2): Fought hard but fell to high-level regional and state placers from New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

• Waylon Winter (Union Grove – 16U 113, 0-2): Eliminated after running into an Oregon state runner-up and a tough Pennsylvania wrestler.

• Hunter Konkol (Kettle Moraine – 16U 113, 0-2): Bowed out after dropping matches to an Illinois state 3rd-placer and a Southern Plains 4th-placer.

• Johnathan Marth (Germantown – 16U 138, 0-2): Knocked out after facing an Idaho 5th-place finisher and a Utah state champion.

• Bryce Feran (Prescott – 16U 106, 1-2): Picked up a nice win but was eliminated after falling to an Oklahoma state champ and an Illinois 4th-place finisher.

• Joshua Schanen (Muskego – 16U 113, 2-2): Earned two hard-fought wins before being eliminated by an Illinois runner-up and an Iowa 4th-place finisher.

• Graysen Koepke (Port Washington – 16U 113, 2-2): Collected two wins on Day 1 but fell out of the tournament against an Ohio state 3rd-placer and a South Dakota runner-up.

• Brendan Henderson (Holmen – 16U 120, 2-2): Put together a respectable two-win day before falling to an Oklahoma runner-up and a Kentucky 3rd-place finisher.

• Wyatt Wolf (Marshfield – 16U 120, 2-2): Finished 2-2, ultimately eliminated by a Western Regional 3rd-placer and a South Dakota 3rd-place finisher.

• Jayden Tuquero (Holmen – 16U 126, 2-2): Fought to a 2-2 record, bowing out against a Nevada runner-up and a Texas Prep runner-up.

• Isaiah Neitzel (Watertown – 16U 126, 2-2): Ended his run at 2-2 after dropping matches to a California 3rd-placer and a Washington 3rd-place finisher.

• Reece Vendegna (Wilmot Union – 16U 132, 2-2): Went 2-2 on the day, falling to a Louisiana 4th-placer and a New Mexico Greco 5th-placer.

• Mack Mesenbrink (Arrowhead – 16U 132, 2-2): Reached a 2-2 record before being eliminated by a Colorado middle school champ and a Washington freestyle champ.

• Corbyn Weiss (Regis/ Altoona – 16U 132, 2-2): Won two matches but was knocked out by an Indiana state qualifier and a Georgia state champion.

• Michael Laux (Homestead – 16U 138, 2-2): Fought to a 2-2 record, falling to a Northeast regional runner-up and a Virginia runner-up.

• Lincoln Stanek (Aquinas – 16U 138, 2-2): Finished his tournament 2-2 after bowing out to freestyle state champions from Alaska and Arizona.