By David Gerhart
USA Wrestling

GENEVA, Ohio – The 2026 U20 Men’s Freestyle World Team was set on Friday night on the opening day of the 2026 U23 Nationals & U20 World Team Trials at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio.

Each of the 10 champions has qualified to compete for Team USA at the 2026 U20 World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, August 16-23.

After making the Greco-Roman U20 World Team in 2024 and 2025, Isaiah Cortez secured his spot on the U20 men’s freestyle team this year. After earning the right to sit out until the best-of-three championship round with his U20 Nationals title at the U.S. Open, Cortez upended Grey Burnett in the first two matches of the best-of-three series at 57 kg, 5-1 and 10-0.

Bo Bassett, who also earned a bye into the finals, made his second U20 World Team with a pair of bonus wins at 65 kg. Bassett pinned Clinton Shepherd 2:40 into the first bout. He then won a 10-0 contest in round two to win the title.

All but one best-of-three championship series ended in two matches. The lone series that went the distance came at 125 kg. Dreshaun Ross bonused his way through the challenge tournament to set up a rematch with age-group World medalist Coby Merrill. Merrill outlasted Ross 8-6 at the U.S. Open to earn the bye into the final round in Ohio. Merrill took the opening round on Friday, 11-0. However, Ross battled back and won the final two matches, 9-2 and 7-1, locking in his spot on the U20 World Team.

Ross was only one of two wrestlers to win the challenge tournament to start the day, then go on to win the championship series in the evening session. The other wrestler to do so was Aaron Seidel at 61 kg.

Seidel, who was an NCAA All-American in 2026, only gave up one point across his five matches and won each by technical fall. In the championship series against Elijah Cortez, Seidel won a pair of 10-0 affairs to make his first age-group World Team.

U17 World champion Jayden James continued his strong run of form following a runner-up finish at the Senior World Team Trials. James battled two-time age-group World medalist Ladarion Lockett in the 74 kg championship series, which was a rematch of the 2025 U20 World Team Trials finals. Lockett won the 2025 series 6-1 and 15-2. James exacted his revenge and swept Lockett on Friday night, 5-4 and 4-2.

2026 NCAA champion Landon Robideau shutout Melvin Miller at 70 kg, 5-0 and 12-0, to claim his spot on the U20 World Team.

In a battle of NCAA All-Americans, Aeoden Sinclair took down Brock Mantanona, 6-0 and 10-0, and won the U20 World Team Trials crown at 86 kg.

Rounding out the men’s freestyle champions at the U20 World Team Trials were Ryan Burton at 79 kg, Jimmy Mastny at 92 kg and Michael Boyle at 97 kg.

Competition at the U23 Nationals & U20 World Team Trials continues Saturday with the start of the U23 men’s freestyle tournament at 9:30 a.m. ET. Action concludes Sunday with the final rounds of the U23 men’s freestyle brackets.

Live video of the U23 Nationals & U20 World Team Trials is available on FloWrestling. Brackets and match-by-match results will be available through USA Bracketing.

2026 U23 Nationals & U20 World Team Trials

At Geneva, Ohio, May 29

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• Event Schedule

• Brackets and Results

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U20 Men’s Freestyle World Team Trials Results

Best-of-Three Final Results

57 kg

Isaiah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC/ TMWC) defeats Grey Burnett (Burnett Trained Wrestling), two matches to none

Round 1 – Cortez dec. Burnett, 5-1

Round 2 – Cortez tech. fall Burnett, 10-0

61 kg

Aaron Seidel (SERTC- TMWC) defeats Elijah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC/ TMWC), two matches to none

Round 1 – Seidel tech. fall Cortez, 10-0

Round 2 – Seidel tech. fall Cortez, 10-0

65 kg

Bo Bassett (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)) defeats Clinton Shepherd (Howe Wrestling School, LLC), two matches to none

Round 1 – Bassett fall Shepherd, 2:40

Round 2 – Bassett tech. fall Shepherd, 10-0

70 kg

Landon Robideau (Cowboy RTC) defeats Melvin Miller (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)), two matches to none

Round 1 – Robideau dec. Miller, 5-0

Round 2 – Robideau tech. fall, 12-0

74 kg

Jayden James (KD Training Center/ TMWC) defeats Ladarion Lockett (Cowboy RTC), two matches to none

Round 1 – James dec. Lockett, 5-4

Round 2 – James dec. Lockett, 4-2

79 kg

Ryan Burton (SERTC- TMWC) defeats Joseph Jeter (Position Wrestling), two matches to none

Round 1 – Burton dec. Jeter, 10-7

Round 2 – Burton dec. Jeter, 8-1

86 kg

Aeoden Sinclair (Tiger Style Wrestling Club) defeats Brock Mantanona (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club), two matches to none

Round 1 – Sinclair dec. Mantanona, 6-0

Round 2 – Sinclair tech. fall Mantanona, 10-0

92 kg

Jimmy Mastny (Relentless Training Center) defeats Karson Tompkins (Air Force Regional Training Center), two matches to none

Round 1 – Mastny fall Tompkins, 3:31

Round 2 – Mastny tech. fall Tompkins, 10-0

97 kg

Michael Boyle (Ohio Crazy Goats Wrestling Club) defeats Garett Kawczynski (Askren Wrestling Academy), two matches to none

Round 1 – Boyle tech. fall Kawczynski, 10-0

Round 2 – Boyle tech. fall Kawczynski, 10-0

125 kg

Dreshaun Ross (Cowboy RTC) defeats Coby Merrill (NYAC), two matches to one

Round 1 – Merrill tech. fall Ross, 11-0

Round 2 – Ross dec. Merrill 9-2

Round 3 – Ross dec. Merrill, 7-1

Challenge Tournament Final Results

57 kg

Grey Burnett (Burnett Trained Wrestling) dec. Ronnie Ramirez (Cowboy RTC), 3-2

61 kg

Aaron Seidel (SERTC- TMWC) tech. fall Carter Pearson (Cyclone Regional Training Center), 10-0

65 kg

Clinton Shepherd (Howe Wrestling School, LLC) dec. Tyler Dekraker (Spartan RTC@LHP), 6-6

70 kg

Melvin Miller (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)) dec. Seth Mendoza (Tiger Style Wrestling Club), 10-8

74 kg

Ladarion Lockett (Cowboy RTC) dec. Kody Routledge (Cowboy RTC), 4-1

79 kg

Joseph Jeter (Position Wrestling) fall Daniel Heiser (Tiger Style Wrestling Club), 2:34

86 kg

Brock Mantanona (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club) dec. Waylon Cressell (Panther Wrestling Club RTC), 10-10

92 kg

Karson Tompkins (Air Force Regional Training Center) inj. def. Adam Waters (Steller Trained Wrestling), 1:42

97 kg

Garett Kawczynski (Askren Wrestling Academy) dec. Cason Howle (Wolfpack RTC), 6-3

125 kg

Dreshaun Ross (Cowboy RTC) tech. fall Michael Mocco (Hawkeye Wrestling Club), 11-0

Challenge Tournament Semifinal Results

57 kg

Grey Burnett (Burnett Trained Wrestling) dec. Paul Kenny (Hawkeye Wrestling Club), 6-1

Ronnie Ramirez (Cowboy RTC) dec. Hayden Schwab (Immortal Athletics WC), 13-6

61 kg

Aaron Seidel (SERTC- TMWC) tech. fall Tommy Wurster (Beast Mode Wrestling), 12-1

Carter Pearson (Cyclone Regional Training Center) dec. Dean Anderson (Valiant Wrestling Club / Panther Wrestling Club RTC), 8-7

65 kg

Tyler Dekraker (Spartan RTC@LHP) dec. Arseni Kikiniou (Poway Wrestling), 4-3

Clinton Shepherd (Howe Wrestling School, LLC) dec. Kellen Wolbert (Askren Wrestling Academy), 12-7

70 kg

Seth Mendoza (Tiger Style Wrestling Club) fall Nathaniel Askew (Tar Heel Wrestling Club), 2:46

Melvin Miller (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)) dec. Vince Bouzakis (Pittsburgh Wrestling Club), 8-6

74 kg

Kody Routledge (Cowboy RTC) dec. Mac Crosson (Sebolt Wrestling Academy), 5-2

Ladarion Lockett (Cowboy RTC) dec. Haakon Peterson (Askren Wrestling Academy), 9-0

79 kg

Daniel Heiser (Tiger Style Wrestling Club) tech. fall Sullivan Ramos (Ranger Wrestling Club), 11-0

Joseph Jeter (Position Wrestling) dec. Mario Carini (Poway RTC), 10-9

86 kg

Brock Mantanona (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club) dec. Jarrett Wadsen (Jackrabbit Wrestling Club), 13-13

Waylon Cressell (Panther Wrestling Club RTC) dec. Aaron Stewart (Toss Em Up Wrestling Academy), 9-7

92 kg

Adam Waters (Steller Trained Wrestling) dec. Tanner Hodgins (Shore Thing Wrestling Club), 7-6

Karson Tompkins (Air Force Regional Training Center) dec. Andrew Reall (Bears RTC), 9-5

97 kg

Cason Howle (Wolfpack RTC) disq. Robert Platt (Tar Heel Wrestling Club), 3:43

Garett Kawczynski (Askren Wrestling Academy) dec. Maximus Konopka (South Side Wrestling Club), 5-4

125 kg

Dreshaun Ross (Cowboy RTC) fall Dean Bechtold (Steller Trained Wrestling), 0:53

Michael Mocco (Hawkeye Wrestling Club) tech. fall Jay Henderson (Spartan Combat RTC/ TMWC), 10-0