All five bouts were contested in men’s freestyle. Below is a breakdown of each match.
79 kg/174 pounds – Kyle Dake def. Frank Chamizo, 4-3
A match with three lead changes, the Dake vs. Chamizo bout lived up to the competitiveness that was expected.
A 2015 (65 kg) and 2017 (70 kg) World champion for Italy, Chamizo scored first from a shot clock point, but two-time defending World champion at 79 kg Dake closed out the period leading on criteria, thanks to a late step out.
In the second period, the only scoring came from an entertaining sequence that resulted in exposure for Chamizo, then a reversal and gut wrench for Dake to put him up, 4-3, and ultimately give him the win. However, with less than 10 seconds remaining, Chamizo shot a single and nearly took down Dake for the win, but the American held him off for the victory.
“I’ve been working on [my gut wrench] every day still, just to make sure I don’t lose anything,” Dake said. “Frank is a great competitor, and having to go out there and wrestle him is no easy feat. Hats off to him. I’m just excited to be back out here again.”
200 pounds – David Taylor def. Myles Martin, 11-0
In the night’s co-main event, 2018 World champion and two-time NCAA champion for Penn State David Taylor dominated NCAA champion for Ohio State and U23 World Team member Myles Martin in a first-period 11-0 technical fall.
Taylor scored first with a step out but then rattled off five single-leg takedowns against Martin to end the match in 2:36.
It marked Taylor’s second competition after taking a season off due to injury. His last tournament was the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier in March, where he qualified the USA for the Olympics at 86 kg.
149 pounds – Luke Pletcher def. Darrion Caldwell, 9-2
The final match of the undercard featured 2009 NCAA champion and former Bellator Bantamweight World champion Darrion Caldwell and three-time NCAA All-American for Ohio State Luke Pletcher.
Despite being away from wrestling competition for nearly a decade, Caldwell accepted the match against Pletcher just a couple of weeks ago after Pletcher’s original opponent, Anthony Ashnault, pulled out due to injury.
While Caldwell scored the first point in the bout, Pletcher was solid and consistent in his attacks. At the end of the first period, Pletcher led 3-1, thanks to a shot clock violation and a reattack for a takedown at the end of the period.
In the second half, Caldwell once again scored early on a step out, but Pletcher scored on a go-behind shortly after. In the final 20 seconds, Caldwell attempted one last effort with a flying squirrel, but it was unsuccessful and Pletcher grabbed four points to finish off the match with a 9-2 decision.
137 pounds – Roman Bravo-Young def. Jack Mueller, 8-1
Two-time NCAA All-American and 2019 Junior Pan American champion Roman Bravo-Young held off NCAA finalist and 2018 U23 World Team member Jack Mueller in an 8-1 victory.
Bravo-Young went up early, 2-0, with a single-leg takedown, and moments later, he tacked on a perfectly timed go-behind, countering a Mueller shot and added two more points with a gut wrench for a 6-0 lead at the end of the first.
Though there was less scoring in the second period, Bravo-Young fought off several attacks from a resilient Mueller. With about two minutes of competition left, Bravo-Young scored a single on a counter to finish off his scoring. Mueller was able to get on the board with a step out at the buzzer, but Bravo-Young took the win, 8-1.
140 pounds – Vito Arujau def. Sammy Alvarez, 16-5 TF
Two-time age-group World silver medalist and Cornell wrestler Vito Arujau picked up a dominant win to kick off the event, taking out Sammy Alvarez of Rutgers in a 16-5 tech fall.
Despite scoring a trio of step outs in the opening frame, Arujau trailed 5-3 at the end of the first period as Alvarez rolled Arujau through for exposure to pick up four points late in the period. Arujau’s corner challenged the call but failed.
Arujau bounced back with a series of leg attacks in the second period, racking up 11 unanswered points.
Early, he scored on a low single. Shortly after the reset, Arujau scored on a four-point move and went into a trap-arm gut for another two points. Within the final minute, Arujau scored a step out and finished off the bout with a feet-to-back takedown to wrap up the tech fall.