Plenty of State Champs Entered in Freshman Division at 24th Annual National High School Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

19 wrestlers from around America who are fresh off capturing freshman state championships over the last month-and-a-half will be vying for gold in the Freshman Division of the 24^th Annual National High School Wrestling Championships at the Virginia Beach Convention Center next week.

The 106-pound bracket is loaded with nine state champs entered. In alphabetical order they are: Benjamin Anderson of Pleasant Grove High School (Utah), Jake Brindley of Lake Highland Prep (Florida), Rian Burris of White Knoll (South Carolina), Peter Del Gallo of Gardiner High School (Maine), Chris McCrackin of Banks County (Georgia), Trent Olsom of Campbell County (Wyoming), Derek Spann of Adirondack High School (New York), Dylan Udero of Las Cruces High (New Mexico) and Tyler Warner of Claymont High School (Ohio).

2012 Middle School champ Kelan McKenna of New Hartford High School in New York is entered at 103 after taking the 90-pound title last year.  Jimmy Saylor of Easton High in Pennsylvania won the 127 Middle School title last year. This year’s he’s entered at 132 pounds.  Another Middle School champ moving-up is Jordan Torbitt of Whitney Point High School in New York, who won the 154-pound title in 2012.

Last year, Pennsylvania won the Freshman Division with 199 points, beating out Ohio and Virginia.  The Keystone State won the title with only one champ to Ohio’s four individual champs it the Freshman Division.  Austin Myers of Kentucky was the division’s Outstanding Wrestler.

Four of last year’s champs are back to defend their 2012 titles in the Sophomore Division.  2012 Freshman champs that are competing this year are: Conor Ross (Florida) at 170, Tevis Bartlett (Wyoming) at 182, Ken Brinson (Georgia) at 195 and Gage Cervenka (South Carolina) at 285.