Competition begins Saturday at the 2023 USMC Junior and 16U Nationals in Fargo. Here are five things to know/watch for with Team Wisconsin.

1. Massive teams and brackets
Fargo is the actual largest tournament in the world. There were 6,646 entries in 2022, and USA Wrestling is reporting that number will be up again this year.

Team Wisconsin is comprised of nearly 300 athletes that will compete in two age groups and three disciplines—16U and juniors in women’s freestyle, men’s freestyle, and Greco-Roman—contested in that order. Every single athlete qualified to represent the state team. (Check out our preliminary rosters).

2016 was the first time the WFS divisions had more than 500 participants (combined), and that rose to nearly 1500 last year as the juniors celebrated 20 years at the event. About half of the brackets in MFS last year had prelims in the round of 256—hence the three-day format.

2. New schedule/finals format
All of that growth leads to point 2: If you’re a Fargo veteran you’ll notice the schedule is much different.

USA Wrestling will run both divisions of each discipline at the same time. That means this year there won’t be any athletes competing in both divisions. It also means that the finals, an entire spectacle of their own, will run simultaneously on two raised mats. Those mats will now be at the end of the arena, instead of one raised mat situated in the center of the dome.

The event will run as follows: Women’s freestyle July 15-16, men’s freestyle July 17-19, and Greco-Roman July 21-22.

The championship finals will be held Sunday at 6PM for women’s freestyle, Wednesday at 530PM for men’s freestyle, and Saturday at 6PM for Greco-Roman. Thursday, July 20th, is an off day. (USA Wrestling’s complete schedule is posted here.)

3. Returning All-Americans
Team Wisconsin had 37 All-Americans last year, including eight champions and six runners-up (2022 summary posted here.) Many of those athletes will be back on the competition floor and hungry to turn lessons learned into improved performances. Here’s a look at the returners by discipline.

Women’s freestyle: All four 16U All-Americans are returners, including finalists Ceshker and Bartoszek. Ceshker is fresh off a gold-medal performance at the U17 Pan Ams.

Men’s Freestyle: Eight All-Americans are returners, including junior champion Connor Mirasola, and double 16U champion Haakon Peterson now in the junior division.

Connor and Cole Mirasola, Koy Hopke, Noah Mulvaney, and Braeden Scoles went undefeated with 5+ wins at National Duals last month.

Hopke’s not a returning All-American from 2022, but he won the Triple Crown in 2021 and was busy reaching the pinnacle of the World stage last July—he won a freestyle gold medal at the U17 World Championships in Rome.

Similarly, 2022 All-American Aeoden Sinclair is notably absent as he prepares for the U17 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Kellen Wolbert, a 2022 Fargo champ, is out due to injury.

Greco-Roman: A whopping 11 Greco All-Americans will be at the forefront of our teams during the final two days of competition. 2022 16U Greco champ Tristan Steldt isn’t listed below as he’s only doing freestyle this season.

4. Nationally ranked wrestlers and 2023 WIAA champions
Team Wisconsin is strengthened by a number of nationally-ranked wrestlers and state champions. 

FloWrestling nationally ranked boys: Connor Mirasola (No. 1 at 195, No. 18 P4P), Cole Mirasola (No. 2 at 220, No. 27 P4P), Koy Hopke (No. 3 at 285, No. 11 P4P), Braeden Scoles (No. 4 at 160), Charlie Millard (No. 6 at 160), Wyatt Skebba (No. 13 at 113), Ben Bast (No. 13 at 126), Noah Mulvaney (No. 13 at 170), Wyatt Ingham (No. 14 at 182), Zane Licht (No. 15 at 152), Jake Stoffel (No. 18 at 152).

USA Wrestling nationally ranked girls: Carley Ceshker (No. 3 at 127, No. 25 P4P), Faith Bartoszek (No. 12 at 138), Taylor Whiting (No. 14 at 106), Kylie Rule (No. 13 at 132), Alexandra Hofrichter (No. 6 at 164), Hanna Errthum (No. 20 at 132), Rachel Schauer (No. 30 at 164), Brooke Corrigran (No. 19 at 100), Angie Bianchi (No. 18 at 112), Caitlyn Kelley (No. 24 at 122), Maddie Peach (No. 22 127).

2023 WIAA state champions: D1: Liam Neitzel, Wyatt Skebba, Lucas Peters, Jake Stoffel, Charlie Millard, Noah Mulvaney, Connor Mirasola, Cole Mirasola. D2: Haakon Peterson, Charlie Meudt, Ostin Blanchard, Daniel Heiser, Rhett Koenig, Zane Licht, Braeden Scoles, Silas Dailey, Wyatt Ingham, Koy Hopke. D3: Brett Birchman, Dawson Johnson, Roger Flege, Tristan Steldt, David Malin, Jackson Shramek, Evan Gratz. WMNS: Brooke Corrigan, Taylor Whiting, Caitlyn Kelley, Carley Ceshker, Kylie Rule

5. Team title potential
With that number of returners, ranked wrestlers, and the anticipation of underdog performances, Wisconsin is positioned to give anyone a run for team titles this season.

The men’s junior freestyle team just placed 3rd at National Duals—which is not what they went to Tulsa for—and are hungry to earn the No. 1 spot together. It would be a first in Wisconsin history for the junior men’s freestyle team. Last year the boys placed top five in both disciplines—2nd in both 16U and junior Greco, 5th in both 16U and junior freestyle.

Wisconsin has some serious firepower in the lineups, and our wrestlers are ready to go.

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The Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, guided by USA Wrestling, provides quality opportunities for its members to achieve their full human and athletic potential. Wisconsin Wrestling Federation will strive to be USA Wrestling’s best state organization