Fargo, North Dakota— Men’s freestyle has wrapped up an intense and exciting three days of wrestling at the 2024 USMC Junior and 16U National Championships. Two are returning as national finalists, nine more are All-Americans, and three from Wisconsin earned distinguished awards on the final day of the freestyle discipline in Fargo.

Wisconsin All-Americans
After an injury sidelined Makhi Rodgers for a season, the cadet from Milwaukee, Wis., battled his way onto the largest stage for age-group wrestlers at the 16U National Championships.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Rodgers said after his semifinal match. “I just got off a year-long injury from an ACL and meniscus surgery, so I’m super proud of myself and just thanking God for the opportunity.”

Rodgers’s semifinal match took a comeback in the final 30 seconds to win it over Nebraska’s Preston Wagner. His excitement was mirrored from the corner and the stands as his entire family cheered. “I can hear my mom over my coaches more than anybody,” he said with a smile and soft laugh. He named his 6th place finish at WIAA state as a freshman as his biggest accomplishment to date. “Other than that, I’ve been in the lab training.”

The finals were close. Rodgers trailed by two points going into the second period, but his opponent from Illinois ended the match by fall. He went 5-1 on his first Fargo trip—trust in God’s plan, be patient, and take it one match at a time has been his recipe, and it’s working pretty well so far.

National finalist Hunter Stevens was on a mission to earn his place in the championship finals. The soon-to-be junior at Mount Horeb pulled together five techs en route to the semis, giving up points in just two of those matches on the first two days. 

Stevens’ execution, and crafty skill set saw him take out Utah’s No. 1 seed Austin Ellis 6-0 in the semifinals. “The last time we wrestled him I had too much pressure and he used it against me,” Stevens said after the semifinal. “. . . I was prepared for him trying to score on my offense this time.” 

Stevens was true to his unrelenting ethic in the championship final. He trailed by 4 with 14 seconds in the match, earned a stepout point, and then hit what looked to be a beautiful 4-point throw to put himself in the lead 5-4. A challenge from the opposing corner saw the throw reduced to a two-point takedown, and Iowa’s Jesuroga took the match by a single point, 4-3 as the clock ran out. Improving this year, Stevens said growth has come down to showing up in training and being consistent. He went 6-1. 

Charlie Millard handled the backside of the bracket with class to clinch a 3rd-place finish overall. Millard lost in the round of 16 and then went on a five-match tear putting him at an insane 9-1 record for the three-day showing of elite wrestling. The Minnesota commit from Homestead is now a two-time Junior All-American.

In one of the most interesting twists of the medal round, Cael Leisgang had to re-wrestle the second period of the 5th-place match. The California coaches won a protest that redacted his original 7-4 win. The second time around Leisgang left no question and finished it with a fall. This impressive fifth-place improves on 8th in 2023.

Locking up 4th place was first-year junior Caleb Denne, and Liam Crook in the 16U division. Both wrestlers went an impressive 7-2, showcasing their talent on the national stage.

Juniors Ian Smith (215) and Kellen Wolbert (138) wrestled back to 7th place finishes overall. Maximus Hay (126) and Max Gonzalez (132) finished 8th. Hay said his offense was working really well for him, and if you watched the matches you know it’s true of the All-American from Brown Deer High School. National semifinalist and 6th-place All-American Dale Corbin sustained an injury in the semifinals and defaulted the remainder of the event. Corbin had five wins leading into the final day of competition. 

Team Wisconsin's 16U team finished in 9th place, and the juniors were 13th. 

Leaders in the wrestling community
Ben Askren, Scott Kluever, and Jeff Jones were all presented awards by USA Wrestling before the championship finals.

“Receiving the Men’s Freestyle Developmental Coach of the Year award is an incredible honor,” Askren said. “I love mentoring the next generation of athletes and this recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion that goes into nurturing and developing the talents and culture of our athletes. It's a privilege to play a role in their growth and success, and I share much of the credit for this award with the amazing coaches at AWA who support and believe in the vision we have for Wisconsin wrestling.”

“I think any time you get an award, or are recognized by your peers, it’s really humbling," Kluever said. The WWF’s State Coach Coordinator was named USA Wrestling’s Chuck Elvin Junior Person of the Year—an award given to a person who demonstrates excellence in developing a junior-level program. “This is a program award,” he said a bit teary-eyed.

Jeff Jones, a staple in all levels of wrestling, was awarded the Alice Riggle award as the Operations Official of the Year. The award is reserved for a person who has dedicated years to serving on the local, state, and national levels. Jones has done all three. 

As the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation strives to fulfill its mission people are working tirelessly in all capacities of the sport, and it’s nice when that work gets mention.

Not a single person from Wisconsin who won an award this week so far—six in total—would go out of their way to tell you that they do the things they’re being awarded for. But they’ve worked selflessly in what they do, and Wisconsin wrestling knows it and backs them. That’s who awards are for, right?

Coming up
There will be a break in action tomorrow, Thursday. Wrestling resumes Friday and Saturday with Team Wisconsin’s Greco-Roman contingent getting their start at 9AM for the Juniors, and 3PM for the 16U team.

Once again, all of the action can be streamed live on FloWrestling.

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Daily recaps will be posted to the WWF blog, and you can follow updates on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).

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