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Northern Plains Regional Championships and Senior World Team Trials Qualifier Results

 

The All-Marine Wrestling team competed in Waterloo, Iowa last weekend at the Northern Plains Regional Championship and Senior World Team Trials qualifier.  The winners of this tournament are automatically qualified to compete for a spot on the US World Team at the US World Team Trials of Wrestling to be held in Las Vegas June 8-10. 

Cpl Andrew Hogan (Okinawa, Japan) led the Marines by winning the tournament at 55 kg/121 lbs.   In the finals of the tournament he avenged a loss earlier in the season to Christopher Wilson of the US Air Force.  Hogan is the fifth Marine to qualify for the trials this season.  He joins fellow Marine wrestlers already qualified for the Trials, Sgt Jacob Clark (Cherry Point), Sgt Donavan Depatto (2nd MLG), LCpl Jeremy Pederson (Quantico), and SSgt James Shillow (Camp Lejeune).  

Four other Marines competed in the tournament.  In his first match, Sgt Steven Forrest (2nd MarDiv) defeated former Marine wrestler, Curtis Barnes, 3-1,1-1.  Barnes now competes for the US Army.  In the finals match, Forrest was defeated by 2007 NCAA champion, Trent Paulson of Iowa State.  Forrest competes at 74 kg/163 lbs.

Cpl Noah Blankenship (4th Mar Div) advanced to the finals of the tournament at 60 kg/121 lbs.  Blankenship was defeated in the finals by veteran Greco-Roman wrestler, Willie Madison.   Madison wrestles for the Gator Wrestling Club out of Louisiana.

Sgt Jeremy Mclean (1st Mar Div) finished with the bronze medal.  Also competing were Capt Juan Ramos (2nd Mar Div) and PO3 William LaSalle, USN (Naval Hospital, Camp Lejeune). 

The Marines will now head to Gothenburg, Sweden for a two-week training camp aimed at preparing them for the World Team Trials.  The winners of each weight class at the trials in Las Vegas, will move on to represent the US at the World Championships of Wrestling to be held in late September in Baku, Azerbaijan.  Last season, Jacob Clark made the World Team and finished 12th in the World Championships.