Three Utah Valley University wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals at the U23 Freestyle Nationals in Geneva, Ohio, with four Wolverines still competing as of May 30. A total of 12 UVU wrestlers entered the event, representing the Brunson Utah Valley Regional Training Center.
Layne Kleimann and Geronimo Rivera, both competing in the 61kg bracket, each posted a 3-0 record with all wins by technical fall. They will now face each other in one of four quarterfinal matches. Neither wrestler has surrendered a point so far; Kleimann won his matches by scores of 10-0 (twice) and 11-0, while Rivera secured two wins at 11-0 and defeated Chattanooga’s Ethan Lipsey 10-0 in under a minute for all three bouts.
Smokey McClure also reached the quarterfinals after going 4-0 on Saturday. He is set to compete against Oregon State’s Noah Tolentino next. Kael Bennie (92kg), after an initial win followed by a loss to Iowa’s Harvey Ludington, responded with five consecutive victories and advanced to the consolation quarterfinals with an overall record of 6-1 for the day.
Other UVU competitors included Talen Eck (57kg) and Ian Fritz (70kg), who both finished with three wins apiece. Josh Fish (70kg), Jason Worthley (70kg), and Zyon Trujillo (74kg) each earned two victories during their runs. Trevor Frank (79kg) and Chandler Thompson (86kg) recorded one win each.
The final session is scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast on FloWrestling, with brackets and results available through USABracketing.com.
