High Schoolers Valencia & Mirasola Beat NCAA Champions At Senior Nationals
High Schoolers Valencia & Mirasola Beat NCAA Champions At Senior Nationals
Penn State wrestling commit Connor Mirasola and Stanford wrestling commit Aden Valencia both took out NCAA champions on Day 1 at Senior Nationals.
Senior Nationals is a proving ground for the United States' best wrestling prospects looking to punch their tickets to the Olympic Trials. Several elite high school wrestlers have shown that they're already prepared to compete with the best the US has to offer. Both Aden Valencia and Connor Mirasola have earned victories over NCAA champions, and Luke Lilledahl took out an NCAA finalist.
65 kg R16 - Aden Valencia TF NCAA Champ Seth Gross 12-2
Stanford wrestling commit Aden Valencia decided to forgo competing on the high school level during his senior year in order to pursue his Olympic dream. He proved once again that he's a legitimate senior level competitor Saturday by defeating former NCAA champion Seth Gross by tech. Valencia had already notched several high level freestyle victories last spring.
This victory over Gross moves Valencia a step closer to qualifying for the US Olympic Trials. After beating Gross, Valencia fell in the quarterfinals to Michigan All-American Alec Pantaleo. Now he'll need to win three more matches over tough opponents to finish in the top five at Senior Nationals and qualify for the Trials.
Valencia's 12-2 tech over Seth Gross
86 kg Quarterfinal - Connor Mirasola dec NCAA Champ Max Dean 9-6
Penn State wrestling commit Connor Mirasola found himself in a battle with former Nittany Lion NCAA champ Max Dean. Mirasola got out to a 5-0 lead over Dean but surrendered 6 straight points late in the match. With 11 seconds left, Mirasola secured a four-point takedown to defeat Dean and advance to the semifinals.
A semifinal victory for Mirasola would cement his spot in April's Olympic Trials, but that won't be easy. His next opponent will be another Penn State NCAA champ, Mark Hall who now trains at the Pennsylvania RTC. Should Mirasola fall in the semis, he'll still have an opportunity to qualify by winning any of his next three matches to finish in the top five.
Mirasola's come-from-behind victory over Max Dean
57 kg Quarterfinal - Luke Lilledahl dec NCAA Finalist Brandon Courtney 6-2
Penn State wrestling commit Luke Lilledahl hasn't wrestled an NCAA champion yet at Senior Nationals, but he did knock off Arizona State NCAA finalist Brandon Courtney in the quarterfinals. After giving up the opening takedown in the match, Lilledahl scored six straight points to win the bout.
The Wyoming Seminary product will compete against Penn State NCAA champion Nico Megaludis in the semifinals. Like Mirasola, Lilledahl will need to win one more match to qualify for the Olympic Trials.
Lilledahl's victory over NCAA finalist Brandon Courtney
