ROCHESTER, MN

Spring and summer time wrestling is in full swing and Shakopee wrestlers continue to excel on the mat competing in the Olympic Styles of Freestyle and Greco-Roman.

This past weekend, the Northern Plains Regional Tournament took place in Rochester, MN held at the RCTC Regional Sports Center.

Sabers wrestlers from Bantams to Juniors competed with many of the nation’s best wrestlers while representing the state of Minnesota.

For Juniors and Cadets the stakes are much higher. By placing in the top four, wrestlers earn automatic bids to compete in the US Marine Corps/USAW Junior & Cadet National Championships held in July at the Fargo Dome in Fargo, North Dakota.

Juniors and Cadets

Shakopee senior and all-time winningest wrestler Alex Lloyd took first in Greco Roman and third in Freestyle after an early second round loss. Lloyd will attend South Dakota State University in the fall.

Junior Tyler Jones took fourth in Greco-Roman and made the highlight reels with one of the best throws of the tournament.

Sophomore Paxton Creese earned second in both styles. Creese will head to Guatemala this week to represent the United States at the UWW Cadet Pan-American Championships.

Freshman twins Joey and Tommy Johnson each took third at their respective weights competing in their first tournament of the off season.

Freshman DJ Smith wrestled to a 4th place finish in freestyle and sixth in Greco-Roman

Schoolboy/Girl, Novice, Bantam

In the younger divisions Shakopee was well represented by the up and comers.

In the Schoolboy/Girl divisions Cody Zitzmann and Leonard Tukhlynovych both faced strong competition that kept the young Sabers from reaching the podium.

Bantams Carson Triplett and Isaiah Edie both brought home the gold for Shakopee in both styles.

Shakopee’s lone female wrestler Cassandra Gonzales netted a third place finish in the Girls Novice 75 pound weight class.

CONGRATS to all of our Saber Wrestlers!