Kentucky wrestler Jayden Raney repeats as a champion at 2025 U.S. Open

High school wrestlers enjoys plenty of success on the mats in Las Vegas

Union County (Kentucky) wrestler Jayden Raney won his second straight U.S. Open championship, following last year's U17 title with a crown in the Senior Division. / Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Of the two Olympic Styles of wrestling, Freestyle and Greco Roman, Greco is the most peculiar and the least similar to what the high school kids wrestle most of the time, Folkstyle. On Friday and Saturday at the US Open at the Expo in Las Vegas, Greco Roman Champions were declared in three age groups that contained high school wrestlers, Senior, U17, and U20.

The 2024 U17 Greco Roman World Champion, Jayden Raney of Kentucky's Union County, who repped the NYAC, repeated as Open Champ but did so in the “Big-Boy” Division, the final rung of the ladder, the Senior Ranks. Raney, who is just a junior in high school, gained the title at 55-kilograms uncontested by forfeit and then disqualification in a best of three final with Brady Koontz (Dubuque RTC/Titan Mercury).

Raney is ranked sixth in the nation in High School on SI’s latest national rankings and reached the finals on two technical falls, 11-0 in 3:17 over Peter Del Gallo (South Side WC) and 8-0 in 1:01 versus Fabin Gutierrez of West Point Wrestling Club.

California’s Isaiah Cortez (No. 10 at 132) was a U20 US Open and World Team Trials champion who earned a U20 World Silver Medal a year ago that made the step up to the next level for this edition. Unfortunately, Cortez (Daniel Cormier Wrestling) was not able to enjoy the same success but still reached the podium in the fourth position at 60-kilograms, which is no small feat for a senior still in high school.

California had a tremendous amount of success in the U17 slate producing four champions across the ten weight classes. David Calkins (92-kilograms), Isai Fernandez (80), Arseni Kikiniou (65-kilograms), and Thales Silva (45).

The finals for U17 were for World Team positions, so they were contested in a best of three rotation. Calkins (Liberty High School) didn’t spend three minutes on the mat in the duration of his sweep of Montana’s Bruno Pallone, winning both by tech, 10-2 in 1:09 and 12-0 in 1:29. 

Fernandez is an honorable mention entry in our national ratings at 175-pounds and went the distance in winning two straight over Utah’s Ladd Holman (Juab Wrestling Club), 7-3 and 4-0. Kikiniou, who was previously ranked at 145, repped Poway Wrestling on this journey and downed Gregory Torosian (World Team Training Center), 3-1, then was handed a 5-4 defeat before winning the deciding bout with a tech, 9-1 (2:49).

Silva is still a middle schooler so making an U17 World Team is a tremendous achievement to say the least. Silva wrestled for Izzy Style, a club based in Illinois and endured the same path to his gold as Kikiniou, winning his initial encounter with Illinois’ Colton Wyller by tech, 8-0 (2:53), then dropping the middle match, 5-3, before rallying for the win with a pin in 1:47.

Georgia’s Ariah Mills (Roundtree Wrestling Academy), who is our top-ranked 106-pounder, defeated two other nationally ranked 106-pounders on the way to his 48-kilogram title. In the semis, the fourth-seeded Mills ran into the number one seed, Ohio’s Loc Webber (Beast Mode). Mills used a 5-1 decision to handle Webber, who we have at No. 8 in our national poll. A sweep came in the finals, 6-0 and 4-0, with Illinois’ No. 24 Michael Rundell (The Wrestling Academy).

Two nationally ranked 190-pounders battled it out for the 110-kilogram crown with Ohio’s No. 6 Alex Taylor (Beast Mode) taking on Illinois’ No. 21 Josh Hoffer (Dubtown Wrestling Club). Hoffer teched Taylor, 11-2 (2:25), for the early advantage then watched Taylor take two straight on a fall at 2:39 and an 8-0 tech in just 47 seconds.

The 60-Kilogram final had an appearance by another middle school grappler, Virgina’s Reece Movahed (American Dream Wrestling). Movahed could not replicate Silva’s magic but made Team Pennsylvania’s Will Detar (No. 16 at 132) work to earn his win with tallies of 3-1 and 4-4 (ties in the Olympic Styles are broken on criteria, there is no overtime).

Big Game Wrestling Club’s Alexander Pierce (No. 19 at 120) staked claim to the gold at 55-kilograms over Robert Ruscitti (The Wrestling Academy). The Iowan lost a close one in the opener, 5-4, then won two-in-a-row by tech, 10-2 (3:32) and 11-0 (2:00).

Virginia’s Carter Shin (Palms Wrestling Academy) spent some time in our national ratings in December but tumbled out with a few losses. There would be no losses here as Shin captured the 51-kilogram crown with consecutive 9-0 techs in 1:30 and 1:31, over Indian’s Jeremy Carver.

The last U17 champ was Texas’ Dominic Wilson (Ranger 47 Wrestling Club) at 71-kilograms with close wins, 6-4 and 5-2, over Legend Ellis (Threestyle Wrestling of Oklahoma).

Given the age grouping, the U17 Division is predominantly made up of high school kids with a few middle schoolers sprinkled in. The U20 classification forces high school grapplers to scrap with those from the college ranks.

Three wrestlers that appear in our national poll captured U20 golds, Wyatt Medlin (No. 12 at 157), Caleb Noble (No. 6 at 113), and Manuel Saldate (No. 9 at 132). They won theirs on a single match as the U20 wrestlers have a World Team Trial gauntlet down the road where the final will be best-of-three. 

Medlin and Noble hail from Illinois. Medlin blanked Jude Randall (Bellator Pro Deus), 7-0, at 72-kilograms. Noble (Toss Em Up Wrestling) handled a honorable mention grappler on our list, Titan Friederichs (Minnesota Elite Wrestling Club), with a 12-4 technical fall in 5:24 for the glory at 55-kilograms.

At 60 kilograms, Nevada’s Saldate (Gold Rush) won a crazy clash with Treygen Morin (Suples Wrestling Club), 11-10. Pennsylvania’s Adam Waters (Stellar Trained) is ranked second at 190-pounds and finished as an 87-kilogram runner-up to Nick Nolser (Southern Illinois RT), 8-0 (5:13). One other high schooler finished as U20 Silver Medalist, Alabama’s Cody Kirk (Stronghold Wrestling), who fell in the 82-kilogram final versus Kentucky’s Gavin Ricketts,13-3 (5:26).

45 kg

1st - Thales Silva (Izzy Style Wrestling) dec. Colton Wyller (Illinois), 2 matches to one

Bout One - Silva tech fall Wyller, 8-0, 2:53

Bout Two - Wyller dec. Silva, 5-3

Bout Three - Silva pin Wyller, 1:47

3rd - Hudson Chittum (Tennessee) Dec. Wyatt Dannegger (Team Missouri Select), 5-3

5th - Roman Fonseca (Daniel Cormier Wrestling Club) Dec. Stephano Calderon (Sons Of Thunder Wrestling), 5-4

7th - Nick Payne (Boneyard Wrestling Academy) Dec. Dakota Harmer (Michigan Premier WC), 7-3

48 kg

1st - Ariah Mills (Roundtree Wrestling Academy) dec. Michael Rundell (The Wrestling Academy), two matches to none

Bout One - Mills dec. Rundell, 6-0

Bout Two - Mills dec. Rundell, 4-0

3rd - Loc Webber (Beast Mode Wrestling) T.F. Tristan Pino (Betterman Elite Wrestling), 8-0 (1:08)

5th - Thiago Silva (Izzy Style Wrestling) T.F. Shawn Coffel (NB Elite Wrestling Club), 9-0 (1:16)

7th - Dylan Nieuwenhuis (Michigan Premier WC) T.F. Beau Fennick (Young Guns Wrestling Club), 12-4 (1:49)

51 kg

1st - Carter Shin (Palm Wrestling Academy) dec. Jeremy Carver (Contenders Wrestling Academy), two matches to none

Bout One - Shin tech fall Carver, 9-0, 1:30

Bout Two - Shin tech fall Carver, 9-0, 1:31

3rd - Jackson Shipley (3F Wrestling) Dec. Kaleb Pratt (The Wrestling Academy), 4-1

5th - Corey Brown (HeadHunters Wrestling Club) F. Tyler Verceles (HeadHunters Wrestling Club), 1:03

7th - Cameron Jackson (Fremont Warriors Wrestling Club) F. Analu Woode (Golden Back MRTC), 3:03

55 kg

1st - Alexander Pierce (Big Game Wrestling Club) dec. Robert Ruscitti (The Wrestling Academy), two matches to one

Bout One - Ruscitti dec. Pierce, 5-4

Bout Two - Pierce tech fall Ruscitti, 10-2, 3:22

Bout Three - Pierce tech fall Ruscitti, 11-0, 2:00

3rd - Kaleb Blackner (Sanderson Wrestling Academy) T.F. Jordan Manyette (American Dream Wrestling Club), 8-0 (0:41)

5th - Tommy Wurster (Beast Mode Wrestling) Dec. Aidan McClure (Steller Trained Wrestling), 5-1

7th - Eli Herring (Bishop McCort High School Wrestling) For. Carter Wallis (Team Missouri Select),

60 kg

1st - Will Detar (Team Pennsylvania) dec. Reece Movahed (American Dream Wrestling Club), two matches to none

Bout One - Detar dec. Movahed, 3-1

Bout Two - Detar dec. Movahed, 4-4

3rd - Nicholas Sorrow (Simmons Academy Of Wrestling) F. Josiah Boyden (Backyard Bullies Wrestling Club), 0:32

5th - Matthew Orbeta (Poway High School Wrestling) Dec. Thomas Banas (Illinois), 8-5

7th - Czar Quintanilla (Inland Northwest Wrestling Training Center) Dec. Deven Lopez (La Gente Wrestling Club), 7-6

65 kg

1st - Arseni Kikiniou (Poway Wrestling) dec. Gregory Torosian (World Team Training Center), two matches to one

Bout One - Kikiniou dec. Torosian, 3-1

Bout Two - Torosian dec. Kikiniou, 5-4

Bout Three - Kikinou tech fall Torosian, 9-1, 2:49

3rd - Austin Collins (Bear Cave Wrestling Club) T.F. Ames-Michael Hoevker (Granite Wrestling Club), 9-0 (1:14)

5th - Chance Ruble (Team Missouri Select) T.F. Mihai Necula (Level Up Wrestling Center), 12-3 (2:29)

7th - Myles Grossman (Haines Trained Wrestling) F. Eddie Kessen (Burnett Trained Wrestling), 2:13

71 kg

1st - Dominic Wilson (Ranger 47 Wrestling Club) dec. Legend Ellis (Threestyle Wrestling Of Oklahoma), two matches to none

Bout One - Wilson dec. Ellis, 6-4

Bout Two - Wilson dec. Ellis, 5-2

3rd - Jacob Morris (Avalanche Wrestling Association) F. Maximus Dhabolt (Sebolt Wrestling Academy), 2:00

5th - Luke Burgar (Spartan Mat Club) F. Zayn Navarrete (NB Elite Wrestling Club), 0:30

7th - Zachery Little (Spartan Wrestling Club) T.F. Daniel Acosta (Panhandle RTC), 13-5 (3:09)

80 kg

1st - Isai Fernandez (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) dec. Ladd Holman (Juab Wrestling Club), two matches to none

Bout One - Fernandez dec. Holman, 7-3

Bout Two - Fernandez dec. Holman, 4-0

3rd - Zane Gerlach (Avalanche Wrestling Association) T.F. Noah Tucker (Germantown Wrestling), 12-1 (3:39)

5th - Kyle Scott (Pennsylvania) T.F. Damion Hamilton (Team Real Life Wrestling), 10-1 (1:45)

7th - Riley Johnson (MWC Wrestling Academy) T.F. Shepard Stephens (Sanderson Wrestling Academy), 12-1 (2:33)

92 kg

1st - David Calkins Jr (Liberty High School Wrestling) dec. Bruno Pallone (Montana), two matches to none

Bout One - Calkins tech fall Pallone, 10-2, 1:09

Bout Two - Calkins tech fall Pallone, 12-0, 1:29

3rd - JT Smith (MWC Wrestling Academy) Dec. Danny Zmorowski (Lake Erie Regional Training Center), 3-1

5th - Andy Franke (Iowa) T.F. Ryan Schneider (South Side Wrestling Club), 8-0 (1:00)

7th - Carter Brown (Team Missouri Select) T.F. Daniel Hoke (Ohio), 8-0 (0:55)

110 kg

1st - Alex Taylor (Beast Mode Wrestling) dec. Josh Hoffer (Dubtown Wrestling Club), two matches to one

Bout One - Hoffer tech fall Taylor, 11-2, 2:25

Bout Two - Taylor pin Hoffer, 2:39

Bout Three - Taylor tech fall Hoffer, 8-0, 0:36

3rd - Jesse Romero (Graham Greco) F. Noah Larios (Imperial Wrestling), 0:36

5th - Preston Wagner (MWC Wrestling Academy) T.F. Noah Mathis (Bobcat Wrestling Club), 9-1 (1:50)

7th - Ryder Smith (Rabbit Wrestling Club) T.F. Lance Clelland (Richmond Wrestling Club), 8-0 (0:36)