The tournament, which began with the girls’ competition Saturday and will continue through July 21, will feature wrestlers representing nearly every state. Matches are held in freestyle and Greco-Roman formats across 16 weight classes.
Greco-Roman cadet matches for male wrestlers will begin today, with the championship finals slated for Monday, while the junior matches will start Monday, with the finals Tuesday.
Male cadet freestyle contests begin Wednesday, followed by junior freestyle Thursday. The cadet freestyle national championship is Friday, followed by next Saturday’s junior freestyle finals.
Wrestlers born in 1996 and ’97 are eligible for the cadet division. The juniors division is comprised of wrestlers born Sept. 1, 1992 and later who were enrolled in grades 9-12 during the 2012 spring semester.
Team Georgia is taking 41 wrestlers to the event, which is equivalent to the traditional state championships held each year by the Georgia High School Association. Among the 37 male members of Team Georgia, eight were state champions this past season.
One of the team’s female members stood out Saturday. Emily Pinson earned USAW All-America honors after placing fourth at 108 pounds in the women’s cadet division.
“This is one of the biggest groups we’ve taken to Fargo,” said Team Georgia and coach Sean Moistner, who is also the coach at Alexander High School in Douglasville. “And, as far as our top-end talent goes, this might be the best group we’ve had as well.
“We’re expecting to have multiple guys in the finals and more national champions. It all comes down to the draw. There is no seeding, so, if you get the right draw and get on a roll, you could end up in the all-American round. That’s the exciting thing about this.”
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