Lovett Wins UWW Junior Freestyle National Title
OMAHA, Neb. – Ridge Lovett earned a UWW Junior Freestyle National Championship at 61 kg on Sunday at UWW Junior Nationals in Omaha. Also finishing in the top eight was Isaiah Alford with a fifth-place finish at 74 kg.
Lovett lost no momentum from Saturday’s preliminary rounds as he pinned Carter Young in the quarterfinal round to start the day. In his semifinal bout, the sophomore did not give up a single point, defeating Isaiah Delgado by technical fall, 10-0. The final match saw Lovett strike first and pull away with the lead with 35 seconds left in the second period. Despite a last-second takedown by Cole Matthews, Lovett came away with a 5-4 decision victory for the title. Through six matches, he recorded one pin and won four by technical fall.
Alford wrestled back through the consolation bracket to earn his fifth-place finish. He fell by technical fall in the quarterfinals of the championship bracket, but won two consolation rounds for a spot in the consolation semifinals. After dropping the semifinal match to David Berkovich, he went on to defeat Baylor Fernandes in a 15-5 technical fall victory for the top eight finish. He went 6-2 in the tournament, recording four technical fall victories.
After advancing through Saturday’s preliminaries, Elise Brown Ton opened the second day of the tournament with a 14-8 decision victory over Grant Cuomo in the consolation bracket. He ultimately fell to Alford, ending his Junior Nationals campaign 3-2 overall.
Jordan Kelber (U23/61 kg) and Dominick Serrano (Juniors/61 kg) joined the lineup of Huskers competing at the tournament, finishing 0-2 and 3-2, respectively.
UWW Junior and U23 Nationals – Men’s Freestyle
Nov. 15, 2020
Junior Nationals
Isaiah Alford – 74 kg
Round of 64: Isaiah Alford tech. fall Gavin Model (Wisconsin RTC), 12-2
Round of 32: Isaiah Alford tech. fall Kaleb Canoyer (Nebraska Golden Eagles Wrestling Club), 10-0
Round of 16: Isaiah Alford tech. fall McKay Foy (Mustang Wrestling Club), 12-2
Quarterfinals: Cade Devos (Jackrabbit Wrestling Club) tech. fall Isaiah Alford, 12-1
Cons. 8 #2: Isaiah Alford tech. fall Elise Brown Ton, 11-1
Cons. 4: Isaiah Alford dec. Joshua Otto (Wisconsin RTC), 14-8
Cons. Semifinals: David Berkovich (New York City RTC) pins Isaiah Alford, 0:37
Fifth-place: Isaiah Alford tech. fall Baylor Fernandes (Gopher Wrestling Club – RTC), 15-5
Elise Brown Ton – 74 kg
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Elise Brown Ton tech. fall Jack Chesman (Pearl River High School Wrestling), 10-0
Round of 16: Bernie Truax (Central Coast RTC) tech. fall Elise Brown Ton, 10-0
Cons. 16 #2: Elise Brown Ton dec. Cory Peterson (Unattached), 8-4
Cons. 8 #1: Elise Brown Ton dec. Grant Cuomo (Unattached), 14-8
Cons. 8 #2: Isaiah Alford tech. fall Elise Brown Ton, 11-1
Ridge Lovett – 61 kg
Round of 128: BYE
Round of 64: Ridge Lovett tech. fall Joseph Pins (Burg Training Center), 10-0
Round of 32: Ridge Lovett tech. fall Ryan Michaels (Pittsburgh Wrestling Club), 10-0
Round of 16: Ridge Lovett tech. fall Evan Buchanan (Cavalier Wrestling Club), 10-0
Quarterfinals: Ridge Lovett pins Carter Young (Team BIG), 4:01
Semifinals: Ridge Lovett tech. fall Isaiah Delgado (Brunson UVRTC), 10-0
Finals: Ridge Lovett dec. Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh Wrestling Club), 5-4