Published November 27, 2023
By Storm Contributor
The Minnesota Storm team made their mark at the 2023 Bill Farrell, with Donny Longendyke clinching a well-deserved bronze medal at 130 kg and Richard Carlson and Dylan Gregorson finishing in fifth place at 87 kg and 60 kg respectively.
After a solid victory in his opening match against S. Gogisvanidze, Longendyke faced a formidable opponent in Courtney Freeman in the semifinals. Although he encountered a setback, Longendyke rallied in the consolation rounds, delivering a commanding 9-1 win over Malcom Allen before securing the bronze with an 8-0 victory against Junior World Medalist Aden Attao.
Richard Carlson looked good early with dominant wins in his first two matches, including a 7-0 victory over M. O’Malley and an 11-3 triumph over C. Caffey. Despite facing a tough loss in the semifinals to T. Young, the eventual champion, Carlson displayed grit in the consolation rounds. However, a closely contested match against A. Berreyesa in the Consolation Semifinal concluded his tournament run with a fifth-place finish.
Dylan Gregorson's journey was a rollercoaster of highs and lows. A strong start with a win over M. Jandu was followed by a challenging quarterfinal loss to Max Black. Gregorson rebounded impressively with commanding wins in in his next two wrestle backs but faced a tough loss to Y. Fidakhmetov of Kazakhstan in the Consolation Semifinal, securing a fifth-place finish.
Fritz Schierl, despite facing adversity in the early stages with a loss to former World Bronze A. Kikiniou, displayed resilience with a narrow 4-3 win over C. Recrosio. Unfortunately, a tough loss in the wrestlebacks to A. Berreyesa concluded Schierl’s tournament run.
While the Storm did not secure Olympic Trials qualifiers at this event, the valuable experienceg ained sets the stage for the upcoming Olympic Trials qualifier event in Fort Worth, Texas on December 15 and 16. The top 5 athletes in each weight class will secure a coveted spot at the Olympic Trials in April. As the Minnesota Storm reflects on their performance at the Bill Farrell, the focus shifts to the future.
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Results:
Dylan Gregorson:
– Match 1: WIN over M. Jandu KSA
– Quarterfinal: LOSS 9-1 to Max Black USA
– Match 3: WIN 9-0 over V. Schmidt USA
– Match 4: WIN over O. Black USA
– Consolation Semifinal: LOSS to Y. Fidakhmetov KAZ
Fritz Schierl:
– Match 1: LOSS to A. Kikiniou USA
– Match 2: WIN 4-3 over C. Recrosio USA
– Match 3: LOSS 8-4 to A. Berreyesa USA
Richard Carlson:
– Match 1: WIN 7-0 over M. O’Malley USA
– Match 2: WIN 11-3 over C. Caffey USA
– SEMI: LOSS to T. Young USA (eventual champion)
– Consolation SEMI: LOSS to A. Berreyesa USA
Donny Longendyke:
– Match 1: WIN 3-1 over S. Gogisvanidze GEO
– Semifinal: LOSS 8-0 to C. Freeman USA
– Consolation Semifinal: WIN 9-1 M. Allen USA
– Bronze: WIN 8-0 A. Attao USA