Fargo Lights

Pennsylvania’s Jaclyn Bouzakis battling Michigan’s Madison Nieuwenhuis in the finals. Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com

by Derek Levendusky

FARGO, ND - Fargo always gives you moments. The big lights, the big matches, the big stage of USA Wrestling’s USMC Fargo Freestyle Nationals goes plenty of highlights and performances to talk about. There’s the moments that don’t surprise you—the young stars in the sport doing their thing. But there’s also the moments that do surprise you—performances by young wrestlers who make a splash under the big lights of Fargo. Here’s a few of both…

Lily Enos, Illinois (88 pounds, 16U)
Unseeded Enos upset #2 seed Kayla Pastika in the quarters and eventually took out the #1 too, this time on the big stage of the Fargo finals, an 8-3 win over Wisconsin’s Brynn Engel.

Jaclyn Bouzakis, Pennsylvania (100 pounds, 16U)
U17 world medalist Bouzakis makes it look easy, outscoring opponents 60-2. She pitched a 6-0 shut out in the finals, controlling the match with superior defense and effective offense against Michigan powerhouse Madison Nieuwenhuis.

Marlee Solomon, CA (106 pounds, 16U)
After the #17 seed upset the #1 seed at this weight, California’s Solomon beat the #17 seed. She lost a heartbreaker 9-6 in the finals to Pennsylvania’s Julia Horner, but what a run.

Taylor Whiting, Wisconsin (110, Junior)
She scored a tech fall in the finals, but had to string together two nail biters to make it there. She won a 6-6 criteria battle in the quarters over Missouri’s Jayden Keller, then another close one in the semis over Texas’ Mariah Dillard, a 7-6 win. She looked the part in the finals, getting the 11-0 win over Ohio’s Chloe Dearwester for the national title.

Haley Gonzales, New York (118 pounds, 16U)
New York’s #31 seeded Haley Gonzales reached the finals with upsets over the #2, #15, and #3. In the finals, she faced #9 seed Cheyenne Frank in the finals and pulled another upset, a 9-3 win. Frank had upset the #1 Makenzie Carder in the quarters. There’s a new name to watch…Haley Gonzales.

Isis France, Arizona (135 pounds, Junior)
Returning champ Isis France is the second-ever Fargo champ from Arizona, and her back-to-back performance included a 19-8 win by technical superiority over Michigan’s Isabella Cepak.

Taina Fernandez, Maryland (136 pounds, 16U)
Fernandez has come on strong the last year, beating everyone in high school and college matches. Nothing different here, but no less impressive, outscoring opponents 58-0 to win the national title.

Duda Rodrigues, California (152 pounds, Junior)
10-0, 10-0, 11-0, 10-0, 11-0, fall. That’s her line. Back-to-back champ. Dominant performance with highlight clips all weekend. Senior Eduarda Rodrigues is a sure thing at the next level. She’ll compete for McKendree next year on the college scene.

Janiya Johnson, Tennessee (155 pounds, 16U)
She’s been quietly earning accolades at the national level over the last year, but wow—this was a breakout performance. Johnson beat the #2 seed in the semis and the #1 seed in the finals, a convincing performance for the freshman.

Sabrina Nauss, Michigan (235, Junior)
One of the most dominant heavyweights to come along in a long time. Though Twoteeth challenged her in a few exchanges in the finals, ultimately Nauss earned early termination in every match at Fargo, going bye, pin, pin, pin, tech fall, tech fall.