The field at present features approximately 400 wrestlers. Registration for the event was sold out in record time, within three weeks of it opening. Six wrestlers will be seeking to win yet another middle school division title at the Super 32 Challenge, with Cade Olivas from California seeking a record third such title (Eric Hong in 2010/2012 and Nick Suriano in 2010/2011 are the most recent to earn a pair of titles).
Olivas, the nation's top-ranked junior high wrestler per InterMat, is registered at 95 pounds. There are 39 other wrestlers presently in that weight class, among those is Dustin Plott of Oklahoma, a 2013 Tulsa Nationals champion in the 12U division. Two of the other five with a past Super 32 middle school title are defending champions, Sam Hillegas of Pennsylvania and Adam Buisello of New York.
Hillegas is registered in the 75 pound weight class with 30 other wrestlers, including three who won Tulsa Nationals titles in 2013: Caden McCrary of Georgia was a champion in the 10U division, while Kurt McHenry of Virginia and Mosha Schwartz of Colorado were champions in the 12U division. Busiello is entered in the 85 pound weight class with 47 other wrestlers, including Colton Yapoujian of Colorado; Yapoujian won a middle school Super 32 title in 2011, was a 2013 Tulsa Nationals champion in the 12U division, and is ranked No. 8 overall among junior high wrestlers.
Joining Yapoujian as Super 32 middle school division champions from previous years are Trent Snader of Pennsylvania and Shane Griffith of New Jersey. Snader is registered in the 90 pound weight class, which features 37 other wrestlers including Gavin Teasdale of Pennsylvania; Teasdale is ranked No. 5 nationally among junior high wrestlers, and was a Cadet National freestyle champion at 88 pounds this past summer. Griffith is registered in the 120 pound weight class, which features 26 other wrestlers including Justin Ruffin of Georgia, who is ranked No. 14 nationally among junior high wrestlers.
The field at present features eight of the nation's top fifteen junior high wrestlers. Already discussed have been No. 1 Olivas, No. 5 Teasdale, No. 8 Yapoujian, and No. 14 Ruffin. The others include No. 2 Ryan Thomas of Ohio, No. 6 Andrew Merola of New Jersey, No. 11 Brandon Whitman of Michigan, and No. 13 Josiah Rider of Colorado.
Thomas is registered to compete at 128 pounds, a weight class with 15 other wrestlers, among them is Ryan Karoly of New Jersey, who won the 2013 Tulsa Nationals in the 12U division. Merola is registered to compete at 105 pounds with 24 other wrestlers, including Nick Raimo of New Jersey, a 2013 Tulsa Nationals 12U division champion. Rider, champion in the 15U division at the 2013 Tulsa Nationals, is slated to compete in the 136 pound weight class with 11 other wrestlers. Finally, Whitman is slated to compete at 157 pounds with six other wrestlers at present.
In all, the Super 32 Challenge middle school division features 11 wrestlers that won Tulsa Nationals titles this past January. Already mentioned have been McCrary, McHenry, Schwartz, Yapoujian, Plott, Karoly, Raimo, and Rider. Others to win Tulsa Nationals titles in 2013 include 15U division champion Mason Turner of Kansas, who is competing at 100 pounds; while 12U division champions Colt Newton of Oklahoma and Mason Reiniche of Tennesee are competing at 80 and 112 pound respectively.
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