Cadet Worlds Predicts USA's Future Stars
Cadet Worlds Predicts USA's Future Stars
A look back at the Cadet World teams in men's freestyle since 2011. See how current American wrestling stars performed at Cadet Worlds.
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The 2021 Cadet World Championships will go down in Budapest, Hungary July 19-25 . Since 2011, team USA has sent a team to the Cadet World Championships every year. This age level competition gives wrestling fans a first-look at the best wrestlers in the world under 17 years old. In this article, we’ll explore how current American wrestling stars fared at the Cadet world championships (in men’s freestyle), ultimately predicting their success at the collegiate level.
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Monday, July 19th - Sunday, July 25th - Wrestling starts at 5:30AM (ET)
Cadet Medalists = NCAA Success
Since 2011, Team USA has sent 90 representatives to cadet worlds on the men’s freestyle side and brought home 34 total medals (18 golds, 4 silvers, 12 bronze). 29 wrestlers are represented in those 34 cadet world medals considering Spencer Lee, Yianni Diakomihalis, Daniel Kerkvliet, Kurt McHenry, and Alex Facundo medaled twice. 17 of the 29 have already gone on to earn All-American honors at the division 1 level. On top of that, 6 of the 29 have won NCAA titles. Take a look at the wrestlers who medaled at Cadet Worlds and have gone on to experience success on the NCAA scene.
| Wrestler | Year At Cadet Worlds | Finish | College | NCAA Finishes | Years of Eligibility |
| Adam Coon | 2011 | Gold | Michigan | 3X AA - 2nd, 3rd, 2nd | 0 |
| Sammy Brooks | 2011 | Bronze | Iowa | 2X AA - 4th, 8th | 0 |
| Zain Retherford | 2012 | Gold | Penn State | 4X AA - 5th, 3X NCAA Champ | 0 |
| Spencer Lee | 2013/2014 | DNP/Gold | Iowa | 3X NCAA Champ | 1 |
| Mark Hall | 2014 | Gold | Penn State | 1X NCAA Champ, 2X 2nd | 0 |
| Jordan Wood | 2014 | Bronze | Lehigh | 1X AA - 4th | 1 |
| Daton Fix | 2014/2015 | DNP/Bronze | Oklahoma State | 2X NCAA Runner-Up | 3 |
| Yianni Diakomihalis | 2015/2016 | 2X Gold | Cornell | 2X NCAA Champ | 2 |
| Gable Steveson | 2015/2016 | 2X Gold | Minnesota | NCAA Champ, 3rd | 2 |
| Vito Arujau | 2016 | Silver | Cornell | 1X AA - 4th | 3 |
| David Carr | 2016 | Bronze | Iowa State | NCAA Champ | 3 |
| Travis Wittlake | 2016 | Bronze | Oklahoma State | 1X AA - 4th | 3 |
| Jacob Warner | 2016 | Bronze | Iowa | 2X AA - 7th, 4th | 2 |
| Jacori Teemer | 2017 | Bronze | Arizona State | 1X AA - 4th | 3 |
| Aaron Brooks | 2017 | Gold | Penn State | NCAA Champ | 3 |
| Daniel Kerkvliet | 2017/2018 | Gold and Silver | Penn State | 1X AA - 7th | 4 |
| AJ Ferrari | 2018 | Bronze | Oklahoma State | NCAA Champ | 4 |
Recent grads Adam Coon, Zain Retherford, and Mark Hall were dominant in college but were first bursting onto the scene at cadet worlds. More recent world team members are NCAA's current stars in AJ Ferrari, Spencer Lee, and Yianni Diakomihalis (among others). Most notable, Gable Steveson will be representing team USA on the highest stage at the Olympics but was a cadet world champ in 2015 and 2016. It’s safe to assume the next generation of stars will begin to show themselves at this year’s Cadet World Championships.
Watch Gable win Cadet World Gold in 2016:
The Medalists Who Haven’t Found NCAA Success...Yet
Of the 12 remaining wrestlers who haven’t earned All-American status yet, all but 2 have multiple years of eligibility left in college. In fact, 5 have all four years of college eligibility left - Kurt McHenry, Richard Figueroa, Matt Ramos, Alex Facundo, and Marc-Anthony McGowan. Considering how successful past world medalists have been in college, it won’t be surprising if most (or all) of the remaining cadet world medalists go on to earn All-American status.
It’s also worth noting 2 of the wrestlers a part of this list have experienced athletic success outside of NCAA Division 1 wrestling. Aaron Pico made the finals of the 2016 Olympic trials and has since transitioned to an MMA career. Pico is currently working his way up the ranks in Bellator’s organization and is 8-3 as a professional MMA fighter. Also, Mason Manville made a senior level Greco-Roman world team for Team USA in 2017 and went 1-1 at those world championships.
Take a look at the wrestlers below who medaled at Cadet Worlds but haven’t earned All-American status or have yet to wrestle in college:
| Cadet Medalists Who Haven't AA'd | Year | Cadet Worlds Finish | College | NCAA Finishes | Years of Eligibility |
| Aaron Pico | 2013 | Gold | - | - | - |
| Mason Manville | 2014 | Gold | Penn State | None | 3 |
| Jarod Verkleeren | 2015 | Gold | Penn State/Virginia | National Qualifier | 2 |
| Owen Webster | 2015 | Bronze | Minnesota | Round of 12 | 0 |
| Kurt McHenry | 2016/2017 | 2X Gold | Michigan | - | 4 |
| Will Lewan | 2017 | Gold | Michigan | Round of 16 | 3 |
| Gavin Hoffman | 2017 | Bronze | Ohio State | None | 3 |
| Richard Figueroa | 2018 | Silver | Arizona State | - | 4 |
| Matt Ramos | 2018 | Gold | Minnesota | - | 4 |
| Alex Facundo | 2018/2019 | 2X Bronze | Penn State | - | 4 |
| Abe Assad | 2018 | Bronze | Iowa | National Qualifier | 3 |
| Marc-Anthony McGowan | 2019 | Gold | High School | Still in high school | 4 |
Watch Alex Facundo's dramatic bronze medal match in 2018:
Those Who Didn’t Medal
While it’s clear success at Cadet Worlds is an early indicator of collegiate success, many who make the cadet world team are young and continue to improve. In the list below, you’ll see a variety of wrestlers who came up short as cadets but earned All-Amercan honors in college. Bo Nickal, Seth Gross, and Roman Bravo-Young all failed to medal at Cadet Worlds but would go on to reach the top of the podium at NCAAs. Maybe more impressive, Stevan Micic and Thomas Gilman didn’t bring home a cadet medal but will be traveling to Tokyo to compete in the Olympics this summer.
Take a look at the All-Americans, NCAA Champs, and Olympians who failed to medal at Cadet Worlds:
| Wrestler | Year At Cadet Worlds | College | NCAA Finishes |
| Thomas Gilman | 2011 | Iowa | 3X AA - 4th, 2nd, 3rd |
| Zane Richards | 2011 | Illinois | 2X AA - 7th, 4th |
| Mitch McKee | 2012 | Minnesota | 1X AA - 6th |
| Tommy Thorn | 2012 | Minnesota | 1X AA - 8th |
| Joey McKenna | 2012 | Stanford/Ohio State | 3X AA - 3rd, 3rd, 2nd |
| Seth Gross | 2012 | South Dakota St./Wisconsin | NCAA Champ, 2nd |
| Chance Marsteller | 2012 | Oklahoma St/Lock Haven | 2X AA - 4th, 3rd |
| Jon Jay Chavez | 2013 | Cornell | 1X AA -7th |
| Bo Nickal | 2013 | Penn State | 4X AA - 3X NCAA Champ, 2nd |
| Stevan Micic | 2013 | Michigan | 3X AA - 4th, 2nd, 3rd |
| Roman Bravo-Young | 2016 | Penn State | 2X AA - NCAA Champ/8th |
The Cadet World Championships will give wrestling fans a first look at future NCAA All-Americans, Champions and Olympians. Whether the athletes of Team USA bring home a medal from Hungary this summer, they are sure to be in the spotlight for many years to come.