2022 USMC US Open Wrestling Championships

15 Rising Stars You Don't Want To Miss At U17 World Team Trials

The U17 World Team Trials field is loaded with state champions, Fargo All-Americans and future college stars. Here are 15 you don't want to miss.

Apr 28, 2022 by Andy Hamilton

15 Rising Stars You Don't Want To Miss At U17 World Team Trials

United World Wrestling’s decision to rekindle the Cadet World Championships in 2011 became the spark that ignited one of the top gatherings of high school talent across the United States.

The Cadet World Team Trials quickly became a stage for the nation’s top rising stars to showcase their skills and gauge themselves against elite opponents.

The tournament has gone through a rebrand — it’s the U17 World Team Trials now — but the talent pool is still deep as ever. This weekend’s tournament in Las Vegas features dozens of state champions, All-Americans and future college standouts.

Here’s a look at 15 of the top wrestlers you’ll want to watch this weekend:

Joel Adams — 65 kilograms — #37 2023 Big Board

Adams is a powder keg of point-scoring potential with explosive throws and a variety of other attacks. He doubled up last summer in Fargo, where he cruised to the 16U Greco title and won the freestyle crown in dramatic fashion, scoring a last-second head pinch to beat Tyler Kasak 7-6.

Already a subscriber? Log In

Gabe Arnold — 80 kilograms — #6 2023 Big Board

Arnold rocketed up the 2023 Big Board two years ago after placing third at the Ironman and reaching the Powerade semis as a freshman and the Iowa commit has been a fixture near the top ever since, though he hasn’t fully showcased his skills in the past year. His bid to make the Cadet World Team last year came undone in the opening round when he got knocked off by Ryder Rogotzke, who later tripped Arnold up again in the consolations. A knee injury sidelined Arnold for part of this past high school season, but he’s one of the top title threats this weekend at 80 kilograms.

Sawyer Bartelt — 92 kilograms — #9 2024 Big Board

High school wrestling folks in Florida have known about Bartelt since he placed fifth at the state tournament as a seventh-grader and reached the Class 3A finals at 152 a year later. After winning state titles each of the past two seasons, he’s beginning to build his brand on the national level. Bartelt won a 16U Greco title last summer in Fargo and placed fifth in freestyle. That came after he went 17-0 at the 16U National Duals.

Bo Bassett — 51 kilograms

The reigning freestyle World champ in this age group blitzed through last year’s tournament in Wisconsin Dells, doubling up on titles without going the distance in any of his nine matches at 45 kilograms. He’s up to 51 kilos this year, but expect him to turn up the heat on opponents with his persistent pressure and pace. Though he won’t begin his high school career for several months, Bassett has already established himself as one of the biggest stars in the field.

Already a subscriber? Log In

Ben Davino — 55 kilograms — #5 2024 Big Board

The 55-kilogram class is loaded with high-caliber hammers, and Davino is certainly near the top of that list. He toppled Anthony Knox last year in Wisconsin Dells in the best-of-three U15 final series. Since then, he took Nate Jesuroga to overtime in the Super 32 quarterfinals and he reached the Ironman finals.

P.J. Duke — 60 kilograms — #1 2025 Big Board

Duke ran through the New York state tournament two years ago as a seventh-grader, registering two pins and a pair of technical falls on his way to the title, and he hasn’t let up since. He won a Super 32 title last October and reached the Ironman finals in December before a knee injury forced him to default. His credentials made him the clear-cut #1 prospect on the 2025 Big Board.

Jax Forrest — 55 kilograms

Forrest won’t hit the high school circuit full-time until next season, but he’s already been a problem for his older peers, evidenced by his third-place finish last October at the Super 32, where he posted major decision victories against Beric Jordan and Vinny Kilkeary.

Already a subscriber? Log In

Mason Gibson — 55 kilograms — #3 2024 Big Board

Gibson won a Super 32 belt as an eighth-grader in 2019 and he’s regularly been in the title mix at major tournaments since then. He placed third last year in Wisconsin Dells, where a six-point second-period sequence in the quarterfinals against Cael Hughes sank his title hopes, but he battled back through the consolations and teched Hughes for third. The highly coveted sophomore recently named Cornell, Ohio State and Penn State his top three schools.

Koy Hopke — 110 kilograms — #8 2024 Big Board

Hopke is a USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner in 2021 who’s undefeated through his first two high school seasons in Wisconsin. He placed third in freestyle at last year’s Cadet Trials, where he led Jim Mullen 7-4 with less than 30 seconds remaining in the semifinals before the eventual Cadet World silver medalist rallied back to win.

Nate Jesuroga — 55 kg — #5 overall 2023 Big Board

Vaulted to the top of the national rankings at 113 pounds last year after his title-winning performance at Cadet Trials, where he knocked off 2019 Cadet World champ Marc-Anthony McGowan in the semifinals before sweeping Aden Valencia in the final series. It became a springboard to bigger success for the Iowa recruit, who claimed a Cadet World bronze, notched a win at Who’s #1 and captured a Super 32 belt. Jesuroga is rock-solid positionally and capable of wearing down opponents with his hand-fighting skills.

Already a subscriber? Log In

Luke Lilledahl — 51 kg — #7 2024 Big Board

Ran the table at 48 kilograms last year in Wisconsin Dells to make the Cadet World Team and then rode that wave to Budapest, where he seized a Cadet World silver. His resume also includes Super 32 and Powerade titles. Lilledahl is coming back down from 120 pounds (54.4 kg), where he registered a 10-0 tech earlier this month against Fargo 16U freestyle champ Leo Deluca.

LaDarion Lockett — 71 kg — #4 2025 Big Board

One of the top standouts last year in Wisconsin Dells in the U15 division, Lockett followed that up with a 38-1 freshman season that included Ironman and Oklahoma state titles. Lockett can get to opponents with lightning-quick level changes, but he’s also shown an ability to stay calm in tight situations.

Max McEnelly — 92 kg — #36 2023 Big Board

Minnesota’s production line of high-level big guys has been operating at a pretty good clip in recent years and McEnelly is certainly capable of joining the likes of Gable Steveson, Greg Kerkvliet and Gavin Nelson by representing the United States on the U17 world stage. McEnelly is a three-time state champ whose titles have come at 170, 182 and 195. He added to his resume last summer with a Fargo 16U freestyle title.

Already a subscriber? Log In

Joe Sealey — 71 kg — #1 2024 Big Board

The newly minted #1 prospect on the 2024 Big Board has been on a steady rise during the past year since a superb showing at last year’s Cadet Trials, where he notched a win against Antrell Taylor and took Levi Haines to the wire in the semifinals. Sealey overwhelms opponents with his breakneck pace and pressure.

Aeoden Sinclair — 80 kg — #23 2024 Big Board

One of the fastest-rising prospects in the 2024 class. After placing third at 152 at the Wisconsin state tournament as a freshman, he lit up the 170-pound bracket this year, scoring a tournament-high 85 points in four matches. For context, Wisconsin recruit Nicolar Rivera was second on the list with 70. Sinclair employs an array of attacks with a fast-pace style and superb scrambling skills.