The 2022 U17 World Championships will go down in Rome, Italy July 25-31. Since 2011, Team USA has sent a team to the U17 World Championships (formerly Cadet Worlds). This age-level competition gives wrestling fans a first look at the best wrestlers in the world and gives USA fans a preview of the next generation of NCAA All-Americans and Champions. In the article below, we take a deep dive into how current American wrestling stars fared at the Cadet world championships (in men’s freestyle), ultimately proving how their success translates to the next level.

U17 World Medalists Show-Out At NCAAs

Since 2011, Team USA has sent 100 representatives to cadet worlds on the men’s freestyle side and brought home 40 total medals (20 golds, 7 silvers, 13 bronze). 35 wrestlers are represented in those 40 cadet world medals considering Spencer Lee, Yianni Diakomihalis, Daniel Kerkvliet, Kurt McHenry, and Alex Facundo medaled twice. 19 of the 35 have already gone on to earn All-American honors at the Division 1 level. On top of that, 8 of the 35 have won NCAA titles. Take a look at the wrestlers who medaled at Cadet Worlds who have gone on to experience success on the NCAA scene.

It’s clear to see the correlation between past/present college stars and cadet medalists from the above list. Gable Steveson, AJ Ferrari, Yianni Diakomihalis, and many others dominate the college landscape but were first cutting their teeth and breaking onto the scene at U17/Cadet worlds. It’s safe to assume that the next generation of stars will begin to show themselves at this year’s Cadet World Championships.

Watch Gable Steveson win Cadet World Gold in 2016:

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The Medalists Who Haven’t Found NCAA Success...Yet

Of the 16 remaining wrestlers who haven’t earned All-American status yet, all but 2 have eligibility left in college. In fact, 9 have all four years of college eligibility left! When looking at how past medalists have fared, it won’t be surprising if most (or all) of the remaining cadet world medalists go on to All-American on the collegiate level. 

It’s also worth noting that 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 10-3 as a professional MMA fighter. Mason Manville has 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:

Alex Facundo's bronze medal match at the 2018 Cadet World Championships:

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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 will continue to improve. On top of that, some might be better versed in folkstyle compared to the international syles. In the list below, you’ll see a variety of wrestlers who came up short as cadets but earned All-American honors as college athletes. Guys like 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 both have incredible senior-level success. Thomas Gilman won an Olympic bronze medal last year in August and followed it up with a world title in October. Stevan Micic has found great success wrestling for Serbia qualifying for the Olympics, winning bronze at the European Championships (2018 and 2020), and silver at the European Games (2019).

The Cadet World Championships will give wrestling fans a first look at future NCAA Champions, All-Americans, and even world/Olympic champions. Whether the athletes of Team USA bring home a medal from Rome, they are sure to be front and center at some of the best wrestling events for years to come.

Get to know Team USA’s cadet team in all styles here.