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Four Hit the Podium at U.S. Open
4/27/2026 10:24:00 AM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS – Four with ties to Minnesota wrestling finished on the podium this past weekend at the 2026 U.S. Open Championships in Las Vegas.
The top finisher for the Gopher contingent came on the U20 Freestyle level where incoming freshman Tyler Dekraker placed fifth at 65 kg. A native of Warrenton, Va., Dekraker started 5-0 to reach the semifinals. He opened with four consecutive shutouts, outsourcing opponents 42-0 and ending three of the matches in 1:10 or less. A 12-10 win over Sam Herring sent Dekraker to the semifinals where he lost to eventual champion Bo Bassett. A loss in the consolation semifinals to Clinton Shepherd sent Dekraker to the fifth-place match where he scored his second win over Herring at the event, 6-5.
A pair of Minnesota wrestlers finished seventh in Greco-Roman with former Gopher Michial Foy competing at 97 kg on the senior circuit, while incoming freshman Joel Friederichs wrestled at 55 kg in the U20 brackets.
Foy opened with a 13-0 tech fall win over Evan Grazzini before a 9-5 loss in the quarterfinals to Arian Khosravy. Foy responded with an 8-0 tech fall win over Eli Pannell in the consolation quarterfinals, while a subsequent loss to David Tate Orndorff sent Foy to the seventh-place match which he won by medical forfeit over Austin Harris.
Friederichs won his first two matches by tech fall to make the quarterfinals, but a loss to Caleb Noble dropped him to consolations. There, Friederichs picked up an 8-3 win over Daniel Goodwin before losing to Kody Tanimoto. Like Foy, Friederichs won his seventh-place match by medical forfeit.
The fourth Gopher to hit the podium was redshirt freshman Koy Hopke, who took eighth at 125 kg in Senior Freestyle. Hopke opened with a 10-0 win over Ray Griffin before a loss to Anthony Cassioppi dropped him out of the championship bracket. Hopke stayed alive by rattling off three straight wins, knocking off Tyrie Houghton (7-5), Carter Neves (8-1) and Jaron Smith (11-3) in order. Hopke then fell in his final two matches, 6-2 to Jimmy Mullen, and 4-1 to Jordan Wood, to result in his eighth-place finish.
Other Gophers competing on the weekend in senior freestyle were redshirt sophomore Ethan Riddle (3-2 at 79 kg) and redshirt freshmen Jed Wester (2-2 at 79 kg) and Silas Dailey (2-2 at 92 kg).
On the U20 side, additional Gophers in action were redshirt freshmen Dawson Johnson (4-2 at 65 kg) and Wyatt Duchateau (2-2 at 65 kg), true freshman Charles Vanier (4-2 at 70 kg; both losses by medical forfeit), and incoming freshmen John Murphy (4-2 at 86 kg), Joel Friederichs (2-2 at 57 kg) and Titan Friederichs (2-2 at 57 kg).
The top finisher for the Gopher contingent came on the U20 Freestyle level where incoming freshman Tyler Dekraker placed fifth at 65 kg. A native of Warrenton, Va., Dekraker started 5-0 to reach the semifinals. He opened with four consecutive shutouts, outsourcing opponents 42-0 and ending three of the matches in 1:10 or less. A 12-10 win over Sam Herring sent Dekraker to the semifinals where he lost to eventual champion Bo Bassett. A loss in the consolation semifinals to Clinton Shepherd sent Dekraker to the fifth-place match where he scored his second win over Herring at the event, 6-5.
A pair of Minnesota wrestlers finished seventh in Greco-Roman with former Gopher Michial Foy competing at 97 kg on the senior circuit, while incoming freshman Joel Friederichs wrestled at 55 kg in the U20 brackets.
Foy opened with a 13-0 tech fall win over Evan Grazzini before a 9-5 loss in the quarterfinals to Arian Khosravy. Foy responded with an 8-0 tech fall win over Eli Pannell in the consolation quarterfinals, while a subsequent loss to David Tate Orndorff sent Foy to the seventh-place match which he won by medical forfeit over Austin Harris.
Friederichs won his first two matches by tech fall to make the quarterfinals, but a loss to Caleb Noble dropped him to consolations. There, Friederichs picked up an 8-3 win over Daniel Goodwin before losing to Kody Tanimoto. Like Foy, Friederichs won his seventh-place match by medical forfeit.
The fourth Gopher to hit the podium was redshirt freshman Koy Hopke, who took eighth at 125 kg in Senior Freestyle. Hopke opened with a 10-0 win over Ray Griffin before a loss to Anthony Cassioppi dropped him out of the championship bracket. Hopke stayed alive by rattling off three straight wins, knocking off Tyrie Houghton (7-5), Carter Neves (8-1) and Jaron Smith (11-3) in order. Hopke then fell in his final two matches, 6-2 to Jimmy Mullen, and 4-1 to Jordan Wood, to result in his eighth-place finish.
Other Gophers competing on the weekend in senior freestyle were redshirt sophomore Ethan Riddle (3-2 at 79 kg) and redshirt freshmen Jed Wester (2-2 at 79 kg) and Silas Dailey (2-2 at 92 kg).
On the U20 side, additional Gophers in action were redshirt freshmen Dawson Johnson (4-2 at 65 kg) and Wyatt Duchateau (2-2 at 65 kg), true freshman Charles Vanier (4-2 at 70 kg; both losses by medical forfeit), and incoming freshmen John Murphy (4-2 at 86 kg), Joel Friederichs (2-2 at 57 kg) and Titan Friederichs (2-2 at 57 kg).
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