Cael Hughes Claims U20 Title at U.S. Open

LAS VEGAS – Oklahoma State wrestler Cael Hughes claimed the 61 kg freestyle title at the U.S. Open Championships on Saturday to secure his spot in the best-of-three finals at the U20 World Team Trials in June.

In an impressive showing, Hughes went 6-0 over the weekend with four technical falls and a 59-13 combined margin of victory.

The true freshman held each of his three opponents on Thursday scoreless, allowing just a single match to reach the second period. His closest bout of the tournament came in the quarterfinals against Northern Iowa's Cody Land, a matchup between the last two Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award recipients. Land built a 10-2 in the first period, but Hughes rattled off nine unanswered points in the second to pull out a tight 11-10 win.

Holding a 3-0 lead over Kyler Larkin in the championship match, Hughes fended off a deep shot from Larkin and was able to counter it for a key score of his own. Hughes then held off Larkin in the second period, securing the 6-3 victory.

With the title, Hughes will compete in the best-of-three finals at the U20 World Team Trials for the second straight year following a runner-up result in 2023. A victory at the Trials would then qualify Hughes to represent the United States at the U20 World Championships in September.

Jersey Robb (86 kg), Hayden Simpson (125 kg) and AJ Heeg (79 kg) all stayed alive through Thursday's competition, but ultimately saw their runs end Friday morning. Robb and Simpson put together solid performances throughout consolations, each reaching the second Round of 8 and finishing just a win away from top-eight placement. Simpson will still appear at the U20 World Team Trials, however, after finishing runner-up in the Greco-Roman division on Wednesday.

Jaxen Wright (74 kg), Carlos Alvarado (86 kg) and signee JJ McComas (61 kg) also wrestled on Thursday and each picked up multiple victories.

Round of 128
74 kg: Jaxen Wright VFA Lane Willette, 0:22

Round of 64
61 kg: Cael Hughes VSU Devin Gomez, 10-0, 1:59
61 kg: Ethan Qureshi VPO1 JJ McComas, 7-3
74 kg: Nolan Liess VSU Jaxen Wright, 10-0, 3:18
79 kg: AJ Heeg VSU Paxton Daggett, 10-0, 1:11
86 kg: Jersey Robb VPO1 Kole Mulhauser, 11-2
86 kg: Carlos Alvarado VSU1 Deago Hostetler, 14-4, 2:32

Round of 32
61 kg: Cael Hughes VSU Dean Houser, 10-0, 1:11
79 kg: AJ Heeg VPO1 Kingsley Menifee, 6-5
86 kg: Jersey Robb VSU Keenan Wyatt, 10-0, 3:29
86 kg: Aeoden Sinclair VSU Carlos Alvarado, 10-0, 1:03
125 kg: Alex Semenenko VSU Hayden Simpson, 11-0, 2:07

Round of 16
61 kg: Cael Hughes VSU Isaiah Schaefer, 12-0, 4:34
79 kg: Carter Baer VPO1 AJ Heeg, 4-3
86 kg: Joshua Barr VSU Jersey Robb, 10-0, 3:16

Quarterfinals
61 kg: Cael Hughes VPO1 Cory Land, 11-10

Semifinals
61 kg: Cael Hughes VSU William Dekraker, 10-0, 1:52

Finals
61 kg: Cael Hughes VPO1 Kyler Larkin, 6-3

Consolation Round of 64 #2
61 kg: JJ McComas VSU Isaac Sheehan, 10-0, 0:16
74 kg: Jaxen Wright VSU Gabe Claps, 10-0, 2:29

Consolation Round of 32 #1
61 kg: JJ McComas VPO1 Kenneth Hendriksen, 7-6
74 kg: Tatum Garcia VPO1 Jaxen Wright, 8-5

Consolation Round of 32 #2
61 kg: JJ McComas VPO1 John Alden, 14-8
86 kg: Carlos Alvarado VSU1 Ronnell Parker-Borrero, 12-2, 2:18

Consolation Round of 16 #1
61 kg: JJ McComas VSU1 Yoshiya Funakoshi, 12-1, 5:05
86 kg: Daniel Williams VSU Carlos Alvarado, 10-0, 1:18
125 kg: Hayden Simpson VFA Dirk Morley, 0:27

Consolation Round of 16 #2
61 kg: Dawson Johnson VPO1 JJ McComas, 8-6
79 kg: AJ Heeg VSU Mason Alessio, 10-0, 0:36
86 kg: Jersey Robb VSU Leimana Fager, 10-0, 1:11
125: Hayden Simpson VFA Dmarian Lopez, 0:58

Consolation Round of 8 #1
79 kg: Myles Takats VFA AJ Heeg, 3:27
86 kg: Jersey Robb VPO Tucker Hogan, 6-0
125 kg: Hayden Simpson VFA Brady Colbert, 4:33

Consolation Round of 8 #2
86 kg: Ryder Rogotzke VSU Jersey Robb, 10-0, 1:12
125 kg: Vincent Mueller VSU Hayden Simpson, 10-0, 2:06

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Carlos Alvarado

AJ Heeg

Cael Hughes

Jersey Robb

Hayden Simpson

Jaxen Wright

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