The final “Ranking Series” tournament of the year came to an end on Sunday with Brady Koontz (55 kg, TMWC/Position) leading the charge by earning silver while two other members of the American contingent came close to appearing on the medal stand. The results, both individually and collectively, have their place, but the primary objective of the competition was for Team USA to test themselves further as the summer’s training cycle begins to intensify.
Koontz Silver
In the “no-one-wants-to-see-it-but-it-happens” department, Koontz had to first deal with a USA opponent in his opener. And it was not just any American teammate, it was World Team member Max Nowry (NYAC/IRTC). Their storied history does not require much in the way of explanation at this stage, but for recency purposes, Nowry swept Koontz in their best-of-three Trials final in April. On this particular day, it was Koontz who prevailed, though it of course was not a walk in the park.
Nowry took a 3-0 first-period lead after capitalizing on passivity/par terre by gutting Koontz. In the second, Koontz received his own chance from par terre and went for a lift; Nowry contorted and wound up sitting on Koontz’s chest, thereby collecting two points for exposure. Koontz then ambled out for an escape point and the score was 5-2 for Nowry. However, Koontz challenged, citing a leg foul on Nowry from the defended lift. The officials agreed and Koontz was given two points plus another chance from top PT. This time, he was able to achieve a high-gut lift variation for four points. Nowry challenged that call, but the ruling was upheld and Koontz’s margin stood at 8-3, which represented the final score.
In the semifinal, Koontz squared off against Artiom Deleanu of Moldova, a familiar opponent. For bronze at Zagreb ’25, Koontz decisioned Deleanu in a relatively tight affair. It was not that way in their latest meeting. On Sunday, Koontz, who was trailing 1-0 at the time, bounded behind Deleanu on the feet, locked, and blasted a four-pointer before adding consecutive gutwrenches upon impact. Deleanu would later pick up a few points himself, but Koontz nonetheless walked away the victor at 8-5 and thus became the United States’ first finalist of the tournament.
Alas, victory with gold on the line eluded Koontz as he fell to Ikhtiyor Botirov (UZB) 5-1. It was the first-period passivity/PT that proved the difference. Botirov was able to turn Koontz twice for a 5-0 lead, and the officials swallowed the whistle throughout the remainder of the contest.
Nowry & Attao 5th
As for Nowry, he came up just short of bronze versus Deleanu — but controversy was involved. The Moldovan had assumed a 1-0 passive lead in Period 1 and, after a reset, Nowry zipped an arm spin attempt against which Deleanu stiffened, only Nowry kept the hold and continued his rolling motion for what by all appearances was a scoring action. But — points were not awarded due to Deleanu’s shoulder having gone against the joint. Period 2 availed another odd sequence. Deleanu had once again been awarded passivity/PT, and from bottom Nowry hip-heisted his way to daylight. The referee then curiously doled out two points to Deleanu, which were wiped off the board following a Nowry challenge. Later in the frame, and trailing 2-0, a stop in the action had Nowry insisting that Deleanu had bitten one of his fingers. Nowry even went over to the mat chair’s table to provide a closer look. The officials were reluctant to inspect the situation further, prompting Nowry to challenge. The scoreboard went unchanged and, as the bout ebbed towards its conclusion, Deleanu received two caution points based on the optics that Nowry had committed a defensive leg foul amid a throw attempt and Deleanu emerged victorious 5-0. It was, in short, a messy and confusing match that included various questionable calls on the part of the officials.
It would not be the only one of the tournament (see: Schultz, Cohlton)
Attao
The Baby-Faced Bomber and two-time U20 World medalist Aden Attao (130 kg, NYAC) had a stronger showing than even 5th place at a “Ranking Series” tournament suggests. In his opener, Attao had to confront ’24 U20 World champ/’25 U23 World bronze Laszlo Darabos (HUN), who downed Attao via VSU in both aforementioned events. In their dance on Sunday, Darabos could only scrape by with a 2-0 nod. Darabos then went on to run the table through his side of the bracket, hence “pulling” Attao back in for repechage.
Attao really tested the limits of what a scoreboard can keep up with in his battle against Luka Gabisonia (GEO). Gabisonia broke the ice with a takedown and follow-up gut, making the score 4-0. He was shut out, in rather one-sided fashion, after that. First, Attao struck back with a step-out. Next came a takedown. Then an off-balance on the heels of a Gabisonia attempt near the edge, though the Georgian was credited with two himself from the sequence. A reset, and Attao was back clutching Gabisonia with high double-unders, which he used to drive his opponent off the mat and to his back for another pair of points. It was 7-4 Attao entering Period 2 but more points were coming. A front headlock and spin behind upped his advantage to 9-4 — and Attao found a head and arm opportunity that he applied to turn Gabisonia twice for a whopping 13-4 triumph that put him in the bronze-medal round against Konsta Maeenpaeae (FIN), who had earlier survived (with some help) a showdown with Cohlton Schultz (Atreus WC).
Offense was at a premium for Attao and Maeenpaeae in the bronze match and it was a heartbreaker for the American. Maeenpaeae was gifted passivity in the first period but could not drum up a score. Passives flipped for Period 2, and then Attao’s front headlock attempt from top came up empty. Maeenpaeae did hold criteria, but Attao was certainly within striking range as the match began to heat up. He needed only one score, of any measure, did Attao. But one misstep severely hurt his chances. With just under two minutes to go, Attao lost his footing whislt in pursuit, and Maeenpaeae pounced to cover for two points and a 3-1 lead he would not relinquish, thereby earning him the bronze and relegating Attao to 5th place.
Roberts, X, Young, & Schultz
A challenging opening-round assignment is what Dalton Roberts (60 kg, Army/WCAP) received in the form of multi-time World Champion Zholaman Sharshenbekov (KGZ). In a match that Roberts would likely enjoy running back, it all came down to one sequence. The duo caught static soon after the whistle with Roberts enveloping an underhook and wrist hold as Sharshenbekov mirrored the position as they jousted. Then – and in a manner that was eerily reminiscent of Ildar Hafizov’s dustup against the Kyrgyzstani star – Sharshenbekov dumped Roberts to his back and, following an impassioned effort from Roberts to avoid it, eventually recorded the win via fall.
Sharshenbekov VSU’d Mahmoud Saad (EGY) and pinned Alisher Ganiev (UZB), respectively, to make the final, which meant another chance for Roberts in the repechage, where he was decisioned by U23 World champ Elmir Aliyev (AZE) 4-1.
Johnson
Xavier Johnson (63 kg, Army/WCAP) encountered ’21 European Championships gold/’20 Individual World Cup winner Zhambolat Lokyaev (RUS), whose career, like many others from his country, has been interrupted by the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Lokyaev raced out in front in Period 1 thanks to par terre top, from where he executed a four-point lift to go up 5-0. A step-out later in the period updated his tally to 6-0 and the Russia tacked on two more step-outs in the second period to walk away the 8-0 victor. Kerem Kamal (TUR) took a decision at Lokyaev’s expense in the semifinal to keep Johnson from repechage.
Young
Timothy Young (97 kg, Army/WCAP) had the pleasure being the first international opponent in five years for 2020 Olympic/two-time World Champion Musa Evloev (RUS), whose hiatus had been influenced by a several factors, including injury. Evloev eeked by with a 3-0 decision but Young was solid throughout the contest as he successfully defended from par terre bottom twice, which is critical to note given the prolific nature of Evloev’s scoring prowess from that position combined with Young now just starting to try and realize his potential on the World level. Evloev was unable to get past well-decorated Hungarian Alex Szoeke, and so Young could not re-enter the event by way of repechage.
Schultz
Schultz’s two-match performance was as impressive as it was frustrating, if not confounding. Mr. Schultz demonstrated most of the weapons which make him a potential medal contender come October, though he was subject to a premature exit from the tournament in a rather unceremonious manner.
The round-of-16 put Schultz opposite German Olympian Jello Krahmer, and it was, as expected, a snug contest that had Schultz consistently eat up ground with his feet as he occasionally plodded in the ties while flinging for handles. In the end, it was a conventional 2-1 decision win over a highly-credible opponent and one that moved him into quarterfinal against Maeenpaeae. The majority of the tumult unfolded in Period 1 as follows:
— Maeenpaeae scored two from a correct throw headlock and, after hitting to the tarp, Schultz immediately bounded up, out, and ultimately behind Finland to score takedown points. Schultz then turned Maeenpaeae with a front headlock, though Maeenpaeae was credited with one point in return when he broke Schultz’s clasp and momentarily reversed position (4-3 Schultz).
— Next, Maeenpaeae went for his own front headlock without having firm position and Schultz easily countered to put Maeenpaeae’s shoulders to the mat for what should have been a touch fall. It was not one, however, despite the mat referee gesturing as such, and instead Schultz received two exposure points (6-3 Schultz).
— After the pin that was not called (and should have been), Maeenpaeae bellied-down, compelling Schultz to move to the traditional par terre position. He did not stay there long. Schultz soon spun in the opposite direction to clasp another front headlock, which he would eventually roll for two more points (8-3 Schultz).
— Following the two exposure points from the roll, Schultz maintained front headlock position as Maeenpaeae was forced to post on his right foot, with his right leg between Schultz’s legs. Instead of trying to find a hip angle to pull the maneuver back, Schultz simply urged forward. Maeenpaeae quickly flopped to his back and the mat referee signaled for the fall (with two more points credited to Schultz amid the action).
But the match was not over because Finland challenged the call, thus kicking off an extensive review process that required nearly six full minutes before a ruling was made. The verdict was that Schultz had committed an offensive leg as he had inadvertently stepped on Maeenpaeae’s right foot as he drove the second front headlock from that sequence. The last two points from said front headlock were expunged and the score was 9-4 Schultz when action finally resumed. By this stage of the contest, only 1:11 of actual match-time had elapsed.
Before the first period ended, Maeenpaeae scored a pair of takedowns; in the second, he added a late step-out and won via criteria at 9-9. The Finnish heavyweight was decisioned by Darabos in the semifinal, thereby eliminating Schultz from the tournament.
Below are short video clips of the two instances in which Schultz appeared to pin Maeenpaeae (with the second action having been ruled a leg foul). Note: videos are easier to view when maximized on smartphones and devices.
Koelzer, Porter, & Khosravy
Jace Koelzer (60 kg, Position) — who became a National Team member in April — had a nice introduction to the top level of international competition. Sumit Sumit of India had secured a front headlock soon into their opening-round bout and, after Sumit earned two from the hold, Koelzer reversed position and stuck Sumit in place to record the pin. Two-time Euro medalist Razvan Arnaut (ROU) was next, against whom Koelzer fell behind 6-0 following a takedown and two guts. Another Arnaut takedown iced the proceedings and the Romanian was downed by Yerbol Kamaliyev (KAZ) in the quarterfinal.
Although it was only good for two points, Jesse Porter (82 kg, NYAC) had a booming reverse lift against Filip Sacic (CRO) that gave him a 3-1 lead in their meeting on Sunday. Sacic was also cited for a leg foul when Porter tried for a second lift, but Sacic stay pasted. Porter by and large cruised the rest of the way for a 5-1 decision and was defeated in the next round by Georgian Tornike Mikeladze.
Recent age-group World Teamer and Senior Trials runner-up Arian Khosravy (97 kg, CA) faced a significant test in Islam Yevloyev, who is one Kazakhstan’s brightest young prospects as well as a U20 World titlist (’24) and bronze from last year’s Senior Asian Championships. Yevloyev defeated Khosravy (8-0) and won his next match, but was clipped by Arif Niftullaev (AZE) 2-1 in the semifinal.
Notes:
- The US finished with two medalists (Koontz and Beka Melelashvili, bronze at 87) from a “Ranking Series” tournament for the first time since February of ’25 when both Koontz and Ellis Coleman (Army/WCAP) earned bronze in Zagreb.
- Because not all delegations send the same number of participants, “Ranking Series” tournaments do not award team performances. But as per the official standings relative to points, the United States finished 6th with 61 points, just behind Georgia (64) and in front of Egypt (55). Russia finished 1st with 203 points, more than double with what 2nd place Hungary finished (85).
- The combined individual record for Team USA at the Polyak Imre Memorial was 10-18 (which excludes the Koontz vs. Nowry result). Of the ten victories, two were recorded as technical falls (Melelashvili over Rohit Bura of India and Attao over Gabisonia) and one was a pin (Koelzer over Sumit).
- The combined individual record for the ’26 World Team members was 6-11.
- Not counting those who either medaled (Koontz and Melelashvili) or competed in bronze rounds (Nowry and Attao), the US had seven athletes who were defeated by eventual medalists: Roberts (Sharshenbekov, gold); Johnson (Lokyaev, bronze); Benji Peak (Mishiko Aleksandria, GEO, bronze); Joel Adams (Danil Grigorev, RUS); Porter (Mikeladze, bronze); and Schultz (Maeenpaeae, bronze).
- Members of the World Team (in conjunction with other Americans) are next slated to appear at the Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Memorial next month in Poland.
2026 Polyak Imre Memorial
July 17-19 — Budapest, HUN
TEAM USA DAY 3 RESULTS
55 kg: Brady Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque RTC) — SILVER
WON Max Nowry (NYAC/IRTC) 8-3
WON Artiom Deleanu (MDA) 8-5
LOSS Ikhtiyor Botirov (UZB) 5-1
55 kg: Max Nowry (NYAC/IRTC) — 5th
LOSS Brady Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque RTC) 8-3
LOSS Artiom Deleanu (MDA) 5-0
60 kg: Jace Koelzer (Position) — 8th
WON Sumit Sumit (IND) via fall
LOSS Razvan Arnaut (ROU) 8-0, TF
60 kg: Dalton Roberts (Army/WCAP) — 18th
LOSS Zholaman Sharshenbekov (KGZ) via fall
LOSS Elmir Aliyev (AZE) 4-1
63 kg: Xavier Johnson (Army/WCAP) — 12th
LOSS Zhambolat Lokyaev (RUS) 8-0, TF
82 kg: Jesse Porter (NYAC) — 9th
WON Filip Sacic (CRO) 5-1
LOSS Tornike Mikeladze 7-2
97 kg: Arian Khosravy (CA) — 21st
LOSS Islam Yevloyev (KAZ) 8-0, TF
97 kg: Timothy Young (Army/WCAP) — 18th
LOSS Musa Evloev (RUS) 3-0
130 kg: Aden Attao (NYAC) — 5th
LOSS Laszlo Darabos (HUN) 2-0
WON Luka Gabisonia (GEO) 13-4, TF
LOSS Konsta Maeenpaeae (FIN) 3-1
130 kg: Cohlton Schultz (Atreus WC) — 10th
WON Jello Krahmer (GER) 2-1
LOSS Konsta Maeenpaeae (FIN) 9-9 (criteria)
72 kg: Brett Back (Position) — 12th
LOSS Anil Anil (IND) 3-1
72 kg: Benji Peak (NYAC/Position) — 9th
LOSS Mishiko Aleksandria (EGY) 4-2
87 kg: Beka Melelashvili (NYAC) — BRONZE
WON Mohamed Elkasem Dyab (EGY) 4-0
WON Rohit Bura (IND) 9-0, TF
WON Gurami Khetsuriani (GEO) 5-1
LOSS Islam Aliev (GEO) 6-1
WON Mantej Mandic (CRO) 5-3
67 kg: Otto Black (NYAC) — 10th
WON Valentin Petic (MDA) 5-1
LOSS Mohamed Abdelrehim (EGY) 2-1
LOSS Tsuchika Shimoyamada (AUS) 8-0, TF
77 kg: Joel Adams (Beaver Dam RTC) — 28th
LOSS Danil Grigorev (RUS) 8-0, TF
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