2025 brought to the United States Greco-Roman program sterling performances from athletes on both the age group and Senior levels, major news items, and history-making results. There was also important progress made within the process, something that is often difficult to discern unless favorable outcomes are achieved.
But when there are accomplishments and statistics which support the claims that, indeed, the US is moving in a positive direction, it becomes easier to amplify said progress.
Top 10 USA Greco Stories of 2025
10. Voelker Elevated to Bronze
It might be because the announcement hit in October, but Wyatt Voelker (Panther WC RTC) being awarded bronze for his performance at the 2023 U20 Worlds was an important nod for the US. Voelker had competed brilliantly in that event, going 3-2. One of his two defeats came to eventual finalist Abolfazl Choubani (IRI), who was the one in the bracket flagged for a doping violation. Team USA had a strong roster for the ’23 U20 Worlds but had come up empty as far as medals were concerned. Reallocation is not the manner in which a wrestler or nation would prefer to receive medals, and that could be another reason why this news wasn’t accompanied by so much pomp and circumstance. None of that changes the fact that Voelker competed like a beast in the U20 Worlds and conducted himself like a pro. A wrestler should be recognized for those attributes, especially when others in his weight category chose a different route.
9. Zane Richards’ Next Phase
Rare it is for a high-profile freestyle competitor to venture into Greco these days, even for a one-off. Rarer still it is in this climate for a freestyle wrestler of Zane Richards‘ (60 kg, TMWC/IRTC) caliber to give it a shot, but that is what the Illinois product has done and is still currently doing. Richards, long coached by IRTC head Bryan Medlin, had never before dipped his toes into Greco on the Senior level prior to last April and he impressively went round-by-round to advance to the World Team Trials best-of-three final opposite Max Black (NYAC/NTS). Between his own obvious ability and the coaching prowess of Medlin, it was not exactly a heart-stopping shocker that Richards performed so well in Vegas, but it was nonetheless quite a fantastic debut. It was also the first time in a very long time that a recent freestyle World Teamer had seriously contended for a WT spot on the Greco roster — something that is perhaps much more difficult to accomplish in 2025 than it was back when that type of thing was a little more…common.
8. Kauffman to Doane
Pennsylvania’s Ned Kauffman (63 kg) went from one of the most vocal young Greco fans in the country to one of the country’s most prized recruits. And, naturally, it had seemed as though Kauffman — who placed 2nd at both the U20 and Fargo Nationals in ’25 — was a shoo-in to wind up at NMU once his high school career definitively ends. After all, Northern is Northern, and up until recently NMU was the only college in America to host a full-time Greco-Roman team. That of course changed when Doane University entered the picture in late ’24; and come this past spring, head coach Jason Christenson went all-in on Kauffman and the latter committed soon afterwards. It was prudent of Doane and Christenson to try and make a splash, and they certainly did by snagging a very promising young athlete who is projected to develop into a formidable Senior once his age-group eligibility is exhausted. Both coach and athlete already look smart, as Kauffman placed 3rd at the Bill Farrell Memorial in November to give Doane their first-ever medalist from a Senior tournament.
7. June’s Camp in COS
This wasn’t an on-the-mat accomplishment or “moment” from the past year that took hold and caught everyone’s attention. That does not detract from its significance. In June, contingents from three reputable “Greco countries” converged on the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for a multinational camp. On the surface, this may not pop off the page as headline-making material. After all, joint training camps are part of the sport, and are by and large ubiquitous in Europe throughout the year. Except, this ain’t Europe, and the US has often struggled (for a variety of reasons) in recent years to attract substantive foreign delegations to Springs, other than in small bites. In this scenario, the US was able to have sizable participation from Croatia, Georgia, and Ukraine to help prepare the World Team heading into the summer training block. What it also did was open the door for other, similar camps to be held on US soil down the road.
6. Foy Stands Tall in Vegas
There is some admitted overlap between this here list and a few of the candidates for 2025’s Outstanding Individual Performance, but Michial Foy (Army/WCAP) bears isolating one more time. Over the past three quads, there have been a small number of surprising results emanating from World or Olympic Team selection tournaments, which, depending on the perspective, is either a feather in the cap for dominant #1’s — or the symptom of a lack of depth. Foy in April was, at least for those outside of the Army room, a surprise. It is not a knock against his ability. Foy was a Division I wrestler and recent Greco U23 World Teamer, so it’s not as though he were some anonymous sleeper whose breakout was completely earth-shattering. But, as mentioned in his OIP bio, 97 kg was a rough bracket with numerous experienced and hardened dudes who had been in that kind of position before, whereas Foy last year was new to the full-time lifestyle. But from the first round through his finals victory over Olympian Joe Rau (TMWC), Foy stuck to his strengths, capitalized on can’t-miss opportunities, and held his ground to take the World Team spot. We do not see these head-turning outcomes on a yearly basis, and so they must be appreciated when they occur.
5. Robby’s Rightful Bronze
Ten years late, but both he and the United States will take it. The news came down in June that retired Russian monster Bilyal Makhov had, way back in March of 2015, tested positive for a banned substance. His results were apparently obscured in some form or fashion by the suits in his country, therefore no one knew, and six months later Makhov was at the World Championships in Vegas competing well enough in the repechage bracket to make the bronze round versus Smith, who himself had a tremendous showing.
Most remember what happened when these two squared off. Makhov got off to a sizable lead, Smith struck back, got jiffed on a couple of points in the process, and at one instance had Makhov clearly pinned. It was an ultra-exciting match, though heartbreaking for Smith, who took a close decision loss and finished 5th. Up until just under two months ago, Smith remembered that event fondly mostly because it was at home, and because he had qualified 130 kg for the Rio Olympics. But when medal reallocation was finally made official, Smith deservingly began to see his time in that event in a new light. A strong argument could be made that Smith was always the rightful winner of that bout, anyway, and now he is. Smith had a wonderful career that included an Olympic appearance, five Open titles, and five World Teams. He did not necessarily need a World bronze to punctuate his resume, but there is no question that the addition of one does in fact change the optics in which his career will now be viewed by outsiders going forward.
4. Three U17 World Medalists
The US has had its share of solid Cadet (U17) World rosters over the years with three athletes earning gold (Cohlton Schultz, Joel Adams, and Jordyn Raney, respectively) and a handful of other medalists. 2024 delivered a particular highlight as Jayden Raney won it all while twin Jordyn collected bronze, which meant that Team USA had more than one medalist from the tournament for the first time since the Cadet Worlds actually became a true World-level competition, unlike decades ago when only a handful of nations participated and Americans regularly walked out of the event with glossy hardware. That is why it was such a big deal this past summer when MJ Rundell, Arseni Kikiniou, and David Calkins Jr, each emerged with bronze. All three athletes carved out unique paths to the podium, and each performance was memorable for its own reasons. Their shared achievement also pointed a spotlight on the preparation plan enacted by USA Developmental Coach Cheney Haight, whose presence in the program has generated a significant amount of optimism pertaining to the future of this style stateside.
If there is one, the lone downer is that the United States Greco-Roman program will not have the opportunity to keep Rundell or Calkins on a full-time basis during their collegiate years, and Kikiniou — whose father is a Greco World medalist (’09) and Olympian, and whose older brother is a current US National Team member — himself is not a complete lock to full-time it up post-high school graduation. Nevertheless, Rundell, Kikiniou, and Calkins showed what can happen when three tough and talented Americans are correctly prepared for battle, and how that type of talent could and should be cultivated so as to continually restock the program. You know, like how other countries approach this sport.
3. Attao leaves OSU
Aden Attao (103 kg, NYAC) was a major upper-weight prospect for a laundry list of colleges upon his graduating from high school in ’23 and he eventually landed at Oregon State University, in large part due to Nate Engel’s presence on the staff. The thought was that Attao — because he had a close relationship with Greco-friendly Engel — would meet, if not exceed his folkstyle obligations for OSU while still enjoying a decent amount of freedom to pursue Greco-Roman whenever plausible. And it was all working out just fine, even with Attao coming off of injury rehab last year. Or at least it was until a confluence of events unfolded.
First, it was Engel departing from OSU to coach at Army. With Engel gone, Attao’s desire to stay decreased exponentially. On top of that, the two-time U20 World bronze came to the realization around the same time that the strides he so passionately endeavored to make in Greco would likely be hindered by continuing on in the legs-and-headgear way of life. So, Attao made the move that was right for him, which was running towards the style he loved most (and in which he was practically raised) and waving goodbye to the college folkstyle system. Attao was always a “Greco kid” whose overall ability allowed him to experience success in other arenas. The difference now is that his energy and long-term viability will go uninterrupted as he pursues World and Olympic medals.
2. Otto Black to NMU
Some might pretend that Otto Black (67 kg) deciding to enroll at NMU was not that much of surprise given that his older brother Max happens to be the lightweight leader of that team — but for those outside of the Marquette biosphere, it certainly was one. Otto Black had originally committed to the University of Iowa, and later Wyoming, but had prepared for the US World Team selection tournament at NMU. He then raced all the way to the final round, essentially as a college freshman, and was defeated by Northern alumnus Alston Nutter (Army/WCAP). That series loss showed Black that he was not so far away from the domestic top tier and could very well take another step up the ladder in short order — but likely only if he dedicated himself full-time to the cause. And less than a week after the Senior Trials concluded, Black officially peace’d out the folkstyle path in favor of Greco, thus giving Northern their biggest Division 1 crossover prospect since two-time World medalist Harry Lester over two decades ago.
1. Jacobson & Black Shine at U23 Worlds
When Beka Melelashvili (82 kg, NYAC) ended the U23 World medal drought for the US last year, it was more of a relief than it was a cause for celebration. Nevertheless, Melelashvili got the job done by advancing to the final round and eventually earning silver, and no matter how disappointed he might have been not to have garnered gold, he was still properly lauded for becoming the first USA rep to stand on a U23 World podium.
That was one box checked for the US program. With an even more robust roster in ’25, whispers followed the Team into Serbia as to whether or not they could somehow exit the event with multiple medalists. At a glance, such thoughts could be labeled a touch ambitious. The U23 World Championships might not be the Senior Worlds, but it is by no means a drastic step down in competition level. The fact that there have been seasons in which athletes have medaled at Senior but were bounced from U23 is rather compelling evidence underscoring just how high the caliber of participation usually is.
But, talk persisted, and virtually right out of the gate Jacobson hustled his way to a bronze that required tremendous heart and several clutch scoring sequences. He had drawn a highly-difficult field on his side of the bracket and made all but one of his opponents wilt under the pressure he brought to the table. Later in the week, Otto Black displayed remarkable poise from par terre bottom in conjunction with igniting sharp and exciting scoring actions that resulted in Team USA grabbing their second bronze from the event. Max Black, whose 60 kg bracket was one of the deepest at the U23 World Championships, came oh-so-close himself and ultimately finished 5th.
It’s about the medals, but it is also about the narrative. With Otto Black and Jacobson giving the US program two medalists from the same U23 World Championships for the first time, they had in essence planted a flag for their generation of Greco-Roman athletes. No longer will talk regarding their developmental trajectories, or the career prospects of their domestic contemporaries, be regarded as pie-in-the-sky hypothetical wishes. When people in our program discuss the chances of top young Americans at big-time events, Senior or otherwise, these conversations will now be taken much more seriously. U23 is prioritized globally and many nations’ best Seniors are eligible for the age division. Hence, if a wrestler can perform at the U23 level, he is capable of doing so on the Senior circuit, as well. This is what the stats say. Jacobson and Black are now included in those stats. More importantly, they have illuminated the path for others to join them.
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