Bouzakis, Mendez Travel to Jordan for U20 World Championships
8/10/2023 10:55:00 AM | General, Wrestling
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State will have two wrestlers on the Team USA roster at the U20 World Championships for the second-consecutive year when the 2023 event is held in Amman City, Jordan, Aug. 14-20.
Redshirt freshman Nic Bouzakis and sophomore Jesse Mendez qualified for the team this year after Bouzakis and redshirt freshman Nick Feldman made Team USA a year ago.
Bouzakis will again wrestle in the 61kg bracket while Mendez will compete at 65kg. Bouzakis finished seventh and Feldman (125kg) fifth in 2022 in Bulgaria.
Logan Stieber, who was recently elevated to assistant coach with the Buckeyes, and J Jaggers, Ohio State's associate head coach, both will make the trip to Jordan as well.
Stieber said having Buckeyes make up 20 percent of the 10-member Team USA Lineup each of the last two years is a testament to the work the athletes put in over the years to reach this stage.
"This is a huge event," Stieber said. "The guys we will be wrestling against many who will likely be in the Olympics next year. This is probably the second biggest event in the world behind the Senior World Championships. We are really excited for our guys to compete."
Both Bouzakis and Mendez qualified for the national team by sweeping their opponents in the Team Trials Finals. In the best 2-of-3 finals, Bouzakis defeated Cael Hughes (Cowboy RTC) twice by scores of 10-0. Mendez defeated Tyler Kasak (M2 Training Center) by scores of 4-3 and 9-1.
The event in Jordan will mark the third time Bouzakis has made the Team USA U20 team. He also wrestled in the Greco Roman competition in 2021.
Most recently, Bouzakis took Gold at the U20 Pan-Am Wrestling Championships in Santiago, Chile. He was named the event's most outstanding wrestler after going 5-0. Earlier this summer he went 7-0 on his way to a U20 US Open Title in Las Vegas.
Jesse Mendez, who earned All-America status as a true freshman with the Buckeyes at 133, took third at 65kg in the U20 Freestyle bracket. He is looking for his first World medal in a third attempt. The Indiana product finished in eighth place at the 2021 U20 World Championships and ninth place at the 2019 U17 World Championships.
Hear from Jesse Mendez prior to the U20 World Championships next week in Amman City, Jordan. Prior international experience, a year at Ohio State and working with Logan Stieber and Nic Bouzakis all contributed to making Team USA. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/xdaERJsox4
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) August 10, 2023
Mendez finished with a 19-9 record as a true freshman in 2022-23 with the Buckeyes. He earned All-America status with a 5-3 record at the NCAA Championships, finishing sixth overall.
Bouzakis finished with an overall record of 8-1 a year ago while serving a redshirt year.
Nic Bouzakis, who finished fifth at the U20 World Championships last year, hopes to use experience to his benefit for Team USA next week in Amman City, Jordan, at the 2023 Event. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/NBWlBzRPHb
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) August 10, 2023
For 2023-24 Ohio State Wrestling ticket information go to OhioStateBuckeyes.com or call 1-800-GoBucks.
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