LAS VEGAS, NV • In the U20 Division, Illinois came to Greco. And of all the Illinoisians who stepped onto the mat, one would be champion while four others would make their way to the podium. In all, each of the medalists showed dominance in a variety of ways, and each showed their Illinois Greco roots in how they competed and how they responded. As for the lone champion, Nick Nosler, who represents SIUE, he would own the U20 87kg day.
Coming in as the three-seed, Nosler would receive a Bye in the Round of 32; however, once it was time to take the mat, his journey would begin. His Round of 16 bout would be against Blake Jouret, and about forty seconds in, Nosler was well on his way with a four-point move to kick off his Open. He would concede four points, a 2-2 scoring, about thirty seconds later, but then he would close it out going with four more before exiting with a 1-2-2-1 sequence for a 14-4 technical superiority in 2:38.
Now into the quarterfinals, Nosler’s opponent would be six-seeded Riley Hucks. This one would be an exciting back-and-forth event that saw several points scored, 20 in total, in just over two minutes. Hucks would open with two points thirty seconds in. Then, off the restart, Nosler would go 2-2 thirty seconds later before giving up a 2-2 sequence about twenty seconds after that. From there, Nosler would, again, go big with a four, and close it out with a 2-2-2 handling in a fifteen-second span. He would score his second technical superiority, this time 14-6 in 2:04.
