IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three University of Iowa All-Americans lead a group of 14 Hawkeye wrestlers to Akron, Ohio, this weekend to compete at the 2016 University Nationals.
Sammy Brooks (86 kg), Alex Meyer (80 kg), and Brandon Sorensen (70 kg) compete for freestyle championships Saturday and Sunday at the Louis and Freda Stile Athletic Field House on the campus of the University of Akron. Tournament champions advance to represent Team USA at the University World Championships in Corum, Turkey on Oct. 25-30.
Sorensen placed runner-up at the 2016 NCAA Championships at 149 pounds. He placed fifth in this event last season. Brooks, an eighth-place finisher at the 2016 NCAA Championships, placed fifth at last year’s University Nationals. Meyer is competing in the event for the third straight year. He placed fourth in 2014 and third in 2015. He finished eighth at the 2016 NCAA Championships.
Phillip Laux (65 kg) is also returning the tournament field for the third time. Laux placed fifth in 2014 and fourth in 2015. Burke Paddock (74 kg), a runner-up in Greco Roman at the 2015 University Nationals, is competing in the freestyle division this year.
Other University of Iowa representatives include Mitch Bowman (86 kg), Steven Holloway (97 kg), Michael Kemerer (70 kg), Logan McQuillen (74 kg), Aaron Meyer (65 kg), Jeremiah Moody (74 kg), Perez Perez (57 kg), Logan Ryan (70 kg), and Cash Wilcke (86 kg).
FloWrestling is providing a live stream of the event.