The Northern Plains region boasts a vibrant and storied history in wrestling, marked by dedicated individuals, thriving youth programs, and high-level competitions. From local clubs to national championships, the region has consistently produced talented athletes and passionate supporters of the sport.
Amateur athletics provide a great experience for athletes and their families. Hosting a great tournament opens doors for other future events. If you see them around town, welcome the athletes and wish them luck, as they very well could be representing our country in the Olympics someday.
Rochester has enjoyed a great history of hosting high-end USA Wrestling events, and this will continue. The Northern Plains is a high-level individual regional championship which brings five different age groups from 15 states to compete in both Freestyle and Greco wrestling (Olympic style). Top tier wrestlers from ages 7-8 years old (Bantams) up to age 20 (Juniors) compete in the event. Both male and female wrestlers participate, with the total number of competitors numbering approximately 1,000.
In addition to hosting the Northern Plains, Rochester was also awarded by USA Wrestling the 2018 United World Wrestling (UWW) Junior Freestyle World Team Trials and the Senior Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, both men’s and women’s division. This event will take place in conjunction with the Northern Plains tournament and follows our city’s success in hosting the U23 World Team Trials in October.
All totaled there should be close to 1,500 wrestlers coming to our city. The events will be held at the RCTC Sports Complex, which will be filled with wall-to-wall wrestling mats. Sixteen mats will fill the Fieldhouse, with an additional three mats in the Performance Court (Gym). Registration will be done both online and onsite, with weigh-ins to be conducted prior to the first matches.
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The three-day event will kick off the morning of Friday, May 18th and be crammed full of highly contested matches through Sunday the 20th. These events could not be hosted here in Rochester without an incredible group of extremely dedicated volunteers from Minnesota USA Wrestling.
The folks from Minnesota USA Wrestling not only serve as the leaders and key organizers, but they also recruit an army of additional volunteers to work as mat officials, table workers, scorers and more. Their interest in the sport and commitment to run great tournaments are key to events such as this. Our community should be grateful for the hard work these folks put into events such as the ones mentioned above.
The Northern Plains Junior/Senior Regional Championships will be held in Waterloo, Iowa, May 13-15. This event is a stepping stone for all competitors. At the Senior level, this is the last qualifying event for the World Team Trials in Council Bluffs, Iowa, June 11-12. The champions in men's freestyle, women's freestyle and Greco-Roman divisions earn a spot in the World Team Trials field.
At the Junior level, the top three placewinners in each weight class qualify for their state teams to compete at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. in July.
Below are the results from the Northern Plains Senior Regionals from May 13, 2011:
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| Weight Class | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg/121 lbs | Mike Fuenffinger (Minnesota Storm) | Brandon Escobar (Brentwood, N.Y.) | Tyler Mumbulo (Elite Takedown Club) |
| 60 kg/132 lbs | Jesse Thielke (Sunkist Kids) | Dimitry Riabchinsky (New York AC) | Julian Gunnels (Victory School of Wrestling) |
| 66 kg/145.5 lbs | RaVaughn Perkins (Readyrp Mational) | Kerry Regner (Sunkist Kids) | Brain Graham (Missouri Valley Wrestling) |
| 74 kg/163 lbs | James Johnson (Army) | Marco Toledo (USOEC) | Jess Hargrave (Army) |
| 84 kg/185 lbs | Timothy Bleau (Army) | Keith Sieracki (Army) | Ryan Hope (USOEC) |
| 96 kg/211.5 lbs | Justin Millard (Army) | Mitch Sander (Dragon Slayers) | Ryan Fank (Wartburg Wrestling Club) |
| 120 kg/264.5 lbs | Nikola Bogojevic (Minnesota Storm) | Jake Kettler (Minnesota Storm) | Tyrell Fortune (NWRTC) |
In 2011, Army included James Johnson (Colorado Springs, Colo. Army) at 84 kg/185 lbs. Army) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Johnson stopped Marco Toledo (Foley, Alabama/USOEC), 2-0, 3-0 in the finals. Army).
Millard won the Northern Plains Greco-Roman Regional today. Millard pinned Mitch Sander (Clarence, Iowa/Dragon Slayers) in 52 second in the finals bout. High school star Jesse Thielke (Germantown, Wis./Sunkist Kids) claimed the title at 60 kg/132 lbs.
Bogojevic scored a forfeit win over his club teammate Jake Kettler (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm). He defeated NJCAA Junior College national champion Tyrell Fortune (Portland, Ore./NWRTC) in the semifinals, 0-1, 1-0, 5-0. Bogojevic was third at the 2010 Junior Nationals, as well as at the 2011 FILA Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman. Other individual champions were Mike Fuenffinger (Hibbing, Minn./Minnesota Storm) at 55 kg/121 lbs. and RaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, Neb./Readyrp Mational) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Feunffinger was a 2011 FILA Junior Nationals champion. Perkins won the 2010 Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman. The Outstanding Wrestler in the Junior division was 125-pound champion Mitch Bengtson of Minnesota.
The Northern Plains region has been instrumental in providing wrestlers nationwide with opportunities to compete.
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One notable example of the region's impact is Anna Matejovsky, who at the age of 8, joined her first AAU wrestling club. Fast forward to 2024, Matejovsky's eighth-grade year, she competed on the Wolf Point High School team. Wrestling in the 120-pound weight class, Matejovsky managed a 46-2 record. As the wins piled up and the regular season came to a close, many wondered: Could she be the first eighth-grade girl in Montana to win a state wrestling title?
At the Eastern B-C divisional meet in Huntley Project, Matejovsky pinned every opponent for the title - in 42 seconds, in 59 seconds, and the last in 1:47 seconds. Just four minutes and 55 seconds after Matejovsky shook hands with Billings West’s Elise MacDonald, who came into the match with a 33-4 record, the match ended with a pin. Matejovsky had done it. She is the first eighth-grade girl to win a state wrestling title in the state of Montana. Additionally, she brought Wolf Point its first girls’ wrestling title in program history.
Through all the accomplishments and accolades, Matejovsky recognizes the challenges of the sport. She admits it can be hard to stay motivated every single practice, not to mention cutting weight from her natural 130 pounds to 120 pounds. At the end of the day, there’s something that draws her back to the sport of wrestling. “I love the environment of wrestling tournaments, and they are full of great people and sportsmanship,” Matejovsky said. The wrestling community may have its eyes on Matejovsky’s opportunity to win five titles, and she is OK with that.
Dave Black was born and raised in River Falls, WI. After farming for 15 years, Dave is now an insurance agent for Leitch Insurance in River Falls. Dave was raised on a dairy farm, which meant only being allowed to go out for one sport, so he chose wrestling. He started wrestling when he was a freshman at River Falls High School. In Dave's senior year, 1971, two of his teammates won WIAA state titles, the first two in school history.
His involvement in wrestling in the early- to mid-1970s was limited to being a fan, as he and Mary were busy farming and starting a family. However, when asked by Pauly Cudd to help coach the youth club in 1977, he became more involved in wrestling. With the River Falls Youth Club and Booster Club, Dave was a board member from 1991-1998.
While he was the president, along with the help of four other booster clubs, Dave started the Wisconsin State Youth Wrestling Association (WSYWA). In 1990, the WSYWA organized the first ever folkstyle state tournament in Wisconsin. After two years, Dave spearheaded the merger between the WSYWA and the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation (WWF). After serving as the treasurer of the WWF for five years, Dave become the chairman of the WWF in 1997.
As chairman of the WWF, Dave has managed the state coach position and implemented state-wide training sites. He also initiated the purchases of mats, clocks, scales, computers, trailers, and any other necessary equipment and properties to run all of the WWF's sanctioned state tournaments and various national tournaments. For his work with the WWF, Dave was recognized as the 2002 USA Wrestling State Chairman of the Year, the same year he was instrumental in bringing the Dream Team to Wisconsin.
The WWF is one of the model state organizations in USA Wrestling, as it provides programs for its members, all the while being fiscally sound and very progressive thinking, all of which are a reflection of its leader. In addition to his role in the state of Wisconsin, Dave is also involved in the workings of USA Wrestling. Dave has been the Northern Plains Regional representative, and been on various committees (Steering Committee, Junior Olympic Wrestling Committee, and the International Exchange Committee). In 2006, Dave was voted on to USA Wrestling's Board of Directors.
Dave's involvement in the WWF did not limit his or his family's involvement in wrestling in River Falls, though. Since 1997, Dave, along with Walt Anderson, has been instrumental in the operations of the Northern Badger Wrestling Tournament. This tournament, held in River Falls, provides competition for up to 37 teams, with out-of-state teams coming from Alaska and Arizona. From 1996-2000, Dave coached middle school wrestling in River Falls. His sons wrestled at River Falls High School, while his daughter Stephanie was a cheerleader and other daughter Amy was a team manager.
Weekend trips to Madison and other Big Ten schools became the norm, as Tony and Kevin donned cardinal and white while wrestling at the University of Wisconsin. Dave has also been on the whistle as a wrestling official. For his work in wrestling, Dave was a 2004 inductee into the Wisconsin chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Outside of wrestling, Dave has also been recognized for his involvement in River Falls, as he was the Lions Club Citizen of the Year in 2005. He was also a long standing member on the River Falls Soccer Board. While he was chairman of the soccer board, he was instrumental with the implementation of girls and boys soccer at River Falls High School as a WIAA sport. Dave is thankful to have been surrounded by and involved with so many great individuals through wrestling.