Andronic and Barber earn first-place finishes

AURORA — The Forge Wrestling Club sent 18 athletes to the 2023 Illinois Freestyle State Championships at Marmion Academy on Sunday. Two Forge wrestlers brought home first-place finishes, while one earned a third-place finish and two more secured fourth-place finishes.

Nehemiah Andronic won the 8U 62 Division with a 3-0 record, scoring a first-round fall over nWo’s Zach Caputo as well as a 10-0 technical fall over Lemont’s Aiden Samanich and a 16-6 technical fall against Toss Em Up Wrestling Academy’s Alexander Cid. Conrad Barber won the 8U 70 Division with a 2-0 record, earning a 10-0 technical fall over Frankfort Gladiator Wrestling’s Alexander Hallstrom and a third-round fall over nWo’s Noah Caputo. 

Dempsey Atkinson took third in the 16U 152 Division with a 2-1 record, notching a 10-0 technical fall over Serafin’s Jillian Giller and a fall over Naperville’s Vilte Petreikyte-Zemaitaitis. Ava Barber finished fourth in the 8U 70 Division and Benjamin Morris finished fourth in the 12U 135 Division. Forge fielded four girls including Barber and Atkinson as well as Maddison Wickham (0-2 at 16U 117 Division) and Cammyla Macias (1-2 at 16U 117 Division).

Fourteen boys participated including Andronic and Barber as well as Aidan Lopez (1-2 at 14U 105 Division), Keagan Albers (2-2 at 16U 113 Division), Austin Clemens (2-2 at 16U 145 Division), Landon Kenney (3-2 at 16U 145 Division), Brenden Voight (3-2 at 16U 152 Division), Landyn Windham (1-2 at 16U 170 Division), Jackson Norris (1-2 at Junior 120 Division), Tommy Tourdot (0-2 at Junior 126 Division), Jonathan Buckheister (1-2 at Junior 138 Division) and Kaiden Morris (1-2 at Junior 220 Division).