FHSU Athletics
GENEVA, Ohio - Tereus Henry, a junior on the Fort Hays State wrestling team, won the USA Wrestling U23 Greco-Roman Championship this weekend (June 2-4), one of four placements for a trio of Tiger wrestlers at the USA Wrestling U23 Nationals.
Henry also placed third in the U23 Freestyle Nationals, while Tony Caldwell and Cody Hicks placed seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Greco-Roman competition.
Competing at 97 kg, the unseeded Henry defeated four seeded wrestlers en-route to his national title. He quickly reached the semifinals of the Greco-Roman competition with a technical fall and a win via fall. The 2023 All-American then advanced to the best two-of-three final series with a 7-3 decision in the semifinals.
Matched up with Thomas Godbee from Army West Point, Henry won the first bout via fall before losing a 6-4 decision in the second matchup. Henry bounced back to clinch the championship with another second period fall in the deciding third bout.
In the Freestyle competition, Henry won his first match via fall before suffering a 5-2 decision against top-seeded Samuel Mitchell from the University of Buffalo. Henry rebounded in the consolation bracket, winning four-consecutive matches via technical fall to finish in third place. Henry and Godbee were the only two wrestlers at 97 kg to reach the podium in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Henry went a combined 10-2 on the weekend, turning in records of 5-1 in both competitions.
Caldwell placed seventh at 130 kg in the Greco-Roman championship after going 3-2 for the weekend. He won his opening bout via fall before suffering a fall in the quarterfinals. The Wichita, Kan. native responded with a 6-2 decision in the consolation bracket before falling on criteria following a 4-4 stalemate in the consolation semifinals. He clinched seventh place with a pin in less than one minute in the placement round. Caldwell later turned in a record of 1-2 in the 125 kg Freestyle competition.
Hicks took home the eighth-place medal at 77 kg in the Greco-Roman bracket after turning in a record of 4-3. The Bennington, Okla. native opened the week with a quick technical fall before falling in the round of 16. He then picked up three wins in a row to reach the consolation semifinals, including an 8-2 decision, a technical fall and a forfeit, before dropping his final two contests to finish eighth. Hicks finished the weekend going 1-2 at 79 kg in the Freestyle competition.