Chapel Hill, NC — Dunia Rodriguez Sibomana delivered a dominant performance on the international stage, securing the gold medal at the UWW U20 African Championships in the 57kg division. Competing against the continent’s top young talent, Sibomana picked up three tech-falls and one injury default en route to the championship title.

Sibomana was nothing short of dominant throughout the tournament, recording three technical falls and one injury default across four matches. His ability to control position, dictate pace, and score in bunches separated him from the field and underscored his emergence as one of the top young wrestlers in his weight class.

Sibomana will represent the Democratic Republic of Congo on the world stage, competing at the U20, U23, and Senior World Championships later this summer and fall. The gold medal performance builds significant momentum as he prepares to take on the best wrestlers in the world across multiple age divisions.

Chapel Hill, N.C. -- The Tar Heel Wrestling Club (THWC) will be represented on the international stage this May as three of its athletes are set to compete at the 2026 Pan American Wrestling Championships. The event will bring together the top wrestlers from across North, Central, and South America in a showcase of elite freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women’s wrestling competition.

Representing their respective countries, Chris Foca (Dominican Republic) and Ethan Ramos (Puerto Rico) will both compete in the men’s freestyle 86kg division, while Shannon Hanna (Bahamas) will take the mat at 65kg in men’s freestyle.

The Pan American Championships are scheduled for May 5–11 in Coralville, Iowa.

Freestyle competition for Foca and Ramos at 86kg is slated for Saturday, May 9th, beginning with qualification rounds from 10:00AM EST. Semi-finals will take place at 2:00PM EST, with repechage rounds immediately after. Finals and medal matches are scheduled for that evening at 6:00PM EST.

Hanna will compete at 65kg on Sunday, May 10th, following the same competition structure.

THWC continues to expand its international presence, with athletes representing multiple nations and competing at the highest levels of the sport.
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For more updates and results throughout the tournament, follow Tar Heel Wrestling Club on social media and visit www.tarheelwrestlingclub.com.

Day 4 brought a full slate of high-level matches, and THWC athletes responded with a mix of dominant technical falls, gritty decisions, and hard-fought placement finishes against some of the nation’s best.

Matthew Botello battled deep into the consolation rounds, picking up a solid 7–1 decision over Vincent Paino before falling in a high-scoring 16–13 match to Nicholas Sorrow. 

After dropping his quarterfinal bout Nate Askew, stormed back through the consolation bracket securing a fall over Jesse Grajeda. His run was halted in the consolation semifinals, and he ultimately finished sixth, capping off a strong tournament performance.

Jacob Levy mirrored that momentum on the backside. After an early loss in the quarterfinals, Levy responded with back-to-back technical falls over Tyson Russell and Rylan Kuhn to reach the consolation semifinals. 

Robert Platt led the way for THWC on the championship side with an impressive run to the finals. He opened with a technical fall over Thomas Reilly and followed it up with a tight 8–6 semifinal win against Brokton Borelli. Platt finished as runner-up.

Also making waves, Lincoln Jipp advanced to the finals on the championship side, before finishing second in a high scoring 15–14 decision.

The THWC had multiple podium finishes and, more importantly, four athletes Nate Askew, Lincoln Jipp, Robert Platt, and Jacob Levy officially qualified for the World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio this May.

With the Senior division wrapped up, the focus officially shifted to the U20 Freestyle Nationals and the Tar Heel Wrestling Club contingent wasted no time making an impact. Across multiple weight classes, THWC athletes put together a strong day marked by dominant technical falls, key decisions, and bonus-point victories.

61 kg – Matthew Botello battled through a loaded bracket, putting together an impressive run on both sides of the bracket:
Champ. Rd of 64: def. Cale Seaton (Dec 6-2)
Champ. Rd of 32: lost to Jackson Blum (Dec 6-1)
Cons. Rd of 32: def. Cooper Hinz (Fall 3:40)
Cons. Sub-Rd of 16: def. Caleb McElroy (TF 10-0, 0:19)
Cons. Rd of 16: def. Shamus Regan (Dec 4-3)

70 kg – Nathaniel Askew was dominant, rolling into the quarterfinals with a string of commanding performances:
Champ. Rd of 128: def. Ben Hegler (TF 10-0, 0:35)
Champ. Rd of 64: def. Thomas Johnson (TF 10-0, 0:51)
Champ. Rd of 32: def. Hudson Hohman (TF 10-0, 0:53)
Champ. Rd of 16: def. Hunter Sturgill (Dec 5-4)

92 kg – Lincoln Jipp powered his way through the championship side:
Champ. Rd of 32: def. Bryan Green (Fall 0:25)
Champ. Rd of 16: def. Caleb Close (TF 14-4, 4:33)

92 kg – Mick Moylan showed resilience after an early setback:
Champ. Rd of 32: def. Samuel Watkins (TF 10-0, 2:24)
Champ. Rd of 16: lost to Guy Fraley (Dec 7-6)
Cons. Rd of 16: def. Conor Delaney (TF 20-9, 2:51)

97 kg – Robert Plattdelivered two dominant bonus-point victories to advance:
Champ. Rd of 32: def. Dennis Iraheta (Fall 0:39)
Champ. Rd of 16: def. Preston Hagel (TF 12-2, 3:30)

125 kg – Jacob Levy was efficient and explosive, ending both matches early:
Champ. Rd of 32: def. James Flores (Fall 0:11)
Champ. Rd of 16: def. Ashton Honnold (TF 15-1, 4:14)

With multiple athletes advancing deep into the championship bracket and others battling back strongly on the consolation side, Tar Heel Wrestling Club is positioned for a strong finish heading into day 4 tomorrow.

Day two of the Senior Freestyle U.S. Open saw Nolan O’Boyle (86kg) and Justin Benjamin (70kg) battled through loaded brackets against top national competition.

Justin Benjamin (70kg) match results:
Loss to Wyatt Turnquist (Dec 11-10) – Championship Round of 64
Win over Gustavo Chavez (TF 10-0, 1:14) – Consolation Sub-Round of 32
Win over Nikolas Slatoff (Dec 14-8) – Consolation Round of 32
Loss to Denver Stonecheck (TF 13-3, 2:34) – Consolation Sub-Round of 16

Nolan O’Boyle (86kg) match results:
Loss to Aidan Brenot (Dec 12-8) – Championship Round of 32
Loss to Luke Duthie (TF 10-0, 1:15) – Consolation Sub-Round of 16

With Senior competition complete, the focus now shifts to the U20 Freestyle Nationals, where a strong Tar Heel Wrestling Club contingent is set to take the mat.

Matthew Botello 61KG
Nate Askew 70KG
Mick Moylan 92KG
Lincoln Jipp 92KG
Robert Platt 97KG
Jacob Levy 125KG

The opportunity ahead is significant. U20 national champions will represent the United States at the U20 Pan American Championships in Brazil and earn a direct berth to the best-of-three finals at the World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio.

Day one of Greco-Roman action in Las Vegas is in the books, and the Tar Heel Wrestling Club contingent saw a mix of tough battles and promising performances.

Omaury Alvarez and Lincoln Jipp each went 1-2 on the day, battling through competitive brackets but ultimately falling short.

Tyler Eischens advanced to the semifinals where he fell to #1 seed Aliaksandr Kikiniou Sr.  After a solid start to the tournament, Eischens dropped his consolation semis match and will now wrestle for 5th place heading into day two.

Resutls

SR Greco 77KG Tyler Eischens
Rd 16 Tyler Eischens over TJ Schierl (TF 9-0)
Quarters Tyler Eischens over Andrew Berreyesa (DEC 3-2)
Semis Aliaksandr Kikiniou Sr over Tyler Eischens (TF 8-0)
Cons. Semis RaVaughn Perkins over Tyler Eischens (DEC 7-0)

SR Greco 77KG Omaury Alvarez
Rd 32 TJ Schierl over Omaury Alvarez (DEC 5-1)
Cons Rd 16 Omaury Alvarez over Clay Radenz (TF 10-0)
Cons Sub-Quarters Jadon Skellenger over Omaury Alvarez (DEC 5-0)

U20 97KG Lincoln Jipp
Rd 16 Lincoln Jipp over Mustafa Hadi (FALL)
Quarters Cittadino Tuttle over Lincoln Jipp (TF 9-0)
​Cons. Quarters Alexander Smith over Lincoln Jipp (TF 11-0)

What’s Next
Attention now shifts to the Senior freestyle portion of the tournament, which kicks off today. Representing the Tar Heel Wrestling Club, Nolan O’Boyle and Justin Benjamin are set to take the mat at 1:00PM EST as they begin their runs.

Mexico City, Mexico — Derek Guanajuato delivered a dominant performance to claim the 61kg men’s freestyle title at the 2026 Mexican National Wrestling Championship, solidifying his position among the nation’s elite.

Held in Mexico City, the championship serves as a premier selection event for Mexico’s national team, featuring the country’s top freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women’s wrestlers.

Guanajuato secured the title in emphatic fashion, sweeping his best-of-three finals series over De La Cruz, 2-0 (11-0, FFT). His performance further strengthens his standing within Mexico’s national team picture and builds momentum as he continues to emerge on the international freestyle stage.

Representing the Tar Heel Wrestling Club, Guanajuato continues to compete at a high level for both club and country, adding another significant milestone to an already impressive resume.

Mexico City, Mexico — Derek Guanajuato is set to compete in the 61kg Freestyle division at the 2026 Mexican National Wrestling Championship.

The national championship, organized under the Mexican Wrestling Federation, will take place April 18th, in Mexico City. The event brings together top wrestlers from across the nation in both Freestyle, Greco-Roman, and Women’s Wrestling, serving as a key event for national ranking and selection process for the Mexican national team

Event Details:
Dates: April 18th, 2026
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Division: Men’s Freestyle – 61 kg