Eight LebCo Freestyle Wrestlers Compete, Two Medal at 2024 Fargo National Championships

Photos by Susan Dengler, LebCoSports.com contributor

If you like this type of coverage, please let us know by Following us on social media: Twitter/X – @lebcosports1 and Facebook.

For any questions, comments, or discrepancies, please reach out to dan@lebcosports.com.

Below, we recap the performances of each of the eight LebCo athletes who competed during the Freestyle portion of the 2024 Fargo National Wrestling Championships that is now complete. Out of the local delegation, two wrestlers finished on the podium, Northern Lebanon’s Aaron Seidel winning the Junior National Championship at 126 pounds and Palmyra Jason Foutz finishing 5th at 100 pounds. ELCO’s Klint Miller picked up four wins in the 16U division, finishing just shy of earning a medal.

Greco-Roman is now being contested and we will work to bring you the latest on their progress. For a list of wrestlers competing, be sure to check out our recent article LebCo Wrestlers Ready for 2024 Fargo National Championships, which was updated to include Palmyra’s representatives. It also explains the process for how wrestlers qualify for Fargo.

In addition to the athletes competing, Northern Lebanon legend Jim Collins served as a coach for the Pennsylvania National Girls’ Team. The team finished 1st in the 16U competition and 3rd in the Junior National division.

Junior Boys Freestyle

Aaron Seidel – Northern Lebanon, Class of 2025

126 pounds. Fargo Junior National Champion. Click for a full recap on Seidel’s run to earning the top spot: Seidel’s Domination: Junior National Wrestling Champion Crowned at Fargo

Jason Foutz – Palmyra, Class of 2025

100 pounds. 5th place. After a bye in the Round of 64, Foutz scored an exciting 17-14 victory over the tournament’s #8-seed from Louisiana in the Round of 32. A loss in the Round of 16 to an opponent from New Mexico sent Foutz into the Consolation bracket. Unwilling to back down from the challenge, Foutz went on a four-match winning streak, defeating wrestlers from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, and New Jersey. His victories included two Victories by Superiority and a pin. In the Consolation Semifinals, Foutz fell to a member of the Ohio delegation. This slotted him into the medal round where he earned a 16-5 victory over his peer from Nebraska. Foutz finished the tournament with an impressive 6-2 record that earned him real estate on the podium.

Kyle Miller – ELCO, Class of 2025

215 pounds. Miller opened the tournament in the Round of 128 with a tough loss to a talented opponent from Nebraska. In the Consolation round, Miller lost to an opponent from Oklahoma. Despite going 0-2, Miller’s achievement of qualifying for Fargo should not be understated, nor should the importance of the experience he gained by competing there.

16U Girls Freestyle

Dakota Dengler – Cedar Crest, Class of 2028

136 pounds. The rising freshman made the trip to Fargo and was matched up against the #16-ranked wrestler in the Round of 64. Despite a great effort, Dengler lost the match, 6-0, to her opponent, a Montana State Champ. In her next match, she was then matched up against a wrestler from Kansas. A loss in this match ended her tournament, but she left Fargo having picked up valuable experience ahead of her first season wrestling at the varsity level.

Dengler eyes up her opponent

Kylee Trostle – ELCO, Class of 2027

118 pounds. Trostle, who finished 6th in Pennsylvania this past wrestling season, made her debut in the Round of 64 and matched up against the #12-ranked wrestler, an athlete from California who had previously been a 14u US National Team member. Trostle lost this match, moving her to the Consolation bracket, where she scored an exciting victory over her opponent from Colorado. In the next round, Trostle lost a close 12-9 match to a wrestler from Illinois. Having gone 1-2 at Fargo, this loss ended her tournament.

Trostle works for a takedown

Coach Collins celebrates with Central Dauphin’s Kate Hollinger after she places 8th

16U Boys Freestyle

Elijah Foltz – Palmyra, Class of 2028

94 pounds. Foltz opened the action with a 10-0 Victory by Superiority over his opponent from Illinois. He then lost to a wrestler from California before defeating another wrestler from the Bear Flag Republic. His tournament ended with a hard-fought, 8-4 loss to a wrestler from Virginia. Foltz ended his Fargo experience with a 2-2 record.

Klint Miller – ELCO, Class of 2027

157 pounds. Miller opened his Fargo journey in the Round of 128, scoring a 14-12 upset victory over the #13-seed from Utah. He then rolled through the Round of 64, pinning his opponent from Oregon. He carried this momentum into the Round of 32, winning a 10-0 Victory by Superiority over a wrestler from Montana. With an unexpected but well-earned appearance in the Round of 16, Miller was finally defeated by the #4-seed and State Champion from Iowa. In the Consolation round, Miller rebounded by winning 11-7 over a wrestler from Oklahoma. Stopped just short of the medal round, Miller lost a hard-fought match against an opponent from Illinois. Miller’s impressive ride in North Dakota ended with four wins.

Sam Wolford – Northern Lebanon, Class of 2026

113 pounds. Pennsylvania’s 4th place medalist entered Fargo as the #12-seed. In the Round of 128, Wolford earned an exciting 14-12 victory over his opponent from New Jersey. He followed it up in the Round of 64 with a 10-0 Victory by Superiority over a wrestler from Iowa. In the Round of 32, Wolford lost 9-4 to a talented wrestler from South Dakota. The loss moved him to the Consolation round, where he lost a close match, falling to his opponent from New York. Wolford finished the tournament with a 2-2 record.

Did you know that you can now support our efforts through an individual sponsorship?

Check out our Membership options that begin at just $5 per month or $50 for the year.

Click to Sponsor

2023 Recap

Published August 8, 2023

In July, five LebCo wrestlers traveled to Fargo, North Dakota to compete in the 2023 US Marine Corps Junior & 16U Nationals.  The athletes, who all compete on their local high school teams during the winter season were as follows: ELCO – Kyle Miller; Northern Lebanon – Aaron Seidel, Sam Wolford; Palmyra – Jason Foutz, Steve Stine.  This event offers wrestlers the chance to match-up against some of the premier talent from across the entire country.  Additionally, while they wrestle what is considered Folkstyle during the scholastic season, this event offered Freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments.

In the Junior Nationals Freestyle competition, ELCO’s Miller made it to the Round of 32 in the 220-pound division, winning his first match in convincing fashion. Palmyra’s Foutz, wrestling in the 100-pound division went 0-2, but picked up valuable experience.  Northern Lebanon’s Wolford wrestled in the 16u Freestyle competition and made it to the Round of 16 of the 116-pound division.

Following the completion of the Freestyle competition the two Palmyra wrestlers, Foutz and Stine, took part in the Greco-Roman Junior Nationals.  Foutz, who is a rising junior, won his first match over a wrestler from Utah.  The Cougar’s day competition ended with a loss to a wrestler from Iowa. Stine, wrestling at 138-pounds, matched up against wrestlers from Colorado and Utah in his two matches.

While all of these athletes have much to be proud of, it was Northern Lebanon’s Seidel, the two-time PIAA State Champion, who led the way.  Wrestling the 113-pound division of the Junior Nationals – Freestyle, Seidel cruised to the Championship round by battling hard and winning his first five matches over opponents from Illinois, Colorado, Louisiana, Virginia, and Iowa. In the Finals, Seidel was matched up against Chris Kiser, a two-time Oklahoma State Champion.  Seidel was leading 4-0 in the First Period, but Kiser was able to pull off a win by pinning Seidel.  Regardless of the loss, the accomplishment was impressive as the Northern Lebanon rising junior left Fargo as the Junior National Silver medalist, second-best in the United States.