Iowa State Championships will also host wrestle offs for ANOC World Beach Games
Rathbun Lake, Iowa- Iowa is no stranger to HUGE wrestling events! This weekend, the Iowa Beach Wrestling State Championships will add to that list as Iowa crowns beach wrestling state champions for the 1st time, as well as hosting special wrestle-offs for the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games.
The Kraken Tournament was a big hit in its inaugural year last year, drawing nearly 100 wrestlers from five states. Competitors were treated to a day of hot weather as well as hot wrestling action.
This year the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games will take place August 5th-12th in Bali, Indonesia, with Beach wrestling taking place August 10-11. These games are essentially the “Olympics” of sand and action sports, and beach wrestling has been a core sport since the game’s inception in 2019. The United States has qualified five weights for the competition. Per qualification procedures, three of these spots must be determined by wrestle-off, which take place this weekend.
The wrestle-offs will pit 2023 national champions against the wrestlers who qualified the weight for Bali.
At Men’s 70 kg the athlete who qualified USA for World Beach Games was Mitchell Cook of Orland Park, Illinois. Cook is. veteran of the Beach Wrestling World Series, and currently sits 6th in the World Series rankings. He will take on 2023 Senior Beach Nationals champion Jamel Johnson of Jacksonville, North Carolina. Johnson is no stranger to high level competition, having been a National Team Greco-Roman member and a 2012 University World bronze medalist in Greco-Roman competition. Johnson has competed for both the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army.
At Men’s 80 kg the athlete who qualified USA for World Beach Games was Ty Loethen of Columbia, Mo. Ty was a 3-time Missouri state placer with a career record of 139-7, including winning a state title as a senior. He then went on to compete for the University of Central Missouri and was a 2014 NCAA DII All-American, placing 8th. He has become a fan favorite at World Series events, and is currently 7th in world series standings. His opponent will be 2023 Senior Beach Nationals champion Jamal Morris of Miami, Florida. Morris was a high school state champion and went on to a successful career at NC State, finishing 23-5 his senior season, including a 5th place finish at the NCAA Championships. He is currently ranked 12th in World Series standings.
At Women’s Over 70 kg, the athlete who qualified USA for World Beach Games Isabeau Shalack of Oak Lawn, Illinois. Shalack was a three-time state finalist in high school, including one Illinois State Championship. She was also a two-time Fargo Finalist. She now competes for Colorado Mesa University, where she was a 2021 NCWWC All-American after finishing in sixth place at the National Championships at 191 pounds. Shalack is currently ranked 6th in the World Series rankings. Her opponent will be 2023 Senior Beach Nationals champion Eliana Bommarito of Brighton, Michagan. Bommarito was a four-time state champion at Hartland High School, and a 2-time Fargo National Champion. She also won the 2023 National Junior College Athletic Association 235-pound championship as a freshman at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa, and is currently ranked 17th in the World Series standings.
Wrestling will get underway at 11:00 AM, with weigh-ins slated for 9:30 AM.
For a full write up on the wrestle offs, read the USA Wrestling article HERE.
