Training through the National Training Site, the NMU squad also had four other athletes earn podium finishes at the event. This Northern team’s head coach is Andy Bisek and assistant coach is Parker Betts.

Peak, a senior at NMU, dominated in the early rounds at 72 kilograms (158.7 pounds), outscoring his opponents 31-0 before he took on West Point’s Peter Ogansanya for the title.

Ogansanya took an early 2-1 lead in their match before Peak bounced back with three straight points and a 4-2 advantage following a takedown and the assessment of a passivity point.

Peak then made a body lock for four more points, which proved decisive after Ogansanya scored a four-point throw in the waning seconds of the match that Peak won 9-6.

Benji Peak, now a wrestler with the Northern Michigain University National Training Site, celebrates after defeating Calvin Germinaro in the U.S. Senior Nationals Greco-Roman finals in 2020. (Photo courtesy Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)

NMU teammate Max Black, who was crowned Under-20 champion at the U.S. Junior Open earlier in the week in Las Vegas, finished as runner-up at 60 kg (132.3 lbs.). The Northern freshman worked up to his championship match, where he met two-time Olympian and the event’s Outstanding Wrestler Ildar Hafizov of the Army World Class Athlete Program.

Hafizov stopped Black’s bid to be a dual junior and senior champion by winning in the final 9-0.

Brothers Aiden and Alston Nutter joined Peak and Black on the podium.

Aiden Nutter, a sophomore at NMU, earned a silver medal for his second-place finish at 63 kg (138.9 lbs.) with a 3-1 record. His only blemish was in the championship match, when he faced 2016 Olympian Jesse Thielke of Army WCAP and lost 9-0.

Alston Nutter, a Northern senior, earned bronze for finishing third at 67 kg (147.7 lbs.). He dropped into the consolation rounds after losing 6-5 in the semifinals to 2020 Olympian Alex Sancho, then won 13-4 over Nathan Moore of Northern Colorado in the consolation semis to reach the consolation finals.

Benji Peak

In the consolation final for bronze, he downed Peyton Omania of the New York Athletic Club 8-0.

NMU’s other podium finisher was George Sikes at 87 kg (191.8 lbs.). He won silver as a runner-up after defeating Christian DuLaney of the Minnesota Storm 5-2 in the semifinals before losing to Alan Vera of NYAC for the gold medal 9-0.

Another five NMU National Training Site wrestlers also had top-eight finishes at the U.S. Senior Open — Brody Olson was fourth at 72 kg (158.7 lbs.), Jacob Cochran fourth at 55 kg (121.3 lbs.), Nicholas Leonetti sixth at 63 kg, Aaron Dobbs seventh at 82 kg (180.8 lbs.) and Jovan Mercado eighth at 87 kg.

The next meet on the NMU Greco-Roman wrestling calendar is the Last Chance World Team Trials Qualifier on Friday, May 13, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. And the Under-20 and Under-23 World Team Trials are set for June 3 in Geneva, Ohio.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.