Jakob Camacho, shown at the 2021 Senior Nationals, finished third at this week’s U.S. Open senior national tournament. Photo courtesy Sam Janicki / Sjanickiphoto.com)
Danbury High graduate Jakob Camacho was unable to defend his U.S. Open national championship at 57 kilograms (125.6 pounds) this weekend in Las Vegas but he still earned a berth in the upcoming U.S. World team trials in Coraville, Iowa in May.
Camacho, who lost to eventual national champion Matt Ramos of Boilermaker Wrestling Club in the semifinals, finished third with a 7-5 win over Gregory Diakomihalis of Spartan Combat on Saturday (April 30) thanks to takedown with three seconds left in the second period.
Camacho scored the last five points of the match to secure the win and the bronze medal in the freestyle tournament.
The top-seven placewinners at each weight class qualify for the U.S. World team trials, scheduled for May 20-22, with the U.S. Open champion earning the No. 1 seed.
Camacho won a pair of bouts in the consolation round with a 6-1 win over Caleb Smith (Boone Wrestling Club) and his win over Diakomihalis, the Cornell wrestler who is the younger brother of Yianni Diakomihalis, a two-time NCAA Division I champion.
Camacho won his first two matches by technical fall, scoring 10 points to quickly advance. He beat Smith in his first match in 3:16 and bounced Derek Wilson of Nevada, 10-0 in 1:14.
Camacho faced Ramos, a freshman from Purdue University, in the semifinals. Ramos, who won the 2018 Freestyle Cadet world championship, was tied with Camacho 1-1 early in the second period.
Freestyle matches at the U.S. Open are a pair of three-minute periods. In freestyle, wrestlers can earn one point for driving their opponent off the mat. Camacho took a 2-1 lead when he drove Ramos out of bounds with 55 seconds left in the match.
Ramos retook the lead with a chest wrap, exposing Camacho’s back as they rolled through a move. Ramos scored two points with 28 seconds left to take a 3-2 lead. Camacho tied the match with 17 seconds at 3-3 when he again drove Ramos off the mat trying for a takedown.
Ramos won the match on criteria because he scored by exposing Camacho’s back while Camacho scored on driving his opponent out of bounds.
There was plenty of drama at the end as the final score was reviewed three times after the final whistle before awarding Ramos the win. The question was would Camacho get an additional point for forcing Ramos to step out of bounds in the final seconds. The extra point was awarded to Camacho, reviewed and confirmed and finally overturned leaving the score at 3-3 and giving Ramos the match on criteria.
Ramos won the national title by beating his high school teammate Anthony Moulton of Campbell University and the Buies Creek Wrestling Club with a 9-3 decision.
“I don’t worry about numbers or seeds or names. I am just here to wrestle,” said Ramos, who wrestled his freshman year at Purdue at 133 pounds where he was 21-10 and advanced to the round of 12 at the NCAA Division I championships. “I trust my coaches at Purdue, trust the staff and my (practice) partners. I trust the process and I believe I will come out on top.”
Camacho was the No. 2 seed in the tournament. He won his second U.S. Open championship medal in three appearances.
USMC U.S. MEN’S FREESTYLE OPEN
At Las Vegas, Nevada
57 KG
1st – Matthew Ramos (Boilermaker RTC) dec Anthony Molton (Buies Creek WC), 9-3
3rd – Jakob Camacho (Wolfpack WC / TMWC) dec Gregory Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat RTC / TMWC), 7-5
5th – Caleb Smith (Boone RTC) dec Aden Reeves (Viking WC (IA)), 9-7
7th – Gabriel Townsell (New York Athletic Club) tech Noah Cortez (Grays Harbor WC), 10-0 0:23
Recent Connecticut medalists at USA Wrestling Senior Nationals
The event was called the U.S. Open up to 2018.
2022 — Jakob Camacho, Danbury, third, 57 kg (Wolfpack Wrestling Club)
2021 — Jakob Camacho, Danbury, first, 57 kg (Wolfpack Wrestling Club)
2020 — Jakob Camacho, Danbury, seventh, 57 kg (Wolfpack Wrestling Club)
2018 — Richard Perry, Middletown, second, 86 kg (Pennsylvania RTC)
2017 — Richard Perry, Middletown, second, 86 kg (Pennsylvania RTC)
2015 — Richard Perry, Middletown, seventh, 86 kg (Pennsylvania RTC)
