State wrestlers earn medals at U.S. Open championships

Plainville’s Jaxsen Bailey, left, won two medals at the recent U.S. Open championships. Bailey is standing with Jack Conroy, the head coach at Greens Farms Academy where Bailey will attend next fall.

Six Connecticut wrestlers earned medals at the recent U.S. Open wrestling championships in Las Vegas.

Plainville’s Jaxsen Bailey, an eighth grade student at Plainville Middle School, won a pair of medals. He finished second in the Under 15 Greco Roman competition at 48 kilograms (105 pounds) and was eighth in U15 freestyle.

Southbury’s William Henckel, a junior at Blair Academy in New Jersey finished third at 79 kg in U20 freestyle while Granby’s Aidan Squires was third at 82 kg in the U20 freestyle. Southbury’s Sarah Henckel, a sophomore at Blair Academy, was third at 155 pounds in the Girls Showcase event.

In the Master’s Division action, Brandon Fulco of South Side Wrestling Club in Bridgeport was third in A freestyle at 78 kg while South Side’s Petre Del Gallo was third in Masters A Greco Roman at 62 kg.

Since the U.S. Olympic Trials were held two weeks earlier at Penn State, there was no U23 competition at the U.S. Open this year.

Bailey, who will wrestle at Greens Farms Academy in Westport next winter, went 4-1 in the U15 Greco Roman tournament with a pin and a technical fall. He lost in the finals to Illinois’ Robert Rusciti by technical fall, 9-0 in 1:51.

Bailey was 4-3 in the U15 freestyle tournament, suffering his first loss in the quarterfinals. He lost to Cole Lemovitz of Ponagansett, R.I., in the match for seventh place.

William Henckel, who has committed to attend Penn State in college, went 7-1 in the tournament with two pins. He dropped a 4-3 decision in the quarterfinals but won four straight in the consolation round to finish third. He scored seven unanswered points in the final 41 seconds to beat New Jersey’s Lorenzo Norman to finish third.

Squires, who wrestles for Combat Wrestling Club’s School of Wrestling, went 5-1 in the tournament. He won four straight consolation round bouts to take third.

Sarah Henckel went 5-1 in the tournament to finish third at 155 pounds. She won four straight in the consolation round and beat Katherine Stewart, 10-0 in 2:14 to take third.