Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Sam Janicki (sjanickiphoto.com)
Rau Wins 97kg Title At US Open
5/2/2023 10:30:00 AM | Wrestling
Bates, Vandenbush also impress for ‘Cats in Las Vegas, Nev.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (May 2, 2023) – Northwestern wrestling assistant coach Joe Rau racked up a quartet of impressive wins on his way to winning the Senior Greco Roman title at 97 kilograms at the 2023 United States Open in Las Vegas, Nev.
Fresh off his second season on the bench alongside head coach Matt Storniolo, Rau rolled to his third career US Open crown inside the South Point Casino Hotel last week. The local product needed just 22 seconds to punch his ticket to quarterfinal round, dispatching Trace Thompson by fall in his opening bout. A 10-0 shutout of Cade Lautt in the quarterfinals kicked off a stretch of three straight wins by technical fall, including a 10-1 triumph over Nicholas Boykin in the final that saw Rau again top the podium.
By virtue of winning his weight class, Rau books his spot for Final X on Saturday, June 10 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., where the 2023 U.S. Senior World Teams will be determined.
A pair of Wildcats set to return to Evanston next season also saw action in Las Vegas, with Evan Bates (86 kg) and Aiden Vandenbush (70 kg) both competing in the Under 20 Freestyle section of the event.
Bates started fast, outscoring his first two opponents by a 22-0 margin en route to a pair of victories by technical fall. After falling in the Round of 16, the Chesterton, Ind. native picked up two victories by technical fall in consolation action before falling just a win shy of a spot on the podium.
Like Bates, Vandenbush opened his stay with back-to-back wins by technical fall, including a 15-5 upset win over seventh-seeded Grigor Cholakyan in the second round. Out of Random Lake, Wis., Vandenbush added two additional technical fall victories in consolation action.
Bates and Vandenbush are two of 13 expected returning letterwinners for the 'Cats in 2023-24, a group that includes four NCAA qualifiers from this past season.
Fresh off his second season on the bench alongside head coach Matt Storniolo, Rau rolled to his third career US Open crown inside the South Point Casino Hotel last week. The local product needed just 22 seconds to punch his ticket to quarterfinal round, dispatching Trace Thompson by fall in his opening bout. A 10-0 shutout of Cade Lautt in the quarterfinals kicked off a stretch of three straight wins by technical fall, including a 10-1 triumph over Nicholas Boykin in the final that saw Rau again top the podium.
By virtue of winning his weight class, Rau books his spot for Final X on Saturday, June 10 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., where the 2023 U.S. Senior World Teams will be determined.
A pair of Wildcats set to return to Evanston next season also saw action in Las Vegas, with Evan Bates (86 kg) and Aiden Vandenbush (70 kg) both competing in the Under 20 Freestyle section of the event.
Bates started fast, outscoring his first two opponents by a 22-0 margin en route to a pair of victories by technical fall. After falling in the Round of 16, the Chesterton, Ind. native picked up two victories by technical fall in consolation action before falling just a win shy of a spot on the podium.
Like Bates, Vandenbush opened his stay with back-to-back wins by technical fall, including a 15-5 upset win over seventh-seeded Grigor Cholakyan in the second round. Out of Random Lake, Wis., Vandenbush added two additional technical fall victories in consolation action.
Bates and Vandenbush are two of 13 expected returning letterwinners for the 'Cats in 2023-24, a group that includes four NCAA qualifiers from this past season.
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