Cohen Reer wins 15-under national title
May 1—LAS VEGAS — Edison Middle School wrestler Cohen Reer, age 13, added to his already lengthy resume over the weekend.
Competing at the 2023 U.S. Open 15-under tournament, Reer became a national champion with five wins at the 38kg (83.7 pounds) bracket at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The U15 Nationals are a qualifying event for the 2023 U15 Final Pan American Team Trials, which is expected to be sometime in August. The top eight athletes in either style qualify for the World Team Trials.
The U15 Final Pan American Team Trials champion in both Freestyle & Greco-Roman will represent Team USA at the UWW U15 Pan-American Championships in Panama City, Panama on Oct. 13-15.
Reer began his tournament in Vegas with a bye, then posted an 8-0 win over Thiago Silva an an 11-6 decision over Cooper Deputy. He then received a medical forfeit in the semifinals, and topped Brand'n Edstrom in the semifinals, 8-2.
In the national title match on April 29, Reer then claimed a 6-4 decision win over Chase Karenbauer of Pennsylvania.
In March, Reer won his first-ever Ohio Athletic Committee junior high state championship on March 19, then won his sixth straight grade-school state title a week later on March 26 in Youngstown.
Reer, a sixth-grader who trains with Burnett Trained Westling at the Ohio Dawgz facility in Milan, is also a three-time Tulsa Nationals champion and has won two prestigious Trinity awards.
To be eligible for the Trinity Award, a wrestler must win the Tulsa Kickoff Classic in November, the Tulsa Nationals in January and the Reno Worlds in April — all in the same calendar season. Reer won the Trinity in 2019 and 2021.
Earlier this season, Reer — the son of Zac and Lisa of Norwalk — won the 2022 Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals on Oct. 30 in Des Moines, Iowa; the Powerade Junior Nationals on Dec. 28 in Canonsburg, Pa.; and the Tulsa Nationals on Jan. 22.
