SANTIAGO, Chile — South Dakota State wrestler Bennett Berge added to his list of individual accomplishments at the U20 Pan-Am Championships over the weekend and was part of a dominant performance by the American squad.
Berge claimed the 86-kilogram championship in men’s freestyle, ending the tournament with a 3-0 record. He posted back-to-back 10-0 victories over Zaurbek Arsagov (Canada) and Max Franca (Brazil) in the first two rounds, then recorded a fall against Steven Rodriguez of Venezuela in the championship match.
Team USA went on to win gold medals in nine of the 10 freestyle weight classes contested in the U20 Pan-Am Championships.
A native of Mantorville, Minnesota, Berge is scheduled to wrestle at the U20 World Championships Aug. 14-20 in Warsaw, Poland. He earned a silver medal at the 2022 U20 World Championships last summer in Bulgaria.
