Wrestlers face challenges at U.S. Open Championships in Las Vegas

Liberty's Jahleel Armstrong, Brody Altman, Drake Bowers, Ron Black, Head Coach Chris Williamson, Braden Ewing, Matox Allen, Assistant Coach Josh McIlhenny, and a Liberty Christian Academy assistant coach take in a scenic view at Red Rocks Canyon in Nevada.

Wrestlers face challenges at U.S. Open Championships in Las Vegas

4/30/2026 6:23:00 PM | Men's Wrestling

Liberty was the only NCWA program represented in last weekend’s high-level USA Wrestling tournament.

Jahleel Armstrong champion at U.S. Open — Sophomore Jahleel Armstrong won two of his first three matches by 10-0 technical fall at The Expo at World Market Center in Las Vegas.

Six Liberty University men's wrestlers participated in the April 22-26 U.S. Open Championships, one of USA Wrestling's top-tier events held at The Expo at World Market Center in Las Vegas.

"This is the first time we've competed in this event as an NCWA program, and as far as I understand, we are the only NCWA program to do so," Flames Head Coach Chris Williamson said, noting the tournament featured freestyle wrestling, not the folkstyle Liberty normally competes in. "Our goal was to get our hands on the best guys in the country (and world), and that is what we did. I wanted to help open their eyes to the level of wrestling that is out there and show them where they could be one day — and they saw that for themselves."

Freshmen Brody Altman and Braden Ewing, sophomores Matox Allen, Jahleel Armstrong, and Ron Black, and junior Drake Bowers participated in the competition, experiencing mixed results.

"I'm super proud of our guys," Williamson said. "They extended themselves in a very unfamiliar situation and really rose to the challenge. There were a lot of things they could have relied on as excuses. This was their first time wrestling freestyle; they had hard weight cuts, long travel, and extremely tough competition. But they were genuinely disappointed in their losses and excited over their wins. As a staff, we were very pleased with the weekend as a whole and found it to be a very worthwhile experience. We'll be back next year."

On the opening day, Armstrong won two of his first three matches in the 65-kilogram weight class by 10-0 technical fall — defeating Skyler Geier-Dodson from Chadron State (Neb.) College and Austin Marquez, with a loss to Cornell University's world champion Vito Arujau in between. He later lost his final match to Southwest Minnesota State University's Bronson Richens.

Ewing, who formerly wrestled and played football on scholarship at Brown (R.I.) University, lost both of his matches in the 92-kilogram weight class, falling to three-time NAIA champion Garavous Kouekabakilaho from Grand View (Iowa) University and Evan Bockman, a four-time NCAA Division I national qualifier from Iowa State.

At 79 kilograms, Bowers won his first match by 12-2 technical fall over Wyatt McDermott before losing by 10-0 technical fall to Dean Hamiti, the 2025 NCAA Division I national champion from Oklahoma State. He won his next match by medical forfeit over Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) University's James Williams Jr. before dropping his final match by 13-2 technical fall to Missouri Valley College's Brayden Shelton.

On the final day of competition, Altman lost both of his matches, by 10-0 technical fall to Nebraska's Jake Hockaday and 11-6 decision to Maize South (Kansas) High School's Joshua Kerr, 11-6.

Ron Black wrestler at U.S. Open — Sophomore Ron Black won two of his four matches at the U.S. Open Championships.

Black lost his first 86-kilogram match by 12-0 technical fall to Mason Savidan before winning his next by 13-2 technical fall over Cornell's Christian Diaz and scoring an 8-2 decision over Adams State (Colo.) University's Caden Schadwinkel. He ended his day on the losing end of a 10-0 technical fall in his match against Western Wyoming College's Banks Love.

At 74-kilograms, Allen lost his opening match to Drake Morrison, 13-10, before pinning West Virginia University's Leo Contino in 2 minutes, 50 seconds, and losing by a 15-4 technical fall to Maikol Perez.
"Even though we got beat up a little, our guys have a new spark that I haven't seen before," Williamson said. "They're more excited than ever to train, get back on the mat, and get better."

The group spent the final day hiking in Red Rocks Canyon, which Williamson called an "amazing experience, seeing God's creation and getting to work hard with our guys out in nature."

"I think this will be a new tradition for our team — something for our highest performers to look forward to," he said. "This will be a part of a new trajectory for our program. We are extremely grateful for the support from our donors, Liberty University, and the Club Sports department. Without them, this would not be possible."