Norwin wrestlers help Team PA to strong showing at junior nationals in Fargo

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, August 2, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Like most hopefuls who play the Powerball lottery, Landon Sidun has the right attitude when he goes into a wrestling tournament. A confident, clear-headed attitude.

“If you don’t think you can win, why go?” the rising freshman at Norwin said after he hit the jackpot.

Sidun became a national champion when he dominated at the USA Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D.

Sidun went 7-0 and won the 113-pound title in the 16U division.

“I knew I could win it,” Sidun said. “There were 256 guys in the bracket. It was crazy to see that many guys. I didn’t feel anxious, and I wrestled patiently.”

Sidun made the 16U national duals all-tournament team earlier in the summer.

Dave Sidun, Landon’s father, was an assistant coach for Team PA.

The Knights RTC helped the U16 men’s and women’s teams win national team titles, accounting for 65 of the 183 points Pennsylvania scored.

“Team Pennsylvania had a great showing and our Norwin athletes and Knights Regional Training Center athletes really put on a show,” said Norwin coach Kyle Martin, a fifth-year director for Team PA. “We had over 7,000 qualified athletes this year, making it one of the biggest tournaments in the world. It’s also crazy tough. Several PA state champions at the high school level did not even place at this event.”

Martin, who has won six national titles, said none of his Norwin or Regional Training Center wrestlers came home with a losing record.

Sidun, ranked No. 19 in the country by MatScouts.com, ended five of his matches with technical falls, including in the semifinals and finals.

The score of his finals win over Isaiah Harrison of Colorado: 12-0.

“Landon looked very sharp all week and smothered opponents with offense,” Martin said. “I can’t put into words how proud I am of his work ethic and how he approaches the sport. He is coachable, driven, motivated and always looking to improve.”

Team PA won a national title for the first time, in the U16 women’s division.

Jo Dollman, who will be one of Norwin’s first female wrestlers to compete in the WPIAL and PIAA in the winter, went 3-2 and finished inside the top 12. It was a bounce-back effort for Dollman, who went from 0-2 last year to one win away from becoming an All-American.

She did, however, defeat a returning All-American.

“I am very proud of Jo and how she has started to approach the sport,” Martin said. “Her development is clear, and she is showing some great strides in her skill as well as her mental approach to the sport.”

Nate Campbell also competed for Norwin in freestyle, finishing 3-2 for a top-32 spot.

Campbell suffered a season-ending injury at last year’s WCCA meet but has returned to form.

“Man, was it awesome seeing him compete at this level,” Martin said. “He beat some impressive opponents and showed some improvement in some areas he specifically worked on over the last few months.”

AJ Hewitt wrestled for the Knights in Greco Roman and went 2-2 with a pair of pins.

“One was a very Hewitt-like, come-from-behind pin as we have seen many times in his high school career,” Martin said.

Other Team PA highlights:

• Hunter Snyder (All-American Wrestling Club) went 5-1 and finished second.

• Jake Conroy (Phoenix Wrestling Club) had a 5-1 mark and was a runner-up.

• Jonah Erdely (Hutchy Hammers Wrestling Club) finished inside the top 12.

• Elijah Brown (Hutchy Hammers Wrestling Club) went 5-2 for a top 32 finish.

• Braedon Welsh (Fort Cherry) was 5-2 and was in the top 25.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Norwin