Jax Forrest Wins World Team Trials, Downs Ben Davino, Robideau just Misses
Jax Forrest is a great example of if you don’t succeed at first, then put your head down, work harder, and take advantage of your next opportunity. Forrest rarely gets beat, but when he does, he usually gets it right next time. Forrest got a sense of revenge with new rival Ben Davino. The two met in the NCAA Championship at 133 pounds and now in freestyle are bumping into each other with frequency. Last month Davion beat Forrest in the Senior U.S. Open and back in Louisville at the U.S. World Team Trials Forrest made it right again.
Forrest scored a second period tech decision over Davino 11-1. You could call that the rubber match, but get ready as these two will see each other again multiple times.
Like his only really close match as a freshman against a high school rival wrestling at Virginia Tech in Aaron Seidel, Forrest fell behind Davino in their Senior U.S. Open match. This time it wasn’t even close as Forrest scored early and often. After an early takedown, he added points for a 4-0 lead just over a minute into the match.
Forrest countered a single leg in the second period and scored to go up 6-0 before Davino scored his first point on a reversal. and it was 6-1.
Forrest has the ability to move almost any way he wants and got behind Davino and added more points with control to earn the 11-1 tech decision.
Speaking of Aaron Seidel, after earning a bye through to the quarters, Thursday's semifinals saw Forrest take on Viriginia Tech's Seidel. In a back-and-forth matchup, Forrest took down Seidel with a 9-4 decision to send him to Friday's championship match with a familiar opponent.
Now, Forrest has Final X and a meeting with Penn State wrestler and US Open winner at 61 kg Marcus Blaze. That meeting will take place at Final X on June 19 in Newark, New Jersey. The winner of that best-of-three series will represent the United States at the Senior World Championships in October in Bahrain. Forrest won Final X last summer but it came in Fargo against Vito Arujau after a delay. This will be the first time for Forrest in Newark. Firsts don’t bother the Cowboy.
Wyatt Hendrickson and Zahid Valencia of the Cowboy Wrestling Club have already qualified for Final X. Those two also won at the Pan American wrestling last week.
The Cowboys 157-pound NCAA champ Landon Robideau took home a third from the World Team Trials as he defeated former Oklahoma State and current Little Rock wrestler Jordan Williams for third place. Robideau shut out the former Tulsa prep wrestler 7-0 in the 70 kg third-place match.
Robideau has another opportunity this summer as he will wrestle at the U20 World Team Trials, where he has a bye to the final after winning the U20 U.S. Open. If he advances at those trials then Robideau would wrestle for the U20 USA Wrestling team at the U20 World Championships in August in Slovakia.
Cam Amine, an OSU All-American in 2025, wrestled in the 74 kg bracket but bowed out in two matches.
