ORDER GAME PHOTOS

On July 6^th, three accomplished wrestlers from the Gem State of Idaho represented Team USA at the U20 United World Wrestling Pan American Championships held in Santiago, Chile, bringing home three Gold medals in the process. They include Jadon Skellenger, Derek Matthews, and Aden Attao. The Idaho trio dominated their respective competition, anchoring the United States to a championship team performance in the Greco-Roman division. Overall, Team USA produced eight Gold and two Silver medals in this division.

No stranger to international competition, Jadon Skellenger of Meridian is an accomplished wrestler in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman styles, winning multiple state, regional, national, and international level competitions, as well as a great many All-American honors. In 2018, Skellenger represented Team USA at the U15 Pan American Championships, earning a Silver medal in both styles. Additionally, in 2019, he won the Gold at the U15 World Championships in Greco-Roman and placed 7^th in 2021. At last year’s Fargo National Championships, he reached the championship finals in Greco, finishing runner-up in a highly competitive field.

Down by six points in the first round of his preliminary match at this year’s Pan American Championships, Skellenger rallied in the second period by scoring a takedown in a scramble situation, then executed a series of gut wrenches to rally back for the victory. He then won his next three matches in championship form to secure his first Pan American Gold. A senior at Bishop Kelly High School, Skellenger is a 2x State Champion (4A) and is committed to attend and compete for Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Rated among the top upper middle weight wrestlers to every come out of Idaho, Derek Matthews of Declo is a freshman at the University of Northern Colorado and this past season was ranked No. 15 nationally at 182s. A 2022 graduate of Declo High School, Matthews earned a rare four individual state titles in the 2A division. Additionally, he earned a combined three All-American honors at the Fargo Nationals in the 16U and Junior divisions (Freestyle/Greco-Roman). Competing in his first Pan American Championships, Matthews dominated his competition from start to finish, only giving up a single point in his preliminary match. In the Gold medal match, he won by technical fall over Darfel Parada of Venezuela.

Without a doubt, Aden Attao of Boise is one of the top prep heavyweights to every come out of the Gem State. To date, he has placed or won titles in competitions at local, state, regional, national, and world championships. For instance, Attao is a 3x Fargo All-American, winning titles in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman in addition to a Folkstyle National Championship in 2022. Winning the U20 Pan American Championships in 2022, Attao added another international accolade by earning the Bronze medal at the U20 World Championships in Sophia, Bulgaria. At this year’s Pan American Championships in Santiago, Attao left no doubt he is among the top international wrestlers in his weight by displaying great technique and winning all his matches by technical fall or pin. In his Gold medal match, he pinned Mexico’s Jose Ureta early in the first period, adding a second Pan Am Gold to his resume. A 2023 graduate of Borah High School, Attao is a 2x Idaho State Champion (5A) and is headed to Corvallis to compete for Oregon State University.

The fact that I am still on a steep learning curve to gain a greater understanding of the history of Idaho wrestling, it’s not difficult to surmise that this is perhaps the first time the Gem State has produced three Gold medalist at a Pan American Championships in the same year (please advise, if not the case). I want to congratulate Jadon Skellenger, Derek Matthews, and Aden Attao for winning Gold, representing Idaho, and wish them the best in their future competitions. Once again, this great performance is another leading indicator of the hard work and commitment by many coaches and volunteers in the Gem State to bring Idaho wrestling to the elite level. Below is a list of their Pan American Championship match results and top level wrestling accolades at the prep and international levels.

67 kg – JADON SKELLENGER (Bishop Kelly HS, Senior)

Gold – Jadon Skellenger (USA)
Silver – Alonso Parra Garcia (Colombia)
Bronze – Marco Fernandez Cuba (Peru)

2023 U20 PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – GOLD

• PRELIM: WIN 7-6 over Marco Fernandez (Peru)
• QTRS: WIN Fall (4-0) over Luciano Fiabane (Chile)
• SEMIS: WIN 9-0 over Gregory Wila Corozo (Ecuador)
• FINALS: WIN 9-1 over Alonso Parra (Columbia)

WRESTLING ACCOLADES

• U20 Pan American Championships – Gold ‘23
• 1x Idaho State Champion (4A) ’23
• Fargo Finalist – Junior (GR) ’22 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• 7^th U15 World Championships (GR) ‘21
• UWW Cadet GR World Team Trials – Champion ’21 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• UWW Cadet FS World Team Trials – 2^nd Place ’21 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• Junior Western Regional Champion (FS/GR) ‘21
• U15 World Champion (GR) ‘19
• U15 National Champion (GR)/World Team ’19 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• U15 Pan American Championships – Silver (FS) ‘18
• U15 Pan American Championships – Silver (GR) ‘18
• Western Regional Champion (GR) ‘18

77 kg – DEREK MATTHEWS (Declo HS/Northern Colorado University)

Gold – Derek Matthews (USA)
Silver – Darfel Parada Camarcaro (Venezuela)
Bronze – Darío Cubas Castillo (Peru)
Bronze – Raul Unzueta Torres (Mexico)

2023 U20 PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – GOLD

• PRELIM: WIN 7-1 over Kauan Ferreira (Brazil)
• SEMIS: WIN Fall over Raul Unzueta (Mexico)
• FINALS: WIN 8-0 over Darfel Parada (Venezuela)

WRESTLING ACCOLADES

• U20 Pan American Championships – Gold Medalist (GR) ’23
• U20 National Champion (GR) ’23 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• 4x Idaho State Champion (2A/1A) 2019 – ‘22
• 4x IHSAA 2A District IV Champion 2019 – ’22
• 2x Fargo All-American – Junior (FS/GR) ’20, ’21
• Fargo All-American – 16U (GR) ‘19
• Idaho Freestyle State Champion ‘18
• Idaho Greco-Roman State Champion ‘18
• Idaho Folkstyle State Champion ‘18

130 kg – ADEN ATTAO (Borah HS/Oregon State University)

Gold – Aden Attao (USA)
Silver – Jose Ureta (Mexico)
Bronze – Juan Calderon (Ecuador)

2023 U20 PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – GOLD

• PRELIM: WIN 9-0 over Wesley Barros (Brazil)
• SEMIS: WIN 8-0 over Juan Calderon (Ecuador)
• FINALS: WIN Fall over Jose Ureta (Mexico)

WRESTLING ACCOLADES

• U20 World Championships – Bronze Medalist ‘22
• 2x U20 Pan American Gold Medalist – Greco-Roman ’22, ’23
• USAW Triple Crown Winner ’22
• Fargo Junior National Champion – Greco-Roman ’22 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• Fargo Junior National Champion – Freestyle ’22 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• USAW HS National Recruiting Showcase Champion ’22 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• US Open U20 National Champion – Greco-Roman ’22 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• US Open U20 All-American – Freestyle ’22 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• Idaho State Junior Champion – Greco-Roman ‘22
• Idaho State Junior Champion – Freestyle ‘22
• 2x Idaho State High School State Champions (5A), 2022, ’23 (Borah H.S.)
• Fargo Junior All-American/Finalist – Greco-Roman ’21 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• UWW Cadet World Team Trials – 2^nd Place (GR) ’21 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• UWW Cadet World Team Trials – 4^th (FS) ’21 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• Western Regionals Junior Champion – Freestyle ‘21
• Western Regionals Junior Greco-Roman – 2^nd Place ‘21
• Reno Tournament of Champions – Finalist ’21 (ALL-AMERICAN)
• Idaho State Cadet Champion – Greco-Roman ‘20
• Idaho State Junior Champion – Greco-Roman ‘20