Idaho’s Pipeline Produces Champions at Every Level – We’re One Idaho!

By Al Fontes, NWHOF Writer

The state of Idaho once again proved that it remains one of the nation’s premier wrestling hotbeds as several Gem State products delivered outstanding performances on the national stage this past week. Leading the charge was former Borah High School and Suples Wrestling Club standout Aden Attao, who secured his fifth international team berth by winning the U23 World Team Trials at 130 kilograms in Greco-Roman wrestling. Now competing for the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), Attao defeated Lucas Stoddard of the West Point Wrestling Club in two straight matches, including a dominant 6-0 victory in the deciding bout, to punch his ticket to the 2026 U23 World Championships in Las Vegas.

Attao’s latest achievement adds another chapter to what has become one of the most decorated age-group Greco-Roman careers in Idaho history. The heavyweight has now represented Team USA on five World Teams, earning bronze medals at both the 2022 and 2024 U20 World Championships while placing seventh in the world in 2023. He also owns three consecutive U20/U23 Pan American gold medals. Long before his international success, Attao built a legendary Fargo résumé, becoming a five-time Junior Division All-American and reaching the national finals in five of his six Fargo appearances. His collection of three Fargo national titles includes two Greco-Roman championships and one freestyle crown, while his 2022 season produced the coveted USA Wrestling Junior Triple Crown.

At the high school level, Attao was equally dominant. Wrestling for Borah High School and training with Boise’s nationally recognized Suples Wrestling Club, he captured back-to-back Idaho state championships and finished his senior season with a perfect 36-0 record. Remarkably, he did not surrender a single contested offensive point during the entire 2022-23 season. His success helped further establish Suples Wrestling Club as one of the nation’s premier developmental programs, producing athletes capable of excelling at the state, national, and international levels. Today, Attao continues that tradition while representing the New York Athletic Club, one of the most prestigious wrestling organizations in the United States.

Idaho’s success wasn’t limited to the World Team Trials. At the U23 National Championships, three Idaho products earned All-American honors in Greco-Roman wrestling. Former Idaho Falls star Saxton Scott captured third place at 60 kilograms, continuing a career that already includes a 2023 Fargo 16U Greco-Roman national championship and Outstanding Wrestler honors. Scott has accumulated multiple All-American finishes throughout his career, including three at Fargo, and is now competing at the NCAA Division I level for CSU Bakersfield.

Former Sandpoint High School standout Shane Sherrill continues to make strides on the national stage. A two-time Idaho state placer for Sandpoint, finishing fifth and third during his prep career, Sherrill earned his first national All-American honor by advancing to the championship finals at the U23 Greco-Roman World Team Trials. Competing at 63 kilograms, he placed second after an impressive tournament run. Now entering his second season at Doane University in Nebraska, Sherrill’s breakthrough performance represents a significant milestone in his collegiate wrestling career and further highlights the success of one of Idaho’s top wrestling products.

Ridgevue High School graduate Treygen Morin also reached the podium, finishing fifth nationally at 60 kilograms. Morin has been a consistent performer throughout his wrestling career, earning multiple Idaho state medals and several national All-American honors. He was a member of the historic 2023 Idaho Junior Greco-Roman team that captured Idaho’s first-ever Fargo national team championship and is currently wrestling for NCAA Division II power West Liberty University.

Boise High School alumnus Lukas Kanownik added another All-American finish to Idaho’s tally with a sixth-place performance at 63 kilograms. Kanownik developed through Boise’s renowned Suples Wrestling Club and was a state placer before advancing to Northern Michigan University, one of the nation’s premier Greco-Roman training programs. His podium finish further demonstrated the depth of Idaho’s wrestling pipeline.

In freestyle competition, Blackfoot graduate Mack Mauger continued adding to one of the most impressive résumés ever assembled by an Idaho wrestler. Mauger finished as the U23 National runner-up at 57 kilograms while representing the University of Missouri. Already a four-time Idaho state champion, Mauger became the first wrestler in Idaho history to win five Fargo national titles. His accomplishments include Fargo Double Champion honors in freestyle and Greco-Roman, as well as the prestigious Fargo Triple Crown. Now competing at one of the nation’s elite NCAA Division I programs, Mauger has also qualified for the 2026 NCAA Championships.

The week’s success extended beyond amateur wrestling as Idaho native Ridge Lovett made an impressive professional debut in the newly launched Real American Freestyle (RAF) professional league. The former Post Falls High School star and reigning NCAA champion defeated India’s Bajrang Punia, a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and four-time World medalist, by a convincing 13-6 margin. Lovett’s victory was another milestone in a career that already includes an NCAA title, two NCAA All-American honors, ten Fargo All-American finishes, and three Fargo national championships.

From World Team selections and international medals to U23 All-American honors and professional victories, Idaho wrestlers once again demonstrated that the Gem State’s influence extends far beyond its borders. The latest results serve as further evidence that Idaho continues to produce athletes capable of competing—and winning—at every level of the sport.

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