Can Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez repeat in Fargo at USA Wrestling national championships

There is always a buzz in the high school wrestling community when July rolls around. It means that it’s time for the USA Wrestling National Championship in Fargo, North Dakota.

The tournament, commonly known as “Fargo,” is widely considered the toughest in the country.

Long Beach’s Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez is excited to get back inside the Fargodome, where he won the 113-pound title in last year’s Junior Men Freestyle tournament. Sibomana-Rodriguez will be one of 29 Long Island boys competing this time around in Fargo.

“There are a lot of good kids that come from a lot of different states,” Sibomana-Rodriguez said. “It’s not like it’s a bunch of random kids that just sign up. You have to qualify for it. You know that if somebody is there, they’re not just there to mess around. It’s a big deal.”

The week-long tournament begins on Saturday and concludes on July 19. The week kicks off with the girls tournaments on Saturday and Sunday, followed by three days of boys freestyle tournaments, a beach wrestling competition on Thursday and culminates with two days of boys Greco Roman tournaments.

Sibomana-Rodriguez used last year’s tournament as a springboard into a spectacular junior season.

“After winning last season, my confidence boosted up and I knew that I was capable of a lot more,” Sibomana-Rodriguez said. “I feel some pressure going into this year… I’m excited, but a little nervous. But once you get there, it’s just straight business.”

The North Carolina commit won his second straight Eastern States and second state title in dramatic fashion this season, pinning Newburgh’s Cooper Merli in overtime.

Sibomana-Rodriguez will wrestle at 120 pounds in the junior bracket. He’ll be joined by fellow state champions Luke Nieto (157) and Devin Downes (215) of Plainedge. Bellport’s Camryn Howard, who won a state title as a freshman in March, will wrestle at 157 pounds in the 16U competition. Howard placed third at 144 pounds last year at Fargo.

Hicksville’s Haley Gonzales, who won the 118-pound title in the 16U Women Freestyle last year, won’t be competing in this year’s tournament. Gonzales wrestled through some injuries this past season and won the 120-pound title at the inaugural girls wrestling state tournament. After taking some time off to get healthy, Gonzales is back to training but she couldn’t properly prepare for this tournament.

“I don’t think she has anything to prove anymore,” Hicksville coach Rich Carroll said. “If she was ready, I have no doubt that she would fly out there to defend her title.”

 Among the 22 Long Island girls in the tournament, Westhampton’s Lily Blenk (130), Bethpage’s Gabrielle Severin (120) and Bellport’s Aaliyah Morrow (155) all placed second at the state tournament this year.

 It will be Severin’s third trip to Fargo and her first time competing in the junior division. Severin and her father, Sean, the Nassau girls wrestling coordinator, know how difficult the tournament is.

“The goal is certainly to win, but realistically, the goal is to place top eight,” Sean Severin said. “You’re amongst a field of the best girls in the United States, so if you can finish top eight, that’s a huge accomplishment.”

Uniondale’s Keishara Tulloch (155) and Valley Stream North’s Naomi Gonzalez (207) placed third in the state and will compete in the junior division along with Severin and Morrow. Commack’s Bianca Awerman (105), who also was at the state tournament, will wrestle in the 16U division with Blenk.

“We’ve got a good crop of girls, some veterans and some first-timers,” Sean Severin said. “We’ve got a lot of girls that placed in the state tournament this year going. It’s a very tough tournament, but all of our girls are tough and hopefully we come away with some hardware.”