Byers wins weight class at Dave Schultz Invitational
One of the greatest wrestlers in Alaska history added another awesome accomplishment to his remarkable resume.
Chugiak’s Cayle Byers won the 213-pound bracket at the prestigious Dave Schultz Memorial Invitational at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado.
“It was good,” he told flowrestling.com. “I tried to start fast and score early. It wasn’t always the case, but it’s good to get some foreign wins and get some international experience.”
The former NCAA D1 All-American from Oklahoma State University won his final two matches in impressive fashion.
In the semifinals, Byers dug himself out of a 6-0 hole to move into the finals.
In the championship match, he beat up NCAA champion Dustin Kilgore 12-8.
It was the first time in freestyle that Byers beat Kilgore, the nation’s No. 2-ranked wrestler at 97 kilograms.
“It’s good. I train at Oklahoma State and the big mantra is scoring points, scoring often, so it’s good to score a lot of points against a guy like Kilgore,” Byers said. “That win was big. I hadn’t beat him in freestyle, so it’s good for the confidence.”