Sports

Team Idaho brings home 2 national titles, 13 All-American wrestlers from Fargo

Idaho Statesman · Jul 21, 2026 21:27 · 3 min read

Idaho’s three-time Fargo champ is quickly making his case as one of the nation’s best Greco-Roman wrestlers.

A pair of wrestlers competing under the Team Idaho banner captured national championships at the country’s most prestigious youth tournament last week, headlining a group of 13 All-Americans for the state in the Fargo, North Dakota, event.

Eagle resident Ivan Ivanov brought home another Greco-Roman national title in the boys junior division, and Lincoln Steele of Vale, Oregon, climbed the podium in the boys 16-and-under Greco division while wrestling for Idaho.

Ivanov continued to make his case as one of the nation’s premier Greco-Roman wrestlers. He rolled to his third straight national title in the 175-pound division, scoring a tech fall against six of his seven opponents. He pinned the remaining opponent and finished the tournament out scoring his challengers 54-3 for the division’s outstanding wrestler award.

He was already the first Idahoan to win back-to-back Fargo outstanding wrestler awards. Last week’s performance made it three in a row.

“Training is everything,” Ivanov told USA Wrestling in a postmatch interview. “Without that training, I don’t think I could do that.”

Ivanov does not compete at the high school level, instead focusing on Greco with Suples. The club was founded by his father, Ivan Ivanov Sr., a former World silver medalist and Olympian for Bulgaria.

A third straight national title only marked the beginning of a packed summer for the younger Ivanov. He is part of a 10-man crew representing the United States at the U-17 World Championships in Azerbaijan, which starts July 27.

“This is just my preparation,” Ivanov told USA Wrestling. “I’m getting ready for the bigger stage to get that gold medal for Team USA. Fargo is just good preparation for me.

“(There are) not too many partners at home, but it didn’t really bother me. (I) came out here, got my practice in, and now I’m ready to go to take a gold medal from Baku (Azerbaijan).”

Ivanov was one of four Idaho All-Americans in the junior Greco-Roman division, leading the state to an 11th-place finish in the team standings, its best across all disciplines and divisions.

Steele gave Idaho a second national champ in the 16-and-under Greco tournament. An Oregon state champ as a freshman last winter, he strung together six straight victories for the 150-pound title. Four of those six victories came by decision, including a pair of one-point decisions.

Steele’s title followed his disqualification from the freestyle tournament after missing weight by 0.1 pounds.

Incoming American Falls senior Kinzie Williams led Idaho’s girls squad, finishing second in the 115-pound junior freestyle bracket. Her silver medal and Jerome senior Olivia Bezdicek’s third-place finish at 130 pounds led Idaho to finish 15th in the state standings.