Marcus Blaze
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Marcus Glenn Blaze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 23, 2006 Clinton, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Perrysburg, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 61 kg (134 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Perrysburg Wrestling Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Scott Burnett | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Marcus Glenn Blaze (born November 23, 2006) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 61 kilograms.[1] In freestyle, he was a U20 world medalist in 2024 and the U17 world champion in 2023.[2]
Career
[edit]High school
[edit]2022–2023
[edit]Originally from Michigan, Blaze started wrestling at an early age alongside his brother Joey before moving to Perrysburg, Ohio.[3] A four-time OHSAA state champion out of Perrysburg High School, Blaze is one of the top-ranked high school wrestlers in his weight class.[4]
In 2023, he defeated top-ranked in NCAA Division I Matt Ramos during a college open while a high school junior.[5] In the U17 freestyle age group, Blaze claimed a U.S. national championship and a world championship at 55 kilograms in 2023.[6]
2024
[edit]Making his senior level debut, Blaze competed at the US Olympic Team Trials at 57 kilograms in April 2024, as a high school junior.[7] After a first-round loss to two-time NCAA champion Nick Suriano, he came back to defeat NCAA champion Nico Megaludis and U20 World finalist Luke Lilledahl before receiving a forfeit to make the third-place match, where he defeated U17 World finalist Jax Forrest to make the U.S. national team.[8]
Back to the age group, now in his first year of U20, Blaze made the US World Team at 61 kilograms in August and earned a bronze medal from the U20 World Championships in September, only losing to eventual 2024 world champion Masanosuke Ono from Japan.[9][10]
A week after his bronze-medal performance, Blaze went back to the senior level to compete at the US World Team Trials. Storming to the finals, he took out 2018 NCAA champion Seth Gross, 2016 NCAA champion Nahshon Garrett, and 2021 world silver medalist Daton Fix to make the best-of-three.[11] In the finals, he was defeated back to back by reigning world champion Vito Arujau, earning second.[12]
2025
[edit]In April, Blaze placed third at the US Open National Championships, notably defeating NCAA champion Nathan Tomasello and three-time All-American Michael McGee, though falling to NCAA champion Seth Gross.[13]
In May, Blaze bumped up to 65 kilograms to compete at the US World Team Trials, where he was victorious in four out of five matches, notably defeating U17 World champion Bo Bassett and falling to two-time NCAA champion Jesse Mendez.[14]
Freestyle record
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Despite team's bus being showered with bullets, Greeley Central's Andrew Alirez unflappable, winning Pan Am wrestling title in Brazil". Greeley Tribune. September 1, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Forrest, Joseph highlight men's freestyle champions at Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier". www.themat.com. April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "Local sports: Carlson cheer ready to defend state title". Monroe News. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Buckheit, Billy (February 23, 2024). "National top 25 high school wrestling rankings for every weight class (2/23/2024)". Sports Illustrated High School News, Analysis and More. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Kozak, Jon (November 5, 2023). "High School Junior Marcus Blaze Upsets #1 Matt Ramos At The Clarion Open". FloWrestling. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ "Perrysburg's Blaze wins world championship in Istanbul". Sent-trib. August 6, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Perrysburg junior wrestler Marcus Blaze set to compete in Olympic Trials". The Blade. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Blaze makes name for himself with 3rd-place finish at Olympic wrestling trials". The Blade. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Lilledahl, Blaze lead experienced men's freestyle team at U20 World Championships". www.themat.com. August 28, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ "Lockett, Barr, Kueter earn silver, Blaze gets bronze, U.S. wins men's freestyle team title at U20 World Championships". www.themat.com. September 8, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ "Wrestling World Team Trials Challenge Tournament Results". Cornell University Athletics. September 15, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ "Burroughs, Taylor, Arujau, Green make U.S. Senior World Team in men's freestyle". www.themat.com. September 15, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ "Thomas, Davino among unexpected semifinalists in men's freestyle at CLAW U.S. Open". www.themat.com. April 25, 2025. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- ^ "Penn State Wrestling Commit Marcus Blaze Beats Iowa Commit Bo Bassett at Team Trials". Penn State Nittany Lions On SI. May 17, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025.