By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Local wrestlers compete at prestigious Fargo Nationals
Pitman stars and future Oklahoma grapplers Ontiveros and Vannest earn All-American status
Mason Ontiveros
Mason Ontiveros earned a third-place finish in the 190-pound junior boys freestyle division at the 2026 Fargo Nationals in North Dakota earlier this month (Photo contributed).

Local wrestlers represented California on one of the grandest national stages July 10-18 at the 2026 Fargo Nationals in North Dakota, with two once again leaving as All-Americans.

Mason Ontiveros and Carter Vannest, who wrapped up their careers at Pitman High School this past April and are now preparing to compete collegiately for Oklahoma University, placed in their respective weight divisions for the Vasky Bros Wrestling Club to earn All-American honors for the second time in each of their careers.

Carter Vannest
Carter Vannest finished seventh in the 215-pound junior boys freestyle bracket at the 2026 Fargo Nationals in North Dakota earlier this month (Photo contributed).

Ontiveros earned a third-place finish in the 190-pound junior boys freestyle division.

The two-time CIF State finalist and four-time medalist opened Fargo with a 5-2 decision over Iowa’s Andy Franke in the round of 32. He then delivered a pair of dominant technical-fall victories, defeating Oklahoma’s Braden Strain 10-0 in 2:36 during the round of 16 and Minnesota’s Joseph Heim 10-0 in 4:33 in the quarterfinals. Ontiveros’ run through the championship bracket ended in the semifinals, where Pennsylvania’s Nicholas Singer earned a 12-1 technical fall in 3:27.

Vannest finished seventh in the 215-pound junior boys freestyle bracket.

Coming off a second straight fourth-place finish at the state tournament, Vannest began his Fargo run with an 8-3 decision over Utah’s Wyatt Hanssen in the round of 32. His championship-bracket run ended in the round of 16 against eventual national champion Sam Howard of Indiana, who won by a 13-3 technical fall in 5:24.

The results from Ontiveros and Vannest helped the California Junior boys team finish first in the team standings with 197 points, 39 points ahead of second-place Iowa.

Patricia Bray represented the club in the junior girls freestyle tournament at 120 pounds, opening her appearance with back-to-back technical-fall victories.
Bray first defeated Georgia’s Rosie Lara 10-0 in 3:37. She followed that performance with another shutout, defeating Michigan’s Zoe Zondervan 10-0 in 1:33. Her championship-bracket run ended in the round of 32, where New Jersey’s Lucia Ranieri recorded an 11-0 technical fall in 4:59.

Turlock Wrestling Club’s Cole Cronan competed in the juniors boys Greco-Roman tournament at 132 pounds. He opened his tournament with an 11-2 technical-fall victory over Tennessee’s Tristan Aldridge in 3:38. He followed with a pin over Iowa’s Coy Mehlert in 2:16 during the round of 64. His tournament ended in the round of 32, where Colorado’s Jr Ortega defeated him by an 8-0 technical fall in 1:42.