Columbia-Greene Media
COXSACKIE — Coxsackie-Athens eighth-grade wrestling standout Ryker Cox traveled to Las Vegas from April 27-30 to compete in the U.S Open U14 Brackets for Freestyle and Greco Roman.
Ryker first competed in the 62KG Freestyle bracket, coming up short in his two matches. In less than 48 hours, he had to refocus, and regroup to then compete in his Greco Roman bracket. Cox earned his first win of the weekend in his opening bout, before falling short in his round of 32 bout, sending him to wrestlebacks. Ryker then posted four consecutive wins in wrestlebacks to earn him a guaranteed “All-American” status.
Ryker fell short in his final bout, earning eighth at the 2023 US Open Tournament. Ryker is now the second All-American in three years, coming out of the Coxsackie-Athens Wrestling Program. Ryker competes for his club, Curby 3-Style Wrestling, during the off-season.
In Mid-February, Ryker began his off-season work, competing at the NY-USA Wrestling Folkstyle Championships. Ryker competed in the 14U, 136lb weight-class, going 3-0 and earning a NY-USA Folkstyle Championship. More recently, this past weekend, Ryker competed in the 14U 149lb weight-class, at the New York State Freestyle & Greco Roman Championships in Binghamton.
Ryker went 4-0 in his Freestyle bracket, earning a NYS Freestyle Championship. Within 24 hours, Ryker was back at it, going 5-0 in his Greco Roman bracket, earning a NYS Greco-Roman Championship.
Cox earned a Triple Crown, winning the NY-USA Folkstyle, Freestyle and Greco-Roman brackets at his age and weight. He is the first Triple Crown winner from Coxsackie-Athens, earning these titles while competing for his club, Curby 3-Style Wrestling, out of Troy.
“Ryker has a tenacious pace unmatched by any of his opponents. He loves to get after it and his grit, technique, and determination is exactly why he is an All-American and Triple Crown Winner," Joe Uccellini, owner/Coach of Curby 3-Style Wrestling Club, said.
Coxsackie-Athens wrestling coach Ryan Palmer couldn’t be prouder of his young standout.
“Ryker’s work ethic is what makes coaching so rewarding,” Palmer said. “Seeing a kid leave it all on the mat whenever they compete is fun to watch. The countless hours of self-motivated commitment by kids like Ryker, is a big reason why our program has seen recent success.”
John Cox, Ryker’s Dad and coach, feels a strong commitment to the sport has paid off for his son.
“I attribute Ryker’s success to his dedication to his sport, studies and consistent strength training,” John Cox said. “I don’t know anyone else who puts in more work toward their goals, especially at his young age. His next notable competitions will be the USA Wrestling Schoolboy Freestyle and Greco Roman duals next month and Pan-American team trials toward the end of the summer. I certainly think there is no limit to where his capabilities can take him!”