Nate Jesuroga is taking his wrestling international
PLEASANT HILL, Iowa (BVM) — Nate Jesuroga started 2021 with a state championship and now he has a chance to add a world championship as well.
On April 25 at the Woodside Dome in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., the Southeast Polk sophomore swept California’s Aden Valencia in the finals of the Cadet freestyle world team trials at 51 kilograms (112 pounds). With the win, Jesuroga earned a spot on the U.S. Cadet World team for the 2021 World Cadet Championships in Budapest, Hungary from July 19-25.
“The goal was to win,” Jesuroga said. “I knew that if I wrestled to the best that I could, I could win, but I just wanted to focus on having fun and wrestling.”
Jesuroga not only won, he was named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler, an award that was well deserved considering the competition he faced in each round of the event.
“The tougher the guys the funner it is for me so I was happy to have that kind of bracket,” Jesuroga said.
On April 25, Jesuroga beat double All-American Alan Koehler from Minnesota then followed that up with a win against Pennsylvania native Dalton Perry, the fifth-ranked wrestler in the nation at 113 pounds. The next day of wrestling wouldn’t get any easier as Jesuraoga had arguably his toughest match of the tournament in the semifinals against top-ranked and reigning champion Marc-Anthony McGowan.
McGowan opened with two quick points, but Jesuroga was able to rally and win 6-2 in what was a thrilling match. Through his five matches during the tournament, Jesuroga outscored his opponents 21-5 and caught the attention of everyone in the dome.
Jesuroga became the first Iowan to make the U.S. Cadet World team since 2014 and now his focus is on Budapest. It will be his first time competing internationally, but he is ready for it.
“They have a different feel that I haven’t felt yet so my goal is to win but I’m going to need to be prepared for different things that they throw at me,” Jesuroga said. “Be ready to adjust and do in match adjustments. It’s going to be different so I’m just going to need to be smart and wrestle like I know I can.”
That has worked well for Jesuroga in the past. Prior to his success at the world team trials, he won the IHSAA Class 3A state championship at 113 pounds and helped Southeast Polk finish third as a team.
The championship was important to Jesuroga who had been denied it last year as freshman, taking third at 106 pounds.
“My goal freshman year was to win state too and then I didn’t so it was really painful,” Jesuroga said. “This year I wanted to win even more I’d say from losing freshman year.”
His success in high school and at the team trials along with anything he does in Budapest this summer means that Jesuroga will be a well-known name moving forward in his career. He has already beaten the No. 1 and No. 5-ranked wrestlers in his weight class and Jesuroga knows people will be going after him.
“I’m glad I have that target on my back,” Jesuroga said. “It just means guys are giving me a 100% each time they wrestle me…I like that. I want that more than anything.”
It’s a testament to how far the young wrestler has come from his start in the sport when he was 9 years old. His immediate love for the sport from that point on has led to his success, and each day he steps on the mat, whether it’s training or a match, he is loving every second of it.
“I think I loved it right off the bat,” Jesuroga said. “It’s always been super fun to me, I love it.”
