Cody Merrill's Fargo run last month was incredibly dominant. In six matches, he hauled in six techs and didn't surrender a point. Now he's headed to Who's Number One to compete against Sawyer Bartelt, the last guy to beat him.

Merrill and Bartelt competed twice at the 2022 U17 US Open. Their first meeting was a 4-4 criteria victory for Merrill in the Greco semifinals, and their second was a 1-1 criteria victory for Bartelt in the freestyle quarterfinals.

Merrill & Bartelt's U17 freestyle quarterfinal

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

After their meetings at U17s in 2022, Cody Merrill went on to win a loaded Fargo bracket at 195 lbs, but he was largely inactive due to injury for a year after that other than competing in a handful of California high school tournaments. When Merrill returned to national competition at Fargo this summer, he did not appear rusty. In fact, he put more points on the board than ever and didn't surrender a point. Merrill is the #16 ranked recruit in the class of 2024 and one of the top available recruits left on the big board. His performance in Fargo only raised his already-high stock.

While Merrill won the stop sign at 220 lbs in freestyle, Sawyer Bartelt secured the Greco title in preparation for the U20 Greco World Championships in Amman, Jordan. Bartelt is a 2024 Iowa State commit and the #17 ranked recruit in his class. With top-three performances at the US Open, U20 freestyle World Team Trials, and Fargo, he'll look to make significant contributions as an upper weight in Ames.

More Who's Number One Match Announcements

113 lbs - Christian Castillo vs Paul Kenny

120 lbs - Anthony Knox vs Leo DeLuca

132 lbs - Ben Davino vs Kyler Larkin

145 lbs - Kollin Rath vs Pierson Manville

160 lbs - Joe Sealey vs Will Henckel

170 lbs - Angelo Ferrari vs Ty Eise

195 lbs - Connor Mirasola vs Aeoden Sinclair

Get Who's Number One Tickets

Who's Number One tickets are available at the following link.