Cody Merrill vs Sawyer Bartelt Set For Who's Number One

The 220 lbs matchup at 2023 Who's Number One features Cody Merrill of California and Sawyer Bartelt of Florida.

Aug 21, 2023 by David Bray

Cody Merrill vs Sawyer Bartelt Set For Who's Number One

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.

Sep 2, 2023, 9:00 PM UTC

2023 Who's Number One

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

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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.