Brandon’s Bruno, Liberatore win national titles

Posted Jul 21, 2010 by Adam Adkins

Updated Jul 21, 2010 at 01:57 PM

Brandon wrestlers Rossi Bruno and Tyler Liberatore each captured national titles in Greco-Roman wrestling Tuesday evening at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships in Fargo, N.D.

The Eagles standouts were the only Florida wrestlers to win titles in the Junior division, and it represented the first junior Greco-Roman crown for each wrestler.

Bruno, who last summer finished fourth at the event, defeated Utah’s Grant LaMont 1-0, 2-0 in the 125-pound championship match. Liberatore, a fifth-place finisher at the event last summer, defeated Pennsylvania’s Ronnie Garbinsky 5-0, 1-0 in the 130-pound championship match. Both wrestlers went 10-0 at the event.

Both Bruno and Liberatore are rising juniors with multiple FHSAA state championships on their resume; Bruno is a three-time state champ and Liberatore a two-time champion. Each won a state title last season with the Eagles. Bruno was the only Hillsborough County wrestler who was undefeated last season.

Three other Brandon wrestlers - Kevin Norstrem (125), Clark Glass (145) and Wally Figaro (160) - finished third in the Junior Greco-Roman division. Another Eagle, Travis Berridge, placed sixth in the Cadet Greco-Roman division.

Florida also had one national champ in the Cadet division; 91-pounder Dylan Lucas, who is a member of the Brandon Kids Club. Lucas went 7-0 at the event and defeated Texas’ Dylan Akers 1-0, 2-0 in the championship match.