I faced the best competition in the country and even though I didn’t win all of my matches, I wrestled some great competition and I know that I have a lot of room to improve.”

Kaiden Morris

ROCHELLE — Rochelle wrestler Kaiden Morris was part of an elite crew of athletes who represented the state of Illinois during the 2024 USA Wrestling Junior National Duals in Tulsa, Oklahoma this past week. Morris wrestled in both the freestyle and greco-roman tournaments, helping lead Team Illinois to third place in greco-roman and fifth place in freestyle wrestling.

Morris wrestled four bouts during the greco-roman tournament, scoring two victories including a 9-0 technical fall over Oklahoma’s Samuel Fritz and a 13-3 technical fall against Idaho’s Carson Gooley. Morris, who won the 2024 Illinois Greco-Roman State Championship earlier this year, helped lead Team Illinois to a 6-1 record over seven dual matches. Team Illinois collected dual wins over Ohio, Minnesota, Colorado, Oklahoma, Iowa and Idaho to secure its third-place finish.

“I was shocked when the coaches called me and asked me to wrestle both styles,” Morris said. “The experience was awesome. The arena was huge and everyone was really loud. Knowing that I was at the same tournament as wrestlers who are going to be Division I or future olympians made me feel really good. That was the biggest ‘wow’ moment for me.”

Morris followed a strong performance in the greco-roman tournament with six more bouts in the freestyle tournament, where Team Illinois went 5-3 over eight dual matches to clinch fifth place in the nation. Morris earned two victories in the freestyle tournament, notching a 10-0 technical fall over Oklahoma’s Malachi Lorne and a 13-6 decision against Idaho’s Carson Gooley. Team Illinois’ five wins were against Oklahoma, Idaho, Michigan, California and Iowa.

“I faced the best competition in the country and even though I didn’t win all of my matches, I wrestled some great competition and I know that I have a lot of room to improve,” Morris said. “Confidence is a big thing for me and I’m more comfortable in certain positions now than I was two years ago. I’m spending more time on the mat and I’ve gained so much more experience. The biggest gains are made during the summer and during the freestyle and greco season.”

It’s the second time that Morris has represented Team Illinois during his high school career. A rising senior at Rochelle Township High School, Morris wrestled for Team Illinois at the 2022 USA Wrestling 16U National Duals in Loves Park, where he helped lead the team to two top-6 finishes. Morris is looking to build on an outstanding junior season at Rochelle, where he took second place at 215 pounds during the IHSA State Championships in Champaign.

“My goal is to be a state champion,” Morris said. “The biggest change I’ve made since my sophomore year is that I’m more hungry and I really want that state championship. I got a taste of the state finals last year and it was really bitter. I don’t want to have that feeling again.”