Wrestling Feature: Caffey and Omania Go for Gold
10/31/2018 10:29:00 AM | Wrestling
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State wrestlers Cameron Caffey and Peyton Omania experienced something special this off-season, representing the United States in international competitions. Both qualified for teams that sent wrestlers to opposite ends of the earth to compete against some of the world's best.
Which means the Spartans enter the 2018-19 season with a pair of wrestlers who have competed at one of the highest levels –before even competing for MSU.
Omania, a true freshman, wrestled in the 67 kg division for USA's Junior World Greco-Roman team, competing in Trnava, Slovakia. Redshirt sophomore Caffey traveled to Fortaleza, Brazil, and won a pair of gold medals in freestyle and Greco-Roman.
"It's always fun going overseas," Omania said. "Especially because you get to make a lot of new friends and see people that you met over there."
Omania has become familiar with many faces around the world, adding now his third trip overseas, and second World Championship appearance.
Omania's Worlds qualification journey began in Las Vegas, at the U.S. Open. He took the title at 67 kg, earning a spot in the World Team Trials finals in Indianapolis in early June. At the Trials, Omania faced elimination in the best-of-three series.
"I lost the first match, then picked it up on the next two, so bought my ticket to Slovakia," Omania said.
He didn't place in Trnava, losing to Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed of Egypt in his first match at Worlds in mid-September. Despite leaving Slovakia without a medal, he still has many accomplishments and experience.
"I've wrestled on a lot of big stages," Omania said. "As far as nerves, it doesn't really play anything anymore. It's still going to be a tough transition into college, but as far as competition, I've seen the best in the world – I think that'll help a lot."
Omania hails from Concord, Calif. and was All-State twice in high school. He has two runner-up finishes in Fargo Junior Greco finals and was a member of the 2016 Cadet World team.
Caffey's trip abroad came about much differently than Omania's. At one point, Caffey didn't know if he'd sport the Team USA singlet, after losing the best two-of-three in the World Team Trials in Indianapolis.
"I was expecting that to just kind of be it," Caffrey, a native of Carbondale, Ill., said. "I was pretty bummed out about that. And to get the chance to go down the Fortaleza, Brazil and redeem myself was pretty great for me."
Caffey did more than just redeem himself, as he left the Junior Pan-American Championships with two gold medals - one in Greco-Roman and one in freestyle. His feat is even more impressive: he won in two divisions and in two separate weight classes: he wrestled Greco at 87 kg and freestyle at 92 kg.
Caffey is used to being at the top of a podium. He completed a 41-0 record in high school, and won the state championship his senior year. As a redshirt wrestling in open tournaments, he won the MSU Open, Alma Open and Storm Open. He posted 22 wins in open competition.
Caffey used his trip to Fortaleza to experience more than just wrestling.
"We're very blessed to have the facilities we have up here, to have the opportunities we have up here," Caffey said. "And being down there – you know, people always say that kind of stuff, 'People in other countries don't have this or don't have that,' but actually getting to be down there and be in one of their premier facilities and seeing how that was compared to ours. I was like, 'Alright, we're not doing badly up here. We have the tools to be successful and we should use them.'"
Kerry McCoy, Team USA's coach and head coach at Maryland, made the trip to Fortaleza with Caffey and the squad. He also views the trip as an important experience for the wrestlers.
"I definitely believe it's an eye-opening experience being in Brazil," McCoy said. "Brazil is an amazing country with a lot of good stuff; there's some bad stuff there. Just being able to be smart about being in another country and not take anything for granted but experiencing all the good things you can and avoid the bad things, add some competition to it makes it pretty cool."
McCoy appreciated Caffrey's toughness, still wrestling when he wasn't at his strongest.
"He was actually a little under the weather, fighting a little head cold," McCoy said. "He kind of rested and relaxed, recovered from the Greco-Roman competition before. Then [he] got ready and had some good matches in freestyle."
Caffey has been working on his folkstyle technique – the traditional American style of wrestling – but is also comfortable with Greco and freestyle. These two styles set him up for a potential Olympic run after graduation.
"I think he's got the potential," McCoy said. "...But the fact that you got to give yourself a chance to be on the team and give yourself a shot, I think that's a big opportunity and I think he'll definitely make a run.
MSU Coach Roger Chandler, who has international coaching experience of his own, was happy for Caffey and Omania's international successes during the collegiate off-season.
"That was a goal of mine when I took over as being head coach," Chandler said. "Not only do I want guys to be All-Americas and national champs at the collegiate level, I think it's important to have a presence at the international level."
Caffey and Omania, aspiring to bolster their wrestling pedigree on the international and collegiate level, have both shown their "commitment to excellence," in the words of Chandler – a quality that separates these two.
"As soon as you step foot out of the country and realize how much bigger wrestling is across the world, you come back with a new sense of respect of what's really out there," Chandler said.
Which means the Spartans enter the 2018-19 season with a pair of wrestlers who have competed at one of the highest levels –before even competing for MSU.
Omania, a true freshman, wrestled in the 67 kg division for USA's Junior World Greco-Roman team, competing in Trnava, Slovakia. Redshirt sophomore Caffey traveled to Fortaleza, Brazil, and won a pair of gold medals in freestyle and Greco-Roman.
"It's always fun going overseas," Omania said. "Especially because you get to make a lot of new friends and see people that you met over there."
Omania has become familiar with many faces around the world, adding now his third trip overseas, and second World Championship appearance.
Omania's Worlds qualification journey began in Las Vegas, at the U.S. Open. He took the title at 67 kg, earning a spot in the World Team Trials finals in Indianapolis in early June. At the Trials, Omania faced elimination in the best-of-three series.
"I lost the first match, then picked it up on the next two, so bought my ticket to Slovakia," Omania said.
He didn't place in Trnava, losing to Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed of Egypt in his first match at Worlds in mid-September. Despite leaving Slovakia without a medal, he still has many accomplishments and experience.
"I've wrestled on a lot of big stages," Omania said. "As far as nerves, it doesn't really play anything anymore. It's still going to be a tough transition into college, but as far as competition, I've seen the best in the world – I think that'll help a lot."
Omania hails from Concord, Calif. and was All-State twice in high school. He has two runner-up finishes in Fargo Junior Greco finals and was a member of the 2016 Cadet World team.
Caffey's trip abroad came about much differently than Omania's. At one point, Caffey didn't know if he'd sport the Team USA singlet, after losing the best two-of-three in the World Team Trials in Indianapolis.
"I was expecting that to just kind of be it," Caffrey, a native of Carbondale, Ill., said. "I was pretty bummed out about that. And to get the chance to go down the Fortaleza, Brazil and redeem myself was pretty great for me."
Caffey did more than just redeem himself, as he left the Junior Pan-American Championships with two gold medals - one in Greco-Roman and one in freestyle. His feat is even more impressive: he won in two divisions and in two separate weight classes: he wrestled Greco at 87 kg and freestyle at 92 kg.
Caffey is used to being at the top of a podium. He completed a 41-0 record in high school, and won the state championship his senior year. As a redshirt wrestling in open tournaments, he won the MSU Open, Alma Open and Storm Open. He posted 22 wins in open competition.
Caffey used his trip to Fortaleza to experience more than just wrestling.
"We're very blessed to have the facilities we have up here, to have the opportunities we have up here," Caffey said. "And being down there – you know, people always say that kind of stuff, 'People in other countries don't have this or don't have that,' but actually getting to be down there and be in one of their premier facilities and seeing how that was compared to ours. I was like, 'Alright, we're not doing badly up here. We have the tools to be successful and we should use them.'"
Kerry McCoy, Team USA's coach and head coach at Maryland, made the trip to Fortaleza with Caffey and the squad. He also views the trip as an important experience for the wrestlers.
"I definitely believe it's an eye-opening experience being in Brazil," McCoy said. "Brazil is an amazing country with a lot of good stuff; there's some bad stuff there. Just being able to be smart about being in another country and not take anything for granted but experiencing all the good things you can and avoid the bad things, add some competition to it makes it pretty cool."
McCoy appreciated Caffrey's toughness, still wrestling when he wasn't at his strongest.
"He was actually a little under the weather, fighting a little head cold," McCoy said. "He kind of rested and relaxed, recovered from the Greco-Roman competition before. Then [he] got ready and had some good matches in freestyle."
Caffey has been working on his folkstyle technique – the traditional American style of wrestling – but is also comfortable with Greco and freestyle. These two styles set him up for a potential Olympic run after graduation.
"I think he's got the potential," McCoy said. "...But the fact that you got to give yourself a chance to be on the team and give yourself a shot, I think that's a big opportunity and I think he'll definitely make a run.
MSU Coach Roger Chandler, who has international coaching experience of his own, was happy for Caffey and Omania's international successes during the collegiate off-season.
"That was a goal of mine when I took over as being head coach," Chandler said. "Not only do I want guys to be All-Americas and national champs at the collegiate level, I think it's important to have a presence at the international level."
Caffey and Omania, aspiring to bolster their wrestling pedigree on the international and collegiate level, have both shown their "commitment to excellence," in the words of Chandler – a quality that separates these two.
"As soon as you step foot out of the country and realize how much bigger wrestling is across the world, you come back with a new sense of respect of what's really out there," Chandler said.
Players Mentioned
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