Connecting you with Alaska athletes.

WRESTLING

Wrestling: Spencer Woods was one and done Thursday at the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

by | Sep 21, 2023 | Cover Story, Wrestling

Spencer Woods

Alaska wrestler Spencer Woods was one and done Thursday at the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Woods, who grew up in Shungnak and Kotzebue, lost 5-3 in his opening-round match in the Greco-Roman 82-kilogram weight class.

The man who beat him, Stanislaw Shafarenka of Belarus, went on to lose in the second round. That loss ousted Woods from the competition by eliminating his path to the repechage bracket.

Woods led 1-0 at the break but Shafarenka seized a 5-1 lead with two gut wrenches. Woods made it 5-3 with a takedown before time expired in the six-minute match.

It was the second straight World Championships for Woods, 25. He was 0-1 at last year’s gathering of the world’s best wrestlers.

Woods came into the meet after his strongest season ever. He captured championships at three major competitions — the U.S. Open, Final X and the Pan Am Games — and along the way he qualified for next year’s U.S. Olympic Trials.

In his Thursday match, Woods faced an opponent who reached the championships as an “individual neutral athlete.” Shafarenka and other athletes from Belarus and Russia were banned from the 2022 championships because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Belarus’ support of Russia in the ongoing war. This year, United World Wrestling allowed athletes from those countries to compete as long as they haven’t shown active support of the war or don’t belong to the military.

Woods is a member of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program that trains in Colorado. He’s also a student in his final semester at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, where he’s on track to graduate with a degree in biology.

Story made possible by:

Family of Sponsors

Alaska Airlines | Nicole Johnston | Richard Mize | Advanced Diagnostics, INC | Aktive Soles | Alaska Oil and Gas Association | Aspen Endodontics | Black-Smith, Bethard & Carlson, LLC. | BOSCO's | Coho Financial Group | Continental Auto Group | Don Clary & Judy Besh | Glen Bailey | Invisalign-Ben Ward | JL Properties | Joey Caterinichio & Ja Dorris| Kathleen Navarre | Midas Alaska | Moose's Tooth, Bear Tooth and Broken Tooth Brewing | Perkins Coie - Sarah & A.J. Schirack | R&M Consultants, Inc. | RE/MAX Dynamic Properties Kevin Taylor | Residential Mortgage | Seth Wickersham & Alison Overholt | Taylored Restoration | Korndrop Family Foundation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation | Replacement Glass | Zareena and Allen Clendaniel | Foley & Pearson | UAA Seawolves | Tony and Carla Slaton Barker | Sportclips Haircuts | Alliance for Support of American Legion Baseball in Alaska | Alice & Gunnar Knapp | Amy and Jason Miller | Burgerfi | Charles Fedullo | Dan Rufner | Darren Lieb | Don Winchester | Donley Family | Dr. Justin Libby, DDS | Firetap | Harlow Robinson | Jason & Shannon Metrokin | Jim & Michelle Hajdukovich | Joe Alston | Kathie Bethard | Krispy Kreme | Kristopher Knauss | Loren Kroon | Mark and Jamie Johnson | Mark Silverman | On the Border | Pete Robinson | Rick Mystrom | Team Heat | Team Moriarty | The Conway Family | Todd Whited | Moria Smith | In memory of Drs. John & Elizabeth Tower | Peter Pounds | Multisport Training of Alaska/Lisa Keller | RSA Engineering

Family of Sponsors

Alaska Airlines | Nicole Johnston | Richard Mize | Advanced Diagnostics, INC | Aktive Soles | Alaska Oil and Gas Association | Aspen Endodontics | Black-Smith, Bethard & Carlson, LLC. | BOSCO's | Coho Financial Group | Continental Auto Group | Don Clary & Judy Besh | Glen Bailey | Invisalign-Ben Ward | JL Properties | Joey Caterinichio & Ja Dorris| Kathleen Navarre | Midas Alaska | Moose's Tooth, Bear Tooth and Broken Tooth Brewing | Perkins Coie - Sarah & A.J. Schirack | R&M Consultants, Inc. | RE/MAX Dynamic Properties Kevin Taylor | Residential Mortgage | Seth Wickersham & Alison Overholt | Taylored Restoration | Korndrop Family Foundation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation | Replacement Glass | Zareena and Allen Clendaniel | Foley & Pearson | UAA Seawolves | Tony and Carla Slaton Barker | Sportclips Haircuts | Alliance for Support of American Legion Baseball in Alaska | Alice & Gunnar Knapp | Amy and Jason Miller | Burgerfi | Charles Fedullo | Dan Rufner | Darren Lieb | Don Winchester | Donley Family | Dr. Justin Libby, DDS | Firetap | Harlow Robinson | Jason & Shannon Metrokin | Jim & Michelle Hajdukovich | Joe Alston | Kathie Bethard | Krispy Kreme | Kristopher Knauss | Loren Kroon | Mark and Jamie Johnson | Mark Silverman | On the Border | Pete Robinson | Rick Mystrom | Team Heat | Team Moriarty | The Conway Family | Todd Whited | Moria Smith | In memory of Drs. John & Elizabeth Tower | Peter Pounds | Multisport Training of Alaska/Lisa Keller | RSA Engineering

Sports Categories