Stuttgart's James Chen tries to avoid a pin by SHAPE's Michael McGlothlin during a 157-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany — Stuttgart’s James Chen didn’t have high hopes for the first day of the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships.
In his 157-pound pool were teammate Dane Westberry and Brady Price of Naples, both of whom won their respective sectional tournaments.
Add in wildcard Parker Grimm out of Lakenheath, who had beaten the Panther four times already this season, and he anticipated just enjoying his first Euros experience.
When the dust settled Thursday, though, Chen exceeded his own expectations. He went 3-0 – including a 15-12 decision over Price in his second match of the day – to put himself in the driver’s seat for a spot in the semifinals.
The first two wrestlers in each pool advance to the knockout rounds, which will be contested Friday afternoon.
Chen pinned Grimm at the 2-minute, 40-second mark in his first match and finished with another pin in 3:51 over SHAPE’s Michael McGlothlin in a physical contest.
“I’m ecstatic,” Chen said. “When I won the first match, I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I have a shot at this.’ And then I just kept on going.”
Chen credited his defensive posture for his wins. He said he made as many blocks as possible, which allowed him to counter and take some shots when he could.
“My coach is a tiny bit mad at me for being a defensive wrestler, but I want to make sure I have a strong base,” Chen said.
His road on Friday won’t be any easier. Chen faces off against Westberry, who also went 3-0 on Thursday. Whether he makes the semis or not could come down to his matchup with Kaiserslautern’s Shadrach Dimautac, who bounced back from an opening loss to Westberry to go 2-1.
Chen wasn’t the only third seed to upset a top one.
Naples’ Deshaun Bowie took down Ramstein’s Darien Bidlack with a pin at 2:12 in his second match at 138. It was part of a 3-0 day that has Bowie on the cusp of advancing to a semifinal.
The Wildcat’s other two wins also were pins – at 3:45 against Stuttgart’s John Bart and at 1:37 against Kaiserslautern’s Noah Blas.
That win over Bidlack raised Bowie’s expectations. Not that he didn’t enter with a desire to make a deep run after placing fourth at 120 last February.
“When I figured out (Bidlack) was first, I was so happy because if he’s the first seed, I think I can for sure make it to the finals,” Bowie said.
Bowie also mentioned he wasn’t supposed to be wrestling at 138, but he missed weight at 132 at the Naples sectional, forcing him to bump up a weight class.
While he struggled last weekend, he found himself more comfortable at 138 on Thursday.
“Being a third seed, I was down a little, but at the end of the day, I’m just trying to wrestle, win all my matches,” Bowie said.
Ahead for Bowie are matchups with Stuttgart’s Rucell-Primo Phillip, the 2025 runner-up at 138 who’s also 3-0, and Rota’s Leo McFarland, who’s 1-2.
Wiesbaden senior Samia Calloway pushes Ramstein's Rhianna Elliot to the mat during a 165-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Jyllian Russell holds onto SHAPE's Liuana Ioane during a 185-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Rota's Akira Terlaje tries to break out of SHAPE athlete Freja Sharon Rasmussen's grasp during a 105-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Ansbach's Zoey Stubbs rolls over SHAPE's Elia Guerrero during a 105-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
SHAPE's Andrea Kontri rolls Vilseck's Ayanna Tennial during a 138-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Sigonella's Victoria Calleja holds onto Stuttgart's Cora Cancel during a 120-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Hohenfels' Ileana Rodriguez looks to her coaches while holding onto Rota's Natalie Brooks during a 114-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Naples' Illyana Ruano tries to break out of the grasp of Stuttgart's Kanani Gonzalez during a 132-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Spangdahlem's Alexis Farmakis and Sigonella's Terra Love grapple during a 152-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Samia Calloway waited nearly four years to make her European championships debut.
Her first two years, she wrestled against the boys. Her junior campaign against the girls was cut short by injury.
The senior finally qualified for the tournament this year at 165, and she barely could contain her excitement.
Yet she had to. The girls 165 weight class has just four athletes, meaning most rounds consisted of just one match.
Calloway’s first contest didn’t come until nearly seven hours after the meet started. She didn’t waste any time making her mark once she got her chance, pinning Ramstein’s Rhianna Elliot in 1:10.
“It definitely amps up the nerves a little bit, seeing everybody else wrestle,” Calloway said. “Adrenaline was rushing, so many thoughts going through my head, waiting all day.”
The senior said she spent most of the day helping coach and cheering on her teammates. She pointed to Wyatt Massey (3-0 in the boys 157 bracket) and Carmen Lima (1-1 in girls 114) as some of her favorites to watch.
This wasn’t the first time Calloway had experienced the Euros atmosphere. In years past, she aided tournament staff by letting the referees know time was up in a period, and one referee recalled seeing her bouncing around the floor.
“I still remember all these refs faces, so it was nice to be able to see them again,” Calloway said. “But it was nice to be on the other side.”
Ramstein's Christopher De La Torre holds onto Vicenza's Kyler Mukai during a 126-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Stuttgart's Sammy Johnson spreads his body to absorb a charge by AFNORTH's Logan Conrad during a 132-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza's Austin Anderson attempts to lift Ramstein's Ryan Parvin during a 150-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
SHAPE's Michael McGlothlin picks up Naples' Brady Price during a 157-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Lakenheath's Matthew Mihalyi holds onto Ansbach's Nathan Arreguin at the edge of the mat during a 165-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Aviano's Cruz Cottingham throws Stuttgart's Ethan Long to the ground during a 175-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck's Cael Rowley reaches out while attempting to avoid a lunge from Wiesbaden's Nephi Phillips during a 120-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck's Aiden Walser tries to pin Alconbury's Edison Vega during a 126-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern's Davyn Meno holds onto Rota's Leland Colangan during a 144-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
AFNORTH's Logan Conrad goes for the pin against Ramstein's Gavin Tweet during a 132-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Rota's Elijah Koo attempts to break away from Lakenheath's Xavier Bautista during a 126-pound round-robin match at the 2026 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 5, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Last season, the points gained from a takedown increased from two to three, inflating some scores.
Still, it’s not common to see match scores hit 20 points, as the winners generally eclipse the 15-point advantage that signals a technical fall before they get there.
Vilseck’s Aiden Walser made that mark seem like nothing Thursday. In a result that turned heads inside the gym, the Falcon defeated Alconbury’s Edison Vega in his opening match 31-13.
Many commented on how they hadn’t seen such a score before.
The match was furious from the get-go, as Walser and Vega traded reversals, takedowns and near falls. The Falcon led 14-9 after the first frame.
Walser pulled away in the second period to lead 25-13, and he finished the match with a reversal and a near fall.
Walser sits at 2-1 after Day 1, pinning Naples’ Jonathan Gonzalez at 1:44 and being pinned by Lakenheath’s Xaver Bautista at 3:18.
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