With all eyes on Rio in 2016 we’ll see a number of top collegiate athletes put it on the line for a spot on the Olympic Team.  Kyle Snyder, Connor Medbery, Kevin Beazley and Jesse Thielke already have stated their intentions of taking an Olympic Redshirt this season.  It appears that list of athletes could be growing.

Gabe Dean, the reigning 184 pound NCAA Champ for Cornell, is strongly considering taking an Olympic Redshirt next year. Dean may not be the most experienced Freestyler, but when he’s competed he’s been successful. In 2014 Gabe took Bronze in a loaded 84kg bracket at Junior Worlds. It is this accomplishment that gives him the option of taking an Olympic Redshirt.

Dean would be chasing the likes of an old nemesis in Ed Ruth as well as reigning World Team member Jake Herbert. The 86kg field is deep, and signs point to Dean as a guy with a great shot at qualifying for the trials and an outside shot at contending.

Dean has shown tremendous ability to pick up the nuance’s of Freestyle before. A few months after placing 3rd at NCAA’s he not only made the Junior World Team, but was able to continue to add to his game (great gutwrench and mat awareness) by the time Junior Worlds rolled around. One can only assume with a year of Freestyle focus Dean could contend for a spot on the World Team.

With the Olympics coming around only every four years, one can understand why Gabe would give this a shot. The turnaround from NCAA’s (in March) and the Olympic Trials (in April) is a brutal one for an athlete with Olympic aspirations. Dean would set himself up better to make the team if he didn’t have to grind out the NCAA season just a few weeks before trying to get on the Olympic Team at 86. I like his chances of improving into a viable contender. Even if he doesn’t make the team, he’ll have gained great experience that will set him up to contend for world teams when his career at Cornell is done.

Dean would be a Junior this year for the Big Red and the #1 ranked wrestler at 184 pounds. His potential departure from the Big Red lineup would be a blow to Cornell, who has no comparable back-up (who does?) as well as a hit to the depth at 184.

Dean’s EIWA rival and NCAA Finalist opponent Nate Brown could be among the main beneficiaries of Gabe taking an Olympic Redshirt. Nate would be the top ranked wrestler at 184 followed by a number of quality guys who could also potentially win a title next year (Avery, Stauffer, Zilmer, Dechow to name a few). Dean’s decision will dramatically impact both the NCAA and Senior level ranks with whichever decision he makes.

Here was Gabe's stunning win over that years World Team rep Ed Ruth.