Men’s freestyle at the Bill Farrell Memorial International tournament will go down on November 19th highlighting some of the best freestyle wrestlers in America. Take a look at the top 6 things to watch for during this incredible tournament. 

Is Austin DeSanto A Threat At 61kg?

Following an outstanding college career for the Iowa Hawkeyes, 3-time All-American Austin DeSanto will be focusing on freestyle full-time in an attempt to make world and Olympic teams. DeSanto last wrestled in June at the Ziolkowski tournament in Poland and came away with a bronze medal. There, DeSanto notably defeated national team member Daniel DeShazer 11-0 in the bronze medal match and lost only to U23 world bronze medalist Taras Markovych (5-4).

At the Farrell, DeSanto will be tested by the likes of Shelton Mack, Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (KGZ), Andrii Dzhelep (UKR), Rakhat Kalzhan (KAZ) and Nahshon Garrett. Of that group, Zhumashbek Uulu is currently ranked #20 in the world after coming off a gold medal performance at the Kunayev tournament two weeks ago in Kazakhstan. If DeSanto is able to come away with gold this weekend, we should expect to see him be a top contender for the world team spot in 2023 at 61kg.

Can Anyone Top Bajrang At 65kg?

65kg at the Bill Farrell is filled with former college wrestling starts with 3 past national champions registered - Nick Lee, Anthony Ashnault, and Dean Heil. On top of those three, Pat Lugo, Matt Kolodzik, Josh Finesilver, and Tristan Moran add amazing depth to this field.

Then there are the international wrestlers. Bajrang Punia (IND), Adlan Askarov (KAZ), and Erik Arushanian (UKR) add even more depth to 65kg. Bajrang is the clear big man here as a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and 3-time world medalist. After Bajrang, Askarov was Kazakhstan’s senior world team rep at the 2021 world championships and won two world medals in 2019 (U23 world silver and Junior world bronze). Arushanian was a junior world champion back in 2019 and was Ukraine’s senior world team rep this past year in Belgrade. 

Watch Nick Lee's win over Matt Kolodzik at the 2022 World Team Trials:

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Return Of The Mac

It’s been over 6 years since we’ve seen Morgan McIntosh take the mat. Back in 2016, he finished runner-up at the NCAA tournament Match and then won a University National title in June. Since then, McIntosh was a part of the Special Forces in the military and is now back training in State College with the NLWC as a part of the WCAP. If McIntosh is anywhere near his peak, he should be able to climb the ladder at 86kg and enter the top 20 in the world.

The biggest tests to McIntosh at the Farrell will likely come from Ukraine’s Mukhammed Aliiev and Kazakhstan’s Bolat Sakayev. Aliiev was a U23 world champion in 2021 while Sakaev was this year’s world team member for Kazakhstan at 79kg and is currently ranked #13 in the world. 

Morgan McIntosh's win over Sammy Brooks back at the 2016 University Nationals:

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Are Chittum, Mesenbrink, and Thompson Ready For The Senior Level?

The Bill Farrell will also feature some of the best young talent America has to offer in Cody Chittum (70kg), Mitchell Mesenbrink (74kg), and Brayden Thompson (86kg). Thompson is a high school senior committed to Oklahoma State and currently ranked #4 on our class of 2023 Big Board while Chittum was ranked #1 in the class before he graduated early. Now Chittum is in Iowa City where he’s wrestling for and training with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. Then there’s California Baptist's Mesenbrink - the 2022 U20 world silver medalist who burst onto the scene over the summer and looks to have incredible freestyle potential. All three of these young bucks will face stiff competition over the weekend that will tell us how close they are to challenge the best in the country at the senior level.

Mesenbrink's semi-final match at the 2022 U20 World Championships:

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79kg Is Loaded

Alex Marinelli, Evan Wick, David McFadden, and Taylor Lujan all make up an outstanding 79kg American contingent at the Farrell. And then there’s the international field made up of Avtandil Kentchadze, #9 Vasyl Mykhailov.

Mykhailov and Kentchadze should be considered the favorites here. Mykhailov has a past win over David McFadden and more recently won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships. Kentchadze chose not to wrestle at this year’s worlds but was a world silver medalist in 2018 the same year he won a U23 world title. These international competitors will be great tests for the Americans, and will show who is a legitimate contender on the international stage at 79kg. 

Mykhailov's win over Bekzod Abdurakhmonov in the bronze medal match at the 2022 World Championships:

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Watch Out For These International Stars

There are a number of international wrestlers that were added late to the registration list for the Bill Farrell. These wrestlers, along with the talented American field, will make the Bill Farrell an outstanding freestyle tournament. Take a look at some of the most notable international wrestlers below along with their credentials:

• 57kg: Andrii Yatsenko (UKR) - 2017 World Bronze
• 61kg: Andrii Dzhelep (UKR) - 2019 Junior World Silver, 2016 Cadet World Champ
• 61kg: Rakhat Kalzhan (KAZ) - 2022 Asian Silver
• 61kg: #20 Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (KGZ) - 2022 U23 Asian Champ
• 65kg: #11Bajrang (IND) - 2020 Olympic Bronze, 2018 World Silver, 3-time World Bronze (2013, 2019, 2022)
• 65kg: Adlan Askarov (KAZ) - 2019 U23 World Silver, 2019 Junior World Bronze
• 65kg: Erik Arushanian (UKR) - 2019 Junior World Champ
• 70kg: Arman Avagyan (ARM) - 2021 U23 World Bronze, 2022 Senior World 5th
• 74kg: Arman Andreasyan (ARM) - 2021 & 2022 Senior World 5th
• 79kg: #11(at 74kg) Avtandil Kentachadze (GEO) - 2018 World Silver, 2018 U23 World Champ
• 79kg: #9 Vasyl Mykhailov (UKR) - 2022 Senior World Bronze
• 86kg: Mukhammed Aliiev (UKR) - 2021 U23 World Champ
• 86kg: #13(at 79) Bolat Sakayev (KAZ) - 2016 World University Bronze
• 125kg: #9 Alisher Yergali (KAZ) - 2018 Junior World Silver

Check out all of the current entries for the 2022 Bill Farrell here.