2017 U.S. Open Wrestling Championships

Biggest Men's Freestyle Upsets At The U.S. Open

Biggest Men's Freestyle Upsets At The U.S. Open

The 2017 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nevada has seen some wild results already, and it's only through the quarterfinals. Check out the bigget upsets weve seem in the senior men's freestyle division.

Apr 28, 2017 by Andrew Spey
Biggest Men's Freestyle Upsets At The U.S. Open
The Men's Freestyle competition at the U.S. Open is only through the quarterfinals so far, and already we've seen some of the craziest upsets of the year. 

The semifinals won't start until later today, in the meantime, check out some of the wildest matches with results few were predicting ahead of time. Click the headlines to pull up the videos and watch how it all went down.

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97kg Kallen Kleinschmidt DEC Ty Walz 8-5

We start with what might not even be an upset depending on how you look at it. Though he doesn't have a ton of international experience, Kallen Kleinschmidt does have three years of year long freestyle training since graduating North Dakota State in 2014. Ty Walz, meanwhile, has just finished his collegiate career in March and had to cut down to 97kg in a short period of time. Kleinschmidt also has a huge advantage over Walz in total number of letters in their names. 

Walz though, is a three time NCAA All-American, whereas Kleinschmidt never qualified for the NCAAs during his time as an undergrad. Many folks also had high hopes for Walz in his senior freestyle debut. Kleinschmidt had other ideas and never looked back after jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first period. 

57kg Frank Perrelli TECH FALL Jesse Delgado 13-3

This is another upset that might not qualify as one in hindsight. Nonetheless, Jesse Delgado had some pretty high expectations heading into the Open. The two time NCAA Champion had taken a break from wrestling after graduating but came back with a solid third place finish at the Cerro Pelado tournament in Cuba earlier this year. 

Perrelli, who's best finish at the NCAA's was fourth place his senior year in 2012, didn't let the collegiate accolades intimidate him, and took the match to Delgado early. The Cornell grad Perrelli raced out to an 8-0 lead in the first before finishing off the three time All-American from the University of Illinois, 13-3. 

70kg Alec Pantaleo DEC Jason Chamberlain 8-6

Chamberlain has been a mainstay on the international circuit since making the finals of the 2013 NCAAs. The Boise State grad has a PanAm Championship to his name and medals from several other international tournaments. Pantaleo is coming off a redshirt season for the Michigan Wolverines, having finished sixth as a true sophomore in 2016. 

Pantaelo fell into a 6-1 hole in the first period, but came roaring back with seven unanswered points of his own, including a big four pointer with under a minute to go in the match to complete the upset and announce his presence on the senior level. 

74kg Kevin LeValley DEC Chris Perry 3-2

Kevin LeValley is no stranger to the freestyle scene, but he doesn't have a lot in the way of signature international wins, and in college, he has a commendable career at Bucknell, though never finished higher than seventh at 149 pounds. Chris Perry is about as pedigreed as they come, winning two national championships at 174 pounds and notching a handful of solid international results since graduating from Oklahoma State. 

LeValley never let any of that bother him, scoring three unanswered points in the second period to take out the No. 3 seed in the bracket. For his troubles, LaValley gets to wrestle Jordan Burroughs in the semifinals.

86kg Nick Heflin DEC Gabe Dean 6-3

Heflin is certainly no slouch, earning NCAA All-American honors on three separate occasions. Gabe Dean, however, has been on another level collegiately, winning two national champions and placing in the top three four times. Dean also has a third place finish at the 2014 Junior World Championships. 

Heflin, unphased by all that, scored first and more often, shocking the arena at the South Point Hotel, Casino, and Spa. The former Ohio State Buckeye Heflin gets to take on the red hot David Taylor in the semifinals, while the Cornell grad Dean gets bounced to the consolation bracket. 

61kg Johnni DiJulius DEC Jayson Ness 10-7

Ness is one of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers to graduate from the University of Minnesota, finishing fifth, third, second and first in four trips to the NCAAs. He's also been earning medals on the freestyle circuit, including winning the 2016 Dave Schultz Memorial. DiJulius had an excellent career for the Ohio State Buckeyes, qualifying for four NCAA tournaments as well. However, DiJulius never managed to make the podium, his highest finish being in the round of 16. DiJulius is also lacking in international freestyle credentials. 

It looked as though Ness was going to put this match away early after racking up a 5-0 lead, but DiJulius fought back and peeled off 10 points in a row. JDJ was then able to hold off a late surge by Ness and sent the number one seed in the tournament to the consolation round earlier than expected, pulling off arguably the biggest upset of the day.