Looking Back And Forward At 97kg

Looking back at 97kg for the U.S. Open and ahead to the World Team Trials in Lincoln

May 16, 2017 by Wrestling Nomad

It was nearly impossible to fully process every aspect of the 2017 U.S. Open as it was happening in Las Vegas. There were so many upsets and incredible matches, fascinating storylines playing out, and goals being accomplished.

A couple weeks later and with a clear head, it's time to glance back at the Open, what it meant for each weight, and also look forward to World Team Trials in Lincoln, Nebraska, on June 10th.

The Series So Far: 57kg | 61kg | 65kg | 70kg | 74kg | 86kg

We're now up to 97kg, going over Open results, listing current trials qualifiers, and projecting the seeds. Complete brackets and archived matches for the Open can be found on FloArena.

97kg Trials Qualifiers

Kyle Snyder - bye to finals
Dustin Kilgore - Bill Farrell Champ
Kyven Gadson - Dave Schultz 3rd
Micah Burak - Open runner-up
Nathan Burak - Open 3rd
Nikko Reyes - Open 4th
Ty Walz - Open 5th
Kallen Kleinschmidt - Open 6th
Matt Williams - Open 7th

After Jake Varner won his Olympic gold at 96kg in 2012, he took the next year off. This time around, it does not appear that defending Olympic champion Kyle Snyder will be 2017 off.

If Snyder does the expected and wins the 97kg for the third year in a row, we know exactly where he will be in the bracket on Saturday, August 26th in Paris. The 21-year-old has locked up the top seed for the world championships by virtue of his 64 separation points.

Since winning gold in Rio, Snyder has helped Titan Mercury win the World Clubs Cup, became the first American since 2009 to win the Yarygin and teched his way to a Pan Ams title. Snyder was also a part of the runner-up squad at this year's World Cup in Iran. Snyder will be in action tomorrow at Beat the Streets, his third time competing in a BTS event.

Although the two-time NCAA champ for Ohio State has taken some losses internationally, on paper there are no apparent challengers to his throne domestically. Varner is not qualified for the trials, so unless he shows up to Rochester, Minnesota for the last chance qualifier this weekend, there will be no one in the field with a freestyle win over Snyder.

Notice I said freestyle. For as long as Kyven Gadson continues to wrestle, and probably even beyond that, fans and media will bring up Gadson's pin of Snyder in the 2015 NCAA finals. The former Iowa State Cyclone has made great strides in freestyle, to the point he won his first U.S. Open just last month in Las Vegas.

Unlike in women's freestyle and Greco-Roman, the winner of the Open is not guaranteed the top seed at the WTT. Gadson should get it based on his 11-1 win over Dustin Kilgore from Senior Nationals in December of 2015. Kilgore was conspicuously absent from the Open, but did beat Micah Burak 3-2 at the Olympic Trials last April.

Burak was the runner-up at the Open and has beaten Gadson several times in the past, but will likely have to get through Kilgore first to get a shot at Gadson and then Snyder. Similar to Gadson, Nathan Burak also has a folkstyle win over Snyder. Those two could meet in the top half semis as Nathan should be the four seed.

Nikko Reyes walked in to the Open unseeded, but finished fourth. He was knocked down to consolations by Kallen Kleinschmidt, but he later avenged that loss in the consi semis. Reyes did not wrestle Ty Walz, so by virtue of Kleinschmidt's win over Walz, Reye should be the five seed. Kleinschmidt would end up sixth, with Walz seventh.

Last in from the Open was Matt Williams, beating Donald McNeil in the seventh place match. Jacob Kasper is currently registered for the last chance qualifier, which is LIVE on Flo this weekend; 97kg wrestles on Sunday the 21st.