What Could World Team Trials Look Like Next Year?

How much different could the World Team Trials look in 2018?

Aug 30, 2017 by Wrestling Nomad

What Could World Team Trials Look Like Next Year?

The world finally has 10 weight classes, for the next two years at least. With the creation of two new weight classes for each style, there are a few questions still left to be answered.

Our own Mike Mal took a stab at how the fields may shake out for next year's World Team Trials in Men's Freestyle now that weigh ins mirror the NCAA and high school format for folkstyle. But we also need to know what, if any, changes will be made to the trials procedures.

The most glaring question: If a returning medalist moves up in weight, do they still get a bye to the finals? This question would seem to affect J'Den Cox.

Based on recent trials history, there is nothing to suggest that Cox would get a bye based on his world medal; he would instead have to earn it by winning the U.S. Open. When the weights changed between 2013 and 2014, the only medalist was Jordan Burroughs and he did not change weights.

For 2014, the trials were split in two, with the Olympic weight trials happening on May 31 and June 1, and then a second trials for the non-Olympic weights which occurred in Fargo. Ultimately, the two athletes with byes to the finals in Fargo (Nick Marable and Jimmy Kennedy) both won the U.S. Open.

Another question looms large: Will anyone with a bye to the finals have to make weight on both days?

This new two-day format certainly seems to lessen the inherent advantage of sitting out, which is having to wrestle at least two matches the same day as the finals.

There is of course always the possibility that no changes will be made and the tournament will remain one day. For years, we have not followed the repechage format for trials and have done U.S. Open finals the next day.