Top 5 First Round Matches At The Olympic Wrestling Trials - Men's Freestyle

A breakdown of the best early round matches at the Olympic Wrestling Team Trials in the men's freestyle division.

Apr 18, 2024 by Jon Kozak

Top 5 First Round Matches At The Olympic Wrestling Trials - Men's Freestyle

The Olympic Trials are set to go down April 19-20 in State College, Pennsylvania, and will feature the country’s best wrestlers. With the depth of talent on display, there will be incredible matches from start to finish. In the below article, we’ll provide a quick breakdown of 5 of the best first-round matches in the men’s freestyle division.

Apr 19-20, 2:00 PM UTC

2024 Olympic Trials Watch Party

57 kg - #6 Nick Suriano vs #11 Marcus Blaze

One of the best features of the Olympic Trials is the combination of young up-and-comers and experienced veterans. This matchup between Blaze and Suriano is the perfect example of that - Suriano is a two-time NCAA Champion while Blaze is still an uncommitted junior in high school. Despite being so young, Blaze won a U17 world title last summer and then defeated NCAA runner-up Matt Ramos this past November at the Clarion open. While Suriano is the favorite in this matchup, I expect Blaze to wrestle competitively and believe he’s capable of pulling off the upset.

Marcus Blaze's win over Matt Ramos:

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65 kg - #6 Joey McKenna vs #11 Jesse Mendez

It’s current Buckeye vs former Buckeye and another example of the future (Mendez) challenging an established senior-level guy (McKenna). Mendez is fresh off his NCAA title and has the freestyle chops to test McKenna. Mendez was a U20 world silver medalist last season and placed third at the US Open in 2022.

Mendez has momentum leading into the tournament but McKenna is more proven on the senior level. McKenna made the Olympic Trials finals in 2021 and has notable wins over Yianni Diakomihalis, Zain Retherford, James Green, Seth Gross, and several others. McKenna has never made a senior world team but he is as solid as they come in all areas and is capable of winning this entire bracket.

Joey McKenna's win over Yianni Diakomihalis at the 2021 World Team Trials:

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74 kg - #8 Alex Facundo vs #9 Levi Haines

This matchup will give us a look into the Penn State room and while Haines is the more accomplished folkstyle wrestler, Facundo has more accolades in freestyle. Facundo is a two-time U17 world bronze medalist and recently placed third at senior nationals. Haines does have the benefit of momentum coming off his first NCAA title at 157 pounds but at the Trials he could be undersized wrestling up at 74 kg (about 163 pounds). This matchup highlights the depth in the Penn State room and will be a treat for all of the Nittany Lion fans in State College.

Levi Haines shares his excitement to compete at the Olympic Trials:

86 kg - #6 Carter Starocci vs #11 Pat Downey

Who expected this to be a first-round matchup at the trials? The 2019 world team member, Pat Downey hasn’t wrestled a freestyle match since the 2021 Olympic Trials. While he’s taken a few years off, it’s worth noting at those trials Downey defeated Aaron Brooks (11-0). For all of his antics off the mat, Downey is incredibly talented and if he’s 100%, he’s dangerous.

Starocci initially planned on wrestling 74 kg and would have been a serious contender there. However, up at 86 kg, and dealing with a knee injury, I’m about as uncertain as how Starocci will perform this weekend as Downey. He showed he could still perform at a high level by winning his fourth NCAA title last month but will he be able to do the same up 15 pounds in weight?

Even more interesting about this matchup is the off-the-mat banter between Starocci and Downey. Both have been vocal on social media exchanging some “not so friendly” words and smack talk making this a really fun first-round match. Check out their back-and-forth on Twitter below:

pic.twitter.com/Dwc1UquRZC
— Carter Starocci (@carterstarocci) April 17, 2024

never met this kid @carterstarocci before & i already don't like em. it will be my pleasure to teach him some manners on behalf of the 🐐🐐🐐 @alliseeisgold 🤝 pic.twitter.com/FBlJcMU8yW
— 🅿️D3️⃣ (@PatDowney) April 17, 2024

97 kg - #8 Anthony Cassioppi vs #9 Christian Carroll

Christian Carroll looked incredible at the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier with an 8-7 win over 4-time All-American Jacob Warner and two techs over Tyrie Houghton and Cam McDanel. However, Anthony Cassioppi will be jump up in competition and could present a size issue for Carroll. Cassioppi, a three-time All-American for Iowa, is dropping down from heavyweight and had tech fall wins over Jacob Warner and Tyrie Houghton to place 5th at Senior Nationals. The matchup will be a great litmus test for Christian Carroll and Oklahoma State fans should be excited to watch how he fares in State College.

Christian Carroll's win over Jacob Warner at the Last Chance Qualifier: