When the weight classes changed four years ago, 61kg immediately became a fascinating division. Now in 2018, with same day weigh-ins and with 61kg still not being an Olympic weight, there are more question marks here than in any other bracket.

The 2015 world team member has moved on to coaching, and last year’s world team member is moving up to 65kg. Last year’s World Team Trials runner-up, Kendrick Maple, wrestled 61kg this past weekend at the World Cup, but that was +2kg. The final national team member, Brandon Wright, spent most of his senior level career at 65kg when weigh-ins were held the day before, so there is a real possibility none of the three national team members are in the field at the 2018 WTT Challenge Tournament, which takes place May 18-20 in Rochester, MN.

Watch the 2018 World Team Challenge Tournament LIVE on FloWrestling

Based on last year’s Trials, the highest-returning placer is Cody Brewer, but he lost to Nahshon Garrett at the Dave Schultz in November. The next highest-returning placer is Chris Dardanes, who lost to Joe Colon at the Schultz; Colon would go on to win the tournament and qualify for the WTT Challenge Tournament in Rochester.

Seth Gross won NCAAs and qualified for the Trials in the process but would lose a week later in the Bill Farrell semis to Jon Morrison. Now training with the Cliff Keen WC at Michigan, Morrison also beat Tyler Graff in the Farrell finals to qualify

61kg Semifinal: Seth Gross vs. Jon Morrison

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With no one sitting in Final X, it’s likely all three of Colon, Gross, and Morrison will compete at the Open to try to get the bye. That means there could only be four spots left available to qualify for the Trials. So who’s getting left out from a group that includes Graff, Garrett, Brewer, Nico Megaludis, Dardanes, Alan Waters, and AJ Schopp?

I’ll need to see the bracket before I can accurately predict that, but I have a feeling health will play a huge part. Graff has an impeccable par terre game and has previously made national teams, so he seems like a good bet to qualify.

Then there's Brewer, the never-ending shooter, and Garrett, who's been touted for years as a guy who would be even better at freestyle than he was in folkstyle. Megaludis' only match since WTT was a 6-0 loss to Garrett in Ukraine, so he may be one of the odd men out.

Dardanes did not wrestle at the Farrell, and his wins between last year's Open and Trials included Daniel DeShazer, Joey Lazor, Jayson Ness, and Josh Kindig. Waters is coming up from 57kg and beat Schopp at the Farrell but generally has worse results up a weight.