The 70kg weight class has been in very good hands the past three years, with James Green taking over the spot and winning two world medals. Thanks to his runner-up finish at last year’s World Championships in Paris, Green now sits in Final X.

That means the winner of the U.S. Open will still need to compete at the World Team Trials challenge tournament for the right to face Green in Lincoln on June 9th. So who are the top challengers for Green this year?

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Based on the latest senior freestyle rankings, 2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro will likely be your top seed in Vegas. He was a finalist at 65kg last year, losing in three matches to Zain Retherford. Now up a weight, his only competition since last year’s WTT was at the Yarygin in January, where he won a bronze medal.

If we’re going by the rankings again, another Penn State wrestler could be the two seed. Jason Nolf made the national team last year at this weight, and is already qualified for the Trials by virtue of winning NCAAs. With Green already sitting in Final X and Nolf injuring his knee during the college season, it’s possible he just waits until May to compete in Rochester, MN at the challenge tournament.

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The question marks continue down the line, with U23 world champ Richie Lewis ranked at 70kg. The world title he won was on day before weigh-ins, and then he proceeded to wrestle 165 all year in college. Lewis would need to wrestle at the Open in order to qualify for the Trials.

Kyle Ruschell’s silver at the Bill Farrell gives him a spot in Rochester. Ruschell was a national team member in 2014, when he placed third at this weight. He also was a Pan Am champ last year at 74kg.

Dylan Ness wrestled 74kg at the Dave Schultz in November, but then went 3-2 and wrestled for bronze in Ukraine in February. Speaking of the Schultz, the 70kg champ there in Kellen Russell will not be competing at the Open.

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In order to win the Schultz, Russell beat Jason Chamberlain in the semis. Now training with the Valley RTC at Fresno State, Chamberlain otherwise looked great at the Schultz, teching his other four opponents. In Cuba in February, Chamberlain beat Mario Mason 9-1 and Hunter Stieber 10-2, making him look like a potential finalist at the Open.

As for college guys currently registered, NCAA third placer Matt Kolodzik and Southern Scuffle finalist Josh Heil will both be in the field at the Open. Kolodzik was a 2015 Fargo junior national champ, but has done much freestyle since then.

Finally, we'll finish out with the spring of eternal youth, Chase Pami. Still training at the Penn RTC, Pami might be the most consistent guy in terms of wrestling often at this weight, and is a great litmus test for the young bucks, such as Nolf last year.