The US Open is the ultimate proving ground for freestyle wrestlers in the United States. There aren’t divisions, the age restriction only applies to the young end of eligible athletes, and everyone is welcome to show up. The field often includes college wrestlers that still have NCAA eligibility and athletes that just completed their eligibility in March prior to the open. Last year was a banner year for collegians placing at the US Open, but if history shows us anything, it will be more difficult for the young bucks to take home hardware from Las Vegas in April.

There have been many changes to qualification procedures over the past few decades and the importance of the US Open has fluctuated quite a bit. To examine the collegian placewinners I have narrowed the timeframe down to the current and last Olympic cycle. Even within this window, weight classes have bounced between six and ten. There isn’t a one-to-one comparison for even a single year in the data that was analyzed. Let’s get down to the data and see who will the favorites to earn a spot on this year’s awards stand.

Logan Stieber, David Taylor and Ed Ruth made multiple appearances on the table earning All-American honors several times at the US Open in years they still had NCAA eligibility. You’re putting yourself into some solid company if you add yourself to that list. During this cycle collegians averaged just over one placewinner per weight class. The reduction in weight classes and the timing of the 2016 US Open lowered the average, but it certainly wasn’t easy to find the medal stand any year of the cycle. In 2015 the numbers dropped as serious competitors jockeyed for position leading up to the Olympic year.

In this Olympic cycle weights started at seven in 2013, before jumping to eight weight classes for 2014 and 2015. In 2016 only the Olympic weights were contested and the Open actually occured in December of 2015. Kyle Snyder is on the list just once as his eligibility overlapped two Olympic cycles. Earning medals each year starting in 2015 Snyder didn’t have to participate in the US Open as he received a by to the trial finals.

Snyder made the world team all four years he competed collegiately. During the 2016 Olympic cycle he was joined by another collegiate on both the World and Olympic team that he made. In 2015 James Green joined Snyder on the World Team and they both started their run onto the team at the 2015 US Open. In 2014 Tony Ramos made the World Team without going to the Open while Ed Ruth made the team after finishing 3rd. In 2016 J’den Cox and Kyle Snyder earned Olympic berths after skipping the December Open.

So far in the 2020 Olympic cycle collegians have found a tremendous amount of success at the US Open and World Team Trials. You have to acknowledge that the increase in weight classes, structure of World Team qualification changing, and a record number of medalists sitting in the finals attributed to those numbers. It shouldn’t take away from the accomplishment through. 2018 saw 23 collegians place at the US Open for a staggering 2.3 medalist per weight class. This followed the 2017 World Championship Team that contained three collegians with Thomas Gilman, Zain Retherford, and Kyle Snyder representing the United States. 

The 2018 US Open was groundbreaking for the number of collegian placewinners and the composition of them. During the 2016 Olympic cycle just a handful weren’t All-Americans, but they all wrestled at the Division I level. That wasn’t the case for several of the 2018 placewinners. Lower divisions were represented, a red-shirt freshman made the finals, and a wrestler that couldn’t find his way into the starting line-up earned a medal at the US Open. That record breaking performance was with Penn State keeping a large stable of talent at home. Can the collegians continue to gain steam or will the veterans retake some ground as we close in on 2020?

Just a week away the collegiate wrestlers looking to make a name for themselves by competing at the US Open is a little disappointing, but expect that to change over the next week. You can follow entries on FloArena. 11 Division I All-Americans are registered and you have to be most excited for 57kgs. Daton Fix finished second at the US Open and Final X a year ago and will be among the favorites in a stacked 57kg weight class. Three of the eight All-Americans from 125lbs have registered with Rivera, Arujau, and Piccininni already in the field. Could Spencer Lee join the mayhem? I hope so. Jaydin Eierman defeated World Team member Logan Stieber at the Open last year and will be back to compete against a crazy field at 65kg. Yianni Diakomihalis is healthy and thrown his hat in the ring at 65kg as well. Will Penn State bring their superstars? Who will be the surprise place winners that are still collegians?

Division I All-Americans registered as of Friday, April 12, 2019.