The Mother Of All Senior Nationals Previews
The Mother Of All Senior Nationals Previews
A complete and total preview of everything going down at Senior Nationals this weekend.
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Senior level freestyle tournaments in the US are back! Seeds are out and Senior Nationals is finally here. The complete schedule can be found HERE. Additionally, FloZone returns on Saturday!
Watch 2020 Senior Nationals LIVE on FloWrestling
Below is comprehensive and gigantic preview of every single weight being wrestled inside the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. It starts off with men's freestyle previews done by FloWrestling's own JD Rader, Kyle Bratke, and David Bray; followed by a women's freestyle preview from expert Derek Levendusky and finally a Greco-Roman preview from pundit Timmy Hands.
Senior Level Staples & NCAA Studs Headline 57kg
Seeds
- Vitali Arujau (TMWC)
- Darian Cruz (NYAC)
- Zane Richards (TMWC)
- Frank Perrelli (TMWC)
- Jack Mueller (NYCRTC)
- Shelton Mack (TMWC)
- Sean Russell (Gopher WC RTC)
- Skylar Petry (Minnesota Storm)
- Brandon Courtney (Sunkist Kids)
- Jakob Camacho (TMWC)
- Matthew Ramos (Gopher WC RTC)
- Jack Medley (CKWC)
The 57kg bracket at Senior Nationals will have solid senior level depth as well as a number of college guys looking to get their first taste of competition since NCAAs were canceled in March. We won't know the full field until late registration closes on Thursday evening, but here's the gist of what we're likely to see from the lightweights in Coralville.
#6 Vito & #10 Zane at the Top
Vito Arujau and Zane Richards are the two guys at this weight who appeared in the most recent version of the US Domestic Freestyle Rankings. While Vito sits at #6 and Zane is a few spots behind at #10, Zane actually beat Vito for third place at the 2019 US Open. That win could make Zane the top seed.
Both have had solid performances since then. Richards beat Frank Perrelli and Nahshon Garrett last year at the Bill Farrell, and Vito had wins over Zach Sanders and Nick Suriano en route to a third-place finish at Senior Nationals.
Watch Zane Richard upset Vito Arujau at the 2019 US Open below.
Don't Count Out Cruz, Mueller, Perrelli, Russell, or Mack
While Vito and Zane might be on-paper favorites, they'll be tested by Darian Cruz, Jack Mueller, Frank Perrelli, Sean Russell, and Shelton Mack.
NCAA finalist Jack Mueller may pose the biggest threat to Richards and Arujau. The 2018 U23 World Team Member lost a tight match to Vito at the 2017 Junior World Team Trials but a thrilling come-from-behind win over Richards at the 2019 World Team Trials. He has competed multiple times this summer and could be poised for a breakout performance.
Watch Jack Mueller beat #10 Zane Richard at the buzzer below.
The NCAA champion Cruz looked to have made gains in terms of both strength and technique in his recent match against Thomas Gilman at the NLWC event. A productive quarantine makes the already explosive Cruz a major x-factor here. In Cruz's NCAA career, he demonstrated the ability to make massive improvements, going from seventh place and round-of-12 finishes at his first two NCAA tournaments to winning the whole thing as a junior. A similar jump here or sometime in the near future definitely seems possible. Cruz already owns a senior level win over Sean Russell from last year's Senior Nationals.
Russell is no easy out. At last year's Bill Farrell, he demonstrated the ability to come from behind in big matches. Most impressive was his 8-7 win over Cory Clark in a match he trailed 4-7. He held a lead over Nathan Tomasello at the break in the same tournament but was unable to hold on to that win. Still, he's capable of excellent results here.
Watch Sean Russell grit out a win over NCAA champ Corey Clark below.
Frank Perrelli is the wily veteran here. He has been turning out solid results on the senior level for a couple of Olympic cycles. Young wrestling fans might not know much about Perrelli as he's probably more familiar with Nick Arujau than Vito, but he's relevant in this bracket. Just last year, he had a 14-7 win over Sean Russell at Senior Nationals.
Shelton Mack is also a factor here. While his best results have come at 61kg, he's now had a year to dial into 57. He's dangerous offensively and could make big-time noise. In 2019, he took fourth at the World Team Trials at 61kg.
Could We See Gilman?
On a recent episode of the Baschamania Podcast, Gilman said that he planned to compete at Senior Nationals. His plans may have changed as he hadn't registered by the close of the early registration deadline on Monday night. He could still sign up before Thursday night at 8:00 PM EST.
Of course, Gilman would become the favorite if he registered. The top-ranked US wrestler at 57kg has looked outstanding recently with tournament victories at the Matteo Pellicone in January and the Pan Am Olympic Games Qualifier in March.
Watch Thomas Gilman defeat Joel Colon in the Matteo Pellicone finals below.
College Studs In The Mix
This year's Senior Nationals will have more college athletes than usual as it is one of the few competitions available before the end of 2020. Here are a few of the notable names in the bracket.
Jakob Camacho, NC State
Brandon Courtney, Arizona State
Jack Medly, Michigan
Dom Serrano, Nebraska
Codi Russell, App State
Sam Latona, Virginia Tech
Matt Ramos, Minnesota
Antonio Saldate, Cal Baptist
Beau Bayless, Harvard
Dylan Ragusin, Michigan
Expect Chaos At 65kg At Senior Nationals
In my opinion, this is the toughest and deepest weight at this weekend's Senior Nationals. In fact, it has the most seeded wrestlers than any other weight. From top-seeded Joey McKenna to #16 seed Austin Gomez, it's loaded with All-Americans, world team members, and hammers with a bevy of freestyle experience. We won't know the full field until late registration closes on Thursday evening, but here's the gist of what we're likely to see in the bracket in Coralville.
Pre-Seeds
- Joey McKenna (TMWC)
- Jaydin Eierman (Hawkeye WC) - YEPsev
- Evan Henderson (TMWC) - YEP
- Andy Simmons (CKWC)
- Kanen Storr (CKWC)
- Dean Heil (TMWC) - YEP
- Matthew Kolodzik (NYAC) - YEP
- Mitch McKee (Gopher WC RTC)
- Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado RTC)
- Sean Fausz (TMWC) - YEP
- Luke Pletcher (Pittsburgh WC)
- Yahya Thomas (Wildcat WC)
- Nick Dardanes (TMWC) - YEP
- Chad Red (Nebraska WTC)
- Ethan Lizak (NYAC) - YEP
- Austin Gomez (Cyclone RTC)
A ridiculous seven of the top 16 seeded wrestlers (McKenna, Eierman, McKee, Fausz, Thomas, Lizak, Gomez) have made a Cadet, Junior, or U23 world teams at some point during their careers.
McKenna's Weight To Lose?
Joey McKenna has had incredible success at every level of wrestling but has really excelled at freestyle making a Cadet, two Junior, and a U23 world team. In three of those four World Championship appearances, McKenna finished top eight and twice brought home a medal. That success continued on the Senior level as he won the 2018 U.S. Open and advanced to Final X before falling to Logan Stieber. At Senior Nationals last December, McKenna was second in a bracket that featured seven of the other seeded wrestlers and he picked up wins over Jayson Ness, Evan Henderson, and Yianni Diakomihalis.
Watch McKenna beat Yianni at Senior Nationals back in December.
Eierman Back On The Mat
Since Jaydin Eierman announced his decision to transfer to Iowa, we've only seen him in action once at Senior Nationals back in December. Eierman was knocked off on the front side by Nick Lee and then fell to Frank Molinaro on the backside. I'm excited to see how Eierman bounces back and looks in his first action in 10 months. It also doesn't hurt that he is one of the most exciting wrestlers in the country.
Watch Eierman take out Logan Stieber at the 2018 U.S. Open
Depth On Display
As you can see below, the bracket is loaded with hammers who have had a lot of success on the collegiate level as well. Dean Heil is the only NCAA champion, but Ethan Lizak and Joey McKenna also made appearances on the big stage. I thought 86kg had a lot of former All-Americans in the mix, but 65kg has even more.
National Champion
Dean Heil
All-Americans
Andrew Alirez
Nick Dardanes
Jaydin Eierman
Noah Gonser
Earl Hall
Josh Heil
Evan Henderson
Matt Kolodzik
Ethan Lizak
Mitch McKee
Joey McKenna
Ian Parker
Luke Pletcher
Chad Red
Kanen Storr
Watch a high school version of Andrew Alirez take out Dean Heil at the Dave Schultz in 2019.
Current D1 College Wrestlers In The Mix
Josh Heil, Campbell
Danny Fongaro, Columbia
Josh Brown, CSUB
Lawrence Saenz, Fresno State
Michael Jaffe, Harvard
Jaydin Eierman, Iowa
Austin Gomez, Iowa State
Ian Parker, Iowa State
Kanen Storr, Michigan
Matt Santos, Michigan State
Cody Trybus, Navy
Kevon Davenport, Nebraska
Christian Miller, Nebraska
Jevon Parrish, Nebraska
Chad Red, Nebraska
Andrew Alirez, Northern Colorado
Yahya Thomas, Northwestern
Doug Zapf, Penn
Jaden Abas, Stanford
A lot of young talent will be on display this weekend as well. I'm excited to see Chad Red, Jaden Abas, Andrew Alirez, and Ian Parker just to name a few.
74 kg Is Up For Grabs At Senior Nationals
Now less than a week away from the first whistle, Senior Nationals registration is starting to heat up. With 49 wrestlers currently signed up at the end of early registration, 74 kg is going to be one of the largest weight classes in Coralville.
The bulk of those 49 entries are college wrestlers. With many of these top wrestlers having split matches in the past, 74 kg will be up for grabs in Coralville.
Seeds
- Logan Massa (CKWC)
- Evan Wick (TMWC)
- Anthony Valencia (Sunkist Kids)
- Ryan Deakin (TMWC)
- David Carr (Cyclone RTC)
- Hayden Hidlay (TMWC)
- Joey Lavallee (TMWC)
- CJ Brucki
- Dan Vallimont (Pennsylvania RTC)
- Danny Braunagel (Illinois RTC)
- Austin Headlee (Sunkist Kids)
- Rick Durso (Pennsylvania RTC)
Contenders
Logan Massa is in his sixth year at Michigan, but still has one year of eligibility left. The super senior All-American for the Wolverines in 2017, putting up a 9-0 major decision over Anthony Valencia en route to a third-place finish. Massa has looked quite impressive as of late, winning 2019 Senior Nationals and beating two-time World bronze medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmonov 4-3 at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club event in September. Massa is currently the sixth-ranked wrestler in the country at 74 kg.
Watch Logan Massa tech fall Anthony Valencia at 2019 Senior Nationals below.
Ryan Deakin will be the only person at this weight who has either won the US Open or made a Final X appearance. However, his lack of results at 74 kg hurt him in the seeding meeting. In the 2019 US Open, finals, Deakin defeated two-time World medalist James Green and qualified for Final X at 70 kg. In folkstyle, Deakin was a 2019 All-American for Northwestern. Last season, he went undefeated, was the #1 seed at last year’s NCAA Championships, and gave David Carr his only loss of the season. If the seeds stay the same and things go chalk, we could see this rematch in the quarterfinals.
Anthony Valencia got beat 18-8 by Logan Massa at 2019 Senior Nationals, but he did beat him at the 2019 US Open. Similar to Massa, Valencia is going into his sixth year of college but still has one year of eligibility left. Valencia is three-for-three for qualifying for NCAA Championships. The seeding committee clearly used 2019 Senior Nationals placements as a main criteria because despite finishing one spot behind Evan Wick in December, Valencia owns the only head-to-head victory.
Evan Wick is a two-time All-American for the Wisconsin Badgers and placed fourth at 2019 Senior Nationals. While Wick and Massa have never hit in freestyle, Wick is 3-2 against Massa in folkstyle.
Watch Evan Wick defeat Logan Massa at the 2018 NCAA Championships below.
Hayden Hidlay will be returning to 74 kg for the first time since 2017 UWW Junior World Team Trials. The NC State All-American is as technically sound as they come. If Deakin and Hidlay hit, it will be a rematch of the 2018 U23 National finals, which Hidlay won two-matches-to-one.
David Carr is one year removed from a Junior World gold medal and four years removed from a Cadet World bronze medal. He is incredible at freestyle. As just a freshman this past season, Carr was the Big 12 champion and earned the three seed at the NCAA Championships.
Other Notable Entries
Ricky Durso has a lot of people talking after dismantling Malik Amine 10-0 at the NLWC event. He was a 2014 All-American for Franklin & Marshall.
Paddy Gallagher is fresh off a victory at Who’s #1 over Travis Mastrogiovanni. Just 19 years old, the Ohio State commit might not be a title contender, but it will be interesting to see how one of the top pound-for-pound high schoolers stacks up against some of the best NCAA middleweights.
Dan Vallimont (2010 NCAA finalist), Joey Lavallee (2017 NCAA finalist), Collin Purinton (2020 NCAA qualifier), CJ Brucki (2X NCAA qualifier), Philip Conigliaro (2020 NCAA qualifier), Danny Braunagel (2020 NCAA qualifier), Muhammed McBryde (2019 U23 World Team member), Quentin Perez (3X NCAA qualifier), and Jeremiah Moody (2018 UWW Junior Nationals champion), AC Headlee (3X NCAA qualifier) all figure to make some noise at the Xtream Arena in Coralville as well.
86kg Full Of Young Talent At Senior Nationals
With double-digit former NCAA All-Americans in action, 86kg will be one of the most competitive and fun weights at Senior Nationals this weekend. We won't know the full field until late registration closes on Thursday evening, but here's the gist of what we're likely to see in the bracket in Coralville.
Pre-Seeds
- Nate Jackson (NYAC)
- Gabe Dean (TMWC)
- Trent Hidlay (TMWC)
- Brett Pfarr (Gopher WC RTC)
- Drew Foster (Panther WC RTC)
- David McFadden Pennsylvania RTC)
- Taylor Lujan (Panther WC RTC)
- Max Dean (TMWC)
- Rocky Elam (Tiger Style WC)
- Devin Skatzka (Gopher WC RTC)
- Mikey Labriola (Nebraska WTC)
- Taylor Venz (Nebraska WTC)
Of the top 12 seeded wrestlers, four have previously made age level world teams. Gabe Dean and Trent Hidlay were Junior world bronze medalists, David McFadden was seventh at the U23 World Championships, and Max Dean made a U23 world team as well. Top-seeded Nate Jackson has been a mainstay on the Senior level over the past few years and had a great 2019 winning the Alexander Medved, taking second at the Dave Schultz, third at the Bill Farrell, and was seventh at the December version of Senior Nationals.
Watch Nate Jackson beat Brett Pfarr for third at the 2019 Bill Farrell
Gabe Dean Back On The Mat
When Gabe Dean steps on the mat Saturday morning at Senior Nationals, it will be his first match in 1,260 days. His last match came April 29 at the 2017 U.S. Open when he scored a last-second takedown to beat Tim Dudley for seventh place. While he hasn't been competing, Dean hasn't stopped scraping. The two-time NCAA champion has stuck around Ithaca as an assistant coach for the Big Red and is always rolling with Kyle Dake, his brother Max Dean, Ben Darmstadt, and many more inside the Cornell room. In fact, Yianni Diakomihalis believes Dean is better than he was in college.
This dude is so much better than he was in college it’s not even funny https://t.co/NCEXy68zho
— Yianni Diakomihalis (@yiannidiako_LGR) September 22, 2020
If Yianni's right, I think we might see Dean compete at more than this tournament and the eight-man bracket later this month.
Watch the last match Gabe Dean wrestled against Tim Dudley at the 2017 U.S. Open
NCAA Champions & All-Americans All Over The Field
While this field may not have had the most success yet on the international or Senior level, the majority of entrants are very young and had great success during their collegiate careers. In total, there are two NCAA champions, Gabe Dean and Drew Foster, and 11 other wrestlers who were D1 All-Americans.
NCAA Champions
Gabe Dean
Drew Foster
NCAA D1 All Americans
Hunter Bolen
Max Dean
Trent Hidlay
Nate Jackson
Mikey Labriola
Taylor Lujan
David McFadden
Andrew Morgan
Brett Pfarr
Devin Skatzka
Taylor Venz
Preview Of October 31 Eight-Man Bracket
In case you've been living under a rock, on Halloween night FloWrestling is hosting an eight-man bracket at 195 lbs with the winner taking home $20,000, second place receiving $10,000, third place $5,000, and $2,500 for fourth. This weekend, there's a chance you could get a preview of what some of those matches will look like as half of the eight-man bracket entries will be in action. Gabe Dean, Drew Foster, Nate Jackson, and Taylor Lujan will be competing and could help makes even more interesting for October 31.
Watch the wild match Drew Foster had with fellow eight-man bracket competitor Sammy Brooks back in December.
Current D1 College Wrestlers In The Mix
Austin Clayton, Arizona State
Andrew Morgan, Campbell
Brian Bonino, Columbia
Max Dean, Cornell
Leo Tarantino, Harvard
Garrett Joles, Minnesota
Rocky Elam, Missouri
Trent Hidlay, NC State
Nathan Haas, Nebraska
Mikey Labriola, Nebraska
Brandyn Van Tassell, Nebraska
Taylor Venz, Nebraska
Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa
Hunter Bolen, Virginia Tech
A lot of young talent will be on display this weekend as well. I'm excited to see freshman Rocky Elam, Nathan Haas, and Parker Keckeisen.
Snyder Leads A Rock Solid 97kg Field
While 97kg has the fewest entries in men's freestyle at Senior Nationals, there's not a lot of fluff which should make for some enticing matchups. Kyle Snyder's at the top, and he'll be joined by four more of the nation's top ten as well as 8 college studs that will look to prove themselves on the senior level.
Seeds
- Kyle Snyder (TMWC)
- Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC RTC)
- Kollin Moore (TMWC)
- Kyven Gadson (Sunkist Kids)
- Ben Honis (Pennsylvania RTC)
- Ty Walz (TMWC)
- Timothy Dudley (Sunkist Kids)
- Nick Reenan (TMWC)
- Jakob Woodley (Oklahoma RTC)
- Scottie Boykin(TMWC)
- Lucas Davison (Wildcat WC)
- Eric Schultz (Nebraska WTC)
- Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh WC)
The Field
Before reading a breakdown of this bracket, check out the complete field at 97kg including their seeds for Senior Nationals and domestic ranking.
| Name | State | Team | Seed | Ranking |
| Kyle Snyder | PA | Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC) | 1 | 1 |
| Hayden Zillmer | MN | Gopher Wrestling Club - RTC | 2 | 4 |
| Kollin Moore | OH | Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC) | 3 | 7 |
| Kyven Gadson | IA | Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club | 4 | 8 |
| Ben Honis | NY | Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC) | 5 | |
| Ty Walz | VA | Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC) | 6 | 5 |
| Timothy Dudley | SC | Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club | 7 | |
| Nick Reenan | NC | Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC) | 8 | |
| Jakob Woodley | OK | Oklahoma Regional Training Center | 9 | |
| Scottie Boykin | TN | Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC) | 10 | |
| Lucas Davison | IL | Wildcat Wrestling Club | 11 | |
| Eric Schultz | IL | Nebraska Wrestling Training Center | 12 | |
| Nino Bonaccorsi | PA | Pittsburgh Wrestling Club | 13 | |
| Nathan Traxler | CA | |||
| Gavin Hoffman | PA | Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC) | ||
| Erik Hinckley | KS | |||
| Evan Hansen | IA | Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC) | ||
| William Baldwin | VA | |||
| Joseph Reimers | NE | Nebraska Golden Eagles Wrestling Club | ||
| Silas Allred | IN | Nebraska Wrestling Training Center | ||
| Jeremiah Casto | WV |
Can Anyone Push Snyder?
Kyle Snyder has been the gold standard at 97kg since he took over the spot in 2015. Since then, he has made every US team, and in his five World/Olympic tries, he was won three golds, a silver, and a bronze. It would be shocking to see him lose here, but there is still intrigue around Snyder as he is just wrapping up his first full year in State College.
Every time he competes, fans are watching to see what he's added to his game since working with Cael and company. In his first competition in a NLWC singlet at last year's Bill Farrell, he dominated the field, including this weekend's #2 seed, Hayden Zillmer.
Watch Kyle Snyder take care of business against Hayden Zillmer at the 2019 Bill Farrell below.
After Snyder, Who's Next?
While it isn't impossible for Snyder to take a loss here, it's highly unlikely. The pecking order at 97kg has shifted in the last year, and it will be fascinating to see how Zillmer, Moore, Gadson, Honis, and Walz look in this bracket.
Kyven Gadson has been Kyle Snyder's opponent in either the World Team Trials finals or Final X for the last three years, and at this time last year, he would have been considered the top challenger to Snyder here. That was before he took a loss to Kollin Moore at last year's Senior Nationals.
Since competition has been limited since then, it's hard to say if Gadson's result at Senior Nationals represented a down performance or a changing of the guard. On the May 6 episode of The Bader Show, Gadson explained that he has made big changes to his training since last year, including the incorporation of Functional Patterns. This will be his first opportunity to show those adjustments off at 97kg. Based on his seed, he will probably need to get past Ben Honis, who he's beaten consistently, in the quarters before hitting Snyder in the semis.
On the bottom side of the bracket, Hayden Zillmer and Kollin Moore could be on a collision course to meet in the semifinals. Their match in the Senior Nationals finals last year was one for the ages. Moore was in the driver's seat with a 10-2 lead in the second period before Zillmer got 4 on a chest-wrap and a takedown and turn to win 10-10 on criteria. That match was wild!
Watch a wild 10-10 criteria match between Hayden Zillmer and Kollin Moore below.
Of course Zillmer and Moore aren't guaranteed spots in the semis. If the bracket plays out according to seeds, we'll see Zillmer vs TJ Dudley and Moore vs Walz. Zillmer is a pretty big favorite over of Dudley, who usually competes at 86kg. The Moore vs Walz match could be fun. Walz's power and Moore's offensive output could make for some excellent exchanges.
Which College Guys Make Noise?
A good number of division 1 college guys will be in action this weekend. Of that group, Nick Reenan has had the most senior level success, making it to the Final X stage against David Taylor in 2018. Jake Woodley was a 2019 U23 World Team Trials finalist, ultimately falling to Bo Nickal. Lucas Davison has had senior level success, too, finishing 3rd at the 2019 Dave Schultz. He also owns a Junior World silver medal. Cadet World bronze medalist Gavin Hoffman is also an excellent freetyler.
Guys like Eric Schultz, Nino Bonaccorsi, Nathan Traxler, and Silas Allred are wild cards here. While they haven't registered a lot of senior level results yet, they're all in high-level training environments and certainly capable. Here's a list of the NCAA D1 athletes in action at 97kg.
Nick Reenan, NC State
Jakob Woodley, Oklahoma
Lucas Davison, Northwestern
Eric Schultz, Nebraska
Nino Bonaccorsi, Pitt
Nathan Traxler, Stanford
Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State
Silas Allred, Nebraska
Best Early Matches
Based on the current seeds, we should see some enticing matches in the round of 16. Nino Bonaccorsi will test himself against Gadson. Nino has the pace, but Gadson has the power, so an upset there seems like a stretch. Eric Schultz will take on a similarly powerful athlete in Ben Honis. In folkstyle this match feels like a tossup, but I like Honis' freestyle chops.
Lucas Davison vs Ty Walz could be very interesting. Davison will have to deal with one of the strongest guys in the bracket, but he seems to get better every year. Reenan vs Woodley and Dudley vs Boykin also have upset potential. In short, this bracket has a lot of early intrigue.
Can The Vet Fend Off The College Studs At 125 This Weekend?
The big men. With just 24 entries so far and registration closing on Thursday evening, this won’t be the deepest weight. However, veteran Dom Bradley, a lot full of solid college kids, and some guys moving up from 197 will provide some interesting matchups. Here’s what you can expect to see at 125 in Coralville.
Seeds
Dom Bradley (Sunkist Kids)
Mason Parris (CKWC)
Youssif Hemida (NYAC)
David Tate Orndorff (TMWC)
Tanner Hall (Sunkist Kids)
Trent Hillger (Badger RTC)
Jordan Wood (Lehigh Valley WC)
Danny Chaid (California RTC)
Derek White (TMWC)
Zach Elam (Tiger Style WC)
Mauro Correnti (NYAC)
AJ Nevills (TMWC)
Fantastic Final Potential
#1 Dom Bradley vs #2 Mason Parris. Outside of maybe 65 kg with Joey McKenna, Jaydin Eierman, or *insert name from bracket here*, 125 kg’s potential finals matchup has me the most excited.
Dom Bradley is as much an experienced veteran as anyone currently competing. He was a two-time All-American for Missouri in the early 2010s with a record of 105-15. Since graduating in 2013, all Bradley has done is steadily been a top-five guy at heavyweight. He won the US Open in 2013 and 2016, won Pan Ams in 2016 and 2017, was second at World Team Trials in 2017, and was third at Olympic Trials in 2016. The Missouri native looked great at 2019 Senior Nationals, taking out Anthony Cassar and Tony Nelson en route to a first-place finish.
Bradley will be 10 years Parris’ senior this weekend, but at 21 years old, people are asking if Parris can compete with Gable Steveson as the future of Team USA’s heavyweight. Parris pinned current world #5 Amir Zare of Iran in the Junior World finals last year, and has still continued to get better.
Not falling for this. Picking @DomBradley this time 😬😬😬 https://t.co/8M4VG5roW6
— Christian Pyles (@CPyles8) October 6, 2020
Will this be more similar to the first time Dom and Gable Steveson met, or the second time they met?
Couple Of College Hammers
Trent Hillger, Jordan Wood, Zach Elam, AJ Nevills, and Tate Orndorff are all very solid college competitors. While Parris has now defeated Hillger four-straight times, Hillger did take the first match from Parris at the 2019 Junior World Team Trials finals.
Watch Trent Hillger defeat Mason Parris at the 2019 Junior World Team Trials below.
It will be interesting to see where Elam stacks up here. The 2018 Junior World silver medalist made it to the bloodround his freshman season at Missouri but lost to Trent Hillger 1-0. Elam also took losses to Jordan Wood and Derek White that year. However, Elam has had a full redshirt year plus seven months to train. At 2019 Senior Nationals he took eighth with losses to Tanner Hall and Garrett Ryan.
Lehigh senior Jordan Wood is a three-time NCAA qualifier and finished fourth in 2019. At the 2019 U23 World Team Trials he defeated Tate Orndorff. Tate Orndorff recently made a move, however.
Has Ohio State Already Made An Impact On Orndorff?
Back in April two-time NCAA qualifier Tate Orndorff announced that he would be leaving Utah Valley and finishing his final two years of college eligibility at Ohio State.
Despite having losses to about half of the seeded heavyweights and Christian Lance of Nebraska who is unseeded, Orndorff is a guy with a lot of upside. Even just six months of training with a guy like Tervel Delagnav could show large benefits. Or maybe it hasn’t. This tournament could show whether or not the move to Columbus will get Orndorff on the podium at NCAAs.
Will White And Chaid Be Effective Up A Weight?
Both Derek White and Danny Chaid are moving up from 97 kg. Chaid was a two-time national qualifier for North Carolina State at 197. White started his career at Oklahoma State at 197, but famously moved up and received the nickname “Bulk Job” because of how much size he put on. It paid off for him as he made an NCAA final at 285. Will the move be as effective at the senior level.
2020 Senior Nationals Women's Freestyle Preview
Wrestling is back. The first major Senior-level event of the 2020-2021 season goes down this weekend, October 9-11, in Coralville, Iowa, at the Xtream Arena & GreenState Family Fieldhouse. The 2020 Senior Nationals field already includes many familiar names as some of the best from the high school, college, and Senior level head to Iowa to do battle on the mats.
Registrants include five-time world champion Adeline Gray at 76 kg, 2018 Senior World silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt at 50 kg, two-time world silver medalist Alli Ragan at 57 kg, and two-time world team members Forrest Molinari at 68 kg and Victoria Francis at 76 kg. There could be other entries as the event gets closer.
Due to the pandemic and the unusual circumstances surrounding the changes—and sometimes cancellations—in the wrestling calendar, there have been questions about what’s actually on the line at this weekend’s event. Besides the prestigious title of being a U.S. Senior Nationals Champion, USA Wrestling recently announced that they added this event as part of their “criteria to qualify for a 2020 Olympic redshirt year,” meaning that college athletes who place in the top 8 could qualify for an Olympic redshirt, giving them an extra year of eligibility. Though this event does not appear to be a qualifier for the 2021 Olympic Team Trials in April, those who have qualified could improve their seeding with key head-to-head wins. Further, USAW posted on their site regarding this weekend’s event, “In the event that UWW keeps the 2020 Senior World Championships on the calendar and USA Wrestling plans to send teams, this event will most likely serve as our 2020 Senior World Team Trials.”
Here’s a weight-by-weight preview.
50 kg
Sarah Hildebrandt is coming to Iowa! The 2018 World silver medalist announced last year that she’s dropping to 50 kg for the Olympic year, where she’s currently ranked #1 in FloWrestling’s WFS domestic rankings. She’s the obvious favorite at this weight, though the top 4 in this field make up what might be the toughest weight class at Senior Nationals this year, only rivaled by 68 kg and 76 kg. But can anyone else in this field take out Hildebrandt? Last January, Hildebrandt won gold at the Matteo Pellicone in Rome, Italy, a tournament that included a 7-5 win over #3 ranked Victoria Anthony. Anthony is not entered for Senior Nationals, but #2 Alyssa Lampe is, who defeated Anthony by fall last December at 2019 Senior Nationals.
Watch Sarah Hildebrandt win gold at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone below.
After announcing her retirement in 2016 after the Olympic Team Trials, two-time World bronze medalist Alyssa Lampe returned to the mat in 2019 to make another run at making an Olympic team. Stoking an old rivalry with Victoria Anthony, she came from behind to win in the finals last December, answering any questions about whether she “still has it.” Besides the tall task of having to get through Hildebrandt to win this year, she’ll also have #6 Amy Fearnside and #7 Emily Shilson to contend with in this 50 kg group.
Fearnside is a National Team Member who took third last December, falling to Lampe 10-0 in the semis. She had an outstanding year on the international scene, winning the Poland Open and the Canada Cup until Lampe got in her way in Texas. Will Fearnside have an answer for Lampe’s prolific offense and tough top game? Barring an upset, it looks like they’re gonna hit in the semis as Lampe is seeded #2 and Fearnside #3. Hildebrandt defeated Fearnside by 11-0 tech fall at the Dave Shultz in 2017 and by fall at the Olympic Team Trials in 2016. By all appearances, there’s no record online of Hildebrandt ever facing Lampe.
Meanwhile, 2018 Cadet World champ Shilson is shedding her youth and emerging as one of the top young talents in women’s wrestling. The Augsburg sophomore is coming off a double-dip in college titles this year, winning the WCWA Championships and the inaugural NCAA event, the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships. Anyone who watched Shilson wrestle at the Beat the Streets event knows that the “kid” might not be a kid anymore. And remember, she only lost to Vicki Anthony 2-0 & Amy Fearnside 6-4 last December. That said, the #4 seed will have her hands full if she ends up facing Hildebrandt in the semis.
This group also has 2010 Junior World Bronze medalist Amy Golding. In her last appearance at the US Open in 2015, she took fifth place. Also entered at this weight is three-time WCWA All-American Charlotte Fowler, WCWA All-American Junnette Caldera, and WCWA All-American Arelys Valles. Stefana Jelacic and Samara Chavez are also registered, both of whom were at one time ranked #1 in the National HS Rankings. Jelacic graduated last May while Chavez is currently in her senior year. Always interesting to see how top high school talent fares at the Senior level.
Prediction: Hildebrandt gets it done, but has a handful with young Shilson in the semis. This weight should have an exciting final.
Seeds:
1. Sarah Hildebrandt (NYAC)
2. Alyssa Lampe (Sunkist Kids)
3. Amy Fearnside (TMWC)
4. Emily Shilson (TMWC)
53 kg
#1 seeded Katherine Shai has looked good since her return to the mats last year after two and a half years out of competition. The #4 ranked Senior-level wrestler is the highest-ranked entry at this weight, though she’ll have #5 Alisha Howk and #6 Ronna Heaton in this group, two opponents who dropped down to this weight last year from their non-Olympic weight of 55 kg. Heaton won a Cadet World title in 2015 while Howk has made several age-level world teams, placing first in the Junior Pan Am Championships just last year. Both of Howk and Heaton are only several years removed from their high school days, still emerging on the Senior level. If the bracket goes “chalk,” only one of them will face Shai in the finals as it looks to be a Howk-Heaton semi. Assuming it happens, make sure you watch that match. Howk beat Heaton 6-4 in the quarters last December. Looks like the story of a young rivalry will continue this weekend in Iowa. Shai defeated both Howk and Heaton last year at 2019 Senior Nationals in Texas, downing Heaton 5-2 and scoring a tech fall over Howk in the third-place match.
Victoria Smith is also in this group, a WCWA All-American for Southwestern Oregon Community College. Camille Fournier of Texas, ranked #1 at one point last year in the AWW poll, is also registered. Should be fun to watch.
Prediction: The stingy & seasoned Shai will be too much for her younger opponents and wins this year’s title, her first.
Seeds:
1. Katherine Shai (TMWC)
2. Ronna Heaton (Sunkist Kids)
3. Alisha Howk (Sunkist Kids)
57 kg
There are some tough and upcoming wrestlers at this weight, but right now it looks like #2 ranked Alli Ragan…and everybody else. Alli Ragan’s elite skills are no secret, a prolific leg attacker with world-level talent. She won the silver medal at both the 2016 and 2017 Senior World Championships. #2 seed Lauren Louive, once a teammate of Ragan’s at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, faced Ragan last year at Final X, falling in both matches by 10-0 tech fall within 2 minutes. Louive also DNP’ed at Senior Nationals last December, but perhaps she’ll bounce back this weekend to the previous form that earned her a spot at Final X.
Watch Ali Ragan take on Lauren Louive at 2019 Final X below.
Two younger wrestlers to keep your eye on are Vayle Baker, the WCWA runner-up last year for Augsburg and a two-time All-American, and Xochitl Mota-Pettis, a two-time Fargo champion who seems poised to break out at some point on the Senior level.
Prediction: Unless Helen Maroulis is a last-minute entry, Ragan will dominate this weight. I doubt anyone will score a point against her.
Seeds:
1. Alli Ragan (Sunkist Kids)
2. Lauren Louive (NYAC)
62 kg
#1 seed Macey Kilty is currently the top-ranked Senior-level competitor at this weight at #5 in Flo’s WFS rankings. She’s also the #3 on the Senior National Team. Kilty has proven over and over that she’s a world-level talent, winning a whopping 5 age-level world medals, including U23 silver last year—but, though she’s come awful close, she’s yet to win a Senior-level event. Is now the time? #2 seed Jennifer Page will have something to say about it. The two-time U.S. Open winner (2014 & 2017) returned to the mats last December where this very match happened, Kilty coming out on top 5-4. Page went on to a fifth-fifth
place finish, while Kilty placed third. Many believe the younger Kilty has only started to reach her potential. Will the seasoned Page close the gap or will Kilty widen it?
#3 seed Jackie Cataline is also in this group, the 2014 & 2016 U.S. Open Champion. She went out in the blood round last December, falling to Skylar Grote 10-0 on the front side, then losing a 10-9 barnburner to Nahiela Magee on the backside. Forgiveable results for someone just getting back to competition level, but can she return to the form she had 5-6 years ago? We’ll see. Keep your eye on the potential semi between Page and Cataline—a rekindled old rivalry between two seasoned competitors.
The #4 seed is Lexie Basham of Texas, a young athlete that was ranked #1 at one point in National HS Rankings. NAIA & WCWA All-American Bridgette Duty from Cumberlands is also a late entry to this group.
Prediction: Kilty widens the gap and wins the title over the veterans.
Seeds:
1. Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids)
2. Jennifer Page (TMWC)
3. Jackie Cataline (TMWC)
4. Lexie Basham (Spartan Mat Club)
68 kg
This group includes a number of ranked Senior-level athletes: #2 Forrest Molinari, #4 Alexandria Glaude, #6 Skylar Grote and #9 Rachel Watters. Last December, after Molinari won the 2019 Senior Nationals, she famously shouted, “This is my weight!”—and that with 68 kg world champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock calling the match matside. #1 seed Molinari hasn’t altered her mission and will bring her queen-of-the-mat attitude to this weekend’s event in Iowa. #2 seed Glaude is coming off the end of her college career, where she won two national titles for McKendree, but looked rusty at Beat the Streets against Victoria Francis a few weeks ago, where she fell 11-0 to the two-time world teamer. It was much different when she faced Francis in the semis last December, a gritty chess-match she only lost 3-2. Which version of Glaude will walk on the mats in Iowa this weekend? Even at her best, finding ways to score against Molinari is a tall task, who seems to put most of her opponents on their heels from the first whistle, at least in her domestic matches. She took fifth at Worlds in 2018 & 2019. Glaude will have to get through #3 seed Rachel Watters before that match happens with Molinari. Should be a good semi. Watters is also just coming off the end of her college career, where she won a WCWA title earlier this year for Oklahoma City.
#4 seed Skylar Grote is very tough, but it’s asking a lot of her to get through Molinari on the top side. 2019 NAIA Champion Marilyn Garcia (Menlo) is also in this group as the #5 seed.
Prediction: Molinari does Molinari things, overpowering the field to win another Senior Nationals title.
Seeds:
1. Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids)
2. Alexandria Glaude (TMWC)
3. Rachel Watters (NYAC)
4. Skylar Grote (NYAC)
5. Marilyn Garcia
76 kg
News broke a few days ago that a very familiar name threw her proverbial hat into the ring. Five-time world champion Adeline Gray will compete this weekend at Senior Nationals. There is no evidence to make anyone think that she has “lost a step” or lost her passion to win world championships. She’s already one of the most decorated U.S. wrestlers of all time, but one has to wonder if she’s going after the distinction of being “the most decorated U.S. wrestler” of all time. That title still belongs to Kristie Davis (Marano), who “only” won two world titles, but racked up a stunning 9 world medals in her career. If UWW decides that Worlds are happening this year, Gray wants to be there and winning this event would assure that.
Meanwhile, across the mat are #2 ranked, #2 seeded Precious Bell, who won Senior Nationals last year (sans Gray), and #3 ranked (at 68 kg) two-time world teamer Victoria Francis, who is seeded #3. Tells you something about the depth in this weight class when Francis is the #3 seed. The #3 ranked woman at 76 kg, Dymond Guilford, is also registered and is seeded #4. None of them have ever come close to Adeline Gray. At Final X in Lincoln last year, Gray handled Precious Bell, winning the first two of the Best of 3 format by fall and 10-0 tech fall, respectively. Francis wrestled Gray more often before she dropped down to 72 kg a few years ago, but when she did wrestle her, it was more of the same as Gray dominated the matches. That said, Francis looked fantastic at Beat the Streets and is out-worked by no one.
What is it about Adeline Gray? Power, technique, tactics, mindset—it all seems to come together for the legend. Her overpowering set-ups and assassin-like timing with beautiful leg shots sometimes make it look easy, but that’s the mark of champions. Is she still at the top of her game? Probably. Watch this weekend and find out.
High school star Tristan Kelly is in this field, and so is 2020 WCWA National Champion Alexandra Castillo of Campbellsville. Geneva Gray, Adeline Gray’s sister and one-time head coach at Bacone College, is also competing and is the #6 seed.
Prediction: Adeline, Adeline, wherefore art thou Adeline? There she is, at the top of the podium again.
Seeds:
1. Adeline Gray (NYAC)
2. Precious Bell (TMWC)
3. Victoria Francis (TMWC)
4. Dymond Guilford (TMWC)
5. Tristan Kelly (Betterman Elite)
6. Geneva Gray
2020 US Nationals Greco-Roman Preview
As recently as ten days ago, the relationship between the United States Greco-Roman program (particularly the Seniors) and this unique National tournament could have been described as tempestuous -- at best.
The main catalyst for this less-than-warm embrace of the US Nationals can be traced back to the exclusion of the Army/WCAP and Marine wrestlers. All four military programs are unable to compete, but the lens is different for the two premier service branches. 15 of the 30 current US National Team members come from either the Army or the All-Marine Team. The same is true for six of the ten ‘19 World Team representatives. Thus, the scheduling of the country’s biggest annual Senior tournament during a time period in which Greco’s two most productive programs are unable to attend has had no choice but to put a bit of a damper on the proceedings.
Restrictions elsewhere have held up training for many of America’s accomplished Seniors. Restrictions everywhere have done that to athletes everywhere. But when we’re talking about Greco-Roman -- a discipline in the US that demands a continual focus on concepts such as “feel” and getting enough “looks” -- the absence of training opportunities in advance of an event -- any event -- is typically a dealbreaker when it comes to registering. Throw in that we are shaking hands with “Tokyo Olympic Year 2.0”, and it is easy to understand why there would be reluctance among wrestlers to go hop in a tournament without having had the customary time to prepare.
Which is why no one was surprised when registrations for this tournament barely moved the needle. At first.
For weeks, the number hovered around 12, then eventually climbed to 30, then 40. Everyone’s worst fears were confirmed, or so it seemed. Forget freestyle, forget women’s freestyle -- ‘If Greco’s case for relevance was going to be presented on the backs of just a few dozen competitors, why bother?’ Such was the line of thinking.
Slowly, thankfully, the optics started to change. A rush of young, promising wrestlers signed up. Next, a few recognizable Seniors decided they were good to go. And then, a full-on surge. Within the past ten days, registrations for Greco climbed by orders of magnitude, to whereas of Wednesday, 106 athletes are expected to be present at weigh-ins. It is not uncommon for a wave of last-minute entries leading up to a US Open. It is uncommon for that number to more than triple less than five days prior to the event.
You turn around and look, and what we’ve got here is a tournament worthy of closer examination, one where a generous allotment of high-profile full-time Seniors and would-be future stars are about to make Coralville the most unlikely proving ground witnessed this quadrennium. What we’ve got here is a tournament worthy of being referred to as a “Nationals”.
60 kg
‘16 Junior World bronze/current US National Teamer Taylor LaMont (Sunkist, 5PM #8) is one of a select few Seniors who have been able to train without disruption since the COVID outbreak this past winter. ‘18 U23 World Team rep Travis Rice (NYAC/IRTC, 5PM #9) has operated under similarly fortuitous circumstances through most of the summer, as have the Koontz brothers, Brady (TMWC, 5PM #12) -- himself a Junior performer in ‘18 and at U23 last year -- and Dylan, who is perceived as under the radar by comparison but is equally-skilled and equally-dangerous.
A big development at 60 kg is the return of multi-time age-group World competitor Randon Miranda (NYAC, 5PM #10), who is coming off of a 16-month layoff. Miranda and LaMont went back-and-forth in ‘19, really pushing each other through an entertaining handful of matches. First, LaMont grabbed a contentious decision for third at the Senior Trials; a week later, Miranda took the best-of-three final at U23. At those same U23 Trials, Liam Cronin (Nebraska WTC) prevailed over a crowded 55-kg bracket, though Brady Koontz wound up usurping Cronin in a special wrestle-off later that summer.
Watch Taylor LaMont and Travis Rice go to battle at 2019 Senior Nationals below.
Nevada’s Britain Longmire is considered a potentially serious candidate (despite also registering for freestyle). So is ‘16 Cadet World representative Mosha Schwartz (CO), who not so long ago was touted as a can’t-miss type of prospect. ‘19 Cadet World Team member Conor Knopick (MWC) and stablemate Camden Russell (MWC), along with Elijah Varona and Iowa’s age-group ace Alex Thomsen (Nebraska WTC), are not expected to challenge the likes of LaMont, Rice, or Miranda, but should still find ways to make their presences felt just the same.
5PM Ranked Athletes
Taylor LaMont (#8)
Travis Rice (#9)
Randon Miranda (#10)
Brady Koontz (#12)
Seeds
#1 - LaMont
#2 - Rice
#3 - Miranda
#4 - B. Koontz
#5 - Cronin
#6 - Knopick
#7 - D. Koontz
#8 - Schwartz
#9 - Russell
#10 - Thomsen
#11 - Nicky Raimo
67 kg
No other weight category benefitted from the registration surge quite like 67, which at one point looked dead in the water. Now? The bracket could very well take over the entire narrative.
The first order of business entails combing through six main athletes -- ‘18 U23 World Teamer Nolan Baker (NYAC, 5PM #7); Calvin Germinaro (Minnesota Storm, 5PM #8), ‘19 U23 World Team member Lenny Merkin (NYAC); ‘18 Junior Trials champ Benji Peak (Sunkist/NTS); ‘18 US Open runner-up Jessy Williams (NYAC/Spartan; 5PM #11); and Morgan Flaharty (NYAC).
Baker and Germinaro -- for the purposes of this tournament, but perhaps overall -- are widely viewed as the hottest commodities in this bracket. Baker has defeated four of the five names mentioned above, and has not lost to any of them. Then again, Germinaro put forth one of the most impressive National performances of anyone last December when he made the final, so there’s that, too. Plus, Germinaro was giving Baker a nice battle in New York 11 months ago, that is until Baker pounced on the first opportunity that made sense and ended the affair.
With that said, the margin which exists between this top-6 is narrow. Williams has been on a bit of a slide lately, but most feel that one solid showing can undo those issues. Merkin saw better results at 72 kg, an undeniable fact. Is that a weight-cut thing? Is the problem solved? Flaharty could use an inspired run and that might just happen; and Peak -- full of moxy and with a substantial amount of overseas experience logged -- is a seasoned, confident young gun who has tested, if not beaten, some top Seniors before, making this a suitable opportunity to keep his career on the right track.
But there is a problem. For all of them. Actually, two problems -- Ridge Lovett (Nebraska WTC) and Duncan Nelson (NMU/NTS). Lovett, who appeared in the ‘17 Cadet Worlds and then pasted the field at Fargo the next year, is a wrestler the US program wants to have and hopes they can get. All of the “total wrestling” tools in addition to a competitive demeanor coaches wish they could bottle and sell. Nelson doesn’t have the ledger some of the others claim. He was trending upwards the past two seasons but a knee injury upset the trajectory. From the Illinois system, Nelson sports a better-than-average lift and is a beast in the trenches. Should he rediscover his groove, a high placing in Iowa isn’t out of the question.
5PM Ranked Athletes
Nolan Baker #8
Calvin Germinaro #9
Jessy Williams #11
Seeds
#1 - Baker
#2 - Germinaro
#3 - Merkin
#4 - Peak
#5 - Williams
#6 - Logan Savvy
#7 - Jasiah Williams
#8 - Lovett
77 kg
As soon as Patrick Smith’s (Minnesota Storm, 5PM #1) name appeared on the registration list, the credibility associated with this event instantly increased. That is not a slight on anyone else, including fellow ‘19 World Team member Joe Rau (87 kg, TMWC/IRTC, world #7, 5PM #1), who actually registered much earlier. It is more that Rau is expected to raise his hand for any and all wrestling events on which he can get his hands, whereas Smith is perhaps just a touch more choosey.
Watch Pat Smith make the 2019 World Team over Kamal Bey below.
The refrain will be that Smith, whose work ethic remains the standard in the US, simply wants some matches. And, he’s going to get them. Two-time Open champ Kendrick Sanders (NYAC/NTS, 5PM #12) is on-board,so...look out. Coming off of his runner-up outing at Final X: Rutgers, Sanders struggled in the December ‘19 Nationals. Erase that from the memory bank. A lot of time has passed since then, and Sanders is one of several top Seniors still needing to qualify for the Trials. While that cannot happen in Iowa, there is no way Sanders is bothering with this tournament just for the fun of it. He’s coming to prove a point.
After Smith and Sanders, the landscape begins to take on a nice balance. ‘19 Junior World athlete Tyler Eischens (California RTC), Alec “The Gunslinger” Ortiz (Minnesota Storm), and Smith all train together. Eischens has not entered a Greco event dating back to his Junior appearances, and Ortiz is rounding back into form following major knee surgery 18 months ago. For Ortiz, Coralville is a little important, just as it is for Sanders. Even if the victories don’t pile up, fan-favorite Ortiz still needs to fly back home on a high note.
The youthful talent in play is what will really define 77’s viability. Two-time U23 Trials runner-up Fritz Schierl (TMWC/Ohio RTC) is formidable and well-rounded; Tommy Brackett (TN) is a maturing, underhooks-before-anything-else competitor on the feet; Riley Briggs (NMU/NTS) is a “lifer” who is competent in each and every phase; and Burke Paddock (NYAC) is developing into a tenacious scorer whose skill-set lends itself very well to Senior.
But of course, there is an X-factor, and that is Peyton Robb (Nebraska WTC). Like Lovett, Robb is a wrestler the US program is in love with but apparently cannot have -- yet. Few age-groupers have the ferocity and all-around toolkit Robb demonstrated when he traveled overseas in ‘17, and he is just the kind of athlete most assume will be able to mesh folk with Greco and actually make it work for this new generation. Time will tell if that’s true, and there are many rooting for a relevant sample size to that effect once Friday comes to an end.
5PM Ranked Athletes
Patrick Smith #1
Kendrick Sanders #12
Seeds
#1 - Smith
#2 - Paddock
#3 - Sanders
#4 - Ortiz
#5 - Schierl
#6 - Brackett
#7 - Eischens
#8 - Robb
87 kg
As already alluded to, Rau -- one of four US athletes to have qualified their weight class for Tokyo back in March -- can’t resist an opportunity to get on the mat again, though at least had that hybrid bout win over Pat Downey to hold him over for a little while. Initially, as was the case with several weight categories, it felt like Rau was going to be the only dog in the hunt. Not only is the opposite now true, there is one athlete of particular significance with whom Rau will have to deal.
Many folks believe Alan Vera (NYAC, 5PM #4) is either a) the best 87-kg athlete in the country, or at worst b) the favorite to come out of the Olympic Trials Challenge Tournament and meet Rau in the best-of-three final. Such thinking ignores the threats three-time World Team member Patrick Martinez (NYAC, 5PM #2) and Jon Anderson (Army/WCAP, 5PM #3) pose, but the perception is valid if only because Vera is really that good. He, to some extent, deserves the hype. Originally from Cuba and a fearsomely-efficient scorer from par terre, Vera is the most complete technician in the weight class, and that is without dispute.
However, Vera is not yet cleared to compete in the Last Chance Qualifier next March. The only reason why he is permitted to enter this event is because there are no procedural implications attached.
Most expect a Rau/Vera final, which would be a rematch of the ‘19 Schultz semis where Vera tech’ed Rau in the first period. It is hard to picture that happening again; plus, Rau certainly slayed some important demons in Ottawa and is in the best stretch of his career. If they are to meet again on Friday night, anticipate a classic.
Watch Alan Vera tech fall Joe Rau at the 2019 Dave Schultz below.
What will Marcus Finau (NYAC) have to say about all this? A World Team Trials runner-up in ‘13, Finau came back to Greco last fall, and though he didn’t exactly light it up, had a very encouraging performance in Texas. He is also leaner and meaner down a weight from his first run on the circuit, and definitely projected as a major player here.
‘19 Junior World Team member Zach Braunagel (IRTC) had held himself back from Senior competition previously. Like some of the others in the lighter weights, he is probably using Iowa as preparation for the tournaments in November. Nevertheless, he is a throwback, classically-infused kind of athlete who can do some damage. George Sikes (NMU/NTS) has appeared in a U23 Worlds, rung up some solid experience, and is very familiar with what this level is all about. Will that be enough for a podium spot? Could be. Guys like Dane Harter (LA) and former Williams Baptist student Conor Linehan (MO) are in the shadows for now, but that isn’t a bad thing. Both have competed against workable opposition before, so this tournament should offer a chance to shore up technique ahead of what most hope will bloom into a full season’s worth of activity.
5PM Ranked Athletes
Joe Rau #1
Alan Vera #4
Seeds
#1 - Vera
#2 - Rau
#3 - Finau
#4 - Sikes
#5 - Braunagel
97 kg
‘18 Junior World Team member Chad Porter (Sunkist, 5PM #9) is your top-seeded athlete in a weight category that does not include a single current US National Team member, a distinction held by only one other weight category this week, 67 kilos. Porter is an excellent wrestler and can call upon some relevant experience dating back years. But in terms of Senior concerns, Nick Boykin (Sunkist, 5PM #6) might have the edge thanks to a few overseas tours throughout his still-young career. Is that an absolute advantage for Boykin? Not necessarily. That he has hung in there against higher-profile types could be something a little more worthwhile of discussion.
Yet again, this version of the Nationals is bringing to bear chances for age-group studs to spread their wings, which is what you find with Braxton Amos (Badger RTC) and Tyler Hannah (Combat WC). Amos took second at the ‘19 Junior Pan-Ams, and when you take a glimpse at the full picture, it’s easy to see that this is a wrestler who is made of the sort of stuff that tends to turn into something special later on down the road. Hannah, a Cadet World Team member and Fargo champ, is one of those Combat kids who competes with authentic Greco sensibilities.
Going by the seeds, more is expected of Pitt collegian Nino Bonaccorsi, who was an NCAA DIvision I tournament qualifier in ‘19 after forging a successful career in high school. West Point’s Jeremiah Imonode is the 4th seed, and has expressed interest in pursuing Greco on a serious basis in the past. This is why 97 is such a mix. Bonnaccorsi is not “Mr. Greco”, but he is such a stout competitor that, especially in the absence of full-timers, probably deserves a decent seed, and the same is true of Imomode, who expresses correct instincts but lacks some of the nuance usually witnessed at this level.
5PM Ranked Athletes
Nick Boykin #6
Chad Porter #9
Seeds
#1 - Porter
#2 - Boykin
#3 - Amos
#4 - Imonode
#5 - Bonnaccorsi
#6 - Kordell Norfleet
#7 - Hannah
130 kg
We don’t enjoy denying reality around these parts, and the reality is that Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist, 5PM #2) stands as the biggest favorite any of the six available weight classes had to offer. The reasoning is sound: aside from the trio of age-group medals, including a Cadet World title in ‘17, he has also defeated, by now, more than a handful of potent Seniors, is the reigning national champ, and was the runner-up to ‘18 World silver Adam Coon (NYAC/Cliff Keen, world #6, 5PM #1) at Final X: Lincoln. In addition, he can beat opponents in any number of ways. Schultz can go conventional and batter people into positions he likes, negotiate solid turns from top, or counter-attack his way to devastating falls. Rough stuff.
Second-seeded West Cathcart (IRTC, 5PM #7) was overrun by Schultz last year, and not that the result should be ignored, but Cathcart is also not the same wrestler he was then. Formerly an NMU’er (Northern Michigan) who was just starting to seriously develop when he went on hiatus in ‘16, Cathcart returned to competition and right away gained a semblance of consistency he never had when he was down at 98 kilos. He had been training regularly, as well, which bodes well for his chances on Friday.
Donny Longendyke (Minnesota Storm, 5PM #8) is the most experienced Senior in the bracket, and another one who was thought to be stepping away, but he went ahead and qualified for the Olympic Trials last year. Towering, strong, and at times uncompromising, Longendyke is an underrated heavy, but he’s not the only one. Luke Luffman (IRTC) -- who was horrifically jobbed out of a win at the ‘18 Cadet Worlds -- is a wildcard here. It has been a while since Luffman competed in this discipline. It’s where he belongs and he has the right coach to put it all together.
‘17 Dave Schultz gold Malcolm Allen (LOG) is back, it seems, and he is solid enough to potentially make some of this pretty interesting if he can advance. The man people are most curious about at the moment is Tanner Farmer (UA), who played Division I football for Nebraska before transitioning to college wrestling last season for Concordia University. The word on Farmer after one Senior camp is that he is bullishly powerful and freakishly athletic. Naturally, this has everyone’s antenna up, so it will be interesting to watch how he stacks up against any of these monsters in a meaningful competitive environment.
5PM Ranked Athletes
Cohlton Schultz #1
West Cathcart #7
Donny Longendyke #9
Seeds
#1 - Schultz
#2 - Cathcart
#3 - Luffman
#4 - Longendyke
#5 - Farmer
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