The 2022 US Open will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada from April 27-May 1 and will qualify the top 7 finishers at the  World Team Trials on May 21-22. Every year we see wrestlers break out at the open and go on to make the world team or even medal at worlds. In this article, we'll break down the top wrestlers competing at the US Open who have the best chances to make the 2022 world team for Team USA.

Men's Freestyle

Tyler Graff, 61kg
Tyler Graff made the world team in 2019 by defeating 2018 world bronze medalist Joe Colon. At the 2019 world championships, Graff made it all the way to the bronze medal match but came up just short finishing 5th. Last year, Graff gave Daton Fix his closest match of the world team trials in a tight, 2-0 decision for Fix. Graff is currently the favorite of those entered at the US Open and a win in Vegas would set him up to make Final X.

Graff’s 2-0 loss to Daton Fix at last year’s world team trials:

Seth Gross, 61kg
Gross will be one of the most entertaining wrestlers to watch in Vegas but there’s a bit of mystery around what weight he’ll be wrestling. He’s currently entered at 61kg but wrestled (and won gold) at 65kg at the Bill Farrell last month. While Gross would be a long shot to make the world team at 65kg, Gross is a legitimate threat to make Final X and challenge Daton Fix at 61kg. 

Alec Pantaleo, 70kg
Pantaleo was a favorite to make the world team last year until he suffered an injury in the world team trials against Ryan Deakin. Coming off a win against Jordan Oliver in march, and with James Green retired, Pantaleo should be considered a major contender to win the 70kg spot and challenge for a medal at the world championships.

Pantaleo's win over Jordan Oliver from the Flo 8-man tournament:

Jordan Oliver, 70kg
While Oliver has two losses to Pantaleo, he defeated Zain Retherford at last year’s world team trials in a tight, 2-2 criteria win. When wrestling his best, JO is capable of defeating anyone in the world at 70kg. After making the Olympic team but failing to qualify, Oliver is sure to be motivated to make his first world team this year.

Oliver’s win over Retherford from the 2021 WTT:

Alex Dieringer, 79kg
Dieringer is one of the best 79kg wrestlers in the world (currently ranked #3 in our international rankings) but happens to be behind defending world champion Jordan Burroughs. Dieringer lost in two straight matches to Burroughs in last year’s world team trials finals but gave Burroughs a closer match than anyone at the world championships. It’s also worth noting that Dieringer had ACL surgery that kept him from competing at the Olympic trials earlier in 2021. Another year removed from the surgery and Dieringer should be the greatest threat to Burroughs at 79kg. 

Women’s Freestyle 

Ronna Gross, 53kg
Ronna Gross had a breakout year in 2021 making the finals of both the Olympic trials and world team trials. While she wrestled 59kg at the Bill Farrell, Gross is entered at 53kg for the Open and should be the #1 seed and favorite to bring home gold from Vegas. Should Gross win the Open, she’ll earn the #1 seed at the World Team Trials and be set up in a great spot to make Final X. 

Jacarra Winchester, 55kg
As the only world champion currently entered at the US Open, Winchester is an obvious threat to make a world team this year at 55kg. Winchester fell just short at last year’s world team trials losing to eventual world bronze medalist Jenna Burkert. Winchester did, however, take one match from the series against Burkert and if she makes the world team, she’ll be a major threat to win her second world title.

Jacarra Winchester’s 2019 World Title match:

Kayla Miracle, 62kg
Kayla Miracle is currently the only 2021 senior world medalist entered in the US Open and already has a bye to Final X. Miracle is likely using the Open as a tune-up after a long lay-off from regular competition - she didn't compete from October - February and has only two matches since February. 

Kayla Miracle’s win to make the 2021 World Finals:

Emma Bruntil, 65kg
Emma Bruntil had one of the best starts to 2022 of any wrestler for the United States. Bruntil won a gold medal at the Yarygin in Januray where she took out world bronze medalist Forrest Molinari in the finals, 4-2. Bruntil then followed up that performance by winning another gold medal at the Dan Kolov tournament in February she again defeated an American world bronze medalist in the finals - Mallory Velte, 2-2. Two weeks later, Bruntil took bronze at the Yasar Dogu where Molinari got revenge over Bruntil with a pin. Despite that loss, Bruntil is the favorite at 65kg to make Final X to once again take on Forrest Molinari.

Amit Elor, 72kg

Amit Elor is one of Team USA’s best prospects on the women’s side - last year she won a title at both cadet and junior worlds! Now 18, Elor is eligible to compete on the senior level and is a major threat to make the world team at 72kg and bring home a world medal. 

Amit Elor’s win in the 2021 junior world championship finals:

Men’s Greco-Roman

Ildar Hafizov, 60kg
Hafizov has been in the top 3 of the USA’s ladder at 60kg since transferring to the United States from Uzbekistan in 2015. Hafizov was a Tokyo Olympian last summer and made the world team in 2017 and 2019. Now, Hafizov finds himself in a rivalry with Dalton Roberts as the two have traded the leading spot at 60kg over the last five years. Roberts isn’t currently registered for the open but if Hafizov wins in Vegas, expect another showdown with Roberts at the world team trials or Final X. 

Jesse Thielke, 63kg
A 2016 Olympian at 60kg, Thielke made the move up to 63kg and made the world team in 2018. However, Thielke continued to move up and weight but failed to make the world team or Olympic team in 2019 and 2021 at 67kg. Now back down at 63kg, expect Thielke to challenge again once again to represent the United States at the world championships. 

Peyton Omania, 67kg
Peyton Omania is among the USA’s best young Greco-Roman wrestlers. He won a bronze medal at the 2019 junior world championships and competed at his first senior world championships last October in Oslo, Norway. Omania finds himself among one of the tougher fields in Vegas with the likes of Alejandro Sancho (Tokyo Olympian), Alston Nutter (junior world bronze), and Jamel Johnson (2014 world team member, pan-am champ) set to be in the bracket. If Omania comes out on top, look for him to be the leading candidate to represent the United States at this year’s world championships. 

Omania’s win over Sancho to make the 2021 world team:

Kamal Bey, 77kg

Kamal Bey is back! After missing the Olympic trials due to a suspension, Team USA has one of their best Greco prospects back contending for a spot on the 2022 world team. Bey won a junior world title back in 2017 and proceeded to make his first senior world team in 2018. Bey’s first competition back was at the Bill Farrell last month where his only loss came in controversial fashion against last year’s world team rep, Jesse Porter. If Bey is wrestling his best, he’s capable of taking back the 77kg spot and bringing home a medal from Serbia this year at worlds.

Kamal Bey’s match to win the 2017 junior world championship:

Cohlton Schultz, 130kg

NCAA runner-up Cohlton Schultz is back wrestling his best style and looking to make his second straight Greco-Roman world team. While Schultz went 0-1 at last year’s world championships, he’s still only 21 and making major improvements to his wrestling. Schultz was a cadet world champion in 2017 and won two world medals at the junior world championships (bronze in 2018 and silver in 2019). Schultz will be a big favorite to make the world team once again at 130kg and watching him compete in Vegas should be a treat.

Watch Cohlton Schultz make his first senior world team with a win over Jacob Mitchell:

While the above are notable wrestlers, you can view the incredibly deep US Open field here and see every wrestler currently registered for the US Open. Check back frequently, as the registration list is updated daily.