2024 Olympic Team Trials Men's Greco-Roman Preview (87, 97, 130kg)
It’s almost here! The field has been set and the eyes of the American wrestling world are ready to collectively focus on State College, Pennsylvania, the setting of the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials. The Trials are always incredible and a must-see for fans; however, this one is a bit more special after the most recent Trials. Delayed by a year, because of COVID, the 2020(1) Trials were moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and did not have the type of crowd that is expected to pack the Bryce Jordan Center this time.
Our previews have been broken down to half of a particular style at a time. Last week, we started with men's freestyle, then moved into women's freestyle. Now we're wrapping up with Greco-Roman. Today we're hitting the final three weights - coincidentally, these three weights have been qualified for the Olympic Games, so the winners at these weights can celebrate then focus on Paris.
For each weight, we’ll mention the qualifiers, along with how they qualified, and notes about each of the participants, followed by a finals prediction.
87 kg qualifiers
Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier finalist - Spencer Woods
2023 World Team member - Zac Braunagel
2020 Olympic Team member - John Stefanowicz
2021 World Team member at non-Olympic weight (82 kg) - Ben Provisor
2023 Bill Farrell champion: Timothy Young
2023 Bill Farrell champion (77 kg): Payton Jacobson
Senior Nationals runner-up: Mahmoud Sebie
Senior Nationals third place: Richard Carlson
2024 Armed Forces runner-up: Ryan Epps
Last Chance Qualifier champion: Fritz Schierl
If you’ve been following our previews in order from smallest to largest, you’ll notice this is the first weight that has been qualified for the 2024 Olympics. Spencer Woods’ two wins at the Pan-American Olympic Games qualifier ensured that an American would be wrestling in Paris at this weight. The question now is which one? Woods has a leg up on the competition since he’ll have a bye to the best-of-three series and will await an opponent to emerge. He’s had a great last year - earning his first spot on a Senior World team (at 82 kg), along with a dominant showing at Senior Nationals and a solid win over Daniel Gregorich Hechavarria (Cuba) at the OG Qualifier.
There’s a handful of experienced competitors at this weight that makes it more than just a cakewalk for Woods. Zac Braunagel is the returning world team member at this weight. He picked up a win in his Senior World event, but did not advance after that. The Illinois star was fourth at Senior Nationals, after a close loss to Woods in the semi, and went 1-1 at the Pan-American Games.
The top seed is expected to belong to Mahmoud Sebie. Sebie was a 2016 Olympian for Egypt and is a new American citizen. His first competition domestically was Senior Nationals, where he fell in the finals to Woods. Since then, Sebie attended the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event and was defeated in the bronze medal matchup.
Oh yeah, we also have a pair of past Olympians in the bracket with #4 John Stefanowicz and #6 Ben Provisor. Stefanowicz won this weight class in 2020(1) in a pair of very tight, controversial matches over Joe Rau. A young Woods finished fourth in the bracket. Provisor was an Olympian in 2012 and 2016, as well as a world team member in 2017 and 2021.
On the top half of the bracket, ready for a quarterfinal matchup with Stefanowicz is 2022 Final X participant Timothy Young. The two have met a handful of times within the last year - Stefanowicz has won them all, though all are close.
Another contender to account for is the second seed, Richard Carlson. Carlson gets that distinction after defeating Braunagel for third place at Senior Nationals. A month earlier, Carlson was a semifinalist at the Bill Farrell, where he lost to Young.
Prediction: Spencer Woods over Mahmoud Sebie
97 kg Qualifiers
Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier finalist - Alan Vera
2023 World Team member - Joe Rau
2022 World Team member - Braxton Amos
2023 Bill Farrell fourth place - George Sikes
Senior Nationals third place - Tate Orndorff
Senior Nationals fourth place - Nicholas Boykin
Senior Nationals fifth place - Michael Altomer
2024 Armed Force runner-up - Diante Cooper
Last Chance Qualifier champion - Brandon Marshall
Like 87 kg, 97 has been qualified for the Olympic Games and, as a result, Alan Vera will sit in the best-of-three finals waiting for the rest of the bracket to sort itself out. Vera made the 2021 and 2022 World Team at 87 kg, but was injured last year while trying to make it three-in-a-row at Final X. He has since moved up to 97 kg and won handily at Senior Nationals over 2023 world team rep, Joe Rau. Not only did Vera make the Pan-American OG qualifier finals, but the prior week he made the finals of the Pan-American Championships.
The aforementioned Rau made a third world team at a third, distinctively different weight class in 2023 - after making it in 2017 (87 kg) and 2014 (80 kg). Earlier this year, Rau picked up a bronze medal overseas at the Dan Kolov with a fall in his last match. Rau is looking to break through and make his first Olympic squad after the controversial series the last time around.
One of the fresh faces on the Greco circuit and in this weight class is 2022 World Team representative Braxton Amos. After his freshman year at Wisconsin, Amos made it to Final X before losing in two straight matches to G’Angelo Hancock. When Hancock withdrew from the team, Amos stepped up and wrestled in Belgrade. At the tail end of his sophomore year of college, Amos was injured and unable to participate in any of the events leading up to Final X. Amos did return to competition in March and went 1-2 at Thor Masters.
The biggest potential hurdle standing between Amos and the challenge tournament finals is Nicholas Boykin, the third seed. Boykin was a 2022 U23 World Team member and a finalist at the 2023 US Open - losing to Rau in the finals. In December, Boykin was fourth at Senior Nationals, behind Tate Orndorff, though they did not wrestle for third and Boykin was victorious in the quarterfinals. The two have to be very familiar with each other since they were teammates at Ohio State. Orndorff earned All-American honors for the Buckeyes before turning his focus to the Greco world. He’ll assume the fourth seed.
First up for Orndorff is another young star, Michael Altomer. At the 2023 World Trials, Altomer won at both the U20 and U23 levels and went on to compete at the U23 World Championships. He finished the calendar year with a fifth-place finish at Senior Nationals; losing to Vera and Boykin.
Another past U23 World Team member in the bracket is #6 George Sikes. Sikes made the team in 2018 and got into the Trials after a fourth-place finish at the Bill Farrell.
Prediction: Alan Vera over Joe Rau
130 kg qualifiers
Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier finalist - Cohlton Schultz
2019 World Team member - Adam Coon
2022 U20 World Bronze Medalist - Aden Attao
2023 Bill Farrell runner-up - Courtney Freeman
Senior Nationals fifth-place - Donny Longendyke
2024 Armed Forces runner-up - Jermiah Imonode
Last Chance Qualifier champion - Jacob Mitchell
We’ve got the smallest bracket for the biggest men in the tournament, as only six wrestlers are in the 130 kg challenge tournament and Cohlton Schultz waits in the finals. Schultz gets the honor after qualifying the weight for the Olympic Games in the Pan-American OG Qualifier. In between trips to the NCAA podium for Arizona State, Cohlton Schultz has made the last three Senior World Teams. He also fell to Adam Coon in the last Olympic Trials.
Much has changed since those faithful Trials in Fort Worth, Coon stepped away from wrestling to pursue an NFL career and Schultz has continued to mature and improve in the Greco discipline. Last year, the two met in the finals of the US Open and at Final X and Schultz took all three matches.
When focused on Greco, Coon captured a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships. In the lead-up to the Trials, Coon dominated his way through the Bill Farrell and fell to Schultz in the Senior National finals.
Receiving the third seed is the youngest member of the bracket, Oregon State’s Aden Attao. Attao has made a pair of U20 world teams - he took bronze in 2022 and was seventh last year. In both years, Attao captured gold at the U20 Pan-American Championships. He likely got the third seed based on his third-place finish at Senior Nationals.
Opposing Attao first in the quarterfinals is Courtney Freeman, the runner-up to Coon in the Bill Farrell finals. A month later, he was a runner-up to Coon at Senior Nationals.
The #4/#5 matchup in the quarterfinals pits #4 Jacob Mitchell against veteran #5 Donny Longendyke. You have to go back a few years now, but Mitchell does have the historical upper hand against Longendyke. Mitchell did defeat him 4-1 at the 2021 World Team Trials. Longendyke was fourth at Senior Nationals after losing to Freeman and Attao.
The final member of this weight class is Armed Forces runner-up Jermiah Imonode who is a member of the Army WCAP.
Prediction: Cohlton Schultz over Adam Coon
