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    Andrew Hipps •

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    2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Preview: Greco-Roman

    In 2007, the U.S. Greco-Roman Wrestling Team made history by winning the team title for the first time ever at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Four wrestlers on that team placed in the top five and three brought home World medals, but none of those World medals were gold. Interestingly, of the four U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers who placed in the top five at the 2007 World Championships, only one of those wrestlers, Dremiel Byers, won the 2008 U.S. Nationals title. Unfortunately, the U.S. has not qualified the 60 kg weight class for the Olympics. Despite that misfortune, this year's U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team will surely be one of the favorites to strike gold in Beijing. But who will represent the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing? Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown with predictions of this weekend's U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Greco-Roman.

    Spenser Mango defeated Lindsey Durlacher for the first time in his career at the 2008 U.S. Nationals (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)
    55 kg: Spenser Mango defeated Lindsey Durlacher for the first time his career to win the 2008 U.S. Nationals and was named Outstanding Wrestler of the event. Prior to the 2008 U.S. Nationals, Durlacher had defeated Mango 10 consecutive times. Durlacher has been on the past three U.S. World Teams and placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships. Jermaine Hodge placed third at the U.S. Nationals. Sam Hazewinkel, who is just over a year removed from his collegiate wrestling career at Oklahoma, placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, losing to Mango in the semifinals. Hazewinkel's father, Dave, and uncle, Jim, are former U.S. Olympians in Greco. Hazewinkel will likely get another shot at Mango in the semifinals at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. Both are young and talented Greco stars. Mango is a bit more explosive, but the two are very evenly matched.

    Florida high school star Eric Grajales, who is a three-time state high school champion for Brandon High School, placed fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Josh Habeck, who placed third at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials and seventh at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, should also be in the mix.

    RevWrestling.com Prediction: Spenser Mango over Lindsey Durlacher

    60 kg: This is the lone weight class that the U.S. has not qualified for the Olympics in Greco-Roman, which is strange considering that this weight class has been one of the strongest weight classes for the U.S. Greco-Roman Team in recent years. In 2006, Joe Warren won a World title and was the self-proclaimed baddest man on the planet. But in 2007, Warren tested positive for metabolites of cannabis or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and received a two-year suspension, which not only forced him to miss the 2007 World Championships, but also put an end to his Olympic dream. With Warren no longer in the picture, 2007 U.S. World Team member Joe Betterman, who was runner-up to Warren at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials, becomes the favorite. Betterman lost to his Northern Michigan coach, Jim Gruenwald, a two-time Olympian, in the finals of the 2008 U.S. Nationals. However, Gruenwald dislocated his shoulder competing in Rome while trying to qualify the weight class for the Olympics, which put an end to his competitive wrestling career. Glenn Garrison was the 2007 U.S. Nationals champion at 66 kg, but moved down to 60 kg this season. He placed third at the 2008 U.S. Nationals and is certainly one of the favorites in this weight class. California native Marco Lara placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. U.S. National Team member Jeremiah Davis placed fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, where he defeated Lara, but lost to Betterman and Garrison. Willie Madison lost in three periods in the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Nationals to Jim Gruenwald and eventually placed sixth. Eric Stevenson and Donny DePatto could also challenge.

    RevWrestling.com Prediction: Joe Betterman over Glenn Garrison

    Harry Lester is a two-time World bronze medalist and has not lost to an American wrestler at 66 kg since the 2005 U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)
    66 kg: Two-time World bronze medalist Harry Lester did not compete at the 2008 U.S. Nationals due to sickness. The 24-year-old Lester is the prohibitive favorite in this weight class and has not lost to an American wrestler at 66 kg since the 2005 U.S. World Team Trials. Mark Rial was the 2008 U.S. Nationals champion and enters the event as the No. 1 seed, but still remains the underdog. Rial, a former wrestler for Northern Iowa, has put together a good season He was runner-up at the Dave Schultz International Memorial behind World champion Nikolay Gergov of Bulgaria. At the Vehbi Embre Grand Prix, Rial placed fifth, losing a close match to Olympic silver medalist and World champion Seref Eroglu of Turkey. Greco-Roman phenom Jake Deitchler was runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Nationals to Rial. Deitchler, who hails from the same high school, Anoka (Minnesota), as 1996 Greco-Roman Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson, has been an age-group star his entire career. Paulson calls Deitchler the best high school Greco-Roman wrestler he's ever seen.

    Faruk Sahin has been knocking on the door and will certainly be in the mix. In 2007, Sahin was runner-up at the U.S. Nationals and placed fourth at the World Team Trials. Sahin was pinned by Deitchler in the quarterfinals at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, but came back to place third. This weight class includes a number of veterans with a lot of experience, including Jacob Hey, Marcel Cooper, Oscar Wood, and Mike Ellsworth. Cooper is a former U.S. World Team member, while Wood is a former Olympian.

    RevWrestling.com Prediction: Harry Lester over Faruk Sahin

    74 kg: T.C. Dantzler, who has been on the past five U.S. World Teams, enters the event as the frontrunner in this weight class. The 36-year-old veteran was fifth at the 2006 World Championships. He receives an automatic berth in the best-of-three championship finals after winning the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Keith Sieracki, like Dantzler, is a veteran who has been in the mix for over a decade. Sieracki was a member of the 2001 U.S. World Team and also won the Olympic Team Trials in 2000 and 2004. However, Sieracki did not compete in either of those Olympics. In 2000, he lost a controversial legal battle to Matt Lindland. In 2004, the U.S. did not qualify the weight class for the Olympics, which prevented Sieracki from competing. Young and talented Andy Bisek, who competes for the USOEC in Northern Michigan, appears to be the future in this weight class and maybe even the now. Bisek, who was runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Nationals to Dantzler, has had an outstanding season. He beat the defending World champion, Yavor Yanakiev of Bulgaria, at the Dave Schultz Memorial before losing a tight match to Harry Lester in the semifinals. Bisek also won his second straight University Nationals title. Two other Northern Michigan wrestlers, Jake Fisher and Cheney Haight, placed third and fourth respectively at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Ken Cook, who concluded his collegiate career at UC Davis just over a year ago, has been an age-group star throughout his career. He was third at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials and placed fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals while competing at 84 kg. Jess Hargrave placed fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals with his only losses coming to Dantzler and Haight.

    RevWrestling.com Prediction: Andy Bisek over T.C. Dantzler

    Brad Ahearn defeated Brad Vering to win the 2008 U.S. Nationals title (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)
    84 kg: This is perhaps the most intriguing weight class at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Greco-Roman. It includes two former Olympic or World team members in Brad Vering and Jake Clark. Interestingly, though, the No. 1 seed in this weight class is neither Vering nor Clark. It is Brad Ahearn, who defeated Vering to win his first U.S. Nationals title. Ahearn moved down to 84 kg after competing at 96 kg last season. He is a strong, powerful wrestler who is wrestling with a lot of confidence right now. Vering was a silver medalist at the 2007 World Championships and was also a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team. Clark, who did not compete at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, has been runner-up to Vering numerous times at the U.S. Nationals and the U.S. World and Olympic Team Trials. However, in 2006, Clark won both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials and represented the U.S. at the World Championships in Guangzhou, China.

    Chas Betts is a young, rising star who placed third at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Betts won a silver medal at the 2006 World University Championships. Aaron Sieracki is a veteran who has the experience and ability to contend for the top spot. He placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, but has defeated Vering in the past. Another dangerous wrestler is Jake Plamann, who competes for Northern Michigan. Plamann, who placed third at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials, lost to Betts in the opening round of the 2008 U.S. Nationals, but battled back to place sixth.

    RevWrestling.com Prediction: Jake Clark over Brad Vering

    96 kg: Justin Ruiz has been the man to beat in this weight class for the past five years. He has won four U.S. World Team Trials titles and five U.S. Nationals titles. In 2005, Ruiz earned a bronze medal at the World Championships. Ruiz has yet to make a U.S. Olympic Team. He lost in the finals of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials to Garrett Lowney. Ruiz has earned an automatic berth into the best-of-three championship finals. If everything goes according to seeds, Ruiz will face either R.C. Johnson or Adam Wheeler for a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. Johnson, who was runner-up to Ruiz at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, has steadily climbed the Greco-Roman ladder in the U.S. The Minnesota native wrestled in the Northern Michigan program, where he improved by leaps and bounds, before moving to Colorado Springs to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Wheeler, who also wrestled at Northern Michigan, was runner-up to Ruiz at the 2005 and 2007 U.S. World Team Trials. He was upset in the opening round of the 2008 U.S. Nationals by Frank Workman, but won five straight matches in the consolation bracket to place third. Robbie Smith is a young and talented wrestler who placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Justin Millard was a U.S. Nationals runner-up in 2007, but finished fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, losing to Johnson and Smith.

    RevWrestling.com Prediction: Justin Ruiz over Adam Wheeler

    120 kg: Dremiel Byers was a World champion in 2002, a World bronze medalist in 2007, and has made the past three U.S. World Teams. However, he has yet to make a U.S. Olympic Team. In 2004, Byers lost in the finals of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to Rulon Gardner. He has earned an automatic berth in the best-of-three championship finals. If he wrestles to his ability, Byers should make his first U.S. Olympic Team. But he admitted after the 2008 U.S. Nationals that the wrestlers are getting a lot better and that he's had to work harder to stay at the top. Russ Davie has been runner-up to Byers at the past three U.S. World Team Trials … and most recently was runner-up to Byers at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Timothy Taylor finished third at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, losing to Davie in the semifinals. Taylor upset Byers at the 2007 U.S. Nationals en route to a runner-up finish. Erik Nye placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, losing only to Byers and Taylor. Another very talented wrestler to watch in this weight class is Cole Konrad, who placed seventh at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Konrad, who won two NCAA heavyweight titles for Minnesota, switched from freestyle to Greco eight months ago.

    RevWrestling.com Prediction: Dremiel Byers over Russ Davie

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    		WeightPredicted FinalistPredicted FinalistPredicted Champion

    .

    		55 kgSpenser MangoLindsey DurlacherSpenser Mango

    .

    		60 kgJoe BettermanGlenn GarrisonJoe Betterman

    .

    		66 kgFaruk SahinHarry LesterHarry Lester

    .

    		74 kgT.C. DantzlerAndy BisekAndy Bisek

    .

    		84 kgJake ClarkBrad VeringJake Clark

    .

    		96 kgJustin RuizAdam WheelerJustin Ruiz

    .

    		120 kgDremiel ByersRuss DavieDremiel Byers
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