Frank Molinaro (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick has finalized the United States' roster set to compete at the 2018 Freestyle World Cup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on April 7-8 at the University of Iowa, April.
The World Cup is the annual international dual meet championship that features the top eight men's freestyle wrestling teams in the world.
USA Wrestling previously announced one athlete in each of the 10 international weight class. Those wrestlers who are considered the starting lineup for the U.S. team. Included in the initial group of World Cup team members are seven athletes from the 2017 U.S. Senior World Team; the team that won the title at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France last August.
Each team is permitted to enter as many as two athletes per weight class on their World Cup roster, all who are eligible to compete for their team in any of the dual meets during the World Cup event. The USA has added one additional athlete per weight class.
The second group of U.S. World Cup team members is a very talented group of athletes, all who have considerable achievements in international wrestling and on the U.S. college scene.
Leading the new set of American stars on the team is 2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro (Blackburg, Va./Titan Mercury WC/Southeast RTC) at 70 kg/154 lbs. Molinaro competed in the last two Freestyle World Cups for the USA. In 2016, he won a gold medal, going 4-0 at 65 kg in the USA dual meets. In 2017, had a 1-3 record at 65 kg at the World Cup in Iran. His career World Cup record is 5-3. He was an NCAA champion at Penn State.
The other addition to the roster with past World Cup experience is Alex Dieringer (Stillwater, Okla./Titan Mercury WC) at 79 kg/174 lbs. Dieringer had a 2-2 record at the 2016 World Cup in Los Angeles. A three-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, Dieringer is also a past Junior World silver medalist.
Two of the new team members have an Iowa connection, as Joe Colon (Fresno, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/Valley RTC) at 61 kg/134 lbs. was an All-American for Northern Iowa, and Kyven Gadson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids/Cyclone WC) at 97 kg/213 lbs. was an NCAA champion for Iowa State. Both have been National Team members.
Dom Bradley (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC), a past Junior World champion who has made numerous U.S. Freestyle National Teams, is on the roster at 125 kg/275 lbs. Competing at 92 kg/202.5 lbs. is Hayden Zillmer (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm), the former North Dakota State star, who is a member of both the men's freestyle and Greco-Roman National Teams this year. Also on the team is veteran lightweight Frank Perrelli (Charlottesville, Va./Titan Mercury WC/Cavalier RTC) at 57 kg/125.5 lbs.
Three of those joining the team were stars at the recently completed NCAA Division I Championships in Cleveland. Two-time NCAA champions Isaiah Martinez (Leemore, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/Illini WC) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas/Nittany Lion WC) at 86 kg/189 lbs. have been named to the squad. Martinez was a four-time NCAA finalist for Illinois, and Nickal has won NCAA titles the last two years for Penn State. Also on the squad is Joey McKenna (Towaco, N.J./Lehigh Valley WC/Ohio RTC) at 65 kg/143 lbs. McKenna was an All-American for Ohio State and Stanford. All three collegians have been on past U.S. age-group World Teams. McKenna has won World medals on the Junior and U23 levels.
Overall, this U.S. World Cup team has claimed three Olympic medals, 13 Senior World medals, eight age-group World medals and 30 NCAA Div. I national titles.
Ticket opportunities for the World Cup include a Gold all-session package ($225), a Black all-session package ($150), and standard all-session tickets ($75/$50). Tickets are now available on the University of Iowa Athletics website.
Visit worldcupiowacity.com for more information on the event.
FREESTYLE WORLD CUP
At Iowa City, Iowa, April 7-8
U.S. men's freestyle roster
57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC)
57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Frank Perrelli, Charlottesville, Va. (Titan Mercury WC/Cavalier RTC)
61 kg/134 lbs. - Kendric Maple, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC)
61 kg/134 lbs. - Joe Colon, Fresno, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC/Valley RTC)
65 kg/143 lbs. - Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
65 kg/143 lbs. - Joey McKenna, Towaco, N.J. (Lehigh Valley WC/Ohio RTC)
70 kg/154 lbs. - James Green, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC)
70 kg/154 lbs. - Frank Molinaro, Blackburg, Va. (Titan Mercury WC/Southeast RTC)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Isaiah Martinez, Leemore, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC/Illini WC)
79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake, Ithaca, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes WC)
79 kg/174 lbs. - Alex Dieringer, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC)
86 kg/189 lbs. - Bo Nickal, Allen, Texas (Nittany Lion WC)
92 kg/202.5 lbs. - J'den Cox, Columbia, Mo. (Titan Mercury WC/Missouri WF)
92 kg/202.5 lbs. - Hayden Zillmer, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md. (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyven Gadson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids/Cyclone WC)
125 kg/275 lbs. - Nick Gwiazdowski, Raleigh, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack WC)
125 kg/275 lbs. - Dom Bradley, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC)
National Freestyle Coaches - Bill Zadick, Kevin Jackson and Joe Russell (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Honorary Coaches - Dan Gable (Iowa City, Iowa), J Robinson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Mike Duroe (Marion, Iowa)
Note: New additions to lineup marked in bold
World Cup Team, by university they competed for: Ohio State (Stieber, Snyder, McKenna), Penn State (Molinaro, Taylor, Nickal), Missouri (Cox, Bradley), Nebraska (Green, Burroughs), Cornell (Dake, Perrelli), Iowa (Gilman), Oklahoma (Maple), Northern Iowa (Colon), Illinois (Martinez), North Dakota State (Zillmer), Iowa State (Gadson), NC State (Gwiazdowski), Stanford (McKenna), Oklahoma State (Dieringer)
Frank Molinaro's previous World Cup results
2017 World Cup, Kermanshah, Iran, Feb. 16-17
WIN Iveriko Julakidze (Georgia), 10-1
LOSS Chermen Valiev (Russia), 4-4
LOSS Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan), 4-1
LOSS Meisam Nasiri (Iran), 5-4
2016 World Cup, Los Angeles, Calif, June 11-12
WIN Rajneesh (India), 5-0
WIN Magomed Muslimov (Azerbaijan), 4-1
WIN Sayed Mohammadi (Iran), 4-3
WIN Zurab Iakobishvili (Georgia), 4-4
Alex Dieringer's previous World Cup results
2016 World Cup, Los Angeles, Calif, June 11-12
LOSS Parveen Rana (India), 4-4
WIN Ashraf Aliyev (Azerbaijan), 8-0
LOSS Hassan Yazdanicharati (Iran), 10-0
WIN Yakob Makarashvili (Georgia), 10-1
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