InterMat Staff

Donnie Vinson (left) photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com The University at Buffalo could not contain their excitement. A day ago their wrestling teams’ Twitter indicated that they would announce their new head coach on Monday. Well, they couldn’t wait for Monday, so the school announced they are hiring Cornell’s associate head coach, Donnie Vinson, as their next head coach. It will be Vinson’s first head coaching position. No stranger to the state, Vinson comes over after spending the last three seasons assisting the national power from the Ivy League. In each of the last two seasons, Cornell has come away from the NCAA Tournament with a team trophy (2nd in 2024 and 3rd in 2023). During his time at Cornell, Vinson worked with Yianni Diakomihalis - who put the finishing touches on a legendary career with his fourth NCAA title in 2023 and Vito Arujau, who just completed his stay in Cornell with a pair of national titles. In addition, Arujau was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the 2023 NCAA Tournament and went on to capture a Senior World Championship at 61 kg, a few months later. This was Vinson’s second stint on the Cornell coaching staff. He was a volunteer assistant from 2014-17, before leaving for NC State. While in Raleigh, Vinson was a part of a Wolfpack staff that oversaw an NCAA trophy-winning season in 2018 and an individual national champion in the same year. In addition to conference titles during each year of his tenure. Vinson started his coaching career at his alma mater, Binghamton, as a graduate assistant in 2013-14. As a student-athlete, Vinson set the school record for wins (132) and made the CAA finals in each of his four seasons - winning as a junior and senior. In 2012, Vinson finished third at the NCAA Championships. He came into the tournament seeded fourth, but was upset in the first round. From there he battled back the hard way and won seven straight bouts to take third. His placement remains the highest in the DI history of Binghamton wrestling. He’s also a New York native who was a two-time state runner-up and a top-100 recruit coming out of Whitney Point High School. Vinson takes over a Buffalo team that moved on from head coach John Stutzman after 11 years at the helm for the Bulls. As is typically the case during a transition like this, Buffalo has multiple wrestlers in the transfer portal and their two 2024 national qualifiers have already committed to different institutions. Nick Stampoulos (Lock Haven) and Sam Mitchell (Wyoming). In 2023-24, Buffalo went 10-12 in dual competition. They would go on to finish fifth in the MAC with 85.5 points. Buffalo fans should be pleased as the administration quickly moved to get a rising star in the coaching world - and one with in-state ties, as well.

Here are the final results from the 2024 Olympic Team Trials in State College, Pennsylvania. An asterisk indicates that the weight has not been qualified for the Olympic Games and that particular wrestler will need to finish in the top-three at the 2024 World OG Qualifier, May 9-12th, in Istanbul, Turkey. Men’s Freestyle *57 kg - Spencer Lee over Thomas Gilman 6-3, Fall 5:58 *65 kg - Zain Retherford over Nick Lee 2-1, 5-0 74 kg - Kyle Dake over Jason Nolf 4-1, 3-1 86 kg - Aaron Brooks over David Taylor 4-1, 3-1 97 kg - Kyle Snyder over Isaac Trumble 5-0, 4-0 125 kg - Mason Parris over Hayden Zillmer 7-0, 7-0 Women’s Freestyle 50 kg - Sarah Hildebrandt over Audrey Jimenez 10-0, 10-0 53 kg - Dom Parrish over Haley Augello 2-1, 5-3 57 kg - Helen Maroulis over Jacarra Winchester Fall 2:41, 6-0 65 kg - Kayla Miracle over Macey Kilty 8-5, 4-1 68 kg - Amit Elor over Forrest Molinari 6-0, 2-1 76 kg - Kennedy Blades over Adeline Gray 11-6, 8-3 Men’s Greco-Roman *60 kg - Dalton Roberts over Ildar Hafizov 2-0, 1-10, 3-2 *67 kg - Ellis Coleman over Alex Sancho 1-1, 2-0, 3-2 *77 kg - Kamal Bey over Aliaksandr Kikinou 9-1, 6-0 87 kg - Payton Jacobson over Spencer Woods 8-2, 2-5, 3-1 97 kg - Joe Rau over Alan Vera 1-7, 6-0, 8-0 130 kg - Adam Coon over Cohlton Schultz 1-3, 1-1, 6-1

Get ready for the final round of wrestling from the 2024 Olympic Team Trials The first bout of this session is at 53 kg in women's freestyle with Dom Parrish and Haley Augello. Parrish took the first match and starting this one off with a double leg for two. Augello tries a headlock at the buzzer, but no points - Parrish leads 3-0. A takedown for Parrish extends the lead late....she'll win 5-2 and earns a spot on the 2024 Olympic Team. Next up is 87 kg with Peyton Jacobson versus Spencer Woods. Jacobson took the first match. A passivity point for Jacobson results in the only scoring in the opening stanza. Four points for Spencer Woods after passivity and a chance in par terre with a reverse lock. We're going to three matches! 5-2 for Woods in the second. Now we're moving to 62 kg in women's freestyle. Kayla Miracle against Macey Kilty. Miracle took the first match in an exciting contest. With a 1-0 lead in the second, Miracle gets a pair of exposure points - while on the shot clock; to lead 3-0. Kilty adds a point for a reversal. Kilty was in on a takedown for the last :20 seconds of the match. Miracle tied her up and didn't surrender a takedown or exposure points to win, 3-1; however, Kilty's corner has thrown the challenge brick. The original call was confirmed, add a point for Miracle, she'll win 4-1 and is headed to her second consecutive Olympic Games! 125 kg men's freestyle is up next! Mason Parris and Hayden Zillmer. Parris took match one. It's a 1-0 lead for Parris after a period. Early in the second, Parris extends his lead to 3-0 with a big double leg. Parris spins out of a single leg attempt for a takedown of his own, it's now a 5-0 lead. Zillmer continues to attack, Parris thwarts that attack for another takedown, 7-0 is the lead. 7-0 is the final score for Mason Parris. Parris is going to Paris! And now it's 76 kg women's freestyle with Kennedy Blades against Adeline Gray. Blades took the first match. Blades takes an early lead after converting a single leg for a takedown, 2-0. That accounts for the only scoring in the first period - 2-0 Blades going into the second. Blades escapes a tie attempt from Gray to take a 6-2 lead. 1 minute remaining. While Gray was in on a shot, Blades bowls over her for another takedown, 8-2. Gray adds a point for a step-out, 8-3. That's how the match will end....Kennedy Blades is going to the Olympic Games! Match two at 97 kg in Greco-Roman with Joe Rau and Alan Vera. Vera took the first match in the series. Rau will lead at the break 3-0 after getting a passivity point and a takedown from an arm drag. Caution and two from a leg foul...Rau is now up, 6-0. Match number two goes to Joe Rau. Going back to men's freestyle - 97 kg between Kyle Snyder and Isaac Trumble. Snyder won the first bout. Snyder tries a leg attack and is stopped by proceeds to get a step-out to lead 1-0. It's a workman-like 4-0 victory for Snyder. He's headed to the Olympic Games for a third time! We're going to women's freestyle 50 kg bout between Sarah Hildebrandt and Audrey Jimenez. Hildebrandt won the first bout of the series. Low leg attack for Hildebrandt who gets on the board first with a takedown, 2-0. Add another takedown for Hildebrandt, 4-0; she leads 6-0 after the first period. Hildebrandt continues to attack and secures another. A single leg for Hildebrandt accounts for another takedown and a 10-0 tech. Hildebrandt is headed to the Olympics for a second time. It's time for the big boys in Greco. 130 kg - Cohlton Schultz and Adam Coon. Schultz took the first match. He'll get on the board first with a passivity point and that's the only scoring in the opening stanza. Now Coon gets a passivity point, but he can't capitalize from par terre. Coon holds a 1-1 lead on criteria. We're going to a third match! Let's go to a battle between Nittany Lion WC teammates at 74 kg in men's freestyle. Kyle Dake took the first match over Jason Nolf. The first period ends after a lengthy stoppage after Nolf was inadvertently poked in the eye. Dake leads 1-0. Dake gets another point from a shot clock violation. He leads 2-0. Dake gets another on a step-out, 3-0. A late step-out point for Nolf, but Dake will win it 3-1. He's off to his second Olympic Games. It's the second match between a pair of 2020(1) Olympians at 57 kg in women's freestyle. In match one Helen Maroulis pinned Jacarra Winchester. Maroulis gets on the board quickly with a low single for a takedown. That accounts for the only scoring in the first period. 6-0 is the final for Helen Maroulis. She's the first American to make the Olympic team on three occasions. It's time for a pair of world medalists at 68 kg in women's freestyle. Amit Elor vs Forrest Molinari. Elor won match one. A step-out for Elor accounts for the first point of the match. Another makes it 2-0 after a period. Molinari gets a step out point in the third, but it's not enough. Amit Elor wins 2-1. She's headed to Paris for her first Olympic Games. It's the final match of round two, a NLWC clash between David Taylor and Aaron Brooks. Brooks won the first match. Brooks is on the board first after a caution and one, perhaps hands to the face on Taylor(?). Brooks counters a Taylor shot for a takedown. He leads 3-0. That's how the first period ends, with Brooks in the lead. Taylor gets on the board with under a minute left for a shot clock violation. Brooks escapes a Taylor Takedown attempt for a restart. No more scoring. Aaron Brooks is the winner...3-1 in two straight matches. He'll be our Olympic Team representative at 86 kg! We're not done yet! We have five Greco weight classes with third matches required. Starting with 60 kg and Ildar Hafizov and Dalton Roberts. Roberts gets on the board first with a passivity point. Hafizov responds with a takedown of his own. He'll lead 2-1 after one. Roberts throws Hafizov by for a takedown and the lead, 3-2. Roberts takes the match 3-2 and will head to Istanbul to qualify the weight. Now up is 67 kg with Ellis Coleman and Alex Sancho. Sancho has a 2-0 lead after a caution for fleeing. After a passivity call, Coleman with a gut wrench for a 3-2 lead. Coleman hangs on for a 3-2 victory. Coleman will need to go to Istanbul to qualify the weight. An Olympic berth is only the line at 87 kg with Spencer Woods and Payton Jacobson. A passivity call and exposure from a gut wrench puts Jacobson up 3-0 after one period. Jacobson is called for passivity but Woods is unable to convert from par terre, 3-1 Jacobson. Spencer Jacobson holds on.....he wins 3-1 and is headed to Paris for the Olympic Games! The penultimate match of the evening. 97 kg with Alan Vera taking on Joe Rau. An arm drag for a takedown, into a gut wrench and Rau is up 4-0. He'll get two more after defending a Vera throw attempt. Once again, Rau stuffs a Vera attempt and counters for a takedown. That makes a tech, 8-0. Rau is an Olympian! The tournament will end with the 130 kg Greco matchup between Cohlton Schultz and Adam Coon. Step out Coon is up 1-0. Passivity called on Schultz; Coon gets to work in par terre. He gets a gut wrench to go up 4-0. Schultz cant convert on a passivity call, Coon gets to his feet and hustles for a takedown, 6-1 Coon's lead. That's how it'll end, 6-1 in favor of Adam Coon! Coon is Paris-bound!

We're underway on day two from the Bryce Jordan Center! Once again, here's what's going on, as it happens. They're meeting once again! Ildar Hafizov and Dalton Roberts at 60 kg in Greco-Roman. The two Army WCAP teammates have been frequent opponents and are in the first match of their best-of-three series. Dalton Roberts takes the first match 2-0. Joey McKenna earned a 12-2 tech over Blair Academy High School teammate Matt Kolodzik at 65 kg in men's freestyle. McKenna will advance in the consolations. Speaking of ex-teammates, we've got another set in the 57 kg men's freestyle finals with Spencer Lee and Thomas Gilman - both Iowa grads. Gilman gets on the board first after a shot-clock violation. Late in the first period, Lee takes the lead after running Gilman out of bounds with an elevated single leg. Lee breaks the match open in the second with a takedown followed by an arm-bar tilt for exposure. He leads 5-1 in the final minute. Gilman gets to a single of his own, elevates Lee for a takedown - two points were given; however Gilman's corner has challenged. The call is confirmed. Lee gets a point and leads 6-3. Spencer Lee will take match one by that score! Next up we have the first match at 53 kg in women's freestyle between Dom Parrish and Haley Augello. Parrish will take a 2-0 lead into the break. Parrish holds on in the second period to take match one 2-1. Now we've got NLWC teammates Nick Lee and Zain Retherford at 65 kg opening up their series. Retherford takes the first match 2-1. Twins Emilie and Brianna Gonzalez are competing on adjacent mats in the consolations. Back to Greco in the best-of-three finals....Ellis Coleman and Alex Sancho at 67 kg. Coleman holds a 1-0 lead after the first period. Coleman was given an opportunity to work in par terre after a third passivity call in the second period; however, Sancho avoided getting turned and takes the win 1-1. We've got a rematch of the 2020(1) Olympic Trials finals with Macey Kilty and Kayla Miracle in match one at 62 kg. Kilty leads after a fun first period that saw her score with a takedown, a set of exposure points, and a reversal. A late exposure after a Kilty attack gives Miracle an 8-5 win in match one. Time for match one in the series at 77 kg in Greco-Roman between Kamal Bey and Aliaksandr Kikinou. Bey takes a commanding lead in the first after a four-point throw...5-0. Another four-pointer in the second period gives Bey the 9-1 tech. Moving to the big guys...125 kg in men's freestyle. Mason Parris versus Hayden Zillmer match one. Parris is your winner with a 7-0 victory. Now at 76kg for women's freestyle Adeline Gray vs Kennedy Blades. Four points for Blades to Gray's back. The first period ends with Gray getting behind Blades for a takedown and turning her to even the score; though Blades has criteria. A wild flurry at the end, but Blades prevails with an 11-6 win. Onto 87 kg in Greco-Roman with Spencer Woods and Payton Jacobson. In a bit of an upset, Jacobson takes the first bout, 8-2. 97 kg men's freestyle with Kyle Snyder and Isaac Trumble - match one. Snyder leads 2-0 at the break. Snyder cruises to the 5-0 win in match one. Women's freestyle 50 kg and Sarah Hildebrant will take on Audrey Jimenez in a rematch of a 2023 Final X series. Hildebrandt strikes first with a 2-0 takedown. She build that lead into a 10-0 tech. In a battle for past world team members, Alan Vera takes the first match against Joe Rau 7-1. It's an all-NLWC matchup at 74 kg in men's freestyle with Kyle Dake taking the 4-1 win over Jason Nolf. Whoa! An 8-0 lead before a first period fall for Helen Maroulis over fellow world champion and Olympian Jacarra Winchester. Cohlton Schultz takes match one at 130 kg over Adam Coon, 3-1. Moving on to 68 kg in women's freestyle with Forrest Molinari and Amit Elor. Elor takes the first match with a 6-0 win. Aaron Brooks with the first takedown against NLWC teammate David Taylor. In the second period, Taylor gets on the board with a step out. Books with a double leg in the second period to take a 4-1 lead. That's the way the first match will end, with Aaron Brooks the victor. Now, we're heading into match two of the series for weights which haven't been qualified for the Olympic Games (57/65 kg MFS, 60/67/77 MGR) The first of the second round matches features Ildar Hafizov and Dalton Roberts at 60 kg in Greco-Roman. Roberts took the first match. After a series of high-guts, Hafizov will via tech, 10-1 Now it's match two in Spencer Lee vs Thomas Gilman. Lee won the first bout. With under a minute left in the first period, Lee gets a point via a shot clock violation and another from a step out. He leads 2-0. They'll go into the break with Lee up 2-0. Gilman gets a pair of step outs to lead 2-2. Spencer Lee uses an underhook for a takedown followed by two turns and a fall. Spencer Lee is the 57 kg champion!!!! He'll have to qualify the weight for the Olympics in Istanbul. Now we're on to match two in Greco-Roman 67 kg between Alex Sancho and Ellis Coleman. Sancho took the first bout. We're going to a third match as Ellis Coleman posts a 2-0 win. In a battle of NLWC teammates, it's Zain Retherford who prevails in two straight matches. The final score is 5-0!!!!! He'll need to qualify the weight in Istanbul, as well! Kamal Bey is your champion at 77 kg in Greco-Roman! He defeats Aliaksandr Kikinou 6-0. Two-matches-to none. Bey is headed to Istanbul to attempt to qualify the weight for the Olympics.

Men's Freestyle 57 kg Thomas Gilman vs. Spencer Lee 65 kg Zain Retherford vs. Nick Lee 74 kg Kyle Dake vs. Jason Nolf 86 kg David Taylor vs. Aaron Brooks 97 kg Kyle Snyder vs. Isaac Trumble 125 kg Mason Parris vs. Hayden Zillmer Women's Freestyle 50 kg Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Audrey Jimenez 53 kg Dom Parrish vs. Haley Augello 57 kg Helen Maroulis vs. Jacarra Winchester 62 kg Kayla Miracle vs. Macey Kilty 68 kg Amit Elor vs. Forrest Molinari 76 kg Adeline Gray vs. Kennedy Blades Greco-Roman 60 kg Ildar Hafizov vs. Dalton Roberts 67 kg Alex Sancho vs. Ellis Coleman 77 kg Kamal Bey vs. Aliaksandr Kikinou 87 kg Spencer Woods vs. Payton Jacobson 97 kg Alan Vera vs. Joe Rau 130 kg Cohlton Schultz vs. Adam Coon

Jesse Mendez gets on the board first in his bout with Yianni Diakomihalis. He leads 3-2 after one period. Huge double leg for Mendez; followed by exposure for Yianni. Mendez leads 7-4 with under a minute remaining. Another four-pointer and a lost challenge helps Mendez win, 12-7. We've got a shootout brewing at 62 kg in women's freestyle with Katie Lange leading Adaugo Nwachukwu at the break 4-3. Nwachukwu comes back to win in the second period, 6-4. Once again, brothers Chance Marsteller and John Stefanowicz are wrestling, at the same time, next to each other. Former world team member Abby Nette is moving on after a 9-5 win over Cristelle Rodriguez. A takedown at the buzzer by Chance Marsteller gives him a 4-2 win over fellow Pennsylvania native Trent Hidlay. Stefanowicz also moves on with a 3-0 victory over Mahmoud Sebie. Jordan Burroughs takes the early lead on Mitchell Mesenbrink with two takedowns and then a turn after the second, 6-0 in the first period. Burroughs leads 7-0 after one period. Tempers flare at the end of the bout as Mesenbrink bumps Burroughs and Burroughs pushs Mesenbrink's head down. Final score 8-3 The top seed in the challenge tournament at 53 kg, Vayle Baker, falls 3-0 to Areana Villaescusa. Haley Augello holds off a late Katie Gomez takedown attempt to win 3-1. Gomez's corner challenges, which was lost making the final score, 4-1. Kollin Moore takes a 2-2 lead in the second period over J'den Cox. Moore's takedown was the only two-point score. Moore holds on to defeat Cox. J'Den Cox leaves his shoes at the center of the mat. Down early, Isaac Trumble comes back to be Jay Aieillo, 6-4. Forrest Molinari only needs :57 seconds to secure a fall and move on. A set of exposure points for Nick Gwiazdowski late in the third pushes him ahead of Greg Kerkvliet, 3-1. Gwiz counters a last-second desparation attempt for a 5-1 win. Ildar Hafizov blows open a close bout in the second period with a handful of turns in a high gut-wrench. Alex Sancho with a late surge pushes Pat Smith out of bound with one second left in the bout to win 2-2 on criteria. Smith's corner challenges the ruling. The initial ruling was upheld and Sancho wins 3-2. Hayden Zillmer advances after a 5-0 win over Dom Bradley. Big 6-4 win for Yelena Makoyed at 76 kg over Kylie Welker. A four-point double leg off the mat is enough for an 11-1 tech for Kennedy Blades over Dymond Guilford at 76 kg. Spencer Lee earns a place in the 57 kg finals with a 13-6 win over 2023 World Team member Zane Richards. Jen Page takes an 8-7 win over Mallory Velte in a battle of past world medalists. Thomas Gilman advances to the 57 kg finals after a 6-0 win over Daton Fix. Gilman will face fellow Iowa alum Spencer Lee in the championship bout. Both competitors are flat on their backs, worn-out as Aliaksandr Kikiniou outlasts Benji Peak 7-6 at 77 kg. In a back-and-forth affair, it's 2023 World Team member Nick Lee who comes out on top of Andrew Alirez, 10-9. After a failed challenged as time expires, the final is 11-9. It'll be an all-Penn State NLWC final at 65 kg as Zain Retherford downs Jesse Mendez, 3-2. In a battle of Hodge Trophy winners, Alex Dieringer with a big double leg for four points to lead Aaron Brooks halfway through the first period. Brooks rebounds with a four-point double of his own to go ahead on criteria with 2:30 left in the match. Brooks dominates the second period to win 8-4. Zahid Valencia moves on to the challenge tournament finals with a 3-0 shutout over Chance Marsteller. Payton Jacobson wins the challenge tournament final at 87 kg in Greco-Roman with a 1-1 victory over John Stefanowicz by criteria. He'll face Spencer Woods in the finals tomorrow. 10-6 win for Audrey Jimenez over Sage Mortimer. She'll face Sarah Hildebrandt in tomorrow's finals. A shot clock violation point against Jordan Burroughs gives Jason Nolf a 1-0 lead at the break. A 5-3 win for Joe Rau puts him into tomorrow's final opposite Alan Vera at 97 kg in Greco-Roman. Jason Nolf is going to the finals at 74 kg. He defeats Jordan Burroughs 3-0 on the strength of a double leg takedown early in the second period. He'll take on his NLWC teammate Kyle Dake. We'll have an Olympic Trials rematch at 130 kg as Adam Coon techs Aden Attao 9-0 for a meeting with Cohlton Schultz. Haley Augello is in tomorrow 53 kg finals against Dom Parrish. She got by Areana Villaescusa 3-0 to win the challenge tournament. A bit of a shocking result at 97 kg in men's freestyle - Isaac Trumble with an 11-1 tech over 2020(1) Olympic Trials finalist Kollin Moore. He'll face Moore's Ohio State teammate Kyle Snyder tomorrow. A late push out gives Forrest Molinari the edge in a 4-3 victory over Alex Glaude. Molinari will advance to the finals tomorrow against two-time world champion Amit Elor. Dominating 11-0 tech for Kennedy Blades who will move on to tomorrow's women's freestyle finals at 76 kg to take on the legendary Adeline Gray. 5-1 final for Hayden Zillmer who wins the challenge tournament and will take on Mason Parris in tomorrow's 125 kg final. Jacarra Winchester is a step away from returning to the Olympics after a 4-2 win over Alex Hedrick. Macey Kilty hangs on to win 9-8 over Jennifer Page at 62 kg to secure a Olympic Trials rematch with Kayla Miracle. An unusual situation at 86 kg in men's freestyle. The wrestlers bumped into the official as Aaron Brooks was close to taking down Zahid Valencia. Valencia came back with a huge double at the edge for four points to lead 5-3. He'd get another point from a lost challenge. The match was tied on the scoreboard with Valencia ahead on criteria, with under ten seconds left a caution and one was called on Valencia for a singlet pull. 7-6 the win for Aaron Brooks. He'll wrestle NLWC teammate David Taylor in the finals.

Men’s Freestyle 57 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Zane Richards vs. Spencer Lee Daton Fix vs. Thomas Gilman 65 kg Challenge Tournament quarterfinal matchup Jesse Mendez vs. Yianni Diakomihalis Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Nick Lee vs Andrew Alirez Mendez/Diakomihalis winner vs. Zain Retherford 74 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Jordan Burroughs vs. Mitchell Mesenbrink Jarrett Jacques vs. Jason Nolf 86 kg Challenge Tournament quarterfinal matchup Trent Hidlay vs. Chance Marsteller Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Aaron Brooks vs. Alex Dieringer Hidlay/Marsteller winner vs. Zahid Valencia 97 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups J’den Cox vs. Kollin Moore Jay Aiello vs. Isaac Trumble 125 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Hayden Zillmer vs. Dom Bradley Greg Kerkvliet vs. Nick Gwiazdowski Women’s Freestyle 50 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Audrey Jimenez vs. Erin Golston Samara Chavez vs. Sage Mortimer 53 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Vayle Baker vs. Areana Villaescusa Haley Augello vs. Katie Gomez 57 kg Challenge Tournament quarterfinal matchup Abby Nette vs. Cristelle Rodriguez Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Xochitl Mota-Pettis vs. Alex Hedrick Nette/Rodriguez winner vs. Jacarra Winchester 62 kg Challenge Tournament quarterfinal matchups Mallory Velte vs. Ashlynn Ortega Katie Lange vs. Adaugo Nwachukwu Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Velte/Ortega winner vs. Jennifer Page Lange/Nwachukwu winner vs. Macey Kilty 68 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Forrest Molinari vs. Aine Drury Reese Larramendy vs. Alex Glaude 76 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Kennedy Blades vs. Dymond Guilford Yelena Makoyed vs. Kylie Welker Greco-Roman 60 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Ildar Hafizov vs. Sammy Jones Max Black vs. Dalton Roberts 67 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Alex Sancho vs. Pat Smith Ellis Coleman vs. Xavier Johnson 77 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Kamal Bey vs. RaVaughn Perkins Aliaksandr Kikinoiu vs. Benji Peak 87 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Mahmoud Sebie vs. John Stefanowicz Zac Bruanagle vs. Payton Jacobson 97 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Joe Rau vs. Tate Orndorff Nicholas Boykin vs. Diante Cooper 130 kg Challenge Tournament semifinal matchups Adam Coon vs. Donny Longendyke Aden Attao vs. Courtney Freeman

We are live from the Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University: The first time the home crowd was notably loud was for Beau Bartlett in the first match of the day against Nahshon Garrett at 65 kg. Right off the bat we’ve got Ohio State stars Joey McKenna and Jesse Mendez clashing. The current Buckeye took out the returning Trials finalist McKenna in round one. Arizona State freshman Kaleb Larkin logs the first win of the event by lacing and teching Last Chance Qualifier champion Matt Kolodzik The home fans got a glimpse of the future as incoming freshman Connor Mirasola shut down the dangerous David McFadden 4-0 at 86 kg. Amani Jones gets a win via injury default over Carolina Moreno Our first taste of current Penn State teammates competing; 74 kg Levi Haines vs Alex Facundo. Facundo gets the shutout win, 6-0. The highly-anticipated matchup between Penn State four-time national champion Carter Starocci and Patrick Downey is underway. Downey held a lead in the early second period; however, Starocci kept pushing for a takedown then multiple leg laces to take the lead and bring the crowd to it's feet. 9-4 with a minute remaining. Starocci would add to his lead and win, 12-4. The first Greco contest has started between Fritz Schierl and Ryan Epps at 87 kg. Though he held criteria, Ryan Epps got a late takedown to win 5-3. In a battle of young phenoms, Ladarion Lockett jumps out to a huge lead on Meyer Shapiro with a takedown and three leg laces. An impressive 12-1 win for the high school junior Lockett. A pair of Iowa collegiate stars squared off at 50 kg with William Penn's Mia Palumbo defeating Emilie Gonzalez 11-0. In a bout between former heavyweights Oklahoma State freshman Christian Carroll edged Tony Cassioppi 6-6 at 97 kg. The first fall of the tournament belongs to Taylor LaMont who pinned Billy Sullivan in the opening period at 60 kg in Greco-Roman. He just entered the Last Chance Qualifier for fun.....Jaron Smith with a first round win over Gary Traub and advanced in the 125 kg men's freestyle bracket, 6-2. We have three high schooler's on the mat at once with Jax Forrest, Luke Lilledahl, and Marcus Blaze wrestling simultaneously. The Pennsylvania crowd salute's Forrest after a tech over Liam Cronin. Nick Suriano survived Blaze 4-2. Lilledahl took out veteran Daniel DeShazer 3-2. Great win for Tyler Eischens in Greco-Roman at 77 kg over Justus Scott. 9-2 win for Nick Lee over Alec Pantaleo in one of the better clashes of the day thus far. There was plenty of concern about James Green at 65 kg. He held a 3-0 second period lead, but surrendered two takedowns and a turn to Jesse Mendez to lose 6-3. What a match! Yianni Diakomihalis and Kaleb Larkin. Diakomihalis was close to converting a takedown with just over :20 seconds left the in the contest. Larkin held strong in the quadpod position and Yianni decided to try for a turn, which worked for exposure. Final score initially was 10-8 in favor of Diakomihalis before a brick throw. 12-8 is the final in favor of Diakomihalis. Nittany Lion great Aaron Brooks faces future Penn State upperweight Connor Mirasola. Mirasola struck first with a takedown, but Brooks took control of the bout, 11-5. Mirasola was also able to get a pair of late points on exposure. Hard-fought 3-2 win for Alex Dieringer over Mark Hall at 86 kg. Brothers Chance Marsteller and John Stefanowicz are wrestling next to each other at the same time. Stefanowicz had a beautiful arm throw in an 8-0 tech. Marsteller won 6-0. He fell twice to Aaron Brooks in the NCAA finals, but Trent Hidlay gets a win over Brooks' teammate Carter Starocci 6-4 to advance. After a period, Alex Facundo leads Jordan Burroughs 2-2 on criteria. Facundo has the only takedown. Burroughs would rebound with two stepout points and another for a lost challenge to win, 5-3. A second big win today for Jarrett Jacques. He started the day win a win over Vincenzo Joseph and now defeats Quincy Monday, 5-0. Unfortunate injury on mat 1. Braxton Amos will have to default out against Diante Cooper. Big win for Vayle Baker at 53 kg as she defeats Amy Mason 5-3 to advance to the challenge tournament semifinals. 2016 Olympic bronze medalist J'den Cox gets pushed by Oklahoma State freshman Christian Carroll, but prevails 1-1. Haley's back! 2016 Olympian Haley Augello is into the challenge tournament semfinals with a solid 5-1 victory over Felicity Taylor. In an All-ACC challenge tournament quarterfinal Jay Aiello gets the win over Mike Macchiavello, 8-4 at 97 kg. Great first period for Alejandro Sancho/Jamel Johnson. 10-4 in favor of Sancho. Thomas Gilman gives up to takedowns to high schooler Jax Forrest but still wins 5-4. Two Franklin Regional (PA) High School graduates, Spencer Lee and Nico Megaludis meeting on mat 1. Lee gets the 8-0 win. Nick Suriano won their NCAA finals matchup in 2019; however, Daton Fix gets the win here 5-1 A win for Yelena Makoyed over Precious Weiser in a loaded 76 kg women's freestyle weight class, 12-2 In a consolation bout, Beau Bartlett appeared to have the winning takedown over Joey McKenna; however, the call was challenged and the ruling was reversed giving McKenna the match.

Gable Steveson was a generational talent at heavyweight for the U.S., and he backed that up with a gold medal at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games. He has since moved on to the predetermined style of wrestling. However, the cupboard is far from bare on the domestic heavyweight ladder. After Steveson pulled out of the last World Championships, former NCAA champion Mason Parris stepped into the role, brought home a bronze medal and qualified heavyweight for the upcoming Games. This weekend, he will look to earn his first trip to the Olympics. Thanks to his bronze medal, he will be sitting in the best-of-three finals, but there is plenty of quality opposition gunning for the spot. Interestingly enough, Parris has already faced off against every single other wrestler in the bracket. The following looks at that history and how these opponents will challenge Parris at the Trials. Hayden Zillmer The former North Dakota State wrestler enters the challenge tournament as the top seed. He does not have an extensive history with Parris, but the two did face off in the semifinals of the 2021 World Team Trials. On that day, Parris picked up an 8-4 victory and advanced to the best-of-three series against Nick Gwiazdowski. Zillmer has been on an upward trajectory since that loss, as he made the 2022 World Team and recently won the Henri DeGlane tournament in January. Nick Gwiazdowski One of the early signs that Parris was going to be a player on the international scene was an upset victory over Gwiazdowski at the 2020 RTC Cup. The event took place in December 2020, while the college wrestling season was shut down. The two met first in the group stage of the freestyle dual event, and Gwiazdowski took an 18-8 match-termination victory. However, the two then rematched in the semifinals. This time, Parris edged out a 10-7 victory, which was one of his most impressive to date. Gwiazdowski then got some revenge as he swept Parris in a best-of-three series in the finals of the 2022 World Team Trials. Neither match was particularly close as the former NC State wrestler won 6-0 and 10-3. However, Parris won their most recent bout in the finals of the 2023 World Team Trials challenge tournament by a 6-2 score. Greg Kerkvliet The reigning NCAA champion is one of several Nittany Lions scattered across the Trials. He has an extensive history with Parris as the two faced off seven times on the college mats and wrestled in the quarterfinals of the last Olympic Trials. Their collegiate series began at the 2021 Big Ten tournament. Parris was absolutely dominant in the match and walked away with an 11-3 major decision victory. The following season, it appears as if Kerkvliet jumped levels, as Penn State wrestlers often do, and defeated Parris three times including at the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament. However, Parris turned things around as a senior in 2023. In that season, he defeated Kerkvliet three-straight times including a 5-1 victory in the NCAA title match. As previously stated, their only freestyle match came at the 2020 Olympic Trials. It was a close contest, but Kerkvliet ended up advancing with a 4-4 criteria victory. This victory and Kerkvliet’s continued development makes him one of the most interesting challengers for Parris. Dominique Bradley When Bradley’s career eventually ends, it will be interesting to see how many wrestlers he actually faced off against during his senior-level career. Bradley exhausted his collegiate eligibility for Missouri all the way back in 2013, but he has continued to be a fixture on the domestic heavyweight scene. Despite being several years older than Parris, the two have actually wrestled before. Their match came at the 2020 Olympic Trials. Both wrestlers had already fallen into the consolation bracket. Parris had lost against Kerkvliet, while Bradley had lost to Gwiazdowski. Youth prevailed in this contest as Parris scored a 7-3 victory and went on to finish third. Wyatt Hendrickson Hendrickson recently finished his fourth year wrestling for the Air Force Academy. He finished third as a senior to become a two-time All-American and cement himself as one of the best academy wrestlers in recent memory. His only college match against Parris came at the 2022 Cliff Keen Invitational. The Michigan wrestler was able to control the contest and walk away with a one-side 12-5 decision. Their freestyle history is much more interesting. Their first meeting came in the third-place bout of the 2023 U.S. Open, and both wrestlers were able to put points on the board. In the end, Parris’ offense was too much, and he finished the contest in the second period via match termination (20-7). One month later, the two rematched in the semifinals of the World Team Trials. Once again, the heavyweights ran up the score. However, this time, the final result was much closer. Parris scored the first six points of the match, but then Hendrickson roared back to take a 10-6 lead. Parris came all the way back to take an 11-10 lead. Hendrickson then tied it up 11-11, but Parris held the criteria lead. With four seconds left on the clock, the Air Force wrestler appeared to drive Parris out for the one-point victory. Unfortunately for him, time had expired, and Parris escaped with a 12-11 lead after a failed challenge. Christian Lance During Lance’s time at Nebraska, he faced off against Parris twice and managed to score only two points. At the 2019 Cliff Keen, Parris had a 6-1 decision victory. The rematch came in a dual during the 2022 season, and Parris won a 4-1 decision. Interestingly enough, Lance was more successful in their only freestyle match. The two faced off in the round of 16 of the 2020 Senior Nationals. While Parris was still able to win by a 9-4 score, Lance was able to get to his offense. Gary Traub Traub started his career at Ohio State as a backup, but he eventually worked his way into the lineup and qualified for the 2020 NCAA tournament. For his final season, he transferred to Oregon State and saw his career come to an end in the bloodround. His lone match against Parris came under freestyle rules. At the 2023 U.S. Open, Parris was able to jump on Traub early and score a 10-0 less than two minutes into the contest. Demetrius Thomas Thomas has some experience against Parris, but unfortunately for him, the results have been less than positive. During his time at Pittsburgh, he wrestled Parris twice. Their first contest came at the 2019 NCAA tournament, and Parris scored a fall inside the first two minutes. The following November, they wrestled again at the Michigan State Open, and Parris scored a 14-3 major decision. In freestyle, Parris was perhaps even more dominant. He scored a fall over Thomas at the 2023 U.S. Open in only 48 seconds, and he was already leading 8-0 at the time of the fall. Trent Hillger Of all the wrestlers in this bracket, Hillger has the most experience against Parris. His success against the world bronze medalist has been limited, but he does have a victory. While Hillger was at Wisconsin, he wrestled Parris five times and dropped all five matches via decision. They have also faced off four times in freestyle, and it has been boom-or-bust for Parris. In the four-match series, Parris has won by fall twice and picked up a shutout match termination victory. However, in the finals of the 2019 Junior World Team Trials, Hillger was able to score a 7-6 decision victory. It was the first match of a best-of-three series and while Parris was able to win the next two matches, it shows that Hillger can get it done. With the match even at five and under a minute left on the clock, Parris got in deep on a double. Hillger was able to score two on a chest wrap before surrendering the reversal. That was enough to escape with the 7-6 score. Parris has become more polished in freestyle, and he has dominated the series since. However, stranger things have happened in wrestling. Jaron Smith Smith started his college career at Maryland in 2015 as an 184-pounder, and after a variety of injuries, he finished up as a heavyweight in 2023. He was never able to make the All-American podium, but he qualified for the 2022 and 2023 NCAA tournaments. Despite being out of the game, he entered the Last Chance qualifier and surprisingly won it with wins over Colin Pedersen, Nathan Taylor, Jordan Wood, and Jacob Bullock. His only match against Parris came in a dual during the 2023 season. Parris won via a 17-0 technical fall. Smith did have some success riding from the top for a stretch of the match, but that is unlikely to help him in a freestyle context.

I think by nature I’m a bit of a contrarian. When someone tells me I can’t do something, I am that much more determined to prove them wrong. I don’t remember when that became a character trait of mine, or the first time when I became determined to do something I was told I couldn’t do, but I also can’t remember a time when I wasn’t like this. It’s an irrational confidence that sometimes helps in life and sometimes doesn’t help. The point being, I’m doing an Olympic Trials preview right now where I compare some of the trial participants to NBA Playoff teams. Wrestling and Basketball don't always have the same fan base, but I’m one of the fans of both sports, and as such I’m uniquely positioned to write this. Many people say I’m the best person to write this, and I can’t let those people down. So here’s the premise, I’m going to take three wrestlers of my choosing from each weight, and attach them to their NBA playoff team that best represents their situation. There are 20 potential NBA Playoff teams (8 per conference and 2 play-in game teams per conference as well) and obviously, there are more wrestlers than that, which is why this is limited to the 18 of my choosing. Also, I am going to try to focus this on whoever makes the most sense for a comparison in my mind. It won’t be the top three seeds necessarily per weight, but more so where it makes sense. Stick with me on this. This is for fun though, and if you love wrestling and basketball, this should be great for you. If you just like wrestling, then maybe you’ll learn something! Either way, let’s get into it and have some fun! 57kgs - Spencer Lee has looked awesome since he’s been back to freestyle. He’s been dominant in the competitions we’ve seen him in since NCAAs, and he very clearly is a heavy contender for the Olympic spot. In fact, despite not having wrestled many freestyle competitions in recent years, he’s likely the fan favorite. I mean, just the story alone would be amazing right? He fell in the semi’s in his effort to win four NCAA titles, he’s battled injuries throughout his entire career (largely overcoming most of them), and now he’s here and (seemingly) healthy and ready for this run through the Olympics! But there is that looming injury cloud floating around. That uneasy feeling that at any point this run could be derailed. This tournament is tough enough to win while healthy, and sadly Spencer’s track record of health is not ideal. As a result, I’m comparing Spencer to the LA Clippers. At times this year, the Clippers looked absolutely unstoppable. A couple weeks after trading for James Harden, the Clippers went 18-4 from December 26th, 2023 through February 10th, 2024. However, like Spencer, there is the looming injury risk of any of their big 3 (James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George). Plus, like Spencer, they all have a track record of getting hurt at the worst times. They have depth, but the Western Conference is incredibly tough (much like the 57kg bracket), so a healthy playoff run is the only way I can see them making it through. Zane Richards had a great run through the World Trials last year to make the team. He had wins over Nick Suriano, and eventually over World Champion Thomas Gilman to earn the spot. He’s been around for years on the Senior national scene, so anyone who has watched and respected his work was very happy to see him get over the hump and earn that spot. That is all to say that it was not expected though. Anyone who has watched him knew that he was super dangerous, and he’s been consistently competing in high-level international events for the US, so we’ve seen what he’s capable of, and yet it still didn’t seem like he was going to make the run that he did. Similarly, the Miami Heat limped into the playoffs last year as a play-in team, and eventually went on a run through the number 1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks, through the Boston Celtics, and eventually made their way back into the NBA Finals. This team had shown that they could “flip the switch” so to speak, but still, nobody believed it was going to happen. The Heat entered the playoffs this year once again as a play-in team, and once again aren’t quite the favorite, but I don’t think anyone was excited to see them at this point in the year. They tend to find a way to win games you think they wouldn’t, and so does Zane. Thomas Gilman has been the best in the world, and is looking to reclaim that spot. He’s been so dominant at times, and he’s continued to develop his style and evolve over the years. He got really good at that underhook on the left side, and paired with his unrelenting pressure and gas tank, that makes for a dangerous combination in freestyle. He’s coming in with a chip on his shoulder, and something to prove as well, which is a scary thing to think about. All that reminds me of Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks. They won the title a couple of years ago, and Giannis is always one of the guys to fear. You know what he’s going to do, but it’s a matter of stopping him, and most teams can’t do that. Add Damian Lillard to that team and there’s a new element to have to deal with. The results during the regular season have been uneven throughout the year, but in a seven-game series nobody should be excited for that matchup. All that is to say, is that there are no surprises when facing Thomas Gilman, and yet it’s incredibly difficult to stop. Both Gilman and the Bucks are coming in with something to prove and that should be unnerving for the competition. 65kgs - Andrew Alirez is must-see TV. The 2023 NCAA Champion redshirted this season to prepare himself for this Olympic run, and his run through the Senior Nationals qualifier indicates that the training and preparation is going well. Alirez has a lot of ways to beat you. He’s comfortable going upper body, he has great turns from the top, his transition wrestling is smooth and seamless, and he has a variety of setups and attacks from neutral that are dynamic. Those are all very positive things, but this weight class has several guys like that, as well as guys who have been there and done it all before. As such, Alirez is the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC got the 1 seed in the ultra-competitive Western conference this year, and they have looked good all year. They have some dynamic pieces on their team, and they have great chemistry. However, they are very young and have very little playoff experience on their roster. They have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been an MVP candidate all year, along with rookie standout Chet Holmgren, but they lack size and experience. Alirez has everything you need to win it all, but when there are four guys at this weight who have been senior world medalists (James Green, Nick Lee, Yianni Diakamihalis, and Zain Retherford), it makes me concerned that the lack of experience at a tournament of this caliber could be tough to make it through, it’s not impossible, but if it doesn’t happen for Alirez or OKC, it’ll be simply the level of experience rather than talent. James Green is back baby! The 2x World Medalist (2015 bronze and 2017 silver) came out of retirement earlier this year for another run at the Olympics. The last time I saw him wrestle was in Detroit at the Rudis event before NCAAs started, and James beat Zain Retherford in that match. He eventually retired due to injury issues with his hip, but he seems to be healthy and ready for one last ride. He’s as scary as it gets, and I’m sure if he decided to make the return, then he must feel as healthy and explosive as we’ve ever seen him. But this is kind of the opposite of the Alirez thing. James hasn’t competed in one of these qualifiers in a couple of years, and in addition to that, he hasn’t competed particularly well at 65kgs. As good as he is, his age and the weight cut are glaring concerns. I hope that he can get back to the levels that we’ve seen him at in the past, but I just don’t know! Same with the Golden State Warriors. They’ve had injury concerns, Draymond Green concerns, inconsistencies in their performances, lineup changes, and just a lot of things for them to overcome. They are the 10 seed and a play-in team in the West, and despite their history of winning NBA championships and having most of the same roster, this just seems different. It would be great to see both Golden State and James Green make a run, and everyone will love it, but there are some big questions about both. Zain Retherford gets the bye to the semifinals as a result of being the World Champion at 70kgs last summer. Zain was so dominant in college, and he has had some awesome battles over the years with a cast of characters just to make these teams (Yianni, Jordan Oliver, Nick Lee of late, the aforementioned James Green), so him winning the World Championship last year seemed like something that would allow him to exhale. Maybe the title would allow Zain to wrestle a little more freely and somehow make him more dangerous! But I can’t talk about Zain without talking about his physical and grinding style of wrestling. So many times we’ve seen guys with this style not be able to sustain through a big tournament. We’ve referred to this as the Metcalf, where you lose a close one, but you beat the hell out of the guy so badly that they lose their next match and now your tournament is over. Zain didn’t have to worry about that last year, because he just beat all of the dudes, so problem solved! So if I’m focused here on that grinding workman-like style, then that brings us to the New York Knicks. Tom Thibedeau, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunobi, Josh Hart, these dudes are grinders. There is hard-nosed defense from all of those guys, and a guy like Brunson will just find a way to score, despite not having the flashiness of some of the other All-Stars. The Knicks have everything that you’d need to win it all this year. It might not always be pretty, and it might not always be flashy, but it is suffocating and can’t possibly be enjoyable for their opponents. The same can easily be said for taking a ride on the Zain Train. 74kgs - Jordan Burroughs arrives as the 1 seed ready to battle through as tough a domestic bracket as he’s ever seen. In the past, he’s had the great pleasure of waiting in the best-of-three finals, but this year he has to journey through the gauntlet with the rest of the competitors for the joy of wrestling against Kyle Dake for the spot (more on him later). Jordan is an accomplished veteran with a long list of accomplishments in his awesome and storied career, looking for another chance at that top spot. As such, it would be weird if I didn’t liken him to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. King James won the COVID NBA title with the Lakers a couple of years back, and their team will likely have two All-NBA players with himself and Anthony Davis, and yet they are going to need to battle it out with the Pelicans just for the chance to officially make the playoffs, and likely against the defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets. Jordan has been the consummate professional in his career to this point, and it’s been great to hear his perspective on the sport in broadcasts and other events where he’s been on the mic. No matter what happens in these trials, Jordan will either get to extend the legend of Jordan Burroughs, or he’ll lose, but either way, you can trust that he put everything he had into this Olympic run. Kyle Dake has the pleasure of sitting in the finals of the challenge tournament to take on the winner in the best-of-three match. When you make the world finals, you don’t have to do all of the work. You get to chill. A brief aside though, I need to extend my truest condolences to the Dake family. It was announced this morning that Kyle’s father, Doug, had passed away. I cried watching the clip that Kyle had posted of the two of them wrestling for the last time (as I had done many times with my own father who passed away a couple of years ago), and continued to as I read his heartfelt message regarding his father and their relationship. In reading that message, it was easy to recognize the bond that they had. Once again, genuine condolences to the Dake family. Back to my silly article, Kyle Dake in the wrestling world has been as consistent as it gets. He’s won 4 World Gold Medals (2 at 79kgs and 2 at 74kgs), and won the Olympic bronze in 2020, along with a World Silver last year (loss to Sidakov). Kyle has proven that his defense is on a completely different level than the rest of the planet, and with the exception of a weird match in the Olympics 4 years ago in the semis, and the close loss to Sidakov, he’s controlled the world like Thanos. That being said, he lost last year, just like the Celtics. But also like the Celtics, he should be able to comfortably expect to be in the finals. Dake just needs to make weight, whereas the Celtics need to make their way through the East (which should be as easy as making weight). Whoever they face in the finals, both Dake and the Boston Celtics will have their work cut out for them to earn what they covet. Jason Nolf could potentially join the long list of guys who get stuck behind Jordan Burroughs over the course of the last 13 years. At least for Nolf, Burroughs is probably nearing the end of his reign of terror, but then you have Kyle Dake as well, who we all know is aging backward. That has to backfire at some point. Either way, Jason has shown that he has what it takes to be a world medalist, and maybe even a World/Olympic champ one day. I like to think he has at least one more quad in him, which the other two likely would not. But either way, he wants it all right now and certainly has the skill to do it. Maybe it’s too soon? Does he need some more time? There’s undoubtedly a lot to be intrigued with, and clearly a bright future ahead, but it seems a little early. That to me is the New Orleans Pelicans. Zion Williamson looks to be in better shape (finally), Brandon Ingram is certainly something, they have a thousand first-round draft picks, Jonas Valanciunas is a strong option at center and still has a lot of career left. Both New Orleans and Jason Nolf clearly have the pieces to make a run in the next couple of years and end up at the top of the podium, but it just seems like there’s a little too much in their way at the moment. 86 kgs - Aaron Brooks fresh off a fourth NCAA title and Hodge trophy strolls right into this tournament with momentum and excitement surrounding him. He looked as sharp as ever, and even in the anticipated Hidlay v Brooks NCAA final, was able to stop the unstoppable force and control most of the match with his own underhook. It’s one thing to be as talented as Aaron Brooks, it adds a whole new element when he wrestles as smart as he does as well. This weight is rather loaded, but we’ve seen Brooks get wins over just about anyone in the field not named David Taylor. We’ve even seen him beat the likes of Zahid Valencia, casually waiting for his match in the second semis (yes, that’s what it’s called). But like Nolf referenced above, it just seems a little too soon. There’s a juggernaut in front of him who has been beating planet Earth for the better part of the last several years. A man, seemingly made of magic, who can’t be stopped. Brooks has undeniable talent, athleticism, and wrestling acumen, but is he ready? Similar things have been said about Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ant Man is the second coming of D Wade, and has all the charisma and leadership skills that it takes to elevate a team earlier than maybe they are ready. When Karl Anthony Towns went down with an injury earlier this year, Anthony Edwards kept the ball rolling with the Timberwolves and they almost got the 1 seed in the West anyway. Brooks seems like that’s the best comparison for him. Really damn close, but it just seems like the inevitable will be in his way. Zahid Valencia gets his bye to the second semis (I’m not sure if the bracket makers know how brackets work) after his World Bronze at 92 kgs last summer in Belgrade. He is like if you taught a Gatling gun how to wrestle. He’s constantly firing off attacks, ankle picks, snaps, slide by’s, and sweep singles, it’s all there. Sometimes it works out great and he overwhelms almost everyone in the world. Sometimes it doesn’t work and now you’re tired and you have an Aaron Brooks ready to storm back into the match like what happened in the 86 kg World Team Trials last year. But mostly it works, so he keeps doing it. Both Zahid, and his NBA playoff counterpart, can absolutely win it all and if so it will be because their offense is so nasty and unrelenting that the rest of the world can’t keep up. But Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Mavericks of Dallas seem like the right comparison here. There’s unbelievable firepower in this lineup, and their role players seem to be gelling at the right time to get the most of their minutes and opportunities in the lineup. Also, like Zahid, their defense doesn’t get enough credit either. That’s been impressive recently. But at its core, both of them want to outscore you, and both have every bit of ability to do so. David Taylor, the aforementioned Magic Man, is the inevitable though. He’s the Denver Nuggets. He’s shown that he can come through in clutch moments, or in moments right after the match starts, or at the end of the period, or while on the shot clock, or while you’re on the shot clock, or when it’s time to end the match, or on the edge of the mat, it doesn’t matter. If it’s on a wrestling mat, then it’s probably already over. Even his greatest rival, Yazdani, can’t figure out how to beat him anymore. Nikola Jokic is about to win his third MVP in four years, and likely his second NBA title in a row. Despite having the second seed in the West, they’re still the favorites to win it all and have routinely shown this season that when they need to get to another level, they will, and you can’t do anything about it. Is Nikola Jokic magic? Probably. 97 kgs - J’den Cox is healthy! He’s back and he’s healthy and he’s dangerous! It might be easy for some to overlook J’den at this point (not me, but I feel like it’s happening) since he’s been away from winning World Medals for a year, but he won six World Medals in 7 years from 2016 through 2022 (two of them being gold medals, and the only year he didn’t win a medal was the infamous Olympic missed weigh-ins year). But the dude has been a dominant force in the world for years and a beloved figure in the wrestling community. He’s back, and looking to get to the Olympics for the first time since 2016. He has a lot in his way to do it, but it’s not out of the realm of possibilities. That’s why I’m comparing J’Den to the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid, another dominant force (last season’s MVP), was hurt earlier this season. He was out for a couple of months before returning just before the playoffs. He seems to be as healthy as you’d like him to be, healthy enough to compete at a high level, and has his 76ers ready to make a playoff run. Like J’Den, there is a lot in their way, and battling through the East from the 7 seed and a play-in game is a lot to ask, but this roster has the tools to get it done. Both J’Den and Philly are healthy and ready to go! Handsome Nate Jackson made Final X in 2022 and took J’Den to three matches to make the team (J’Den took second in the world that year). He battled some injuries last year, but got surgery and has been steadily preparing for this Olympic run. We’ve seen what he’s able to do when he gets rolling, and despite people knowing how he’s going to attack, they can’t seem to stop it. It’s like, I know that standing on train tracks is a bad idea, but this train can move where you move and eventually it’s going to find you and then you get hit by a train. You can’t get out of the way. Just go with it. So if that’s the case, you have to take down the freight train, which is easier said than done. But offenses like this are hard to come by. Only teams like the Indiana Pacers have that sort of offensive output to compare to a guy like HNJ. They scored the most points per game of any team this year, had the most assists, had the most field goals made and attempted, and overall scored the most points on the season. Only the Boston Celtics had a higher offensive rating overall (all of this according to statmuse.com). Now defensively they were not quite as proficient, but they know that and all that more of a reason to score so many points! They have some special players on their roster, Tyrese Haliburton being the main one, who helps drive that freight train on (or off) of the tracks. We’ll see if both HNJ and the Pacers can score enough points to get it done this summer. Kyle Snyder is nearing a decade of taking first or second in the world. I guess technically he took third in the world in 2019 and 2023, but he’s been unreal for the better part of the last decade. Even longer than that really, he took first at the Junior World Championships in 2013, and then second in Junior Worlds in 2014 as well before starting his Senior level run. It’s almost too casual for us to forget how unworldly this run has been. It’s Bruce Baumgartner-esque. We’re so very clearly in this awesome run of USA wrestling from the last several years, and Kyle is a big part of it, but I still feel like he’s underrated somehow. Similarly to my fellow Kevin, Kevin Durant. He’s clearly one of the best forwards of all time, but his public perception is not at that level. There are reasons for that (I will feverishly defend the Slim Reaper and many of his decisions), but he’s won MVPs, NBA Championships, scoring titles, and battled back through injuries to remain consistent and efficient on offense and defense. He is with a Suns team at the moment that looks like they have the right pieces to make a run, and have enough scoring power to beat anyone. Snyder gets the chance to wait in the best of three finals, and he’s poised to continue this run and add to an already special legacy. 125 kgs - Greg Kerkvliet got it done! He showed emotion! All jokes aside, I was genuinely happy for him when he won his NCAA title. I can’t remember a more impressive wrestler to have only won one NCAA title. He had to go through the best NCAA heavyweight pool that we’ve had in my lifetime, so there’s that piece, but he earned it for sure. He’s shown in the past that he can be a force in the freestyle world, and he certainly has the training partners to help him capitalize on his talent and athleticism to step into this tournament and win it all. Another young team with a chance to put a run together would be the Orlando Magic. Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac, there’s a lot for Magic fans to be excited about. They could have made a run to end up the 2 seed in the East, but in the end, they are in a good spot with the 5 seed and a chance to battle the Cavs who seem like they are in between knowing what they want to do with their team (more on that in a moment as well). Banchero was the number one pick in the draft a couple of years ago, and Greg certainly has "top pick in the draft” energy. Both the Magic and Greg are young and dangerous and shouldn’t be overlooked at all. Nick Gwiazdowski was the beginning of the Heavyweight run that I referenced above. You could make the argument about some other athletic and exciting heavyweights, but in my mind, it really begins with Gwiz. He was so exciting for NC State, and really made the entire field adjust to what he was doing. He continued that run once he got out of college by winning World bronze medals in 2017 and 2018. Since then though, the field seems to have caught up to him. That’s not a knock on Gwiz, but more so an acknowledgment of how he helped change the game. It’s been six years since Gwiz’s last world medal, and since then we’ve had Gable Steveson win Olympic Gold, and Mason Parris win World bronze just last year. It just seems like Gwiz is talented and prepared and has the resume that would back up him making a run here, but there’s something off. Similarly to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have so much talent in the backcourt and the frontcourt, but it seems disjointed. Even their role players are one-dimensional, and as such, predictable. They’re the fourth seed in the East, but I don’t know anyone who predicts that they’ll get it done. I’m a huge Gwiz fan, and I hope he proves me wrong, but I don’t know if he can get past the Magic of Greg Kerkvliet. Mason Parris gets to watch this all unfold comfortably in the best-of-three finals matchup. Chaos through the challenge tournament will unfold as he watches intently, like a hungry Lion ready to jump on injured and weakened prey. Heavyweights around the world are no joke. Gwiz winning two world bronzes is truly impressive, even though it just seems like I downplayed it a ton a moment ago. Guys like Taha Akgul, Geno Petriashvili, Gable Steveson, those guys make it look easier than it is. So Mason’s world bronze from last year is a remarkable thing, especially considering he was not expected to be the guy. Gable had to withdraw before Mason knew it was going to be his time, but he was ready! Now he gets to wait in the finals for the lucky person who gets to battle him for the final spot. He’s the final boss of the video game. His NBA comparison? I don’t have one. I ran out of good teams. He’s not the Hawks (Trey Young sucks), he’s not the Kings (Big DeAaron Fox fan), and he’s not the Bulls (Demar Derozen is super underrated). Those are the only teams I have left. Maybe if you took all the best players from those teams and made one team (Trey Young doesn’t get to be on that team), then that’s what Mason Parris would be. A fantasy draft of the remaining NBA Playoff teams is Mason Parris, who is looking to earn his own trip to Paris to do Parris things.

Even though the collegiate season is over, the news doesn't stop. Particularly in a world with a transfer portal. There have already been some high-profile additions via the portal. The guys discuss these along with the action on the coaching front as there are a handful of openings already and maybe more developing as the coaching carousel starts to spin.

Creighton Prep

Poudre

Princeton

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

It's Olympic Trials week. The full crew is back to preview the action taking place in State College, Pennsylvania on Friday and Saturday.

Dorman

Topeka-Washburn Rural

Vernon-Verona-Sherrill

Millard South

Etiwanda

Neenah

Phillipsburg

South Plainfield

Havelock