FEATURE: Senior national champions Mango and Ahearn enter University World Trials

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials is just three weeks away, and the nation's top wrestlers are focusing on their life-long dream of making an Olympic team. For two of the U.S. National Greco-Roman champions who enter the Olympic Trials as top seeds, part of their preparation includes entering the University World Team Trials this weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo.

2008 U.S. Nationals champions Spenser Mango (St. Louis, Mo./Gator WC/USOEC) and Brad Ahearn (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) are among the entries this weekend at the University World Team Trials.

Both made big news in Las Vegas, Nev. a few weeks ago with victories over top-ranked athletes and past World medalists. Both are training hard for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which will be held in Las Vegas, June 13-15.

Mango won his first U.S. Nationals title with a victory over 2006 World bronze medalist Lindsey Durlacher (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC). Ahearn also won his first national title with a win over 2007 World silver medalist Brad Vering (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC).

Why are these athletes here this weekend, when many of their Senior-level opponents are back at home concentrating on their training?

Mango, who won the University National Championships up a weight class at 60 kg/132 lbs., enters the tournament as the top seed, moving directly into the championship series on Saturday night.

"I came here to wrestle at 60 kg, and get my weight down slowly for the Olympic Trials. It is a good chance to get some extra matches. I sit out until the final series, so hopefully I have only two matches here. It allows me some extra mat time," said Mango.

Mango knows the importance of qualifying for the University World Team, having won a gold medal at the University World Championships in Ulan Bator, Mongolia in 2006.

"I thought it was a big confidence booster, competing overseas and winning. You see the same guys at the University Worlds that you see at the Senior level. It is great to get some wins against some big name wrestlers. It was a great thing for me to do," said Mango.

Ahearn did not compete in the University National Championships, so he had to enter the Challenge Tournament portion of the competition on Friday. In the morning session, Ahearn won three bouts. He scored technical fall wins against Phil Mehnert of the Minnesota Storm, 6-0, 7-0 and Peter Hicks of the U.S. Air Force, 8-0, 6-0. In the Challenge Tournament finals, he defeated Jeremy Pederson of the U.S. Marines, 1-1, 2-1.

In the Championship Series on Friday night, Ahearn will battle University Nationals champion Chas Betts of the Minnesota Storm. Betts placed third at the U.S. Nationals on the Senior level this year. Ahearn defeated Betts in the U.S. Nationals semifinals in Las Vegas, 5-0, 3-0.

"It is always good to have matches before the Trials," said Ahearn. "It is about match count. There are some tough competitors here. This is the same format at the Olympic Team Trials, and I wanted to get that in, also."

Both of these U.S. Nationals champions have complete support from their coaches in their decision to try out for the University World Team.

"It gets him a couple of matches," said USOEC assistant coach Jim Gruenwald, a two-time Olympian as an athlete. "Early in my career, we had the Nationals, then the Concord Cup and then the Trials. It was great to have that competition in between the Nationals and Trials. There is something about competition that makes your sharper.

Ahearn's entry in the tournament is supported fully by his coach Shon Lewis. On the international level, the athletes must be entered in a college program in order to participate at the University World Championships. The current interpretation concerning military school now allows a number of the U.S. Army athletes to try out for the University team this year.

"I have been trying to get guys into this tournament for years. This is the first time that Ahearn can enter this tournament. If we had been involved, just imagine how far they would have progressed. They credit this tournament for the upsurge in Mango's career. Consider how many international matches he got by competing at the University World Championships."

Lewis did not have to convince Ahearn to try out for the University World Team. In fact, Ahearn was the one who pushed for it.

"This is something he wants to do," said Lewis. "I didn't have to tell him to do it, nor did I have to convince his other teammates. They all want to be in this. This event helps everybody, even the guys who beat one of my guys."

The coaches agree that it is very good for these U.S. Nationals champions to put it out on the line in competition prior to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

"Brad is here to get some matches and work on some things," said Lewis. "He is here to make a University World Team, which will continue to sharpen his skills. This is not a large tournament. He will have four or five matches today. This is good for him. You can't sit on your accomplishments. He had a great accomplishment by winning the U.S. Nationals. But that banana is all rotten now. You have to go get another one."

"This tournament is great," said Gruenwald. "It is an awesome opportunity for Spencer and Brad. They aren't sitting on their nationals credentials. They don't just sit back and wait. They are showing their titles were not flukes. They are saying to everybody, 'I will stop on the mat anytime I can, and I will re-prove it over and over again. For people who avoid competition, their titles are weak. You have to put it on the line if you want to get better."

What if Mango or Ahearn win both the University World Team Trials and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials? Will they decide to compete in both competitions this summer?

"I think I will make that decision later. I would like to win this weekend so I have that option. We will wait on making that choice," said Mango.