Greco-Roman preview for 2017 U.S. Senior Nationals/Trials Qualifier in Las Vegas
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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
| Geordan Speiller was the 2016 U.S. Open champion at 75 kg. |
Senior Nationals champions at the Olympic weights will receive the top seed at the Trials, set for April 25-28.
59 kg/130 lbs.
2016 U.S. Open Champion: Ildar Hafisov (U.S. Army WCAP)
With the absence of 2016 Olympian Jesse Thielke and eight-time World team member Spenser Mango, the favorite this weekend is Olympic Team Trials runner-up Ildar Hafizov.
Hafizov, who is now a naturalized U.S. citizen, was a 2008 Olympian for Uzbekistan and is a veteran on the Senior scene, competing in three other World Championships for his home country. He is expected to compete for the first time since the Olympic Trials in April and looks to repeat as U.S. Open champion.
Several talented athletes flood the field, including Spenser’s brother, Ryan.
Ryan Mango is a two-time U.S. National Team member. He placed third at the Olympic Trials and produced a runner-up finish at the 2013 World Team Trials. The two-time NCAA All-American has a good history at the U.S. Open, having placed in the top-seven the last six years, including a third-place finish last year.
Another two-time National Team member expected to attend is Max Nowry, who made the team in 2012 and 2013. Nowry, a 2012 University World champion, has been successful in his 2016 competition, taking gold at the Armed Forces Championships and finishing third at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. He looks to improve on his fifth-place finish form last year’s U.S. Open.
A trio of recent Junior World team members in Hayden Tuma, Dalton Roberts and Randon Miranda are registered for the event.
Tuma is a two-time Junior World Team member (2013, 2015) and is fresh off a silver-medal finish at last month’s Bill Farrell International.
Roberts wrapped up his second-consecutive stint on the U.S. Junior World Team and holds the title of 2016 University Nationals champion.
In August, Miranda placed seventh at his first Junior World Championships. He also traveled to the Austria Junior Greco-Roman Cup in February, where he won silver.
Other notable names at the weight are University World bronze medalist Sammy Jones, Jordan Auen and Jordan Varona.
66 kg/145 lbs.
2016 U.S. Open Champion: Ellis Coleman (U.S. Army WCAP)
Ellis Coleman, the reigning U.S. Open champion returns to the field, where he will see solid competition. Coleman has a solid resume of his own as a 2012 Olympian, 2013 World Team member, four-time National Team member, two-time U.S. Open champion and a Junior World bronze medalist. He most recently competed at the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials, where he took third at 71 kg.
Coleman will likely see foe Alejandro Sancho at some point in the tournament.
In November, Sancho defeated Coleman with an 8-0 technical in the Non-Olympic Trials semifinals and went on to finish second. The Florida native also put up a 6-4 win over Coleman in the third-place bout of the Olympic Trials.
Sancho earned a spot on the U.S. National Team at two different weights this year, taking third in the Olympic Trials at 66 kg and most recently finishing second in the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials at 71 kg in November. The 2014 Junior World Team member, also captured a gold at the Pan-American Championships and finished fifth at the 2016 U.S. Open.
Others to watch out for include Armed Forces champion Michael Hooker and University Nationals champions Austin Morrow and Dmitry Ryabchinskiy.
71 kg/156.5 lbs.
Non-Olympic weight not competed in last year’s U.S. Open
World Team member Chris Gonzalez is not expected to attend after wrestling at the World Championships last weekend in Budapest, Hungary, leaving Pat Smith primed to make a strong run at the U.S. Open title.
Smith earned second at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials at 66 kg and recently finished third at the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials at 71 kg. He is a three-time U.S. National Team member and a 2014 University World silver medalist.
Looking to challenge Smith is Marco Lara, who is moving up to 71 kg. Lara is a two-time National Team member (2011, 2014) and has earned 10 top-six finishes at the U.S. Open. He last competed at the Olympic Team Trials, after winning the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier at 66 kg.
Cody Pack, Anthonie Linares and David Prado have also entered at 71 kg and look to shake things up.
75 kg/165 lbs.
2016 U.S. Open champion: Geordan Speiller (Florida Jets)
Reigning champion Geordan Speiller is coming off a breakout year on the Senior Greco scene, knocking off veterans Justin Lester and Cheney Haight for the 2016 U.S. Open title. He went on to finish second at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, falling to two-time World bronze medalist Andy Bisek. The Florida native also collected titles at the Pan-American Championships and UWW University Nationals this year.
Standing in the way is rising Greco star Kamal Bey, who has been active on both the Junior and Senior levels this past year. In August, Bey traveled to Macon, France, to represent the U.S. at 74 kg in the UWW Junior World Championships. Most recently, Bey dominated the field at the Bill Farrell International, winning gold at 75 kg.
Kendrick Sanders’s accolades speak for themselves as he enters the 2017 U.S. Open as a legitimate threat for the title. A three-time National Team member, Sanders won the Open in 2014, the same year he also claimed Bill Farrell and Dave Schultz titles. Most recently, Sanders advanced to the semifinals of the 2016 Olympic Team Trials.
Be on the lookout for Dillon Cowan, the 2015 U.S. World Team Trials runner-up and 2015 U.S. Open runner-up. Earlier this year, Cowan took fourth in the Olympic Trials challenge bracket after claiming silver at the Dave Schultz International.
Alec Ortiz will be in the mix for a national title, as well, after finishing fourth in the 2015 U.S. Open. He has competed only three times this year, taking the top-spot on the podium at the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier to earn a bid to the Olympic Trials and bronze at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.
2016 Olympian Andy Bisek transitioned into a coaching role at Northern Michigan and is not expected to compete.
80 kg/176 lbs.
Non-Olympic weight not competed in last year’s U.S. Open
It should be fun to see how 80 kg plays out since World Team member Patrick Martinez is not expected to compete after wrestling at the World Championships last weekend in Budapest, Hungary.
A likely title contender at this weight is Cheney Haight, who took the runner-up spot at last year’s Open, falling to Speiller in the 75 kg finals. He’ll move up a weight this year in pursuit of another U.S. Open championship, his last coming in 2010. Haight is a 2011 World Team member and a 2016 National Team member after placing third at this year’s Olympic Team Trials. He also snagged gold at the Pan-American championships in Texas earlier this year.
Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials runner-up Jon Anderson will also be competing, looking to take the crown. Anderson is a five-time U.S. National Team member and three-time World Team Trials runner-up. In 2015, he won the Bill Farrell International as well as the Pan American Games. He took second at the 215 Open but failed to place in last year’s tournament. In 2014, Anderson was a CISM Military World silver medalist.
Jon Jay Chavez and Barrett Stanghill also made runs at the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials.
Chavez finished third, defeating Stanghill in the third-place bout, 3-2, to earn his first National Team honor. Chavez was a two-time Junior World Team member and a 2013 Cadet World Team member in Greco and freestyle. He won a bronze medal at the FILA Cadet Greco World Championships.
Stanghill was the 2015 University Nationals champion and 2016 runner-up. At the U.S. Open, he has notched two seventh-place finishes (2015, 2016).
Ryan Hope and Courtney Myers are registered to compete.
Hope took bronze at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and the Vantaa Cup earlier this year. He also finished seventh at the 2016 U.S. Open.
Myers, who lost to Hope in the seventh-place match, won the gold medal at the Armed Forces Championships in February and was the 2015 World Team Trials runner-up.
85 kg/187 lbs.
2016 U.S. Open champion: Jake Clark (Minnesota Storm)
Returning champion Jake Clark is primed for a repeat, with the absence of 2016 Olympian Ben Provisor. Clark is a two-time U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up (2004, 2016). This year, he fell to Provisor in the trials finals.
Clark brings a wealth of experience as a 2006 World Team member and a seven-time member of the U.S. National Team. Recently, Clark won the Veterans Nationals Championships.
Hayden Zillmer could pose a threat, should he enter. He finished third at the Olympic Team Trials to earn his first spot on the National Team. This rising talent has two University National titles, one in freestyle and one in Greco, and recently took second at the Bill Farrell International in November at 98 kg.
Lucas Sheridan, an Armed Forces silver medalist, is registered to compete. He took fourth at last year’s Open and recently earned bronze at the Bill Farrell International.
Others expected to return to Vegas include 2015 fourth-place finisher Khymbakhy Johnson and 2016 fifth-place finisher Kevin Radford.
98 kg/215.5 lbs.
2016 U.S. Open champion: Joe Rau (Minnesota Storm)
2016 U.S. Olympic Trials champion and reigning U.S. Open Champion Joe Rau is expected to enter this weekend. A 2014 World Team member at 80 kg, Rau has made the transition to 98 kg over the last couple of years. Rau owns a silver medal from the 2016 Grand Prix Zagreb Open and a tenth-place finish at the University World Championships.
Looking to knock off the returning champ is youngster G’Angelo Hancock, who won bronze at this year’s UWW Junior World Championships in Macon, France. Prior to that, Hancock secured his spot on the Senior National Team with a third-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Daniel Miller will be in the mix. He has traveled for several tournaments this year, gaining international experience. The Armed Forces champion just returned from competing at the Greco-Roman World Clubs Cup in Budapest, Hungary, last weekend. He has recorded two top-five finishes at international events this year, taking bronze at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open and fifth at the Paris International.
Enock Francois, who typically wrestles freestyle, has entered the field. Francois is a 2016 Canada Cup bronze medalist and a 2015 Henri Deglane Challenge silver medalist, both in freestyle.
130 kg/286 lbs.
2016 U.S. Open champion: Adam Coon (Cliff Keen WC)
Robby Smith, the 2016 Olympian for the U.S. at the weight is not expected to enter, nor is 2016 U.S. Open champion Adam Coon.
Coon elected to take a redshirt year from college competition this season to nurse an injury.
The weight will still be competitive, however. Names like Toby Erickson, Tony Nelson and Jacob Mitchell have entered.
Erickson is a three-time World Team Trials runner-up and a four-time National Team member. The Montana native has had a productive year, placing third at the Olympic Trials, winning the Dave Schultz Memorial International and earning bronze at the Pan-American Championships.
Jacob Mitchell, who placed fourth at the Olympic Team Trials, has improved over the years with his training at the Olympic Training Center. In 2015, he finished sixth at the U.S. Open and made the jump to third place at the 2016 Open.
Nelson is primarily a freestyle wrestler but has elected to compete in Greco-Roman. He recently won the Bill Farrell International in freestyle and took fourth at last year’s freestyle U.S. Open. He competed at the World level, placing fifth at the University World Championships in 2012.
Other names to look out for include Eric Fader, Matthew Lamb and Sam Stoll.
2016 U.S. OPEN
Greco-Roman results
59 kg/130 lbs.
1st - Ildar Hafizov, Colorado Springs,Colo. (Army WCAP) inj. dft. Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP)
3rd - Ryan Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army (WCAP) tech. fall Sam Jones, Folsom, La. (NYAC/NMU), 10-2
5th- Max Nowry, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP) inj. dft. Jermaine Hodge, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP)
7th - Dmitry Ryabchinskiy, Brooklyn, N.Y. (NYAC/NMU) dec. Aaron Kalil, Sneads Ferry, N.C. (U.S. Marines), 6-4)
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
1st - Ellis Coleman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP) dec. Patrick Smith, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 4-2
3rd - Jesse Thielke, Germantown, Wis. (NYAC/OTC) tech. fall Christopher Gonzalez, Bolingbrook, Ill. (NYAC/NMU), 8-0
5th - Alejandro Sancho, Miami, Fla. (NYAC/NMU) tech. fall Devin Scott, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 11-0
7th - Brian Graham, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) tech. fall Bo Beckman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC), 8-0
75 kg/165 lbs.
1st - Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets) dec. Cheney Haight, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC), 5-1
3rd Place Match - Justin Lester (Army (WCAP)) won by tech fall over Tarrence Williams (CSU Pueblo wrestling RTC) (TF 8-0)
5th - Corey Hope, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC) inj. dft. Jacob Fisher, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
7th - Barrett Stanghill, Philipsburg, Montana (NYAC/NMU) won by tech fall over Colin Schubert, Brussels, Wis. (NMU-OTS), 8-0
85 kg/187 lbs.
1st - Jacob Clark, Honolulu, Hawaii (Minnesota Storm) dec. Ben Provisor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC), 4-0
3rd - Patrick Martinez, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army (WCAP) tech. fall Lucas Sheridan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP), 8-0
5th- Kevin Radford, Jr., Fayetteville, N.C. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Mark Stenberg, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/NMU), 13-12
7th - Ryan Hope, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/CKWC) dec. Courtney Myers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP), 6-4
98 kg/215 lbs.
1st - Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) dec. Caylor Williams, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP), 9-6
3rd– G’Angelo Hancock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC) won by tech fall over Marcus Finau (CSU Pueblo Wrestling RTC), 9-0
5th - Orry Elor, Walnut Creek, Calif. (NYAC/NMU) inj. dft. John Wechter, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
7th - Jacob Kasper, Mansfield, Ohio (Roughhouse) won by fall over Endhyr Meza, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army (WCAP), 3:31
130 kg/286 lbs.
1st- Adam Coon, Fowlerville, Mich. (NYAC/CKWC) tech. fall Parker Betts, St. Michael, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 8-0
3rd - Jacob Mitchell, Portland, Ore. (CSU Pueblo Wrestling RTC) dec. Matthew Lamb, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army (WCAP), 2-1
5th - Zach Merrill, Buermuda Dunes, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC), tech. fall Eric Fader, Camp Lejeune, N.C (U.S. Marines), 8-0
7th - Jack Griggs, Brighton, Mich. (NMU-OTS) pin Christopher Pierce, Lemont Furnace, Pa. (Patriot Elite WC), 2:10
