World Team Trials preview at 66 kg/145 lbs. in Greco-Roman

Alejandro Sancho and Ellis Coleman in the U.S. Senior Nationals finals in December. Photo by: Robbert Wijtman

There are two favorites at 66 kg/145 lbs. going into Vegas, but expect others to rise to the occasion.

With 2016 Olympic Trials champion RaVaughn Perkins moving up to 71 kg, that leaves Ellis Coleman and Alejandro Sancho as the top contenders. The two have battled several times in the last few years, with Coleman earning the win in their latest matchup at the U.S. Senior Nationals finals in December, 2-2, on criteria.

A two-time Junior World bronze medalist, Coleman was a 2012 Olympian and a 2013 Senior World Team member. In a career filled with injuries, Coleman enters the World Team Trials both healthy and confident. In his Senior career, he owns seven international medals, including three gold. His most recent international medal came from the 2015 Bill Farrell International, where he took silver. On the domestic level, he has been one to reckon with. After earning his third U.S. Senior Nationals championship in December, Coleman won the Armed Forces Championships in both Greco and freestyle just two months ago. In his 2016 attempt at making the Olympic Team last April, Coleman fell just short of a spot on the National Team, losing to Sancho in the third-place bout.

Sancho also stopped Coleman in the 2016 World Team Trials at 71 kg, with an 8-0 technical fall in the semifinals. Sancho went on to take second, making his second National Team of the year. On a roll lately, the 2014 Junior World Team member seeks to make his first Senior World team. In his Senior international career, he has produced nine top-five finishes in 11 attempts. He owns two international gold medals, with the first coming at the 2014 Bill Farrell Memorial International in New York. He recently earned his first international gold on foreign soil, winning the tough Grand Prix of Zagreb in Croatia last month. The Northern Michigan student-athlete also claimed a silver medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International earlier this season.

Austin Morrow has been active on the international level recently with solid results. The 2016 University Nationals champion won two silver medals within five days at the Malar Cup and Bill Farrell International last November. In October, he earned a top-five finish at Klippan Cup in Sweden. He gained more international experience in December at the Greco-Roman World Clubs Cup, competing against some of the world’s best Greco athletes. In late-2015, he won his first international gold medal at the Eduardo Campbell Cup in Panama.

Finishing second to Morrow in last year’s University Nationals was Jessy Williams. His recent success included finishing top-four in each of the three tournaments he’s entered since November, the Bill Farrell International, Senior Nationals and Dave Schultz Memorial International.

This time last year in Vegas, Jamal DeArmond was competing at the Junior level and defeated Jaron Jensen for a spot on the 2016 Junior World Team. This year he is certainly in the mix for a shot on the Senior team. Also an NMU student alongside Sancho, DeArmond took fifth at Senior Nationals, defeating Cody Pack in the fifth-place bout, to qualify.  

2015 University Nationals champion Sahid Kargbo is registered for the event, sealing his spot in the Trials after qualifying for the 2017 NCAA Division I Championships. Kargo has had some international experience in Greco. In 2014, he traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, to compete in the Junior World Championships in Greco as a part of Team USA. He defeated Sancho in a best two-of-three finals series for the World Team spot that year.

2010 NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner and veteran freestyler Jayson Ness earned a bid to the World Team Trials, when he decided to try his hand at Greco, finishing third at Senior Nationals.

The World Team spot at 66 kg will be determined April 28, along with 80 kg, 98 kg and 130 kg at the 2017 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team Trials in Las Vegas.

2017 World Team Trials qualifiers at 66 kg/145 lbs.
’15 Vantaa Cup medalist – Brian Graham, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
’16 1^st World Olympic Games Qualifier medalist – RaVaughn Perkins, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
’16 University Nationals champion – Austin Morrow, Wenatchee, Wash. (New York AC/NMU-OTS)
’16 University Nationals runner-up – Jessy Williams, Windsor, N.Y. (New York AC/NMU-OTS)
’16 University Nationals third place – Jamel Johnson, Jacksonville, N.C. (U.S. Marines)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals champion – Ellis Coleman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals runner-up – Alex Sancho, Miami, Fla. (New York AC/NMU-OTS)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals third place – Jayson Ness, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals fifth place – Jamal DeArmond, Sacramento, Calif. (NMU-OTS)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals sixth place – Ryan Bunker, Jacksonville, N.C. (U.S. Marines)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals seventh place – Chris Anderson, Cypress, Texas (NMU-OTS)
’17 Dave Schultz highest U.S. medalist – Rodolfo Guillen, Bismarck, N.D.
’17 Armed Forces Championships third place – Nate Higgins, Millstadt, Ill. (U.S. Air Force)

*NOTE: 2017 NCAA Division I qualifiers, ’17 NCAA Division II All-Americans, ’17 NCAA Division III All-Americans, ’17 NAIA All-Americans, ’17 Junior College All-Americans and ’17 NCWA finalists are all qualified for Greco-Roman World Team Trials

2017 U.S. Senior Nationals results at 66 kg/145 lbs. 
1st - Ellis Coleman (U.S. Army WCAP) dec. Alejandro Sancho (New York AC), 2-2 
3rd - Jayson Ness (Minnesota Storm) win by fall Jessy Williams (New York AC), 1:13
5th - Jamal Dearmond (New York AC) dec. Raymond Bunker (Marines), 3-2
7th - Christopher Anderson (NMU-OTS) dec. Aaron Kliamovich (NMU-OTS), 8-1

2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials results at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.
RaVaughan Perkins (Omaha, Neb./New York AC) dec. Patrick Smith (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm), two matches to one
Smith dec Perkins, 2-0
Perkins dec Smith, 2-2
Perkins dec Smith, 9-3
3rd– Alejandro Sancho (Miami, Fla./NYAC) dec. Ellis Coleman (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP), 6-4