World Team Trials preview at 130 kg/286 lbs. in Greco-Roman

Robby Smith at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas. 

2016 Olympian and three-time World Team member Robby Smith is the heavy favorite heading into this week’s World Team Trials at 130 kg/286 lbs.

In his first and only competition since the Olympic Games in Rio, Smith won the Thor Masters in Denmark. He was one of two American champions.

Despite having not competed much this season, Smith holds invaluable international experience, including fifth-place finishes at the World Championships in 2013 in Budapest, Hungry, and in 2015 in Las Vegas.

Overall, Smith owns an outstanding 23 international medals with 13 earned overseas. Of those 23 medals, 10 are gold, winning tournaments like Thor Masters, Pan-American Championships, Dave Schultz Memorial International, Lakrikov Championships, Haavisto Cup, New York AC International and Sunkist Kids International.

In addition to his Senior success, Smith was also a three-time Junior World Team member, representing the U.S. from 2005-2007.

Many are looking to dethrone the Greco star.

Earning the automatic No. 1 seed by way of winning this year’s Senior Nationals is Toby Erickson.

The national championship has kicked off a solid season for Erickson so far. Along with winning his first Senior-level stop sign, he was crowned the Armed Forces champion and won bronze at the respected Grand Prix Zagreb Open.

He owns three other international medals in his Senior career, including gold from the 2016 Dave Schultz Memorial International, silver from the 2015 Bill Farrell International and bronze from the 2016 Pan-American Championships.

Erickson is a four-time National Team member, who finished third at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City. In 2012, he represented the U.S. at the University World Championships, where he finished fifth. He also produced a bronze medal at the 2011 Junior World Championships.

Training out of Colorado Springs with U.S. Army’s WCAP, Erickson is a two-time World Team Trials runner-up and a two-time Senior Nationals runner-up. In each of those showings, he fell in the finals to Smith.

There is exciting college talent in Greco at 130 kg, including Iowa stud Sam Stoll and Michigan standout Adam Coon. Both were Junior World medalists.

Coon, who finished second at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials, took a redshirt year during the 2016-17 college season to nurse an injury, while Stoll’s season was cut short due to injury.

Should these two be healthy enough to compete, it’s likely they can challenge for a spot in the finals.

In 2014, Coon earned spots on both the freestyle and Greco Junior World Teams and represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. He returned home with bronze-medal finishes in both styles.

Making both teams at the Cadet level in 2011, Coon was crowned Cadet freestyle World champion.

Coon has shown he’s solid at the Senior level. In addition to his second-place finish at the 2016 Olympic Trials, Coon won the 2016 U.S. Senior Nationals.

Stoll was a Junior World Team member in 2013 and 2015.

He saw success in both, winning a bronze medal in 2013 in Sofia, Bulgaria, and finishing fifth in the world in 2015 in Salvador, Brazil.

Qualifying through a runner-up performance at the 2016 University Nationals, is Matt Voss, another potential college entrant. Voss just wrapped up his sophomore season at George Mason.

Making his way through the Senior Greco ranks over the past few years is Jacob Mitchell. Since 2015 he has improved on his Senior Nationals finish each year, taking sixth in 2015, third in 2016 and second in 2017.

At the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Mitchell fell to Erickson in the third-place bout, just missing a spot on the National Team.

Malcolm Allen burst onto the scene this year, recording a third-place finish at the 2017 U.S. Senior Nationals in December. Two months later, he won the Dave Schultz Memorial International defeating Pete Gounaridis in the finals.

Other names to watch out for include 2016 University Nationals champion Parker Betts and 2016 Bill Farrell medalist Eric Fader, who finished fifth at the Paris International in January.

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

2017 U.S. World Team Trials qualifiers at 130 kg/286 lbs.
’16 Olympian Robby Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
’13 Junior World medalist – Sam Stoll, Kasson, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
’14 Junior World medalist – Adam Coon, Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen)
’16 University Nationals champion – Parker Betts, Marquette, Mich. (Minnesota Storm)
’16 University Nationals runner-up – Matt Voss, Fairfax, Va. (Patriot Elite RTC)
’16 University third place – Nolan Terrance, Hogansburg, N.Y. (Buffalo WC)
’16 Bill Farrell medalist – Eric Fader, Jacksonville, N.C. (U.S. Marines)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals champion – Toby Erickson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals runner-up – Jacob Mitchell, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals third place – Malcom Allen, Mankato, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals fifth place – Zack Wilcox, Omaha, Neb. (MWC Wrestling Academy)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals sixth place – Ronald Dombkowski, Erie, Pa. (NMU-OTS)
’17 U.S. Senior Nationals seventh place – Chris Pierce, Janesville, Wisc. (Patriot Elite WC)’17 Dave Schultz highest U.S. medalist – Pete Gounaridis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
’17 Armed Forces Championships third place – Zachariah Manning, Virginia Beach, Va. (U.S. Navy)

2017 U.S. Senior Nationals results at 130 kg/286 lbs.
1st - Toby Erickson (Army WCAP) dec. Jacob Mitchell (Army WCAP), 2-1
3rd - Malcolm Allen (Minnesota Storm) dec. Eric Fader (Marines), 7-5
5th - Zack Wilcox (MWC Wrestling Academy) tech fall Ronald Dombkowski (NMU-OTS), 8-0

2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials results at 130 kg/286 lbs.
1st - Robby Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo/New York AC) dec Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Mich./NYAC/Cliff Keen WC), two matches to none
Smith dec Coon, 4-1
Smith dec Coon, 7-2
3rd - Toby Erickson (NYAC) won by tech fall over Jacob Mitchell (NYAC) (TF 8-0)