U.S. Open preview: Burroughs and Dake on 74 kg collision course; Taylor making moves at 86 kg
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Photo: Jordan Burroughs after winning the 2015 U.S. World Team Trials in Madison, Wis. Photo by John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com.
LAS VEGAS – The men’s freestyle season kicks into high gear this week with the U.S. Open Championships taking place at the South Point Hotel and Casino, April 28-29.
Up for grabs are seven qualification spots for the U.S. World Team Trials in all eight weight classes. On top of that, champions at 57 kg/125.5 lbs., 65 kg/143 lbs., 70 kg/154 lbs., 74 kg/163 lbs. and 125 kg/275 lbs. earn automatic berths to the U.S. World Team Trials best-of-three championship series.
The event will run through the semifinals in all eight weights on Friday with the medal rounds and championship finals set for Saturday.
Flowrestling will provide a live stream of all the action and maintain event brackets and results on its FloArena platform. A FloPro subscription is required to watch the U.S. Open live stream.
USA Wrestling will preview all eight men’s freestyle weight classes in the lead up to the event. Today we feature 74 kg and 86 kg.
74 kg/163 lbs.
Since exploding onto the Senior-level scene in 2011 as a two-time NCAA champion for Nebraska, Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) has controlled the 74 kg weight class on a global scale.
He has amassed one of the greatest international careers in U.S. history, winning the Olympic Games in 2012, topping the World Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015, and tacking on a World bronze medal in 2014. Burroughs owns a career record of 134-4 on the Senior level.
Burroughs is traversing a redemption road in 2017 after coming home from the Rio Olympics without a medal. It was the first time Burroughs has failed to medal at a World Championships or Olympic Games since the start of his Senior-level career.
His return to the mat came at the Freestyle World Cup in February, six months following his Rio heartache. Burroughs won all four of his matches over quality international opponents and helped Team USA to a second-place finish in Kermanshah, Iran.
Burroughs will wrestle at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2014, when he came from behind in spectacular fashion to edge David Taylor in the finals. He has won the U.S. Open three times in total.
Historically, 74 kg has been one of the deepest weight classes stateside, and this year is no different.
Leading the pack of challengers to Burroughs is 2016 U.S. Open champion and Olympic Trials runner-up Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC). Saying these two have history is an understatement.
Dake won his fourth NCAA title for Cornell in 2013 and then began transitioning to the Senior level. He navigated to the U.S. World Team Trials that summer where he was dropped by Burroughs two matches to none. Two years later, Dake got another crack at Burroughs in the finals of the 2015 World Team Trials. Again, it was Burroughs taking the series 2-0.
For the 2016 season Dake elected to move up in weight to 86 kg and challenge for the Olympic Team away from Burroughs. He finished in second place at the Olympic Trials to eventual Olympic bronze medalist J’den Cox.
Dake is back down to 74 kg this season and looks better than ever. He won the Paris International in January with a dominant showing. The Paris gold included a 10-0 technical fall win over three-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer (Stillwater, Okla./Titan Mercury WC) in the finals.
A potential Burroughs-Dake matchup is something the wrestling community is clamoring for, craving even. Burroughs appears vulnerable for the first time in his career, and Dake looks as healthy and impressive as ever.
Although Burroughs and Dake look to be on a collision course in Las Vegas, there are a handful of contenders intending to, and capable of, stealing the show instead.
Despite the loss to Dake earlier this year, Dieringer is a hot prospect for the U.S. at 74 kg. He finished in third place at the Olympic Trials last April and was a Junior World silver medalist in 2013. He has won three international medals this season and went undefeated at the World Freestyle Wrestling Clubs Cup.
NCAA champions Chris Perry (Stillwater, Okla./Titan Mercury WC) and Matt Brown (State College, Pa./U.S. Army WCAP) are capable of making deep runs as well. Perry, a two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma State, was runner-up at the U.S. Open last year. Brown won the NCAAs for Penn State in 2015 and is in his first full freestyle season while wrestling for the U.S. Army WCAP.
Kevin LeValley (Lewisburg, Pa./Buffalo Valley RTC), Dan Vallimont (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC), Vladyslav Dombrovskiy (State College, Pa./U.S. Army WCAP) and Quinton Godley (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC) are veteran wrestlers capable of busting the bracket at any point.
An intriguing entry to the 74 kg field is 2007 NCAA runner-up for Northwestern Ryan Lang (Redondo Beach, Calif./Titan Mercury WC).
Video: Jordan Burroughs vs. Kyle Dake at the 2015 U.S. World Team Trials
Ranked U.S. Athletes Registered at 74 kg
1. Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Kyle Dake, Ithaca, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC)
3. Alex Dieringer, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
4. Chris Perry, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
5. Kevin LeValley, Lewisburg, Pa. (Buffalo Valley RTC)
6. Matt Brown, State College, Pa. (U.S. Army WCAP)
10. Dan Vallimont, Philadelphia, Pa. (New York AC/Pennsylvania RTC)
86 kg/189 lbs.
The U.S scored an Olympic bronze medal at 86 kg last year from J’den Cox in Rio. The three-time NCAA champion for Missouri will not be competing in Las Vegas as he has already earned a bye to the U.S. World Team Trials championship series.
The recent emergence of David Taylor (State College, Pa./Titan Mercury WC) gives the U.S. at minimum two legitimate World championship contenders at 86 kg heading into Paris.
Taylor is holding an 11-match win-streak on the Senior level, the longest of any U.S. men’s freestyle athlete. He won gold at the Paris International in January before turning in an all-time performance at the Freestyle World Cup in February. Taylor defeated three Olympic medalists, two of which were Olympic champions, at the World Cup held in Kermanshah, Iran.
His recent international success has propelled Taylor to No. 6 in the UWW World Rankings. Taylor finished in third place at last year’s Olympic Trials behind Cox and Dake, and has finished in the U.S. top three the past four years. He won the U.S. Open in 2015, earned a bronze medal at the 2013 University World Championships and was a two-time NCAA champion for Penn State.
Veteran talents Richard Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC) and Austin Trotman (Lincoln, Neb./Titan Mercury WC) are both viable threats to make a finals run and challenge Taylor.
Perry finished with the silver medal at January’s Paris International, falling to Taylor in a tight 8-5 final. He has earned medals at several prestigious international events including the Alexander Medved International and Bill Farrell International.
Trotman is currently No. 20 in the World Rankings after taking gold at the Bill Farrell and Dave Schultz International events this season.
Cornell’s two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean (Lowell, Mich./Titan Mercury WC) and Penn State’s NCAA champion Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas/Nittany Lion WC) are both registered to give it a go in Las Vegas this weekend. The two met in the NCAA finals at 184 pounds last month with Nickal edging Dean, 4-3.
Timmy McCall (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC) has posted impressive results this season and could shake things up at 86 kg. McCall earned a silver medal at the Bill Farrell International and finished in fifth place at the Cerro Pelado International in recent months.
Several past NCAA All-Americans, including NCAA finalists Nick Heflin (Princeton, N.J./Princeton WC) and Tim Dudley (Columbia, S.C./Nebraska RTC), are entered in the 86 kg field. Other All-Americans include Vic Avery (Edinboro, Pa./Titan Mercury WC), Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa, Okla./Titan Mercury WC), Pete Renda (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC) and Pat Downey (Baltimore, Md./Unattached). Downey was also a Junior World silver medalist in 2012.
Video: Gabe Dean vs. Bo Nickal at the 2014 UWW Junior World Team Trials
Ranked U.S. Athlete Registered at 86 kg
2. David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC)
3. Richard Perry, Philadelphia, Pa. (New York AC/Philadelphia RTC)
4. Austin Trotman, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC)
5. Vic Avery, Edinboro, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC)
6. Timmy McCall, Raleigh, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC)
7. Gabe Dean, Lowell, Mich. (Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes WC)
9. Bo Nickal, Allen, Texas (Nittany Lion WC)
LAS VEGAS – The men’s freestyle season kicks into high gear this week with the U.S. Open Championships taking place at the South Point Hotel and Casino, April 28-29.
Up for grabs are seven qualification spots for the U.S. World Team Trials in all eight weight classes. On top of that, champions at 57 kg/125.5 lbs., 65 kg/143 lbs., 70 kg/154 lbs., 74 kg/163 lbs. and 125 kg/275 lbs. earn automatic berths to the U.S. World Team Trials best-of-three championship series.
The event will run through the semifinals in all eight weights on Friday with the medal rounds and championship finals set for Saturday.
Flowrestling will provide a live stream of all the action and maintain event brackets and results on its FloArena platform. A FloPro subscription is required to watch the U.S. Open live stream.
USA Wrestling will preview all eight men’s freestyle weight classes in the lead up to the event. Today we feature 74 kg and 86 kg.
74 kg/163 lbs.
Since exploding onto the Senior-level scene in 2011 as a two-time NCAA champion for Nebraska, Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) has controlled the 74 kg weight class on a global scale.
He has amassed one of the greatest international careers in U.S. history, winning the Olympic Games in 2012, topping the World Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015, and tacking on a World bronze medal in 2014. Burroughs owns a career record of 134-4 on the Senior level.
Burroughs is traversing a redemption road in 2017 after coming home from the Rio Olympics without a medal. It was the first time Burroughs has failed to medal at a World Championships or Olympic Games since the start of his Senior-level career.
His return to the mat came at the Freestyle World Cup in February, six months following his Rio heartache. Burroughs won all four of his matches over quality international opponents and helped Team USA to a second-place finish in Kermanshah, Iran.
Burroughs will wrestle at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2014, when he came from behind in spectacular fashion to edge David Taylor in the finals. He has won the U.S. Open three times in total.
Historically, 74 kg has been one of the deepest weight classes stateside, and this year is no different.
Leading the pack of challengers to Burroughs is 2016 U.S. Open champion and Olympic Trials runner-up Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC). Saying these two have history is an understatement.
Dake won his fourth NCAA title for Cornell in 2013 and then began transitioning to the Senior level. He navigated to the U.S. World Team Trials that summer where he was dropped by Burroughs two matches to none. Two years later, Dake got another crack at Burroughs in the finals of the 2015 World Team Trials. Again, it was Burroughs taking the series 2-0.
For the 2016 season Dake elected to move up in weight to 86 kg and challenge for the Olympic Team away from Burroughs. He finished in second place at the Olympic Trials to eventual Olympic bronze medalist J’den Cox.
Dake is back down to 74 kg this season and looks better than ever. He won the Paris International in January with a dominant showing. The Paris gold included a 10-0 technical fall win over three-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer (Stillwater, Okla./Titan Mercury WC) in the finals.
A potential Burroughs-Dake matchup is something the wrestling community is clamoring for, craving even. Burroughs appears vulnerable for the first time in his career, and Dake looks as healthy and impressive as ever.
Although Burroughs and Dake look to be on a collision course in Las Vegas, there are a handful of contenders intending to, and capable of, stealing the show instead.
Despite the loss to Dake earlier this year, Dieringer is a hot prospect for the U.S. at 74 kg. He finished in third place at the Olympic Trials last April and was a Junior World silver medalist in 2013. He has won three international medals this season and went undefeated at the World Freestyle Wrestling Clubs Cup.
NCAA champions Chris Perry (Stillwater, Okla./Titan Mercury WC) and Matt Brown (State College, Pa./U.S. Army WCAP) are capable of making deep runs as well. Perry, a two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma State, was runner-up at the U.S. Open last year. Brown won the NCAAs for Penn State in 2015 and is in his first full freestyle season while wrestling for the U.S. Army WCAP.
Kevin LeValley (Lewisburg, Pa./Buffalo Valley RTC), Dan Vallimont (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC), Vladyslav Dombrovskiy (State College, Pa./U.S. Army WCAP) and Quinton Godley (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC) are veteran wrestlers capable of busting the bracket at any point.
An intriguing entry to the 74 kg field is 2007 NCAA runner-up for Northwestern Ryan Lang (Redondo Beach, Calif./Titan Mercury WC).
Video: Jordan Burroughs vs. Kyle Dake at the 2015 U.S. World Team Trials
Ranked U.S. Athletes Registered at 74 kg
1. Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Kyle Dake, Ithaca, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC)
3. Alex Dieringer, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
4. Chris Perry, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
5. Kevin LeValley, Lewisburg, Pa. (Buffalo Valley RTC)
6. Matt Brown, State College, Pa. (U.S. Army WCAP)
10. Dan Vallimont, Philadelphia, Pa. (New York AC/Pennsylvania RTC)
86 kg/189 lbs.
The U.S scored an Olympic bronze medal at 86 kg last year from J’den Cox in Rio. The three-time NCAA champion for Missouri will not be competing in Las Vegas as he has already earned a bye to the U.S. World Team Trials championship series.
The recent emergence of David Taylor (State College, Pa./Titan Mercury WC) gives the U.S. at minimum two legitimate World championship contenders at 86 kg heading into Paris.
Taylor is holding an 11-match win-streak on the Senior level, the longest of any U.S. men’s freestyle athlete. He won gold at the Paris International in January before turning in an all-time performance at the Freestyle World Cup in February. Taylor defeated three Olympic medalists, two of which were Olympic champions, at the World Cup held in Kermanshah, Iran.
His recent international success has propelled Taylor to No. 6 in the UWW World Rankings. Taylor finished in third place at last year’s Olympic Trials behind Cox and Dake, and has finished in the U.S. top three the past four years. He won the U.S. Open in 2015, earned a bronze medal at the 2013 University World Championships and was a two-time NCAA champion for Penn State.
Veteran talents Richard Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC) and Austin Trotman (Lincoln, Neb./Titan Mercury WC) are both viable threats to make a finals run and challenge Taylor.
Perry finished with the silver medal at January’s Paris International, falling to Taylor in a tight 8-5 final. He has earned medals at several prestigious international events including the Alexander Medved International and Bill Farrell International.
Trotman is currently No. 20 in the World Rankings after taking gold at the Bill Farrell and Dave Schultz International events this season.
Cornell’s two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean (Lowell, Mich./Titan Mercury WC) and Penn State’s NCAA champion Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas/Nittany Lion WC) are both registered to give it a go in Las Vegas this weekend. The two met in the NCAA finals at 184 pounds last month with Nickal edging Dean, 4-3.
Timmy McCall (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC) has posted impressive results this season and could shake things up at 86 kg. McCall earned a silver medal at the Bill Farrell International and finished in fifth place at the Cerro Pelado International in recent months.
Several past NCAA All-Americans, including NCAA finalists Nick Heflin (Princeton, N.J./Princeton WC) and Tim Dudley (Columbia, S.C./Nebraska RTC), are entered in the 86 kg field. Other All-Americans include Vic Avery (Edinboro, Pa./Titan Mercury WC), Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa, Okla./Titan Mercury WC), Pete Renda (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC) and Pat Downey (Baltimore, Md./Unattached). Downey was also a Junior World silver medalist in 2012.
Video: Gabe Dean vs. Bo Nickal at the 2014 UWW Junior World Team Trials
Ranked U.S. Athlete Registered at 86 kg
2. David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC)
3. Richard Perry, Philadelphia, Pa. (New York AC/Philadelphia RTC)
4. Austin Trotman, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC)
5. Vic Avery, Edinboro, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC)
6. Timmy McCall, Raleigh, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC)
7. Gabe Dean, Lowell, Mich. (Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes WC)
9. Bo Nickal, Allen, Texas (Nittany Lion WC)
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