Snyder holds onto World No. 1 ranking, eight other Americans in UWW July freestyle rankings

The United States boasts six wrestlers in the top-10 of their respective weight classes in the United World Wrestling July freestyle world rankings. In all, nine U.S. wrestlers landed spots in this month’s rankings.

21-year-old Kyle Snyder (Woodbine, Md./Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC), the 2016 Olympic champion and 2015 World champion, leads the group as the No. 1 wrestler in the world at 97 kg/213 lbs. He recently earned a spot on his second World Team after defeating Kyven Gadson in the best-of-three championships series at the World Team Trials in early-June in Lincoln, Neb. Prior to a Trials championship, Snyder won gold at the 2017 Pan American Championships in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, in May.

Fellow Pan American champion and 2015 World bronze medalist James Green (Lincoln, Neb./Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska RTC) comes in as No. 2 in the world at 70 kg/154 lbs. Green wont the World Team Trials, taking out Jason Chamberlain in the finals and will head to his third World Championships, seeking to improve on his 2015 bronze.

2016 World champion Logan Stieber (Columbus, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) stays put at No. 3 at 61 kg/134 lbs. Stieber will be the USA’s representative at 61 kg for the second-consecutive year, after outlasting Kendric Maple in two matches at the Trials finals. Earlier this year, Stieber won bronze at the Pan American Championships.

2012 Olympic champ and three-time World champion Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids/Nebraska RTC) checks in at No. 4 at 74 kg/163 lbs. After winning the U.S. Open, Burroughs earned a bye to the World Team Trials finals, where he edged out Kyle Dake in a three-bout thriller. He will head to his fifth World Championships in August.

At 86 kg/189 lbs., J’den Cox (Columbia, Mo./Titan Mercury WC/Missouri Wrestling Foundation) is down a spot to No. 6. At the World Team Trials, Cox forced finalist David Taylor to three matches in the finals and came out on top, despite suffering a knee injury during the final bout. He will compete in his first World Championships next month. Internationally, Cox has not competed since the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Stieber, Green, Burroughs, Cox and Snyder will compete at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, France, Aug. 21-26. All but Cox will participate in the Grand Prix of Spain this weekend as a tune-up event.

Other Americans featured in the rankings are No. 7 David Taylor at 86 kg, No. 14 at 125 kg Dom Bradley, No. 17 at 57 kg Tyler Graff and No. 20 at 74 kg Alex Dieringer.

Taylor and Bradley are World Team alternates at their weights.

Click here to read full UWW Story on men’s freestyle World rankings

U.S. men's freestyle wrestlers ranked in the UWW rankings
No. 1 at 97 kg – Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md. (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
No. 2 at 70 kg – James Green, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska RTC)
No. 3 at 61 kg – Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
No. 4 at 74 kg – Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska RTC)
No. 6 at 86 kg – J’den Cox, Columbia, Mo. (Missouri Wrestling Foundation)
No. 7 at 86 kg – David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
No. 14 at 125 kg – Dom Bradley, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids WC)
No. 17 at 57 kg – Tyler Graff, New Brunswick, N.J. (Titan Mercury WC)
No. 20 at 74 kg – Alex Dieringer, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)