UPDATE: Gilman comes up big at 57 kg, Taylor pushed by Heflin as Championship Series set at World Team Trials

Thomas Gilman controls Nathan Tomasello in the 57 kg Challenge Tournament finals at the U.S. Freestyle World Team Trials. Photo by John Sachs, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
LINCOLN, Neb. – While six of the eight top seeds in the Challenge Tournament came through with a victory, the morning session at the 2017 U.S. Freestyle World Team Trials at the Bob Devaney Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln was full of drama.
The biggest buzz came at 57 kg, where No. 8 seed Thomas Gilman powered through a loaded bracket to back up his confidence and advance to the Championship Series.
Gilman, a 2014 Junior World bronze medalist and star at Iowa, knocked off No. 9 seed Darion Cruz, No. 1 seed Tyler Graff, No. 3 seed Nico Megaludis and No. 4 seed Nathan Tomasello in order, firing up the crowd along the way. Except for Graff, all were regular rivals for Gilman in college.
In the Challenge Tournament finals, Gilman scored a takedown late in the match to defeat Tomasello, 6-2. It was 2-2 in Tomasello’s favor heading into the final seconds, when Gilman scored a takedown for two, then also received a caution and two points penalty against Tomasello at the end.
“I don’t want to be in that position, where I’m gun slinging at the end, but [Tomasello] is a tough guy. He gave me a tough match, and I had to do what I had to do. The only thing that was going through my mind was that I had to get some scores, whether it was a push out, a takedown or whatever. I was looking to score. I was looking to score the whole time, but obviously the urgency is there with 10 seconds left,” said Gilman.
Gilman will face 2017 U.S. Open champion and two-time World Team member Tony Ramos (Chapel Hill, N.C./Sunkist Kids) in the finals. Gilman and Ramos were teammates in college at Iowa, and Ramos, who is older, trained there after graduation.
“The preparation for Ramos was that I’m not preparing to beat Ramos. I was preparing to beat the Georgian or the Japanese guy, the two guys that were in the Olympic finals. I’m not preparing for these guys here. It’s a stepping stone in the path to Paris. [Ramos] is in my path, and I’m going to freaking take him out. I know how to beat him and he thinks he knows how to beat me, too. It’s going to be a tough match,” Gilman said.
The Challenge Tournament winners advanced to the best-of-three Championship Series, where they face the No. 1 wrestler in their weight class, who sat out of the Championship Series.
The only other winner on Saturday morning who was not top seeded in his Challenge Tournament was No. 2 seed Dom Bradley (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids), who beat No. 4 seed Tony Nelson (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) 8-1 in the finals at at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Bradley took an early lead and controlled the entire match. Nelson had knocked off No. 1 seed and 2015 World Team member Zach Rey (Bethlehem, Pa./Lehigh Valley AC) in the semifinals in a 1-1 criteria decision.
One of the top seeds who had a tough challenge was David Taylor (State College, Pa./Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC), who beat Nick Heflin, 13-9 in the 86 kg/189 lbs. finals. Heflin scored a pair of four-point moves on Taylor in the first period, taking a 9-4 lead at the break. Taylor kept coming back, getting a four-pointer and a two-pointer for an 11-9 lead, which he never relinquished.
Taylor will face 2016 Olympic bronze medalist J’den Cox (Columbia, Mo./Titan Mercury WC/Missouri WF), a final which wrestling fans have been anticipating all year. Taylor has had a great international season, while Cox has not wrestled freestyle since the Olympic Games.
Taylor did not take questions after the win over Heflin, but did have a statement for the press. “J’den and I are wrestling tonight. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Let’s go,” he said.
One of the most compelling matchups in the Championship Series will be at 97 kg/213 lbs., where 2016 Olympic champion and 2015 World champion Kyle Snyder (Md./Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) will battle Challenge Tournament champion and 2017 U.S. Open champion Kyven Gadson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids).
While Snyder has dominated the international scene, fans remember when Gadson beat Snyder in the finals of the 2015 NCAA Championships at 197 pounds. Gadson scored a 10-0 technical fall over Kyven Gadson
“I didn’t come here to not wrestle [Snyder]. He’s the way to the World Team. It’s simple. If I can’t beat Kyle then I can’t be the best in the world, and that’s my goal. I wouldn’t be a competitor if I didn’t want those matches. Kyle is the best in the World as it stands right now, and I don’t have anything bad to say about him. It’s going to take hard wrestling,” said Gadson.
Another highly anticipated finals will be at 74 kg/163 lbs., where 2012 Olympic champion and three-time World Champion Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) is sitting out, and will face Challenge Tournament champion Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes WC).
Burroughs and Dake have had many big battles, including most recently in the 2017 U.S. Open finals, but Burroughs remains unbeaten against Dake. Burroughs will be the hometown favorite tonight, as he won two NCAA titles for Nebraska and trains in Lincoln.
Dake scored the only takedown in a tight 2-1 decision over Alex Dieringer (Stillwater, Okla./Titan Mercury WC) in the Challenge Tournament finals.
“I’ve picked up my intensity a lot. I’m trying to get more points and trying to get more scoring opportunities for myself. I feel that I’m the best in the world, and I need to prove that. I know that, but there’s been one roadblock my entire Senior career, and I’m hoping to jump over that roadblock tonight,” said Dake.
Another hometown favorite will be Nebraska’s four-time All-American James Green, a 2015 World bronze medalist who sat out at 70 kg/154 lbs. after winning the 2017 U.S. Open. Green will face 2014 World Team member Jimmy Kennedy (Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC/Cliff Keen WC) who beat Nazar Kulchytskyy (Madison, Wis./Titan Mercury WC), 7-0 in the Challenge Tournament finals.
The other top seeds from the Challenge Tournament to win on Saturday morning were Kendric Maple (West Lafayette, Ind./Titan Mercury WC/Boilermaker RTC) at 61 kg/134 lbs. and Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) at 65 kg/143 lbs.
Maple, a past NCAA champion for Oklahoma and 2017 U.S. Open champion, won a rematch of the U.S. Open finals by beating Brandon Wright (Indianapolis, Ind./RNO/IPWA), 10-4 in the Challenge Tournament finals. Maple will face 2016 World champion Logan Stieber (Columbus, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) in the finals series.
Retherford was dominant in his Challenge Tournament final, scoring a 10-0 technical fall over B.J. Futrell to advance. Retherford will battle 2016 Olympian and 2017 U.S. Open champion Frank Molinaro (Blacksburg, Va./Titan Mercury WC), who trained with Retherford in recent seasons at Penn State.
The finals will begin at 6:00 p.m. Central time, and will be broadcast on FloWrestling.
U.S. FREESTYLE WORLD TEAM TRIALS

At Lincoln, Neb., June 10
Championship Finals Best-of-Three Pairings
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Tony Ramos, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Sunkist Kids WC/Tarheel RTC) vs. Thomas Gilman, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC)
61 kg/134 lbs. – Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) vs. Kendric Maple, West Lafayette, Ind. (Titan Mercury WC/Boilermaker RTC
65 kg/143 lbs.– Frank Molinaro, Blacksburg, Va. (Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC) vs. Zain Retherford, Benton, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
70 kg/154 lbs.– James Green, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC) vs. Jimmy Kennedy, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC/Cliff Keen WC)
74 kg/163 lbs.– Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC) vs. Kyle Dake, Ithaca, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes RTC)
86 kg/189 lbs. – J’den Cox, Columbia, Mo. (Titan Mercury WC/Missouri WF) vs. David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC)
97 kg/213 lbs.– Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md. (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) vs. Kyven Gadson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
125 kg/275 lbs.– Nick Gwiazdowski, Raleigh, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack RTC) vs. Dom Bradley, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
Championship Finals results
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Thomas Gilman, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) dec. Nathan Tomasello, Parma, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC), 6-2
61 kg/134 lbs. - Kendric Maple, West Lafayette, Ind. (Titan Mercury WC/Boilermaker RTC) dec. Brandon Wright, Indianapolis, Ind. (RNO/IPWA), 10-4
65 kg/143 lbs. - Zain Retherford, Benton, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) tech. fall Bernard Futrell, Philadelphia, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC/Pennsylvania RTC), 10-0, 3:50
70 kg/154 lbs. - Jimmy Kennedy, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC/Cliff Keen WC) dec. Nazar Kulchytskyy, Madison, Wis. (Titan Mercury WC), 7-0
74 kg/163 lbs. - Kyle Dake, Ithaca, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes RTC) dec. Alex Dieringer, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC), 2-1
86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC) dec. Nick Heflin, Bordentown, N.J. (Princeton WC), 13-9
97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyven Gadson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) tech. fall Micah Burak, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC), 10-0, 3:53
125 kg/275 lbs. - Dom Bradley, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) dec. Tony Nelson, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 8-1