Fix, McKee, Brooks and Kroells receive draws for U23 World Championships

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BYDGOSZCZ, Poland – The first half of the men’s freestyle team weighed in and received draws for Saturday's competition of the 2017 U23 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

2017 Junior World champion Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla./Titan Mercury/Cowboy RTC) will compete for his second World title this year, after emerging victorious at the Junior World Championships in Tampere, Finland, in August.

The Oklahoma State true freshman will take on Parviz Ibrahimov of Azerbaijan in his first match at 57 kg/125 lbs.

Ibrahimov’s most recent medal came from the Ali Aliev Tournament in July, where he won bronze.

Mitchell McKee (Hanover, Minn./Minnesota Storm) also enters his second World tournament of the year after scoring a silver medal at this year’s Junior Worlds in Finland.

McKee, a sophomore at Minnesota, will take on the world at 61 kg/134 lbs., opening against Ozdemir of Turkey, who seems to have no international credentials.  

2011 Cadet World bronze medal and 2013 Junior World Team member Sam Brooks (Oak Park, Ill./New York AC/Hawkeye WC) is back on the World stage, wrestling at 86 kg/189 lbs.

Brooks, who trains out of Iowa City, will go head-to-head with 2017 Maccabiah Games bronze medalist in Greco Uri Kalashnikov of Israel tomorrow morning.

Former heavyweight and three-time All-American at Minnesota Michael Kroells makes his World debut on Friday, facing Yusup Batirmurzaev of Kazakhstan in his first match at 125 kg/275 lbs.

Batirmurzaev’s only international feat is a bronze medal at the 2015 International D. A. Kunaev Tournament

The preliminary rounds begin at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), with the medal matches beginning at 6 p.m. (12 p.m. ET) each day. Bydgoszcz is six hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern time zone.

Fans can find live streams and brackets on Trackwrestling.com.

2017 U23 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Bydgoszcz, Poland (Six hours ahead of ET)

U.S. men’s freestyle draws
57 kg/125 lbs. – Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla./Titan Mercury/Cowboy RTC)
vs. Parviz Ibrahimov (Azerbaijan), bronze at Ali Aliev Tournament

61 kg/134 lbs. – Mitchell McKee (Hanover, Minn./Minnesota Storm)
vs. Ozdemir (Turkey), no international credentials

86 kg/189 lbs. – Sam Brooks (Oak Park, Ill./New York AC/Hawkeye WC)
vs. Uri Kalashnikov (Israel), bronze medal at 2017 Maccabiah Games in Greco

125 kg/275 lbs. – Michael Kroells (Belle Plaine, Minn./Minnesota Storm)
vs. Yusup Batirmurzaev (Kazakhstan), bronze medal at 2015 International D. A. Kunaev Tournament