US OPEN FS PREVIEW: Big names to make for exciting men’s freestyle field in Vegas

2017 U.S. Open champion Kendric Maple is among the stars expected at the U.S. Open next week. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors

Most of the top men’s freestylers in the country are expected to compete at the U.S. Open next weekend at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas, April 26-28.

Fans can expect talented and explosive fields at each weight class as the U.S. Open serves as a qualifier for the top-seven in each weight for the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in May. In some cases where there is no returning medalist at the weight, the winner of the U.S. Open will receive an automatic bid to the Final X series. Those weights include 61 kg, 65 kg, 79 kg and 92 kg.

Winners of the U.S. Open at a weight where there is a returning medalist will secure a spot in the Trial Challenge Tournament finals series.

Returning 2017 World medalists such as Thomas Gilman, James Green, Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder and Nick Gwiazdowski are not expected to compete at the Open as they are already sitting in Final X.

Below is a short breakdown at each weight and who fans should keep an eye out for.

57 kg/125.5 lbs.
Sitting in Final X: Thomas Gilman (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC), 2017 World silver medalist
2017 U.S. Open champion: Tony Ramos (Chapel Hill, N.C./Sunkist Kids)

Even with 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman sitting out, 57 kg will be a stacked weight filled with Senior veterans as well as newcomers.

Already registered is two-time World Team member and 2017 World Team Trials runner-up Tony Ramos. For most of the season, Ramos has competed up a weight at 61 kg but has confirmed through social media that he will move back down to 57 kg for the World Team process. He is the returning U.S. Open champion.

Looking to challenge Ramos is 2015 NCAA champion and four-time All-American Nathan Tomasello (Parma, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC), who is fresh off completing his college career with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Tomasello has been on the rise in freestyle, winning a gold medal at the Ion Cornianu & Ladislau Simon in July and following it up with a silver medal at the Alexander Medved International in September. A month later, he was the U23 World Team Trials runner-up.

There is also speculation that 2017 Junior World champion and U23 World Team member Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla./Titan Mercury WC) and three-time age-group World champion Spencer Lee (Murrysville, Pa./Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) will be in the mix at the weight, although both are still Junior-level eligible.

Both Fix and Lee have yet to compete at the Senior level but are talented enough to shake things up. Fix beat Tomasello in a best-of-three finals at the U23 World Team Trials and made his second appearance at World Championships in 2017. Lee, a 2018 NCAA champion as a true freshman for Iowa, has not competed in freestyle since winning his 2016 Junior World title.

Other names to look out for include Zach Sanders (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm), Tim Lambert (Lincoln, Neb./Nebraska Wrestling TC), Frank Perrelli (Bethlehem, Pa./Titan Mercury WC), Zane Richards (Champaign, Ill./Titan Mercury WC/Illinois RTC) and Eddie Klimara (Charlottesville, Va./Titan Mercury WC). All have won international medals during the 2017-18 season.

61 kg/134 lbs.
Sitting in Final X: No one
2017 U.S. Open champion: Kendric Maple (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids/Nebraska Wrestling TC)

This weight has no returning medalist, so winning the US Open is critical as the wrestler will automatically advance to Final X.

Heading up the 61 kg field is Kendric Maple, who was a starter for the 2018 World Cup and helped the U.S. to its first men’ freestyle World Cup title in 15 years. Maple, the 2017 World Team Trials runner-up at 61 kg, owns one international medal, a gold which came at the Alexander Medved Memorial last year. He looks to defend his 2017 U.S. Open title.

Also in the hunt is Joe Colon (Fresno, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/Valley RTC), who has been a steady threat on the Senior scene over the last few years. Since November, Colon has picked up two international medals, including gold at the 20th Annual Dave Schultz Memorial International and bronze at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial. Serving as a backup for the 2018 World Cup Team, Colon was given the nod in the U.S.’s first dual against India and the former Northern Iowa Panther earned a 6-4 win over two-time Commonwealth champion Sandeep Tomar of India.

Other names to look out for include Jon Morrison (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC/MWC), Brandon Wright (Indianapolis, Ind./New York AC), Tyler Graff (New Brunswick, N.J./Titan Mercury WC) and Nahshon Garrett (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids).

Morrison recently won the Bill Farrell International last month, defeating Graff in the gold-medal match, while and Garrett earned silver at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. Wright is a 2017 National Team member and was the U.S. Open runner-up last year.

Also expected to compete is youngster Mitch McKee (Hanover, Minn./Minnesota Storm), who just wrapped up his sophomore season at Minnesota. McKee is a 2017 Junior World silver medalist and Senior eligible.

65 kg/143 lbs.
Sitting in Final X: No one
2017 U.S. Open champion: Frank Molinaro (State College, Pa./Titan Mercury WC)

This weight class will feature two of the 2017 Men’s Freestyle World Team members: Logan Stieber and Zain Retherford. Stieber, a 2016 World champion, wrestled at 61 kg in Paris, while Retherford represented at 65 kg. Neither won 2017 World medals.

It’s tough to say who is the favorite as both are talented, world-class athletes. Retherford is in the conversation as one of the most dominant college wrestlers in history. He has not competed in freestyle since Worlds but has been cementing his name in the Penn State and NCAA record books. Retherford is fresh off winning his third-straight NCAA title and was named the Hodge Trophy recipient for the second year in a row. There is a possibility that Retherford could move up to 70 kg for next week’s Open.

Stieber, who became the fourth wrestler in NCAA Division I history to win four national titles, had a solid outing at the 2018 World Cup, winning three matches, including a 6-3 win over three-time World champion Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan in the gold-medal dual meet.

Fans shouldn’t pencil these two in the finals just yet as there are other World medalists in the field, who can challenge them.

Joey McKenna (Towaco, N.J./Titan Mercury WC/Lehigh Valley WC), Ryan Deakin (Broomsfield, Colo./Northwestern) and Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes WC) represent medals at three different age groups.

McKenna, an All-American for Ohio State this year and a past Junior World medalist, won a bronze medal at the inaugural U23 World Championships last summer, while Deakin shocked the world with an impressive run to the finals and a silver-medal finish.

A 2018 NCAA champion as a true freshman for Cornell, Diakomihalis is a two-time Cadet World champion. He was injured last summer, which kept him from competing in the Junior World Team Trials.

Deakin and Diakomihalis are both still Junior eligible. Deakin won the UWW Junior Freestyle national title at last year’s U.S. Open, defeating Diakomihalis in the 66 kg semifinals.

B.J. Futrell (Philadelphia, Pa./Titan Mercury WC/Pennsylvania RTC) is a 2017 National Team member, who is expected to make waves at the Open. After finishing third at the World Team Trials, Futrell won a silver medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in November.

Returning U.S. Open champion Frank Molinaro is expected to move up to 70 kg.

70 kg/154 lbs.
Sitting in Final X: James Green (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids), 2017 World silver medalist
2017 U.S. Open champion: James Green

It should be fun to see who comes out on top at 70 kg with new faces and old creating a studded field.

Two-time World medalist has already secured a spot in Final X at the weight and will not be competing next week. Those in the mix to scale the top of the podium include 2016 Olympian and fifth-place finisher Frank Molinaro (Blacksburg, Va./Titan Mercury WC/Southeast RTC), U.S. National Team member and two-time NCAA champion Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) and 2017 U23 World champion Richie Lewis (Edison, N.J./Scarlet Knights WC).

Molinaro surprised many in the U.S. when he made the 2016 Olympic Team at 65 kg and went on to shock the world as he was inches away from an Olympic bronze medal. In 2017, Molinaro made it to the World Team Trials finals but finished second for a spot on the U.S. National Team. Since then, Molinaro has moved up to 70 kg and has shown that he is a threat at the new weight, winning a bronze medal at the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Memorial in Russia in January.

Although he is not registered yet, fans might see Zain Retherford up at 70 kg next weekend.

Nolf, a wrestler at Penn State, made the 2017 National Team after his sophomore season, finishing third at last year’s Trials. He has not competed in freestyle since then but has stayed sharp as one of the most dominant wrestlers in the nation. He won his second NCAA title in March despite suffering a knee injury late in the season.

Lewis competed in one of his first freestyle tournaments at the U23 World Team Trials last October and took out a tough opponent in Tyler Berger in the best-of-three finals. At the World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in November, Lewis dominated the field with two technical falls and three decisive decisions en route to gold, giving the U.S. its first U23 World champion in any style.

Other names to look out for include international medalists Kyle Ruschell (Madison, Wisc./New York AC), Jason Chamberlain (Fresno, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/Valley RTC) and Hunter Stieber (Norman, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/Oklahoma RTC) as well as annual contender Dylan Ness (Bloomington, Minn./Minnesota Storm).

74 kg/163 lbs.
Sitting in Final X: Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids), 2017 World champion
2017 U.S. Open champion: Jordan Burroughs

With four-time World champion and 2012 Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs sitting out, there is a lot of up-and-coming talent joining some veteran success at 74 kg.

Dan Vallimont (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC) and Nazar Kulchytskyy (Madison, Wis./Titan Mercury WC) are expected to battle for the top spot at weight in next week’s Open.

On a roll this season, Vallimont owns gold from the Guelph Open, silver from the Bill Farrell International and bronze from the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial.

Kulchytskyy, originally from Ukraine, is a three-time Div. III champion and has been competing as an American since 2015. He has posed a threat ever since. Having competed at 70 kg in the past, Kulchytskyy is expected to move up to 74 kg for the 2018-19 season. Since moving up, he has won gold at the 20th Annual Dave Schultz Memorial International and silver at the Henri Deglane Challenge. In addition to his 2018 accomplishments, Kulchytskyy owns five other international medals and took second behind Green at last year’s U.S. Open at 70 kg.

Despite solid resumes from both, neither Vallimont nor Kulchytskyy have made a National Team.

Posting two top-seven finishes at the U.S. Open is Thomas Gantt (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack RTC), who most recently won the Bill Farrell International gold at 74 kg.

Young names to look out for include 2017 U23 World Team member Isaiah Martinez (Leemore, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/Illinois RTC) and 2017 UWW Junior Nationals runner-up Alex Marinelli.

79 kg/174 lbs.
Sitting in Final X: N/A
2017 U.S. Open champion: This is a new UWW weight and was not contested in 2017

This weight is one of the most talked about among U.S. wrestling fans as it is a new weight and is up for the taking.

79 kg is sure to showcase some of the best talent in the world as it features hammers like Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC) and Alex Dieringer (Stillwater, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/Cowboy RTC), who are considered the top-two contenders. Both earned spots on the 2017 National Team at 74 kg, with Dake finishing second and Dieringer taking third.

Both have had solid years so far. Dake put together a perfect 4-0 performance at the 2018 Men’s Freestyle World Cup, helping lead Team USA to its first World Cup title in 15 years and also secured a silver medal at the always-tough Yarygin Memorial.

Dieringer has impressed in his last two outings, defeating some of the world’s best wrestlers en route to gold-medal performances at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial and the Bill Farrell International.

Others that could be competing at the weight include Junior World medalists and NCAA champions Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn./Nittany Lion WC) and Zahid Valencia (Bellflower, Calif./Sunkist Kids). Both 2017 UWW Junior Nationals champions, Hall and Valencia have exhausted their Junior eligibilities and are expected to move up to the Senior level this summer.

The two have been on three Junior World Teams together at different weights. Hall is a two-time Junior World champ at 74 kg, while Valencia won a Junior World silver at 84 kg in 2017. Hall was the 2017 NCAA champion, but Valencia dethroned him for the 2018 title in March.

Many have been awaiting the comeback of Jon Reader (Madison, Wisc./Sunkist Kids) with the addition of this new weight. He competed at the 20th Annual Dave Schultz Memorial International, where he won gold; however, he is not expected to compete at the U.S. Open.

Other names to look out for include international medalists Matt Brown (State College, Pa./U.S. Army WCAP) and Mike Evans (Lillington, N.C./Buies Creek RTC). Brown was an NCAA champion at Penn State before entering the service.

86 kg/189 lbs.
Sitting in Final X: No one
2017 U.S. Open champion: David Taylor (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)

With 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2017 World bronze medalist J’den Cox moving up to 92 kg, this weight is looking for a new owner.

The favorite at 86 kg is David Taylor, the 2017 U.S. Open champion. Taylor has not only been dangerous at the national level but also at the international level, owning wins over top-caliber talent like 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 World champion Hassan Yazdanicharati of Iran.

Most recently, Taylor, a five-time National Team member, teched his way to a 4-0 performance at the World Cup in Iowa City. Earlier this year, he also captured a coveted Yarygin title, dominating at 86 kg. He was second in the 2017 World Team Trials at this weight.

Challenging Taylor is multiple-time international medalist Richard Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC/Pennsylvania RTC). Perry took second to Taylor at last year’s Open. Since then, he has won a pair of silver medals at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial.

Others to watch out for include U23 World Team member Sam Brooks (Iowa City, Iowa/New York AC/Hawkeye WC), 2017-18 international medal winners Patrick Downey III (Baltimore, Md./Titan Mercury WC), Joe Rau (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm), Nick Reenan (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack WC) and NCAA champions Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas/Nittany Lion WC) and Myles Martin (Penns Grove, N.J./Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC). There is considerable depth here.

92 kg/202 lbs.
Sitting in Final X: N/A
2017 U.S. Open champion: This is a new UWW weight and was not contested in 2017

Like 79 kg, this is the first year that 92 kg will be competed at the U.S. Open and on as UWW introduced it as a new weight at the beginning of 2018.

The favorite here is 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2017 World bronze medalist J’den Cox (Columbia, Mo./Titan Mercury WC/Missouri WF). Since the World Championships in August, Cox won silver at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial and competed for the US at the World Cup earlier this month in Iowa. He also competed at this weight at the World Cup.

Also in the hunt at 92 kg is 2017 National Team member at 86 kg Nick Heflin (Norman, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/Oklahoma RTC). A three-time All-American for Ohio State, Heflin put up a third-place finish at last year’s Open. Since moving up to 92 kg, he won bronze at the DSMI and finished fifth at the Yarygin.

Greco and Freestyle National Team member Hayden Zillmer (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) moved down to 92 kg, where he won his match at the Freestyle World Cup. Zillmer has been competing in Greco and freestyle all season long. In freestyle, he won a gold at the Cerro Pelado in Cuba and took fourth at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.

Also medaling at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial was four-time Division III NCAA champion Riley Lefever (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC), who came home with bronze. Lefever also picked up a bronze medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.

Others at the weight who have medaled this year include Kenneth Courts (Harrisburg, Pa./Titan Mercury WC) and Don McNeil (Plainville, Mass./New York AC/New England RTC). Courts won silver at last month’s Bill Farrell International and McNeil took bronze at the Cero Pelado in February. This weight has the potential to see some new talent emerge, and could get athletes who competed in 86 kg or 97 kg in the past.

97 kg/213 lbs.
Sitting in Final X: Kyle Snyder (Woodbine, Md./Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
2017 U.S. Open champion: Kyven Gadson (Waterloo, Iowa/Sunkist Kids)

Olympic champion and two-time World champion Kyle Snyder will sit out of next week’s competition as he waits for his Final X opponent to be determined over the next month.

World Team Trials runner-up Kyven Gadson is the returning U.S. Open champion and looks to repeat his efforts in Vegas next week. After a second-place finish at Trials, Gadson, a 2015 NCAA champion, went on to compete at the Henri Deglane Challenge, where he won gold. He also competed at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial.

Looking to knock off the reigning champ is a field loaded with talent, U23 World bronze medalist Ty Walz (Blacksburg, Va./Titan Mercury WC), Junior World bronze medalist Kollin Moore (Burbank, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) and many others.

Walz put on an impressive performance in November, winning his first World medal at the U23 World Championships in Poland. After that, he picked up silver in Cuba at Cero Pelado and gold at the Farrell.

Moore has not competed in freestyle since the Junior World Championships in Tampere, Finland, last summer, but he did earn All-American status, competing for Ohio State at the 2018 NCAA Championships.

If National Team member Hayden Zillmer stays up at 97 kg, he will battle for the title, but he could be making his run this year at 92 kg.

Other names to look out for include Nathan Burak (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC), Blaize Cabell (Fresno, Calif./Valley RTC), Micah Burak (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC), Deron Winn (Fresno, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) and Austin Schafer (Ithaca, N.Y./New York AC).

125 kg/275 lbs.
Sitting in Final X: Nick Gwiazdowski (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack RTC)
2017 U.S. Open champion: Nick Gwiazdowski

2017 World bronze medalist and U.S. Open winner Nick Gwiazdowski has advanced to Final X and will be sitting out of the U.S. Open.

As a result, a new champ will be crowned this year. Looking to take back the crown is two-time U.S. Open champion and National Team member Dom Bradley (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids). A six-time National Team member, Bradley won titles at the 2013 and 2016 U.S. Opens. This season, Bradley took home gold at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and also wrestled a match for the USA at the World Cup, which he won.

Bradley has multiple impressive credentials as a two-time Pan American champion, two-time DSMI champion and a 2009 Junior World champion.

2017 U.S. Open runner-up Zach Rey (Bethlehem, Pa./Lehigh Valley WC) is definitely in the mix at heavyweight. He competed in the 2015 World Championships. So far this year, Rey won gold at the Henri Deglane Challenge in France and took fifth at the Yarygin. Rey was on a four-year run of making the U.S. National Team before getting stopped short last season.

Anthony Nelson (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm), who finished third at World Team Trials and fifth at last year’s Open is expected to compete once again. Since Trials, he has not competed in freestyle.

It’s safe to say that many wrestling fans are anxious to see if three-time age-group World champion Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn./Minnesota Storm) will register for the event. Only a second-year Junior-level athlete Steveson has shown interest in competing at the Senior level. He won back-to-back Cadet World titles in 2015 and 2016, and in 2017, he made the move up to Junior and won a Junior World title. Should he register, he is expected to make an immediate impact as a Senior.

Registered in both freestyle and Greco is Adam Coon (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC), who is a Junior World bronze medalist in both styles. Coon just wrapped up his collegiate career at Michigan earlier this month, where he was a three-time All-American and a 2018 NCAA runner-up. The last time he competed in an international style, Coon finished second at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials in Greco.

Other names to look out for include Jon Gingrich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh WC), Ben Durbin (Ames, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC) and Ceron Francisco (Seward, Neb./Titan Mercury WC/Cavalier WC).