Final X Preview: Joey McKenna vs. Logan Stieber, 65 kg men’s freestyle

Who: Joey McKenna vs. Logan Stieber
What: Final X
Where: State College, Pa.
When: June 16
Why: Men’s freestyle World Team spot at 65 kg
Tickets: FinalX.tv

Joey McKenna
How he got to Final X:
Without a returning medalist at this weight, McKenna advanced to Final X by winning the 2018 U.S. Open at the weight, defeating Jaydin Eierman in the finals.

Background:
Looking to make his mark on the Senior level is two-time age-group World medalist Joey McKenna.

The Ohio State rising senior started winning World medals in 2014, when he made it to the finals of the Junior World Championships. He fell just short of the top of the podium, returning to the U.S. with a World silver medal.

It was a few years until McKenna would make another World Team. Last year, he represented the U.S. at the inaugural U23 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and put together a 4-1 record for bronze-medal performance.

McKenna was also on the 2012 Cadet World Team, finishing eighth in the world.

Shortly after his U23 trip, McKenna transitioned immediately into the collegiate folkstyle season, competing for the Buckeyes. He transferred to Ohio State after two years of wrestling for Stanford, where he was a 2016 All-American as a freshman.

Failing to make the NCAA podium in 2017, McKenna bounced back and made a run for the NCAA title. He finished third and helped tOSU to a runner-up team finish.

McKenna has showed that going between styles is nothing to sweat about. Just weeks after the college season ended, McKenna went back to freestyle mode and won his first U.S. Open championship.

He went unscored on through the semifinals and gave up his first points of the tournament in the finals. He went onto beat Jaydin Eierman, 7-3, for the title and a spot in Final X.

This weekend, he’ll face Logan Stieber, a former Buckeye, who still trains in the Ohio State wrestling room as part of the Ohio Regional Training Center.

He said it:
“I’d like to say that there are going to be a lot of shots fired from both sides, but you never know. [Stieber] takes a lot of shots. I take a lot of shots. What I hope doesn’t happen is both of us clam up and make it a real slow-paced match. I’d rather it be a high-scoring 10-10 match than a 1-1 match. We’ll see.”

McKenna’s World Championship experience:
2012 Cadet World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan – EIGHTH
2014 Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia – SILVER
2017 U23 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland – BRONZE

Logan Stieber
How he got to Final X:
Stieber avenged a U.S. Open loss to Jaydin Eierman in the finals of the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Rochester, Minn., in May to advance to Final X.

Background:
In a battle like this where the competitors know each other so well, it’s hard to say who is the favorite; however, two-time Senior World Teamer Logan Stieber’s experience and success at the Senior level is likely to play a factor in this match-up.

Stieber, a 2011 Junior World medalist, burst onto the Senior international scene in 2016, earning medals at prestigious tournaments such as Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial and the UWW Golden Grand Prix after not making the 2016 Olympic Team.

That same year, he made the U.S. World Team for the World Championships that UWW designated for non-Olympic weights. At the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, that December, Stieber navigated his way through a talented 61 kg bracket, winning a Senior World gold.

En route to his World title, he took out 2015 World bronze medalist Vasyl Shuptar of Ukraine and 2012 Junior World champion Benham Ehsanpoor of Iran.

Since then, Stieber has won the Grand Prix of Spain and made another World Team, competing for the Red, White and Blue in Paris, France, last summer and helping the U.S. to a World Team title.

Moving up a weight class this year to 65 kg, Stieber stumbled at the U.S. Open, getting upset by Jaydin Eierman in the quarterfinals. Stieber went on to avenge that loss in the best-of-three finals in the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in May to earn a bid to Final X.

Stieber competed collegiately for Ohio State, where he became only the fourth Division I wrestler to earn four NCAA titles (2012-2015), behind Pat Smith, Cael Sanderson and Kyle Dake. Stieber was also the 2015 recipient of the Dan Hodge Trophy, given out each year to the best college wrestler.

He said it:
“There are no secrets. I’ve been wrestling with him all year and been actively trying to get him really, really good for Ohio State and the future...He’s helped me out a lot and I think I’ve helped him out a lot this year. We’ve gotten each other a lot better and we’re looking forward to showcasing it.”

Stieber’s World Championship experience:
2011 Junior World Championships in Bucharest, Romania – SILVER
2016 Senior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary – GOLD
2017 Senior World Championships in Paris, France – did not place

Notes:

• McKenna and Stieber both train at the Ohio State University and the Ohio RTC, and until recently, they have been training partners.
• McKenna said part of his motivation in transferring to Ohio State was to work out with Logan Stieber every day.
• None of the Ohio State coaches will corner either athlete this weekend at Final X.
• McKenna and Stieber never hit collegiately as McKenna, who started his college career at Stanford, took a gap year before his freshman season.
• With Stieber and McKenna going had-to-head for the 65 kg spot, Ohio State and the Ohio RTC are guaranteed two wrestlers on the 2018 U.S. World Team as three-time World and Olympic champion and three-time NCAA champion for the Buckeyes Kyle Snyder won his Final X battle last week in Lincoln, Neb.
• Ohio State has already put three other athletes on age-group World Teams with NCAA champion Myles Martin and NCAA All-American Kollin Moore locking up spots on the U23 World Team and redshirt freshman Brady Koontz earning a spot on the Junior Greco-Roman World Team.
• McKenna won his first World medal at the 2014 Junior World Championships. Also winning Junior World medals that year was three-time Senior World and Olympic champion Kyle Snyder and 2017 Senior World silver medalist Thomas Gilman, who both earned spots on the 2018 World Team and Final X competitor Adam Coon, who will compete for the World spot at 125 kg next week in Lehigh.
• Stieber isn’t the only four-time NCAA champion competing at Final X this weekend. Kyle Dake, who won titles from 2010-2013, will wrestle for the World Team spot at 79 kg.

65 kg/143 lbs. MEN

Joseph McKenna, Columbus, Ohio  (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
College: Ohio State, Stanford High School: Blairstown, N.J. (Blair Academy) Born: Aug. 3, 1995

• 2018 U.S. Open champion
• Second in 2014 UWW Junior World Championships
• Third in 2017 U23 World Championships
• 2015 Cerro Pelado International champion (Cuba)
• Third in 2016 Ziolkowski International (Poland)
• Third in 2014 Brazil Cup
• Fourth in 2014 Bill Farrell International
• 2012 Cadet World Team member
• Third in 2018 NCAA Championships for Ohio State
• Third in 2016 NCAA Championships for Stanford
• Three-time prep national champion for Blair Academy

Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
College: Ohio State High School: Monroeville, Ohio Born: Jan. 24, 1991

• 2016 World champion
• 2011 Junior World silver medalist
• Two-time U.S. World Team member (2016-17)
• 2018 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion
• 2017 Grand Prix of Spain champion
• Second in 2016 Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial
• Second in 2016 UWW Golden Grand Prix (Azerbaijan)
• Four-time NCAA champion for Ohio State (2012-15)
• 2015 Dan Hodge Trophy winner