Kyle Dake looks to win Final X and get his long-awaited chance to show his stuff at the World Championships
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Kyle Dake having some fun with other Final X finalists during the Final X press conference at Rec Hall at Penn State on Friday afternoon. Photo by Justin Hoch.
VIDEOS: Final X interviews and press conferences
When Kyle Dake was tearing up the college wrestling scene as a Cornell student, on his way to a historic four NCAA titles in four different weight classes, he was given the nickname “Kid Dynamite.”
At age 27 and five years since winning his final NCAA title, Kyle Dake’s wrestling is still very much dynamite. He’s just no longer a kid.
In Final X in State College on Saturday night, Dake has drawn 2018 NCAA champion Zahid Valencia of Arizona State, a 2017 Junior World silver medalist, who at age 21, is one of the new “kids” on the national Senior freestyle block.
“I guess I am not a kid anymore. I have been on the scene awhile now, doing all these camps, getting to know all the guys on the team. It has been pretty good to see these young guys. I know where they have been. I was in their shoes once and wrestled the same way they are. It is a fun opportunity. Hopefully my experience will pay off,” said Dake.
He has taken the No. 2 spot on the Freestyle National Team four times, falling at 86 kg in the 2016 Olympic Trials to J’den Cox, who is now a World and Olympic medalist. He has also placed behind World and Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs three times in the World Team Trials at 74 kg, Kyle Dake gets another chance on Saturday at the new 79 kg division.
“Losing is never fun. Obviously, I have been behind some studs that Team USA has put out. I think I have the ability to be the best in the world. And on any given day, I am the best in the world. I don’t think my mindset has changed much, other than I know what I can be and I where I have been. I know that wasn’t the best version of me stepping out on the mat those times. Hopefully, I can step out on the mat and have the best version of me tomorrow,” said Dake.
Dake has been pleased with his performances at 79 kg, which has included going undefeated at the World Cup in Iowa in April and winning a silver medal at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, considered the toughest open freestyle event each year. He also had a strong performance winning the U.S. Open, which qualified him for Final X.
“This year has been great for me, being able to compete in a weight class that is more suitable for my body type. Going 74 kg was pretty tough. Going 86 kg was also pretty tough; those guys were pretty big. 79 kg is my weight class. I have wrestled the best guys in the world there. I am ready to compete and go win a World title,” said Dake.
To win his first U.S. World Team berth, Dake has been looking at the freestyle circuit similar to how he approached a full college wrestling season during his undergrad days at Cornell.
“I have kind of treated this year as a season. The first tournaments were pre-season tournaments for me. Moving forward, Yarygin, World Cup and U.S. Nationals, I made that a focus of getting better through this whole process. I can’t try to peak to be the best of my ability at that moment. I need to keep getting better as I am going. The way I prepared for those tournaments is a little different than I prepared for this tournament. My body feels incredible right now. I have been training really hard. I have gotten ready for it, and am tapering off. I am itching to get back on the mat because I pulled back a little bit. This is the process I used going into NCAAs when I was at Cornell. I was really beneficial for me, winning four national titles.
Dake is by no means taking Valencia lightly, even though many in the wrestling community believe he is a strong favorite to win his best-of-three series tomorrow night.
“I saw Zahid wrestle in 2015 before Las Vegas. We had camp down at Arizona State. He was in town, a redshirt freshman then. He was wrestling around with some of the World Team guys. He’s pretty good. He was taking his lumps here and there, but he was hanging in and he was beating other college guys. I said, ‘he’s pretty good.’ Seeing him on the college level and the Junior level, he has been competitive, right there to be one of the best in the world. You see that a lot with guys who come through the Junior program. You have some like Kyle Snyder who can come in and win Olympic golds. I am not saying he can’t, but he is going to have to go through me first,” said Dake.
Valencia has impressed many with his constant offensive attacks, a style which led him to the NCAA crown and also allowed him to beat some top wrestlers, including three-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer in the Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, Valencia’s path to Final X. Dake thinks he has exactly what is needed to beat a hard-charging attack.
“I am a really bad matchup for him, because my defense is so good and I can score from every position. I wasn’t super surprised when he made it. I thought it would be him or Dieringer. I have to be prepared to go out and wrestle hard for six minutes, take a little break, and wrestle another six minutes as hard as I can. If I do that, I think I will make my first World Team,” said Dake.
When he was a “kid,” Dake dreamed of making World and Olympic Teams for the United States. There is probably nobody who has been closer to that in the past, but still is seeking his first time at No. 1 in the nation in the entire Final X field. It will be a great night for Dake if he can do what he truly knows is within his reach.
“The first World Team is going to be really something special. I know I can do it. I have the abilities to do it. I just have to go and wrestle my match. I have to dictate the match. I have to go out and score points, get on top and try to get some turns and shut him down,” said Dake.
VIDEOS: Final X interviews and press conferences
When Kyle Dake was tearing up the college wrestling scene as a Cornell student, on his way to a historic four NCAA titles in four different weight classes, he was given the nickname “Kid Dynamite.”
At age 27 and five years since winning his final NCAA title, Kyle Dake’s wrestling is still very much dynamite. He’s just no longer a kid.
In Final X in State College on Saturday night, Dake has drawn 2018 NCAA champion Zahid Valencia of Arizona State, a 2017 Junior World silver medalist, who at age 21, is one of the new “kids” on the national Senior freestyle block.
“I guess I am not a kid anymore. I have been on the scene awhile now, doing all these camps, getting to know all the guys on the team. It has been pretty good to see these young guys. I know where they have been. I was in their shoes once and wrestled the same way they are. It is a fun opportunity. Hopefully my experience will pay off,” said Dake.
He has taken the No. 2 spot on the Freestyle National Team four times, falling at 86 kg in the 2016 Olympic Trials to J’den Cox, who is now a World and Olympic medalist. He has also placed behind World and Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs three times in the World Team Trials at 74 kg, Kyle Dake gets another chance on Saturday at the new 79 kg division.
“Losing is never fun. Obviously, I have been behind some studs that Team USA has put out. I think I have the ability to be the best in the world. And on any given day, I am the best in the world. I don’t think my mindset has changed much, other than I know what I can be and I where I have been. I know that wasn’t the best version of me stepping out on the mat those times. Hopefully, I can step out on the mat and have the best version of me tomorrow,” said Dake.
Dake has been pleased with his performances at 79 kg, which has included going undefeated at the World Cup in Iowa in April and winning a silver medal at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, considered the toughest open freestyle event each year. He also had a strong performance winning the U.S. Open, which qualified him for Final X.
“This year has been great for me, being able to compete in a weight class that is more suitable for my body type. Going 74 kg was pretty tough. Going 86 kg was also pretty tough; those guys were pretty big. 79 kg is my weight class. I have wrestled the best guys in the world there. I am ready to compete and go win a World title,” said Dake.
To win his first U.S. World Team berth, Dake has been looking at the freestyle circuit similar to how he approached a full college wrestling season during his undergrad days at Cornell.
“I have kind of treated this year as a season. The first tournaments were pre-season tournaments for me. Moving forward, Yarygin, World Cup and U.S. Nationals, I made that a focus of getting better through this whole process. I can’t try to peak to be the best of my ability at that moment. I need to keep getting better as I am going. The way I prepared for those tournaments is a little different than I prepared for this tournament. My body feels incredible right now. I have been training really hard. I have gotten ready for it, and am tapering off. I am itching to get back on the mat because I pulled back a little bit. This is the process I used going into NCAAs when I was at Cornell. I was really beneficial for me, winning four national titles.
Dake is by no means taking Valencia lightly, even though many in the wrestling community believe he is a strong favorite to win his best-of-three series tomorrow night.
“I saw Zahid wrestle in 2015 before Las Vegas. We had camp down at Arizona State. He was in town, a redshirt freshman then. He was wrestling around with some of the World Team guys. He’s pretty good. He was taking his lumps here and there, but he was hanging in and he was beating other college guys. I said, ‘he’s pretty good.’ Seeing him on the college level and the Junior level, he has been competitive, right there to be one of the best in the world. You see that a lot with guys who come through the Junior program. You have some like Kyle Snyder who can come in and win Olympic golds. I am not saying he can’t, but he is going to have to go through me first,” said Dake.
Valencia has impressed many with his constant offensive attacks, a style which led him to the NCAA crown and also allowed him to beat some top wrestlers, including three-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer in the Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, Valencia’s path to Final X. Dake thinks he has exactly what is needed to beat a hard-charging attack.
“I am a really bad matchup for him, because my defense is so good and I can score from every position. I wasn’t super surprised when he made it. I thought it would be him or Dieringer. I have to be prepared to go out and wrestle hard for six minutes, take a little break, and wrestle another six minutes as hard as I can. If I do that, I think I will make my first World Team,” said Dake.
When he was a “kid,” Dake dreamed of making World and Olympic Teams for the United States. There is probably nobody who has been closer to that in the past, but still is seeking his first time at No. 1 in the nation in the entire Final X field. It will be a great night for Dake if he can do what he truly knows is within his reach.
“The first World Team is going to be really something special. I know I can do it. I have the abilities to do it. I just have to go and wrestle my match. I have to dictate the match. I have to go out and score points, get on top and try to get some turns and shut him down,” said Dake.
