Freestyle WTT Challenge Tournament previews at 65 kg men and 55 kg women
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Competition portraits for Jaydin Eierman and Jacarra Winchester from the 2018 U.S. Open by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
For 10 straight days, TheMat.com will post two previews each day for the Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, set for Rochester, Minn., May 18-20. One of the previews will be in men’s freestyle, with the other in women’s freestyle.
This is a closed tournament, in which the athletes in the field must have qualified, based upon approved Team Selection Procedures in each style. The winners of each of the 20 weight classes advance to one of the three Final X series events in June.
In weight classes in which there was a 2017 World medalist, the 2018 U.S. Open champion advances directly to the best-of-three Championships Series in Rochester. In the weight classes without a 2017 World medalist, the U.S. Open champion has advanced directly to Final X and nobody sits out to the finals series in Rochester.
Today, we bring on previews in men’s freestyle at 65 kg and women’s freestyle at 55 kg.
MEN’S FREESTYLE 65 KG
As a weight class without a World medalist, U.S. Open champion Joey McKenna advanced directly to Final X, and nobody gets to sit out in Rochester. McKenna won a loaded weight class in Vegas, coming shortly after his final season in college at Ohio State. A bit of a surprise winner at the Open, McKenna has been a talented freestyler, with a few age-group World medals in his trophy case.
The U.S. Open runner-up also comes out of the college ranks, Missouri’s young talent Jaydin Eierman. In the NCAA bronze medal match at 141 pounds, McKenna beat Eierman in folkstyle, 7-2. In the U.S. Open finals in freestyle, McKenna beat Eierman, 7-3.
Eierman had an inspired performance at the Open, focusing on winning it once the college season ended. Eierman shocked 2016 World champion and 2017 World Team member Logan Stieber in the quarterfinals, 6-5, and had four big wins to reach the final. Last year, Eierman qualified for the Freestyle World Team Trials. This year, he has a great chance to qualify for Final X.
Stieber’s loss could have been followed by a withdrawl, because Stieber already had qualified for Rochester before Vegas. Instead, Stieber won four straight bouts in the consolations by technical fall to take third at the Open. He went down to the Pan American Championships in Peru and added a gold medal. A four-time NCAA champion at Ohio State, Stieber is already one of the elite freestylers in the nation. The question is whether he will be dominant at 65 kg, since his two U.S. World Team berths were at 61 kg.
The 2017 World Team member at this weight was Zain Retherford, who finished his Penn State career in March with a third NCAA title and second Hodge Trophy. Retherford may not wrestle in Rochester, and if he does, he may go up to 70 kg. If he does wrestle at either weight, he will be a force.
One of the top stars in this field did not even wrestle in Las Vegas, veteran B.J. Futrell, who qualified for Rochester with his silver medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial in November. Futrell made the National Team last year with his third place at World Team Trials and he has a slew of international medals to boot. Back in 2014, he was a University World silver medalist. If he qualifies for Final X, as Futrell and his coaches believe he can do, he is capable of making a World Team.HeSimm
Taking fourth at the Open was Nick Dardanes, who lost in the semifinals to Eierman by technical fall, and also fell to Stieber by technical fall. Dardanes has come a long way. The former Minnesota star has been a U.S. Open placewinner three times, but his other placements were seventh.
Another Minnesota star, past NCAA champion Jayson Ness, finished fifth at the Open, with losses to Eierman and Dardanes. Ness took a few years off from wrestling after college and started his coaching career. Since coming back in 2015, he has been a top challenger, with some excellent technique.
2018 Bill Farrell International champion Evan Henderson placed sixth at the U.S. Open, and has also established himself as a strong freestyler since finishing his college career at North Carolina.
The John Simmons who placed seventh at the U.S. Open was better known earlier in his career as Andy Simmons, the tough brother of Nick Simmons and also a skilled freestyler. An All-American at Michigan State, Simmons was fourth at the 2009 U.S. Open. If he makes a strong run in Rochester, this is a great comeback story.
Fans would love to see past Cadet World champion Yianni Diakomihalis in the mix here, especially after he won the NCAAs for Cornell as a true freshman. He had surgery after the NCAA Tournament and is expected not to be ready. If he is able to roll, this adds more skill and excitement to the mix.
The winner of this weight advances to Final X in State College on June 16, to face U.S. Open champion Joey McKenna of OSC for the World Team spot.
Men’s Freestyle 65 kg
Challenge Tournament entries
2017 Senior World Team member at 61 kg – Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
2017 Senior World Team member at 65 kg – Zain Retherford, State College, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC)
Nov. 17 Dave Schultz Memorial silver medalist – B.J. Futrell, Philadelphia, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC/Pennsylvania RTC)
2018 NCAA champion – Yianni Diakomihalis, Rochester, N.Y. (Cornell)
2018 Bill Farrell Memorial champion – Evan Henderson, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC)
2018 U.S. Open runner-up – Jaydin Eierman, Columbia, Mo. (Missouri Wrestling RTC)
2018 U.S. Open fourth place – Nicholas Dardanes, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC)
2018 U.S. Open fifth place – Jayson Ness, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
2018 U.S. Open sixth place – Evan Henderson, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC)
2018 U.S. Open seventh place - John Simmons, Williamston, Mich. (New York AC/MWC)
Note: Winner in Rochester advances to Final X in State College on June 16, to face U.S. Open champ Joseph McKenna (OSC-unattached)
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE 55 kg
As a weight class with a World medalist, U.S. Open champion Jacarra Winchester advanced directly to the best-of-three Championship Series in Rochester. Winchester made a strong run in Las Vegas after dropping to this weight class this season. A WCWA champion for Missouri Valley, she made the Senior National Team last year at 58 kg. She has shown great ability overseas, with a gold at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial earlier this winter.
The runner-up in Vegas was college star Dominique Parrish, who has put together a very strong season. After winning the WCWA college national title for Simon Fraser this winter, Parrish jumped right back into freestyle, winning the U23 World Team Trials for the second straight year. She scored a pair of technical falls to reach the Open finals, then lost to Winchester, 5-3. She qualified for her first Women’s National Team last year by taking third at the World Team Trials at this weight.
Third place at the Open went to a young star in Cameron Guerin of Washington, who reached the semifinals and lost to Parrish, then won her consolation bouts. Guerin was fifth in the 2017 Junior World Championships for Team USA, an indication of her vast potential moving forward.
Also earning a spot in the field in Rochester through the Open were fourth place finisher Tayler Resuriz and fifth place finisher Ainslie Lane. Resuriz wrestled at 57 kg for the U23 Trials, where she was fifth. She is a two-time WCWA All-American for McKendree. Lane is one of the top high school wrestlers in the nation, coming out of Oklahoma. She is coming off an injury, and did not have a strong tournament at the Girls Folkstyle Nationals in March by taking fifth, then came back strong with a fifth place on the Senior level at the Open.
The other two entries have some strong credentials. Past Cadet World champion and Cadet World runner-up Ronna Heaton punched her ticket for Rochester by taking second at the Dave Schultz Memorial in November. Heaton competed at 53 kg at the U.S. Open, where she placed seventh.
Bill Farrell Memorial silver medalist Samantha Klingel is the other qualifier. A past WCWA champion for King, Klingel has joined the U.S. Army WCAP program and was third in the 2017 Military World Championships. She matches up well in this field based upon her extensive experience.
The winner of this weight advances to Final X in Lincoln on June 9, to face 2017 World bronze medalist Becka Leathers of the Titan Mercury WC for the World Team spot.
Women’s Freestyle 55 kg
Directly to best-of-three series - 2018 U.S. Open champion – Jacarra Winchester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC)
Other Challenge Tournament entries
Nov. 17 Dave Schultz Memorial silver medalist – Ronna Heaton, Brookings, S.D. (Sunkist Kids)
2018 WCWA champion at 123 – Dominque Parrish, Scotts Valley, Calif. (Simon Fraser)
2018 Bill Farrell Memorial silver medalist – Samantha Klingel, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP)
2018 U.S. Open third place – Cameron Guerin, Yakima, Wash. (Team Takedown)
2018 U.S. Open fourth place – Tayler Resuriz, Lebanon, Ill. (McKendree Bearcat Wrestling Club),
2018 U.S. Open fifth place – Ainslie Lane, Bixby, Okla. (Aries Wrestling Club)
2018 UWW Junior World Team member –
Note: Winner in Rochester advances to Final X in Lincoln on June 9, to face World medalist Becka Leathers (Titan Mercury WC)
For 10 straight days, TheMat.com will post two previews each day for the Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, set for Rochester, Minn., May 18-20. One of the previews will be in men’s freestyle, with the other in women’s freestyle.
This is a closed tournament, in which the athletes in the field must have qualified, based upon approved Team Selection Procedures in each style. The winners of each of the 20 weight classes advance to one of the three Final X series events in June.
In weight classes in which there was a 2017 World medalist, the 2018 U.S. Open champion advances directly to the best-of-three Championships Series in Rochester. In the weight classes without a 2017 World medalist, the U.S. Open champion has advanced directly to Final X and nobody sits out to the finals series in Rochester.
Today, we bring on previews in men’s freestyle at 65 kg and women’s freestyle at 55 kg.
MEN’S FREESTYLE 65 KG
As a weight class without a World medalist, U.S. Open champion Joey McKenna advanced directly to Final X, and nobody gets to sit out in Rochester. McKenna won a loaded weight class in Vegas, coming shortly after his final season in college at Ohio State. A bit of a surprise winner at the Open, McKenna has been a talented freestyler, with a few age-group World medals in his trophy case.
The U.S. Open runner-up also comes out of the college ranks, Missouri’s young talent Jaydin Eierman. In the NCAA bronze medal match at 141 pounds, McKenna beat Eierman in folkstyle, 7-2. In the U.S. Open finals in freestyle, McKenna beat Eierman, 7-3.
Eierman had an inspired performance at the Open, focusing on winning it once the college season ended. Eierman shocked 2016 World champion and 2017 World Team member Logan Stieber in the quarterfinals, 6-5, and had four big wins to reach the final. Last year, Eierman qualified for the Freestyle World Team Trials. This year, he has a great chance to qualify for Final X.
Stieber’s loss could have been followed by a withdrawl, because Stieber already had qualified for Rochester before Vegas. Instead, Stieber won four straight bouts in the consolations by technical fall to take third at the Open. He went down to the Pan American Championships in Peru and added a gold medal. A four-time NCAA champion at Ohio State, Stieber is already one of the elite freestylers in the nation. The question is whether he will be dominant at 65 kg, since his two U.S. World Team berths were at 61 kg.
The 2017 World Team member at this weight was Zain Retherford, who finished his Penn State career in March with a third NCAA title and second Hodge Trophy. Retherford may not wrestle in Rochester, and if he does, he may go up to 70 kg. If he does wrestle at either weight, he will be a force.
One of the top stars in this field did not even wrestle in Las Vegas, veteran B.J. Futrell, who qualified for Rochester with his silver medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial in November. Futrell made the National Team last year with his third place at World Team Trials and he has a slew of international medals to boot. Back in 2014, he was a University World silver medalist. If he qualifies for Final X, as Futrell and his coaches believe he can do, he is capable of making a World Team.HeSimm
Taking fourth at the Open was Nick Dardanes, who lost in the semifinals to Eierman by technical fall, and also fell to Stieber by technical fall. Dardanes has come a long way. The former Minnesota star has been a U.S. Open placewinner three times, but his other placements were seventh.
Another Minnesota star, past NCAA champion Jayson Ness, finished fifth at the Open, with losses to Eierman and Dardanes. Ness took a few years off from wrestling after college and started his coaching career. Since coming back in 2015, he has been a top challenger, with some excellent technique.
2018 Bill Farrell International champion Evan Henderson placed sixth at the U.S. Open, and has also established himself as a strong freestyler since finishing his college career at North Carolina.
The John Simmons who placed seventh at the U.S. Open was better known earlier in his career as Andy Simmons, the tough brother of Nick Simmons and also a skilled freestyler. An All-American at Michigan State, Simmons was fourth at the 2009 U.S. Open. If he makes a strong run in Rochester, this is a great comeback story.
Fans would love to see past Cadet World champion Yianni Diakomihalis in the mix here, especially after he won the NCAAs for Cornell as a true freshman. He had surgery after the NCAA Tournament and is expected not to be ready. If he is able to roll, this adds more skill and excitement to the mix.
The winner of this weight advances to Final X in State College on June 16, to face U.S. Open champion Joey McKenna of OSC for the World Team spot.
Men’s Freestyle 65 kg
Challenge Tournament entries
2017 Senior World Team member at 61 kg – Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
2017 Senior World Team member at 65 kg – Zain Retherford, State College, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC)
Nov. 17 Dave Schultz Memorial silver medalist – B.J. Futrell, Philadelphia, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC/Pennsylvania RTC)
2018 NCAA champion – Yianni Diakomihalis, Rochester, N.Y. (Cornell)
2018 Bill Farrell Memorial champion – Evan Henderson, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC)
2018 U.S. Open runner-up – Jaydin Eierman, Columbia, Mo. (Missouri Wrestling RTC)
2018 U.S. Open fourth place – Nicholas Dardanes, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC)
2018 U.S. Open fifth place – Jayson Ness, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
2018 U.S. Open sixth place – Evan Henderson, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC)
2018 U.S. Open seventh place - John Simmons, Williamston, Mich. (New York AC/MWC)
Note: Winner in Rochester advances to Final X in State College on June 16, to face U.S. Open champ Joseph McKenna (OSC-unattached)
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE 55 kg
As a weight class with a World medalist, U.S. Open champion Jacarra Winchester advanced directly to the best-of-three Championship Series in Rochester. Winchester made a strong run in Las Vegas after dropping to this weight class this season. A WCWA champion for Missouri Valley, she made the Senior National Team last year at 58 kg. She has shown great ability overseas, with a gold at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial earlier this winter.
The runner-up in Vegas was college star Dominique Parrish, who has put together a very strong season. After winning the WCWA college national title for Simon Fraser this winter, Parrish jumped right back into freestyle, winning the U23 World Team Trials for the second straight year. She scored a pair of technical falls to reach the Open finals, then lost to Winchester, 5-3. She qualified for her first Women’s National Team last year by taking third at the World Team Trials at this weight.
Third place at the Open went to a young star in Cameron Guerin of Washington, who reached the semifinals and lost to Parrish, then won her consolation bouts. Guerin was fifth in the 2017 Junior World Championships for Team USA, an indication of her vast potential moving forward.
Also earning a spot in the field in Rochester through the Open were fourth place finisher Tayler Resuriz and fifth place finisher Ainslie Lane. Resuriz wrestled at 57 kg for the U23 Trials, where she was fifth. She is a two-time WCWA All-American for McKendree. Lane is one of the top high school wrestlers in the nation, coming out of Oklahoma. She is coming off an injury, and did not have a strong tournament at the Girls Folkstyle Nationals in March by taking fifth, then came back strong with a fifth place on the Senior level at the Open.
The other two entries have some strong credentials. Past Cadet World champion and Cadet World runner-up Ronna Heaton punched her ticket for Rochester by taking second at the Dave Schultz Memorial in November. Heaton competed at 53 kg at the U.S. Open, where she placed seventh.
Bill Farrell Memorial silver medalist Samantha Klingel is the other qualifier. A past WCWA champion for King, Klingel has joined the U.S. Army WCAP program and was third in the 2017 Military World Championships. She matches up well in this field based upon her extensive experience.
The winner of this weight advances to Final X in Lincoln on June 9, to face 2017 World bronze medalist Becka Leathers of the Titan Mercury WC for the World Team spot.
Women’s Freestyle 55 kg
Directly to best-of-three series - 2018 U.S. Open champion – Jacarra Winchester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC)
Other Challenge Tournament entries
Nov. 17 Dave Schultz Memorial silver medalist – Ronna Heaton, Brookings, S.D. (Sunkist Kids)
2018 WCWA champion at 123 – Dominque Parrish, Scotts Valley, Calif. (Simon Fraser)
2018 Bill Farrell Memorial silver medalist – Samantha Klingel, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP)
2018 U.S. Open third place – Cameron Guerin, Yakima, Wash. (Team Takedown)
2018 U.S. Open fourth place – Tayler Resuriz, Lebanon, Ill. (McKendree Bearcat Wrestling Club),
2018 U.S. Open fifth place – Ainslie Lane, Bixby, Okla. (Aries Wrestling Club)
2018 UWW Junior World Team member –
Note: Winner in Rochester advances to Final X in Lincoln on June 9, to face World medalist Becka Leathers (Titan Mercury WC)
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