AWL I preview at 65 kg: Jordan Oliver (Team Dake) vs. Zain Retherford (Team Taylor)
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
The wrestling community has been thirsting for this showdown since 2017.
In the semifinals of the 2017 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, veteran freestyle star Jordan Oliver scored a 5-3 victory over college star Zain Retherford. Oliver went on to capture his first U.S. Open title with a 4-4 criteria win over 2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro in the finals. After many years of being right in the thick of things but just missing his spot on the top of the podium, Oliver looked like he had made a career breakthrough.
However, a showdown did not happen at the 2017 World Team Trials, because Oliver received a positive doping test from the Open and was not eligible to compete. The U.S. Open title was ultimately taken away. Oliver had taken a medication for a medical condition which led to the unexpected and accidental positive test. Based upon those facts, he received a one-year sanction, which is less than the standard two-year penalty for violating USADA rules.
Retherford went on to win a classic battle over Molinaro in the 2017 World Team Trials, a scrap between workout partners in the Penn State room which went the full three matches. Retherford competed on the 2017 U.S. World Team, which won a historic team title in Paris, but he was not able to earn a medal.
The Oliver vs. Retherford battle has not happened in 2018 yet either. The timing of Oliver’s suspension did not make him eligible to wrestle until April 29, 2018, which was too late for him to qualify for the 2018 Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament and the Final X process. It was literally just a few hours too late for him, as the final qualifying event, the 2018 U.S. Open, began on April 28.
Retherford, after winning his third NCAA title for Penn State and his second Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top college wrestler, took a break from freestyle wrestling and did not enter the 2018 Trials process.
AWL I gives everybody a chance to see them battle again. Who ya got?
Oliver has been back in competition, winning a Super Match at the Beat the Streets Benefit in New York City on May 17 over Olympic champion and two-time Olympic medalist Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan, 3-3. At the Ziolkowski Memorial in Poland in September, Oliver dropped a 9-8 bout to Russian star Akhmed Chakaev, who won a bronze in October’s World Championships. Retherford has not competed this year, with his last match a 6-4 loss to Adam Batirov of Bahrain in the 2017 Paris Worlds. Batirov won a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships. Both of these guys are right there with the best athletes in the world.
Oliver has been a long-time fan favorite in freestyle who competes with great skill and passion, and has worked long and hard to get his shot at the World level. Fans are still talking about the tremendous battle he had with World champion Frank Chamizo of Italy in the 2017 Beat the Streets Benefit in New York, where Chamizo survived with a 7-6 win. Oliver’s burning desire has been fueled by placing second in the World Team Trials three times and second in the U.S. Open twice. He is driven to be “the Man.”
This will be a battle for Pennsylvania bragging rights, as two of the Keystone State’s finest will scrap at the professional level. Oliver is from Easton and Retherford is from Benton.
Both showed early on that they would be excellent in freestyle wrestling at the highest level. Not only did they both win national titles in Fargo, but they both won age-group World medals. Retherford was a Cadet World champion and Oliver was a Junior World bronze medalist. Both were trained in college by Olympic champions, Oliver under John Smith at Oklahoma State and Retherford under Cael Sanderson at Penn State.
Both had memorable college careers, each winning four All-American honors. Retherford won three NCAA titles and Oliver won two. Wrestling fans are still debating whether or not the officials made the right call when Ohio State’s Logan Stieber edged Oliver, 4-3 in the 2012 NCAA finals in St. Louis at 133 pounds. A different call and Oliver would have also been a three-time champion.
It is easy to see why people are so fired up about seeing this showdown. Not only are they battling for prize money in AWL I, but they could also be fighting for spots on the 2019 World Team and the 2020 Olympic team. This one is worth the price of admission for anyone able to get to Cedar Rapids. For everyone else, it is worth the price of the pay-per-view on Trackwrestling. You really don’t want to miss this one.
Tickets for AWL I: THE BEGINNING can be purchased at www.americanwrestling.org
The event will be broadcast live by TrackWrestling.
TEAM DAKE – 65 kg
Jordan Oliver, Ithaca, N.Y. (Sunkist Kids/New York RTC)
College: Oklahoma State
High School: Easton (Pa.)
Born: May 8, 1990
Height: 5-8
• Second in 2014, 2015 and 2016 World Team Trials
• Second in 2013 and 2015 U.S. Open
• Third in 2013 World Team Trials
• 2009 Junior World bronze medalist
• 2015 and 2017 Dave Schultz Memorial International champion
• Third in 2015 Yasar Dogu International (Turkey)
• 2009 University Nationals champion
• 2009 UWW Junior Nationals champion
• Second in 2010 UWW Junior World Team Trials
• Two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma State and four-time All-American
• Three-time Pennsylvania state champion
TEAM TAYLOR – 65 kg
Zain Retherford (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)
College: Penn State
High School: Benton (Pa.)
Born: May 21, 1995
• 2017 U.S. World Team member
• Third in 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials
• 2017 Grand Prix of Spain champion
• Second in 2017 U.S. Open
• 2012 Cadet World champion
• Second in 2014 and 2015 UWW Junior World Team Trials
• Second in 2014 and 2015 UWW Junior Nationals
• Three-time NCAA champion for Penn State and four-time All-American
• Two-time Dan Hodge Trophy recipient, as nation’s top college wrestler (2017-18)
• Three-time Big Ten champion
• Two-time Pennsylvania state champion
In the semifinals of the 2017 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, veteran freestyle star Jordan Oliver scored a 5-3 victory over college star Zain Retherford. Oliver went on to capture his first U.S. Open title with a 4-4 criteria win over 2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro in the finals. After many years of being right in the thick of things but just missing his spot on the top of the podium, Oliver looked like he had made a career breakthrough.
However, a showdown did not happen at the 2017 World Team Trials, because Oliver received a positive doping test from the Open and was not eligible to compete. The U.S. Open title was ultimately taken away. Oliver had taken a medication for a medical condition which led to the unexpected and accidental positive test. Based upon those facts, he received a one-year sanction, which is less than the standard two-year penalty for violating USADA rules.
Retherford went on to win a classic battle over Molinaro in the 2017 World Team Trials, a scrap between workout partners in the Penn State room which went the full three matches. Retherford competed on the 2017 U.S. World Team, which won a historic team title in Paris, but he was not able to earn a medal.
The Oliver vs. Retherford battle has not happened in 2018 yet either. The timing of Oliver’s suspension did not make him eligible to wrestle until April 29, 2018, which was too late for him to qualify for the 2018 Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament and the Final X process. It was literally just a few hours too late for him, as the final qualifying event, the 2018 U.S. Open, began on April 28.
Retherford, after winning his third NCAA title for Penn State and his second Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top college wrestler, took a break from freestyle wrestling and did not enter the 2018 Trials process.
AWL I gives everybody a chance to see them battle again. Who ya got?
Oliver has been back in competition, winning a Super Match at the Beat the Streets Benefit in New York City on May 17 over Olympic champion and two-time Olympic medalist Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan, 3-3. At the Ziolkowski Memorial in Poland in September, Oliver dropped a 9-8 bout to Russian star Akhmed Chakaev, who won a bronze in October’s World Championships. Retherford has not competed this year, with his last match a 6-4 loss to Adam Batirov of Bahrain in the 2017 Paris Worlds. Batirov won a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships. Both of these guys are right there with the best athletes in the world.
Oliver has been a long-time fan favorite in freestyle who competes with great skill and passion, and has worked long and hard to get his shot at the World level. Fans are still talking about the tremendous battle he had with World champion Frank Chamizo of Italy in the 2017 Beat the Streets Benefit in New York, where Chamizo survived with a 7-6 win. Oliver’s burning desire has been fueled by placing second in the World Team Trials three times and second in the U.S. Open twice. He is driven to be “the Man.”
This will be a battle for Pennsylvania bragging rights, as two of the Keystone State’s finest will scrap at the professional level. Oliver is from Easton and Retherford is from Benton.
Both showed early on that they would be excellent in freestyle wrestling at the highest level. Not only did they both win national titles in Fargo, but they both won age-group World medals. Retherford was a Cadet World champion and Oliver was a Junior World bronze medalist. Both were trained in college by Olympic champions, Oliver under John Smith at Oklahoma State and Retherford under Cael Sanderson at Penn State.
Both had memorable college careers, each winning four All-American honors. Retherford won three NCAA titles and Oliver won two. Wrestling fans are still debating whether or not the officials made the right call when Ohio State’s Logan Stieber edged Oliver, 4-3 in the 2012 NCAA finals in St. Louis at 133 pounds. A different call and Oliver would have also been a three-time champion.
It is easy to see why people are so fired up about seeing this showdown. Not only are they battling for prize money in AWL I, but they could also be fighting for spots on the 2019 World Team and the 2020 Olympic team. This one is worth the price of admission for anyone able to get to Cedar Rapids. For everyone else, it is worth the price of the pay-per-view on Trackwrestling. You really don’t want to miss this one.
Tickets for AWL I: THE BEGINNING can be purchased at www.americanwrestling.org
The event will be broadcast live by TrackWrestling.
TEAM DAKE – 65 kg
Jordan Oliver, Ithaca, N.Y. (Sunkist Kids/New York RTC)
College: Oklahoma State
High School: Easton (Pa.)
Born: May 8, 1990
Height: 5-8
• Second in 2014, 2015 and 2016 World Team Trials
• Second in 2013 and 2015 U.S. Open
• Third in 2013 World Team Trials
• 2009 Junior World bronze medalist
• 2015 and 2017 Dave Schultz Memorial International champion
• Third in 2015 Yasar Dogu International (Turkey)
• 2009 University Nationals champion
• 2009 UWW Junior Nationals champion
• Second in 2010 UWW Junior World Team Trials
• Two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma State and four-time All-American
• Three-time Pennsylvania state champion
TEAM TAYLOR – 65 kg
Zain Retherford (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)
College: Penn State
High School: Benton (Pa.)
Born: May 21, 1995
• 2017 U.S. World Team member
• Third in 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials
• 2017 Grand Prix of Spain champion
• Second in 2017 U.S. Open
• 2012 Cadet World champion
• Second in 2014 and 2015 UWW Junior World Team Trials
• Second in 2014 and 2015 UWW Junior Nationals
• Three-time NCAA champion for Penn State and four-time All-American
• Two-time Dan Hodge Trophy recipient, as nation’s top college wrestler (2017-18)
• Three-time Big Ten champion
• Two-time Pennsylvania state champion
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