AWL I preview at 70 kg: James Green (Team Dake) vs. Brandon Sorensen (Team Taylor)

There was no hesitation on Kyle Dake’s part earlier this month when he wound up with the No. 1 overall pick in the first American Wrestling League Draft.


He selected the wrestler with the best freestyle resume in the draft pool, locking up two-time World medalist James Green to anchor the Team Dake lineup at 70 kilograms.


“I think he’s hungry,” Dake said after making the pick. “He didn’t compete to the best of his abilities at the World Championships, and he’s ready to go out and prove who he is and score a lot of points.”


Green will tangle next Friday night with a wrestler who was notoriously stingy during his college career.


Brandon Sorensen is one of three former Iowa high school stars who will wrestle for captain David Taylor’s squad on November 30 inside the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at AWL I: The Beginning.


Sorensen won four Iowa state high school titles for Denver-Tripoli, located a little more than an hour north of Cedar Rapids. He followed up his prep career by becoming a four-time All-American at Iowa, where he compiled a 127-17 career record with the Hawkeyes and finished fourth, second, third and fifth during his trips to the NCAA Championships.


Sorensen is just getting started on the international freestyle circuit. He captured a title in July at the Canada Cup and bagged a bronze in September at the Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial in Poland.


This might seem like matchup featuring a seasoned veteran against a newcomer on the international scene, but Green is 25 and Sorensen is 24.


Green is trying to rediscover his pre-2018 form. He underwent a hip operation last fall after claiming a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships in Paris. Doctors told him he could be facing a hip replacement surgery by the time he turned 30 if he didn’t address the issue.


“A lot of people would take the year off and try to adjust, but I was excited to get back,” he said in June after making his fourth straight World Team. “They gave me the confidence and said, ‘You’ll be ready.’ My trainers, coaches, partners made me ready.”


Green has compiled an 11-3 record this year, winning a gold at the Pan Am Championships, sweeping the 70-kilogram Final X series, notching wins in three of his four bouts at the World Cup and posting a Beat the Streets win before suffering early-round defeats at the Yasar Dogu and World Championships.


Tickets for AWL I: THE BEGINNING can be purchased at www.americanwrestling.org


The event will be streamed live on Trackwrestling.com.

TEAM DAKE – 70 kg

James Green, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC)

College: Nebraska

High School: Willingboro (N.J.)

Born: Dec. 19, 1992

• 2017 World silver medalist

• 2015 World bronze medalist

• Four-time U.S. Senior World Team member (2015-2018)

• 2014 University World silver medalist

• 2018 Pan American Championships champion

• 2016 World Cup champion

• 2017 U.S. Open champion

• 2013 and 2014 University Nationals champion

• Three-time Grand Prix of Spain champion (2015-17)

• Four-time NCAA All-American for Nebraska (2012-15)

• 2014 Big Ten champion

• New Jersey state champion, and two-time finalist

TEAM TAYLOR – 70 kg

Brandon Sorensen, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC)

College: Iowa

High School: Denver, Iowa (Denver-Tripoli)

Born: August 22, 1994

• Third in 2018 Ziolkowski Memorial (Poland)

• 2018 Canada Cup champion

• 2017 University Nationals champion

• Second in 2016 University Nationals

• Third in 2014 UWW Junior World Team Trials

• Third in 2014 UWW Junior Nationals

• Four-time NCAA All-American for Iowa

• Four-time Iowa state champion