Strong U.S. team to enter Grand Prix Zagreb Open in Croatia, the first UWW Greco-Roman Ranking event
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by JR Rader, USA Wrestling
Kamal Bey of the Sunkist Kids secures a lock on Carter Nielsen of NMU-OTS at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. Photo by Sandy Slater.
USA Wrestling will be bringing 13 talented Greco-Roman athletes to the Grand Prix Zagreb Open in Zagreb, Croatia.
This tournament is the first UWW Greco-Roman Ranking Tournament of the year. Ranking tournaments give wrestlers points based upon their finish and help set the seeds for the 2018 World Championships in Kazakhstan. Fans can watch the tournament live on FloWrestling.org Feb. 9-10.
Among the Americans heading to Croatia are six past U.S. Senior World Team members, including a Junior World champion.
Headlining the roster is 2018 Senior World Team member and 2017 Junior World champion Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids). Since placing third at the Grand Prix of Zagreb in 2017, Bey has won a Junior World title in 2017 and made the 2018 U.S. Senior World Team. Most recently, Bey won the Dave Schultz Memorial International at 82 kg.
Joining Bey from the 2018 U.S. Senior World Team will be Dalton Roberts (Fowlerville, Mich./NYAC) at 60 kg, RaVaughn Perkins (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC) at 77 kg, Patrick Martinez (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC) at 87 kg and G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 97 kg.
In addition to making the 2018 World Team, Roberts won the 2018 U.S. Open, was a U23 World Team member and 2017, and made Junior World Teams in 2015 and 2016.
Martinez is a three-time Senior World Team member, making teams in 2015, 2016, and 2018. He placed third at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open in 2016.
Perkins is a two-time U.S. Open champion and a 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion.
Hancock has competed on the last two U.S. Senior World Teams, and is a past Junior World bronze medalist. He recently won a gold medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.
2017 U.S. World Team member Ildar Hafizov (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) will enter at 60 kg. Hafizov was a 2008 Olympian and three-timeWorld Team member while competing for Uzbekistan. A 2016 U.S. Open champion, he most recently won a gold at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.
Five other current National Team members are on the trip, including Xavier Johnson (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines) at 60 kg, Peyton Walsh (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines) at 77 kg, John Stefanowicz (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines) at 82 kg, Kevin Radford (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) at 87 kg, and Daniel Miller (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines) at 97 kg.
Other U.S. athletes competing will be Travis Rice (Washington, Ill./Illinois RTC/NYAC) at 63 kg and Nicholas Boykin (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Sunkist Kids) at 97 kg.
Action begins Feb. 9 at 10:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time) and will be streamed live on FloWrestling.org.
Many of the athletes on this tour will remain in Europe for additional training, with some expected to wrestle at the next UWW Ranking Tournament, the Hungarian Grand Prix in Gyor, Hungary, Jan. 23-24.
2019 GRAND PRIX ZAGREB OPEN
UWW Greco-Roman Ranking Tournament
at Zagreb, Croatia, Feb., 9-10
U.S. entries
60 kg/132 lbs. – Dalton Roberts (Fowlerville, Mich./NYAC)
60 kg/132 lbs. – Ildar Hafizov (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP)
63 kg/139 lbs. – Xavier Johnson (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marine Corps)
63 kg/139 lbs. – Travis Rice (Washington, Ill./Illinois RTC/NYAC)
77 kg/169.5 lbs. – RaVaughn Perkins (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC)
77 kg/169.5 lbs. – Peyton Walsh (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines)
77 kg/169.5 lbs. – Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids)
82 kg/180.5 lbs. – John Stefanowicz (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marine Corps)
87 kg/191.5 lbs. – Patrick Martinez (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC)
87 kg/191.5 lbs. – Kevin Radford Jr. (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids)
97 kg/213.5 lbs. – G’Angelo Hancock, (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids)
97 kg/213.5 lbs. – Nicholas Boykin (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Sunkist Kids)
97 kg/213.5 lbs. – Daniel Miller (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines)
National Greco-Roman Coach – Matt Lindland, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach – James Johnson, Tempe, Ariz.
Coach – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Medical – Jon Duplessis, Wilmington, N.C.
Referee – Cody Hesser, Gonzales, La.
Schedule (six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)
Saturday, Feb. 9
10:30 a.m. – Qualifications and elimination rounds
Sunday, Feb. 10
10:30 a.m. – Repechage bouts and bronze-medal matches
5:30 p.m. – Opening Ceremony and final matches
USA Wrestling will be bringing 13 talented Greco-Roman athletes to the Grand Prix Zagreb Open in Zagreb, Croatia.
This tournament is the first UWW Greco-Roman Ranking Tournament of the year. Ranking tournaments give wrestlers points based upon their finish and help set the seeds for the 2018 World Championships in Kazakhstan. Fans can watch the tournament live on FloWrestling.org Feb. 9-10.
Among the Americans heading to Croatia are six past U.S. Senior World Team members, including a Junior World champion.
Headlining the roster is 2018 Senior World Team member and 2017 Junior World champion Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids). Since placing third at the Grand Prix of Zagreb in 2017, Bey has won a Junior World title in 2017 and made the 2018 U.S. Senior World Team. Most recently, Bey won the Dave Schultz Memorial International at 82 kg.
Joining Bey from the 2018 U.S. Senior World Team will be Dalton Roberts (Fowlerville, Mich./NYAC) at 60 kg, RaVaughn Perkins (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC) at 77 kg, Patrick Martinez (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC) at 87 kg and G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 97 kg.
In addition to making the 2018 World Team, Roberts won the 2018 U.S. Open, was a U23 World Team member and 2017, and made Junior World Teams in 2015 and 2016.
Martinez is a three-time Senior World Team member, making teams in 2015, 2016, and 2018. He placed third at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open in 2016.
Perkins is a two-time U.S. Open champion and a 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion.
Hancock has competed on the last two U.S. Senior World Teams, and is a past Junior World bronze medalist. He recently won a gold medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.
2017 U.S. World Team member Ildar Hafizov (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) will enter at 60 kg. Hafizov was a 2008 Olympian and three-timeWorld Team member while competing for Uzbekistan. A 2016 U.S. Open champion, he most recently won a gold at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.
Five other current National Team members are on the trip, including Xavier Johnson (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines) at 60 kg, Peyton Walsh (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines) at 77 kg, John Stefanowicz (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines) at 82 kg, Kevin Radford (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) at 87 kg, and Daniel Miller (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines) at 97 kg.
Other U.S. athletes competing will be Travis Rice (Washington, Ill./Illinois RTC/NYAC) at 63 kg and Nicholas Boykin (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Sunkist Kids) at 97 kg.
Action begins Feb. 9 at 10:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time) and will be streamed live on FloWrestling.org.
Many of the athletes on this tour will remain in Europe for additional training, with some expected to wrestle at the next UWW Ranking Tournament, the Hungarian Grand Prix in Gyor, Hungary, Jan. 23-24.
2019 GRAND PRIX ZAGREB OPEN
UWW Greco-Roman Ranking Tournament
at Zagreb, Croatia, Feb., 9-10
U.S. entries
60 kg/132 lbs. – Dalton Roberts (Fowlerville, Mich./NYAC)
60 kg/132 lbs. – Ildar Hafizov (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP)
63 kg/139 lbs. – Xavier Johnson (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marine Corps)
63 kg/139 lbs. – Travis Rice (Washington, Ill./Illinois RTC/NYAC)
77 kg/169.5 lbs. – RaVaughn Perkins (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC)
77 kg/169.5 lbs. – Peyton Walsh (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines)
77 kg/169.5 lbs. – Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids)
82 kg/180.5 lbs. – John Stefanowicz (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marine Corps)
87 kg/191.5 lbs. – Patrick Martinez (Colorado Springs, Colo./NYAC)
87 kg/191.5 lbs. – Kevin Radford Jr. (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids)
97 kg/213.5 lbs. – G’Angelo Hancock, (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids)
97 kg/213.5 lbs. – Nicholas Boykin (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Sunkist Kids)
97 kg/213.5 lbs. – Daniel Miller (Camp LeJeune, N.C./Marines)
National Greco-Roman Coach – Matt Lindland, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach – James Johnson, Tempe, Ariz.
Coach – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Medical – Jon Duplessis, Wilmington, N.C.
Referee – Cody Hesser, Gonzales, La.
Schedule (six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)
Saturday, Feb. 9
10:30 a.m. – Qualifications and elimination rounds
Sunday, Feb. 10
10:30 a.m. – Repechage bouts and bronze-medal matches
5:30 p.m. – Opening Ceremony and final matches
