Final X: Rutgers men's freestyle championship series preview
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by JD Rader, USA Wrestling
Yianni Diakomihalis and Zain Retherford square off in the US Open finals. Photo by Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com.
Final X: Rutgers will feature three men’s freestyle championship series, all of which will be in the second session at 6 p.m. ET.
The six wrestlers who are competing own a total of five Senior World/Olympic medals and six age-level World medals.
The Senior medalists are J’den Cox (2x World and 1x Olympic) at 92 kg and Nick Gwiazdowski (2x World) at 125 kg.
All of the six age-level World medals won by wrestlers on the Final X: Rutgers card have been gold. The age-level World champions are Gable Steveson (2x Cadet and 1x Junior), Yianni Diakomihalis (2x Cadet), and Zain Retherford (1x Cadet).
Each weight will be a best-of-three showdown with the winner getting to represent Team USA at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, September 14-22.
Session Two – 6 p.m.
Bout 5: men’s freestyle 125 kg – World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn./Minnesota RTC)
At 125 kg it will be a battle between a veteran with two Senior World bronze medals and a young phenom with three age-level World gold medals. Gwiazdowski has earned his two Senior World medals in his two trips to Worlds. Steveson has earned his three age-level World medals in four trips to Worlds.
After finishing the NCAA tournament in third place, Steveson came out and defeated US Open champion and Cadet World champion Adam Coon two matches to none, including a 13-3 tech fall, at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament.
Steveson looked good, but Gwiazdowski has established himself on the Senior level both domestically and internationally. The New York native hasn’t lost to an American or on American soil since the 2016 Olympic Trials. Can the phenom take out the current Senior No. 1?
Past Senior World Teams
Gwiazdowski – 2018 Senior Worlds (bronze at 125 kg), 2017 Senior Worlds (bronze at 125 kg)
Steveson – none
Past age-group World Teams
Gwiazdowski – none
Steveson – 2018 Junior Worlds (8th at 125 kg), 2017 Junior Worlds (gold at 120 kg), 2016 Cadet Worlds (gold at 100 kg), 2015 Cadet Worlds (gold at 100 kg)
Bout 6: 65 kg – US Open champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Zain Retherford (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)
Both of these athletes are past Cadet World champions, with Yianni Diakomihalis winning his in 2015 and 2016 and Zain Retherford claiming his in 2012. Although Retherford has a slight edge in Senior freestyle experience, both are considered freestyle talents and compete at a world-class level.
There’s no one hotter right now than Diakomihalis. The Cornell sophomore is coming off of a win over 2018 World silver medalist Bajrang Punia at Beat the Streets “Grapple at the Garden” in May. In April, Diakomihalis won the US Open and defeated 2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro, two-time NCAA champion Jordan Oliver, and his Final X opponent Zain Retherford in the process.
The match at the Open between the two was no blowout. Diakohmihalis won a closely contested 6-4 match. Zain Retherford is a three-time NCAA champion, 2017 World Team member, and Cadet World champion. He also just defeated Frank Molinaro and Jordan Oliver in the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Can he reverse the US Open final result?
Past Senior World Teams
Diakomihalis – none
Retherford – 2017 Senior Worlds (11th at 65 kg)
Past age-level World Teams
Diakomihalis – 2016 Cadet Worlds (gold at 63 kg), 2015 Cadet Worlds (gold at 58 kg)
Retherford – 2012 Cadet Worlds (gold at 63 kg)
Recent head-to-head matches
April 2019 – US Open finals – Diakomihalis dec. Retherford 6-4
Bout 7: 92 kg – World champion J’den Cox (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Bo Nickal (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)
A combined total of six NCAA titles will be on display in the 92 kg series, with three coming from J’den Cox and coming three from Bo Nickal.
Cox also boasts a World gold medal, an Olympic bronze medal, and a World bronze medal. He only has three losses on his Senior-level record to Americans; a 5-3 loss to Kyle Dake in the 2016 Olympic Trials, a 4-3 loss to Kyle Snyder in the 2015 US Open, and an injury default to JD Bergman in the 2015 US Open.
Nickal ran through the US Open and World Team Trials Challenge Tournament finals with relative ease. The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club wrestler teched or pinned every opponent until his second match with Mike Macchiavello, which he won 5-0. However, he faces a whole different animal in J’den Cox, who does not give up points easily.
Nickal has had limited international exposure since high school, while Cox has beaten a considerable amount of foreign opponent in the last four seasons. Will the experience edge be enough for the World champion to hold off the rising star?
Past Senior World/Olympic Teams
Cox – 2018 Senior Worlds (gold at 92 kg), 2017 Senior Worlds (bronze at 86 kg), 2016 Olympics (bronze at 86 kg)
Nickal – none
Past age-level World Teams
Cox – none
Nickal – 2013 Cadet Worlds (5th at 76 kg)
Two World champions that were originally set to compete at this event have pulled out due to injury. 2018 Senior World gold medalist David Taylor was forced to pull out because of a knee injury. He was slated to take on Junior World silver medalist Patrick Downey III at 86 kg.
Another 2018 Senior World gold medalist, Kyle Dake, was slated to take on another past Junior World silver medalist, Alex Dieringer, at 79 kg, but Dake was forced to pull out due to injury as well. Dake has been granted a delayed wrestle off and will face Dieringer at a date and location to be determined.
Final X: Rutgers will feature three men’s freestyle championship series, all of which will be in the second session at 6 p.m. ET.
The six wrestlers who are competing own a total of five Senior World/Olympic medals and six age-level World medals.
The Senior medalists are J’den Cox (2x World and 1x Olympic) at 92 kg and Nick Gwiazdowski (2x World) at 125 kg.
All of the six age-level World medals won by wrestlers on the Final X: Rutgers card have been gold. The age-level World champions are Gable Steveson (2x Cadet and 1x Junior), Yianni Diakomihalis (2x Cadet), and Zain Retherford (1x Cadet).
Each weight will be a best-of-three showdown with the winner getting to represent Team USA at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, September 14-22.
Session Two – 6 p.m.
Bout 5: men’s freestyle 125 kg – World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn./Minnesota RTC)
At 125 kg it will be a battle between a veteran with two Senior World bronze medals and a young phenom with three age-level World gold medals. Gwiazdowski has earned his two Senior World medals in his two trips to Worlds. Steveson has earned his three age-level World medals in four trips to Worlds.
After finishing the NCAA tournament in third place, Steveson came out and defeated US Open champion and Cadet World champion Adam Coon two matches to none, including a 13-3 tech fall, at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament.
Steveson looked good, but Gwiazdowski has established himself on the Senior level both domestically and internationally. The New York native hasn’t lost to an American or on American soil since the 2016 Olympic Trials. Can the phenom take out the current Senior No. 1?
Past Senior World Teams
Gwiazdowski – 2018 Senior Worlds (bronze at 125 kg), 2017 Senior Worlds (bronze at 125 kg)
Steveson – none
Past age-group World Teams
Gwiazdowski – none
Steveson – 2018 Junior Worlds (8th at 125 kg), 2017 Junior Worlds (gold at 120 kg), 2016 Cadet Worlds (gold at 100 kg), 2015 Cadet Worlds (gold at 100 kg)
Bout 6: 65 kg – US Open champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Zain Retherford (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)
Both of these athletes are past Cadet World champions, with Yianni Diakomihalis winning his in 2015 and 2016 and Zain Retherford claiming his in 2012. Although Retherford has a slight edge in Senior freestyle experience, both are considered freestyle talents and compete at a world-class level.
There’s no one hotter right now than Diakomihalis. The Cornell sophomore is coming off of a win over 2018 World silver medalist Bajrang Punia at Beat the Streets “Grapple at the Garden” in May. In April, Diakomihalis won the US Open and defeated 2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro, two-time NCAA champion Jordan Oliver, and his Final X opponent Zain Retherford in the process.
The match at the Open between the two was no blowout. Diakohmihalis won a closely contested 6-4 match. Zain Retherford is a three-time NCAA champion, 2017 World Team member, and Cadet World champion. He also just defeated Frank Molinaro and Jordan Oliver in the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Can he reverse the US Open final result?
Past Senior World Teams
Diakomihalis – none
Retherford – 2017 Senior Worlds (11th at 65 kg)
Past age-level World Teams
Diakomihalis – 2016 Cadet Worlds (gold at 63 kg), 2015 Cadet Worlds (gold at 58 kg)
Retherford – 2012 Cadet Worlds (gold at 63 kg)
Recent head-to-head matches
April 2019 – US Open finals – Diakomihalis dec. Retherford 6-4
Bout 7: 92 kg – World champion J’den Cox (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Bo Nickal (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)
A combined total of six NCAA titles will be on display in the 92 kg series, with three coming from J’den Cox and coming three from Bo Nickal.
Cox also boasts a World gold medal, an Olympic bronze medal, and a World bronze medal. He only has three losses on his Senior-level record to Americans; a 5-3 loss to Kyle Dake in the 2016 Olympic Trials, a 4-3 loss to Kyle Snyder in the 2015 US Open, and an injury default to JD Bergman in the 2015 US Open.
Nickal ran through the US Open and World Team Trials Challenge Tournament finals with relative ease. The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club wrestler teched or pinned every opponent until his second match with Mike Macchiavello, which he won 5-0. However, he faces a whole different animal in J’den Cox, who does not give up points easily.
Nickal has had limited international exposure since high school, while Cox has beaten a considerable amount of foreign opponent in the last four seasons. Will the experience edge be enough for the World champion to hold off the rising star?
Past Senior World/Olympic Teams
Cox – 2018 Senior Worlds (gold at 92 kg), 2017 Senior Worlds (bronze at 86 kg), 2016 Olympics (bronze at 86 kg)
Nickal – none
Past age-level World Teams
Cox – none
Nickal – 2013 Cadet Worlds (5th at 76 kg)
Two World champions that were originally set to compete at this event have pulled out due to injury. 2018 Senior World gold medalist David Taylor was forced to pull out because of a knee injury. He was slated to take on Junior World silver medalist Patrick Downey III at 86 kg.
Another 2018 Senior World gold medalist, Kyle Dake, was slated to take on another past Junior World silver medalist, Alex Dieringer, at 79 kg, but Dake was forced to pull out due to injury as well. Dake has been granted a delayed wrestle off and will face Dieringer at a date and location to be determined.
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