Greco-Roman action kicks off at Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament

RALEIGH, N.C. – The first whistle blew this morning for the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament as the weekend began with Greco-Roman competition inside the Reynolds Coliseum on NC State’s campus.

Winners of this weekend’s Senior tournaments will earn a spot to the Final X series in June, which is the final step in the World Team selection process.

Here’s some notable results from Friday morning:

• There are several past Senior World Team members (and even more age-group World Team members) in tonight’s semifinals. Three weights have multiple Senior World Team members.
  • Ildar Hafizov and Dalton Roberts are opposite sides of the 60 kg. Hafizov was on the 2017 U.S. Senior Team. Prior to that, he represented Uzbekistan at three Senior World Championships and the 2012 Olympics. Roberts competed the USA at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Roberts has also been on a U23 World and two Junior Worlds Team.
  • Pat Smith and Mason Manville were both representatives at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, France. Smith was the World Team at 71 kg, while Manville wrestled at 77 kg. This year, they are both at 77 kg. Manville is a 2014 Cadet World champion in freestyle.
  • 82 kg semifinals features two-time World Team member Cheney Haight, the No. 5 seed, and 2018 World rep Geordan Speiller, the No. 2 seed. Should they advance through the semis, they will meet up in the best-of-three finals on Saturday.
  • 2017 World Team member Ben Provisor advanced to the semis. Tonight, he’ll face No. 4 Vaughn Monreal-Berner.
• Four age-group World medalists are scattered throughout the field.
  • At 60 kg, 2016 Junior World bronze medalist Taylor LaMont will face No. 1 seed Hafizov in the semifinals.
  • Penn State’s Jarod Verkleeren, a 2014 Cadet World champion in freestyle, will take on 2016 U.S. Open champion Hayden Tuma in the semis at 63 kg.
  • Entering this weekend as the No. 9 seed, Cornell starter and 2018 Junior World silver medalist Andrew Berreyesa knocked off top-seeded Spencer Woods in the 82 kg quarterfinals and awaits Haight in the semis.
  • 2017 Cadet World champion and 2018 Junior World bronze medalist Cohlton Schultz advanced at 130 kg. Later today, he will take on multiple-time National Team member Toby Erickson.
• In addition to Berreyesa, there were a few other key upsets this morning:
  • At 72 kg, 2018 World Team member and top-seeded RaVaughn Perkins went down to 2017 U23 World Team member and No. 9 Alex Mossing in the quarters. Mossing took the win by fall in the first period.
  • Two-time U23 World Team member and No. 4 Jesse Porter lost late in the 77 kg quarters after No. 5 Peyton Walsh scored on a four-point move with two seconds left in the match.
  • At 82 kg, John Stefanowicz scored six points in the final 20 seconds of the quarterfinals to knock off third-seeded Chandler Rogers for an 11-8 win.

The semifinals will take place at 4 p.m. ET live on FloWrestling.org. Challenge finals for all weights where an athlete is already sitting until the best-of-three finals (87 kg, 130 kg) will be contested after.

Patrick Martinez (87 kg) and Robby Smith (130 kg) each earned byes to the World Team Trials best-of-three finals by qualifying their respective weights for the 2019 Pan American Games, which are set for August.

Those that reach the finals in the other eight weights will battle it out in Saturday’s best-of-three finals.

2019 GRECO-ROMAN WORLD TEAM TRIALS CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT

at Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, N.C.), May 17-18

Challenge tournament semifinal matchups
55 kg
Dalton Duffield (Aries WC) vs. Britain Longmire (unattached)
Ibrahim Budunka (Inland Northwest RTC) vs. Brady Koontz (Ohio RTC)

60 kg
Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) vs. Taylor LaMont (Sunkist Kids)
Randon Miranda (NYAC) vs. Dalton Roberts (NYAC)

63 kg
Sam Jones (NYAC) vs. Lilshawn Coleman (Army WCAP)
Xavier Johnson (Marines) vs. Travis Rice (IRTC)

67 kg
Hayden Tuma (Army WCAP) vs. Jarod Verkleeren (Nittany Lion WC)
Austin Morrow (NYAC) vs. Jamel Johnson (Marines)

72 kg
Alex Mossing (Air Force RTC) vs. Nick Tarpley (NYAC)
Alex Sancho (Army WCAP) vs. Michael Hooker (Army WCAP)

77 kg
Pat Smith (Minnesota Storm) vs. Peyton Walsh (Marines)
Corey Hope (NYAC) vs. Mason Manville (Nittany Lion WC)

82 kg
Andrew Berreyesa (Finger Lakes WC) vs. Cheney Haight (NYAC)
John Stefanowicz (Marines) vs. Geordan Speiller (Florida Jets)

87 kg
Ben Provisor (NYAC/Nittany Lion WC) vs. Vaughn Monreal-Berner (Marines)
Kevin Radford (SUnkist Kids) vs. Barrett Stanghill (Minnesota Storm)

97 kg
Lucas Sheridan (Army WCAP) vs. Khymba Johnson (NYAC)
Eric Twohey (Minnesota Storm) vs. Daniel Miller (Marines)

130 kg
Jacob Mitchell (Army WCAP) vs. Haydn Maley (California RTC)
Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist Kids) vs. Toby Erickson (Army WCAP)