Experienced Greco-Roman team primed for U23 World Championships in Budapest

Photo of Peyton Omania (67 kg).

The United States has fielded a promising Greco-Roman team for the U23 World Championships, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, Oct. 28-Nov. 3.

Seven of the 10 athletes combine for 27 U.S. World Teams across all levels from Cadet to Senior.

Leading the group is one of the most experienced athletes on the team, Taylor LaMont, who will be competing at 60 kg.

This year’s U23 Worlds will mark LaMont’s seventh-consecutive age-group World Championships appearance. He’s previously been on three Cadet World teams and three Junior World teams, dating back to 2013.

In 2016, LaMont won a Junior World bronze medal, and the following year, he was fifth at Junior Worlds. He also recorded a fifth-place finish at the 2015 Cadet World Championships.

After taking second at the U23 World Team Trials, LaMont stepped up to accept the World Team spot when U23 World Team Trials winner Randon Miranda pulled himself from the tournament.

LaMont is a wrestler at Utah Valley University. In 2018, he was an NCAA qualifier and took third at the Big 12 Championships. This year, LaMont will take an Olympic redshirt.

Another highly experienced athlete in the mix is 63 kg representative Dalton Roberts, a six-time World Team member.

Roberts will make his second U23 World appearance next week. He has also competed at the 2018 Senior World Championships, two Junior World Championships and the 2012 Cadet World Championships.

At the 2017 U23 World Championships, Roberts finished in the top-10 with a ninth-place showing.

Domestically, Roberts has impressive credentials, including a 2018 U.S. Open title.

The USA’s most recent Greco World medalist, Peyton Omania, will compete at 67 kg in Budapest.

Omania is fresh off an exciting bronze-medal performance at the 2019 Junior World Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.

2019 U23 Worlds marks his fourth World Championships appearance. He was a two-time Junior World Team member (2018, 2019) and a 2016 Cadet World Team member.

A wrestler at Michigan State, Omania has elected to take an Olympic redshirt for the 2019-20 NCAA season.

Another World medalist set to represent the Red, White and Blue is 2018 Junior World silver medalist Andrew Berreyesa, who will wrestle at 82 kg.

While this is only his second World Championships, Berreyesa has quickly proved his Greco talent at the international level.

Like Omania, Berreyesa, who wrestles collegiately at Cornell, will also take an Olympic redshirt for this year.

Wrestling for the United States at 55 kg is Brady Koontz, also a Division I wrestler.

Koontz, a sophomore for Ohio State, heads to his third World Championships after making the 2015 Cadet World Team and the 2018 Junior World Team.

So far, Koontz has put together a solid season, which included winning the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament to earn a spot at Final X, where he eventually secured a runner-up finish.

Because he advanced to Final X, Koontz was afforded an opportunity for a special wrestle-off for the U23 World spot, which he won, defeating Liam Cronin in three matches.

Jesse Porter is ready for his third-consecutive U23 World Championships. He is the only Greco athlete to compete in all three U23 Worlds, as it was created in 2017.

Porter, who will wrestle at 77 kg, is a 2017 U.S. Open runner-up and a two-time medalist at both the Bill Farrell International and Dave Schultz Memorial International tournaments.

Competing in his second-straight World Championships is Chad Porter, who was a 2018 Junior World Team member at 97 kg.

Porter, who was second at U23 World Team Trials, stepped in to take over the 97 kg spot after champion G’Angelo Hancock pulled from the tournament.

Porter is a sophomore at Arizona State.

Making their World Championships debuts in Budapest is Lenny Merkin at 72 kg, Matt Finesilver at 87 kg and David Tate Orndorff at 130 kg. All three compete at the Division I level collegiately.

Merkin, who will take an Olympic redshirt this season, attends Princeton, and Orndorff is a sophomore at Utah Valley.

Finesilver competes at Duke but is taking the year off with an Olympic redshirt to train at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Greco-Roman action will take place Nov. 1-3 in Budapest, Hungary. Fans can watch the action live on Trackwrestling.com.

2019 U23 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Budapest, Hungary (Oct. 28-Nov. 3)

U.S. Greco-Roman roster
55 kg: Brady Koontz (Plover, Wisc./Ohio RTC)
60 kg: Taylor LaMont (Mapleton, Utah/Sunkist Kids WC)
63 kg: Dalton Roberts (Fowlerville, Mich./New York AC)
67 kg: Peyton Omania (Concord, Calif./CYC)
72 kg: Lenny Merkin (Brooklyn, N.Y./New York AC)
77 kg: Jesse Porter (Albany, N.Y./New York AC)
82 kg: Andrew Berreyesa (Reno, Nev./New York AC/Finger Lakes WC)
87 kg: Matt Finesilver (Greenwood Village, Colo./Blue Blood WC)
97 kg: Chad Porter (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC)
130 kg: David Tate Orndorff (Spokane, Wash./Utah Valley RTC)

U.S. Greco-Roman National Head Coach – Matt Lindland, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach – Jay Antonelli, Annapolis, Md.

Team Leader – Paul Kieblesz, New York, N.Y.

Medical – Dr. Mike Mattin
Medical – Warren Flautt, Williamsburg, Va.

Referee – Jason Babi, Centennial, Colo.          
Referee – Tim Piesron, Virginia Beach, Va.
Referee – Brock Zollinger, Idaho Falls, Idaho

Communications – Taylor Miller, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Schedule (Budapest is six hours ahead of U.S. ET)
Monday, Oct. 28
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (MFS 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg, 97 kg)
6 p.m. – Semifinals (MFS 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg, 97 kg)

Tuesday, Oct. 29
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (MFS 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg)
10:30 a.m. – Repechage (MFS 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg, 97 kg)
4:45 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
5:15 p.m. – Semifinals (MFS 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg)
6 p.m. - (MFS 57 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg, 97 kg)

Wednesday, Oct. 30
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (WFS 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg)
10:30 a.m. – Repechage (MFS 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg)
5:15 p.m. – Semifinals (WFS 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (MFS 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg)

Thursday, Oct. 31
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (WFS 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg)
10:30 a.m. – Repechage (WFS 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg)
5:15 p.m. – Semifinals (WFS 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (WFS 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg)

Friday, Nov. 1
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (GR 55 kg, 63 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg, 130kg)
10:30 a.m. – Repechage (WFS 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg)
5:15 p.m. – Semifinals (GR 55 kg, 63 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg, 130kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (WFS 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg)

Saturday, Nov. 2
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (GR 60 kg, 67 kg, 72 kg, 82 kg, 97 kg)
10:30 a.m. – Repechage (GR 55 kg, 63 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg, 130kg)
5:15 p.m. – Semifinals (GR 60 kg, 67 kg, 72 kg, 82 kg, 97 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (GR 55 kg, 63 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg, 130kg)

Sunday, Nov. 3
3:30 p.m. – Repechage (GR 60 kg, 67 kg, 72 kg, 82 kg, 97 kg)
5 p.m. – Finals (GR 60 kg, 67 kg, 72 kg, 82 kg, 97 kg)