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#FreestyleFriday: Get to know the second generation of the Pennsylvania RTC

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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling

Brandon Slay, Executive Director and head coach of the Pennsylvania RTC and 2000 Olympic champion, has been busy over the last year, recruiting some insane talent to train at the PRTC, located in Philadelphia.

Since June, Slay has announced two huge additions to the RTC, including five-time World and Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs as well as two-time Junior World champion Mark Hall.

Get to know Coach Slay’s athlete roster:

Jordan Burroughs, 74 kg (committing to join fall 2021)

  • 2012 Olympic champion
  • 2016 Olympian
  • Seven-time World Team member
  • Four-time World champion (2011, ‘13, ‘15, ‘17)
  • Three-time World bronze medalist (2014, ‘18, ‘19)
  • Three-time Pan American Games champion (2011, ’15, ’19)
  • Four-time Pan American Championships gold medalist (2014, ’16, ’19, ’20)
  • Three-time U.S. Open champion (2011, 2013, 2014)
  • Two-time NCAA champion (2009, ’11)
  • 2011 Dan Hodge Trophy recipient

Mark Hall, 74 kg (committing to join Jan. 2021)

  • Two-time Junior World champion (2016, ’17)
  • 2014 Cadet World champion
  • Three-time Junior World Team member (2015-17)
  • 2018 Senior Pan American champion
  • 2015 Grand Prix of Spain bronze medalist
  • 2017 NCAA champion for Penn State
  • Three-time NCAA finalist (2017-19)
  • Three-time Big Ten champion (2018-20)

    Joey McKenna, 65 kg

  • 2017 U23 World bronze medalist
  • 2014 Cadet World silver medalist
  • 2015 Junior World Team member
  • 2018 U.S. Open champion
  • 2019 NCAA finalist for Ohio State
  • Three-time All-American for Stanford and Ohio State (2016, ’18, ’19)
  • Big Ten champion (2018-19)
  • Pac-12 champion (2016-17)

David McFadden, 74/79 kg

  • 2018 U23 World Team member
  • Three-time NCAA All-American for Virginia Tech (2016-19)
  • Two-time ACC champion (2018-19)

Ethan Lizak, 61/65 kg

  • 2013 Junior World Team member
  • 2017 NCAA finalist for Minnesota
  • Three-time NCAA All-American (2017-19)

Ben Honis, 97 kg

  • 2019 U.S. Open finalist
  • 2019 All-American for Cornell
  • Two-time NCAA qualifier

Find out more about the Pennsylvania RTC coaches HERE.

The Pennsylvania Regional Training Center was formed by the Penn and Drexel wrestling programs to serve the Philadelphia regional wrestling community. The PRTC made a big step forward with the hire of 2000 Olympic champion Brandon Slay as Executive Director and head coach.

A core group of wrestlers put the program on the map nationally. Talented and respected athletes including Richard Perry, Chase Pami, B.J. Futrell, Dan Vallimont and others helped build this program.

With Perry and Vallimont still training, the new generation of PRTC athletes are expected to build on that legacy and help make the PRTC an even bigger force on the national and international scene.

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