2022 U17 World champion in Greco-Roman Joel Adams (left), 2022 U17 World champion in men’s freestyle Joseph Sealey (middle), and two-time U17 World medalist in women’s freestyle Sterling Dias (right) are registered to compete at the 2024 Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier.
Final 18 spots in U.S. Olympic Team Trials up for grabs at Last Chance OTT Qualifier in Fairfax, Va., April 6-7
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
The final 18 qualification spots for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling will be decided this weekend at the Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier in Fairfax, Virginia.
All three international styles will be in action at James Robinson Secondary School, the host site of this weekend’s much-anticipated event. Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle athletes will compete, start-to-finish, on Saturday, April 6. The men’s freestyle competition will follow on Sunday, April 7.
The champion in each weight class, six per style, qualifies for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling, which is set for April 19-20 at Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. Athletes already qualified for the Olympic Trials are not eligible to compete at Last Chance.
Fans can expect a fiery two days of competition with Olympic-sized stakes at play. Some of the top young stars in the sport are mixed with established veterans—both groups aiming to pass through to the next stage of Olympic qualification.
Three current members of the U.S. National Team—Noah Wachsmuth, Christian DuLaney in Greco-Roman and Bridgette Duty in women’s freestyle—still need to earn a qualification spot for State College. All three are entered in the mix this weekend. The U.S. National Team is comprised of athletes who earned top-three status in their weight class on the U.S. Senior ladder for the competition year.
A trio of recent U17 World champions are looking to make their first substantial marks on the Senior circuit. Rising Greco-Roman standout Joel Adams, plus men’s freestyle upstarts Bo Bassett and Joseph Sealey have tossed their names in the ring. Bassett won the U17 Worlds in 2021, while Adams and Sealey did so in 2022.
A plethora of talented age-group World medalists are expected to grace the mats in Fairfax—Andrew Berreyesa holding this distinction on the Greco-Roman side, Sterling Dias, Jasmine Robinson, Sofia Macaluso and Skylar Hattendorf in women’s freestyle, with Jax Forrest and Jacob Warner doing so in men’s freestyle. Two of these participants have performed at the highest level collegiately while representing Iowa. Dias was a finalist at this year’s National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships for the Hawkeyes, while Warner was a NCAA finalist and four-time All-American.
Three past NCAA champions are slated to compete for an Olympic Trials berth in men’s freestyle—Two-time NCAA champion for Penn State and 2022 U.S. Open runner-up Vincenzo Joseph, NCAA champion and four-time All-American for Ohio State Nathan Tomasello, and NCAA champion and four-time All-American for Rutgers Anthony Ashnault. Tomasello has been on the cusp of making a U.S. World or Olympic Team the past two cycles. Ashnault is a two-time Pan American champion. All three men are top contenders this weekend.
A handful of additional names competing this weekend the NCAA crowd will be familiar with are David McFadden, Matthew Kolodzik and Jaydin Eierman. All three men boast stellar college credentials as well as international medal performances on the Senior level in men’s freestyle.
A pair of wild cards to watch include Jacob Mitchell in the Greco-Roman tournament and Jackie Cataline on the women’s freestyle side. Both are veterans of the sport coming back for an Olympic run. Mitchell last competed at the 2021 World Team Trials where he finished in second place. He was a third-place finisher at the 2020 Olympic Trials. Cataline was an Olympic Trials qualifier in 2020 after winning the Last Chance Qualifier. She didn’t place at the 2020 Trials but does own a third-place finish from the 2016 Olympic Trials prior to the Rio Games.
As of Monday, April 1, nearly 320 individuals are registered to compete at the Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier. With registration remaining open through April 5, additional entrants to the field are expected. A current list of registered athletes can be found below.
Action will begin in Fairfax at 10 a.m. (ET) for both days of competition. The tournament will be broadcast live online at FloWrestling.com (subscription required). Brackets and live results will be hosted on Trackwrestling.com.
For more information about the Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier, please visit usawrestlingevents.com.
2024 Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier | April 6-7, Fairfax, Va. #
Quick Links #
Event Schedule #
Saturday, April 6 (GR, WFS) #
10 a.m. (ET) – Prelims, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolations
4 p.m. (ET) – Consolations
6:30 p.m. (ET) – Finals, Medal Matches
Sunday, April 7 (MFS) #
10 a.m. (ET) – Prelims, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolations
4 p.m. (ET) – Finals, Medal Matches, Consolations (Finals to follow all consolation and medal matches)