Five returning champions lead strong U.S. team at the Veterans World Championships in Croatia

A large and talented team from the United States will compete at the 2024 Veterans World Championships, set for Porec, Croatia, October 8-13. This annual event provides opportunities for athletes 35-years-old and above in five different age level, and is contested in both Greco-Roman and men’s freestyle.

Team USA includes 55 athletes, including 29 wrestlers who will compete in both styles.

The team is led by 2023 Veterans World double champion Eric Mittlestead, Sr. of California, who won both the freestyle and Greco-Roman World titles at 130 kg in Div. E last year. He returns at the same weight class and division and will wrestle both styles again.

Four of the five 2023 Veterans World champions from the USA in men’s freestyle are returning this year, Mittlestead plus Ben VomBaur of Colorado (62 kg Div. B), Rudy James of Minnesota (78 kg Div. C), and Matthew Collum of Illinois (70 kg Div. A). VomBaur and James will wrestle both styles this year, while Collum will compete in freestyle only.

Two of the three U.S. Veterans wrestlers who won 2023 Greco-Roman gold medals are back, Mittlestead plus Ben Kjar of Utah (62 kg Div A). Kjar is scheduled to wrestle in both styles this year.

The USA has been the Veterans World freestyle team champions for three straight years and has won the Veterans Worlds in Greco-Roman the last two years.

The United States finished with 26 medals at the 2023 Veterans Worlds, with 14 in men’s freestyle and 12 in Greco-Roman.

The event will be broadcast live on FloWrestling. https://flosports.link/3ZqMCKM

Session times each day are at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. local time. Porec is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone

VETERANS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Porec, Croatia, October 8-13

U.S. Veterans rosters

Division A

Freestyle

62 kg – Tyler Graff, Blacksburg, Va.

62 kg – Jon Schiewe, Morton Grove, Ill.

70 kg – Matthew Collum, Arlington Heights, Ill.

78 kg – Ted Bristol, San Diego, Calif.

78 kg – Ben Youel, Naperville, Ill.

88 kg – Luis Onofre Valencia, San Francisco, Calif.

88 kg – Theodore Banks, Durham, Maine

100 kg – DeAndre Nunn, Joliet, Ill.

100 kg – Nathan Thobaben, St. Louis, Mo.

130 kg – Mingo Grant, Baltimore, Md.

130 kg – Garret Johnson, Spokane, Wash.

130 kg – Ryan Pearl, San Diego, Calif.

Greco-Roman

78 kg – Ted Bristol, San Diego, Calif.

88 kg – Luis Onofre Valencia, San Francisco, Calif.

100 kg – DeAndre Nunn, Joliet, Ill.

130 kg – Mingo Grant, Baltimore, Md.

130 kg – Garret Johnson, Spokane, Wash.

130 kg – Ryan Pearl, San Diego, Calif.

130 kg – Ronald Dombkowski, Waterford, Pa.

Division B

Freestyle

62 kg – Ben Kjar, Pleasant Grove, Utah

62 kg – Ben VomBaur, Greeley, Colo.

62 kg – Leevy Mears, Boca Raton, Fla

70 kg – Grant Nakamura, Pukalani, Hawaii

78 kg – Ashton Buswell, Chula Vista, Calif.

88 kg – Joseph Forsman, Houston, Texas

88 kg – James Medeiros, Granada Hills, Calif.

88 kg – Gerald Harris, Broken Arrow, Okla.

130 kg – Ronald Williams II, North Las Vegas, Nev.

130 kg - Michael Harbison, Las Vegas, Nev.

Greco-Roman

62 kg – Ben Kjar, Pleasant Grove, Utah

62 kg – Ben VomBaur, Greeley, Colo.

62 kg – Eric Caballero Madrid, Houston, Texas

70 kg – Grant Nakamura, Pukalani, Hawaii

78 kg – Ashton Buswell, Chula Vista, Calif.

78 kg – Andrei Stashonak, Brooklyn, N.Y.

88 kg – Joseph Forsman, Houston, Texas

88 kg – James Medeiros, Granada Hills, Calif.

130 kg – Ronald Williams II, North Las Vegas, Nev.

Division C

Freestyle

70 kg – William Anderson, Danville, Calif.

70 kg – Jason Cappiello, Georgetown, Calif.

70 kg – Shad Olvera, San Diego, Calif.

78 kg – Rudy James, St. Paul, Minn.

88 kg – Jeremy Black, La Jolla, Calif.

88 kg – Ben McCrillis, Westbrook. Maine

100 kg – Christopher Pierce, LeMont Furnace, Pa.

130 kg – Hector Ramirez, Jr., Norwalk, Calif.

Greco-Roman

78 kg – Rudy James, St. Paul, Minn.

88 kg – Jeremy Black, La Jolla, Calif.

88 kg – Ben McCrillis, Westbrook. Maine

100 kg – Christopher Pierce, LeMont Furnace, Pa.

Division D

Freestyle

62 kg – Robinson Prebish, Richmond, Val

70 kg – Marc Tadelman, Glenview, Ill.

78 kg – Jon Banko, New Kensington, Pa.

78 kg – Thomas Donahue, Bethel, Ohio

78 kg – Brett Rainey, Laramie, Wyo.

88 kg – William Carr, Maple Grove, Minn.

88 kg – Aaron Flack, La Pine, Wash.

88 kg – Patrick Flynn, Matthews, N.C.

100 kg – Alvin Riggs, Lowell, Ore.

Greco-Roman

62 kg – Robinson Prebish, Richmond, Val

88 kg – William Carr, Maple Grove, Minn.

88 kg – Aaron Flack, La Pine, Wash.

100 kg – Alvin Riggs, Lowell, Ore.

100 kg – Domenico Lemme, Belleview, Wash.

100 kg – Todd Moss, Stillwater, Minn.

Division E          

Freestyle

62 kg – Michael Madry, Saint Petersburg, Fla.

62 kg – Joseph Raia, South Elgin, Ill.

62 kg – Daniel Verr, Villa Park, Ill.

70 kg – Ernesto Alarcon, Houston, Texas

70 kg – Marc Cecconi, Waynesville, Ga.

70 kg – Stephen Horton, Cibolo, Texas

88 kg – Jeffery Anderson, Zeeland, Mich.

88 kg – Kevin Pine, Aberdeen, Wash.

88 kg – Mark Drake, Lithia, Fla.

100 kg – Erik Hinckley, Lansing, Kansas

130 kg – Eric Mittlestead, Sr., Exeter, Calif.

Greco-Roman

62 kg – Michael Madry, Saint Petersburg, Fla.

62 kg – Joseph Raia, South Elgin, Ill.

62 kg – Daniel Verr, Villa Park, Ill.

70 kg – Ernesto Alarcon, Houston, Texas

70 kg – Marc Cecconi, Waynesville, Ga.

70 kg – Stephen Horton, Cibolo, Texas

88 kg – Jeffery Anderson, Zeeland, Mich.

88 kg – Kevin Pine, Aberdeen, Wash.

100 kg – Erik Hinckley, Lansing, Kansas

130 kg – Eric Mittlestead, Sr., Exeter, Calif.

USA Wrestling President – Bruce Baumgartner, Edinboro, Pa.

Team Leader/Coach – Chris Brown, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Coach – Craig Van Dyke, Poway, Calif.

Coach – Dennis Wymer, Mouth of Wilson, Va.

Referee – Laura Lopez-Cepero, Des Plaines, Ill.

Referee – Mark Mundy, Martinsville, Ind.

Referee – Maryia Ivanova, New Albany, Ohio

Medical: Jenna Jackson, Marshall, Minn.   

Medical: Jon Duplessis, Wilmington, N.C.  

Event Schedule, local time

(Porec is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)

Tuesday, October 8

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds & repechage (FS Div. B and F)

5:45 p.m. – Opening Ceremony

6:00 p.m. – Finals (FS Div. B and F)

Wednesday, October 9

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds & repechage (FS Div. C and D)

6:00 p.m. – Finals (FS Div. C and D)

Thursday, October 10

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds & repechage (FS Div. A)

6:00 p.m. – Finals (FS Div. A)

Friday, October 11

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds & repechage (GR Div. B and E)

6:00 p.m. – Finals (GR Div. B and E)

Saturday, October 12

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds & repechage (GR Div. C and D)

6:00 p.m. – Finals (GR Div. C and D)

Sunday, October 13

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds & repechage (GR Div. A)

6:00 p.m. – Finals (GR Div. A)