Burroughs, Taylor, Blaze among men’s freestylers to advance to World Team Trials Championship Series

OMAHA, Neb. – Olympic champions Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor were among the men’s freestyle stars who have advanced to Sunday’s best-of-three Championship Series at the World Team Trials after strong performances in Saturday’s Championship Series.

Burroughs, a 2012 Olympic champion and six-time World champion, scored a 7-4 victory in the 74 kg Challenge Tournament semifinals over Alex Dieringer. The match was tied at the break, but Burroughs opened up his offense in the second period to advance to the finals. Dieringer, who has been among the nation’s top athletes for many years but was seeking his first Senior World Team, put his shoes on the mat in retirement after the match.

Burroughs will face 2023 World Team member Chance Marsteller in the Championship Series. Marsteller defeated U20 and U23 World champion Keegan O’Toole in the semifinals, 6-0. Burroughs and Marsteller wrestled in the 2022 and 2023 Final X, with Burroughs making the World Team in 2022 and Marsteller earning the spot in 2023.

Taylor, a 2020 Olympic champion and three-time World champion, won the Championship Series finals at 92 kg, with a 10-6 victory over Trent Hidlay, an age-group World medalist. Taylor jumped to a 6-0 lead in the match and kept up the pressure as Hidlay battled back late in the match.

Taylor will face 2023 World bronze medalist Zahid Valencia in the best-of-three Championship Series on Sunday. Valencia advanced directly to the Championship Series, based upon the World Team procedures, by winning a medal at this weight class at the 2023 Senior Worlds.

High school star Marcus Blaze upset 2021 World silver medalist Daton Fix in the 61 kg Challenge Tournament finals, 3-2, scoring a step out point with one second left in the period to tie the bout 2-2 and claim the victory by criteria. A failed Fix challenge at the end gave Blaze his final point. Blaze, who is 17 years old and was a 2023 U17 World champion, won a bronze medal last week at the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain.

Blaze advances to face 2023 World champion Vito Arujau, who earned an automatic berth in the Championship Series based upon the World Team procedures, by winning a medal at this weight class at the 2023 Senior Worlds.

The Championship Series at 70 kg will feature the top two seeds, No. 1 seed Alec Pantaleo and No. 2 seed James Green, both who won Challenge Tournament semifinal matches.

Pantaleo defeated 2024 U20 World bronze medalist P.J. Duke in his semifinals match. Green, a two-time Senior World medalist, defeated 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion Jordan Oliver, 6-3 in the other semifinal.

The first round of the best-of-three Championship Series will be held alongside the women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman series at 10:00 a.m. CT. The second match, and third if necessary, in each series are scheduled for the 2:00 p.m. session CT.

The event is being broadcast live on FloWrestling https://flosports.link/3XCeNF6.

2024 Senior World Team Trials

Sept. 14, Omaha, Neb.

Best-of-three championship series matchups

Men’s freestyle

61 kg – Vito Arujao (Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg WC)

70 kg – Alec Pantaleo (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. James Green (Nebraska WTC)

79 kg – Chance Marsteller (New Jersey RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC)

92 kg – Zahid Valencia (Atreus WC) vs. David Taylor (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

Challenge tournament final results

Men’s freestyle

61 kg – Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg WC) dec. Daton Fix (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC), 3-2

92 kg – David Taylor (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Trent Hidlay (Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC), 10-6

Challenge tournament semifinal results

Men’s freestyle

61 kg

Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg WC) dec. Nahshon Garrett (Lehigh Valley WC/Titan Mercury WC), 5-0

Daton Fix (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Austin Desanto (Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC), 6-0

70 kg

Alec Pantaleo (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. PJ Duke (KD Training Center), 7-0

James Green (Nebraska WTC) dec. Jordan Oliver (New York AC), 6-3

79 kg

Chance Marsteller (New Jersey RTC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Keegan O’Toole (Tiger Style WC/Titan Mercury WC), 6-0

Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC) dec. Alex Dieringer (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC), 7-4

92 kg

David Taylor (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) fall Michael Macchiavello (Lehigh Valley WC/Titan Mercury WC), 2:09

Trent Hidlay (Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Jonathan Aiello (Pennsylvania RTC/Titan Mercury WC), 12-1