2024 USA Wrestling Men’s Freestyle Awards: Spencer Lee & David Taylor (Wrestlers), Casey Cunningham (Coach)

USA Wrestling announced its 2024 Athlete and Coach of the Year award winners during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling at Penn State, April 19-20. We have posted the winners of these awards this week, one day for each Olympic discipline. Greco-Roman awards were announced Wednesday, women’s freestyle on Thursday and men’s freestyle today.

Spencer Lee and David Taylor named co-winners of 2024 John Smith Award winner, as USA Wrestling’s Men’s Freestyle Wrestlers of the Year

Spencer Lee (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) and David Taylor (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC) has been named the co-winners of the 2024 John Smith Award as the Freestyle Wrestlers of the Year by USA Wrestling.

The award is named in honor of two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion John Smith.

This is the second time that Taylor has won this prestigious award, also receiving it in 2022. It is the first time that Lee has won this award.

Lee finished off a tremendous season by winning a silver medal at 57 kg at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France in August. He powered to three straight wins to reach the finals, beating Wanhao Zou of China in the preliminaries, 3-2, then claiming two straight technical fall victories over Bekzat Almaz Uulu of Kyrgyzstan in the quarterfinals and Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan in the semifinals. In the finals, he was edged by 2018 World champion Rei Higuchi of Japan, 4-2

He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team with a victory at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Penn State in April. Lee advanced to the finals with victories over Nico Megaludis, 8-0 and Zane Richards, 5-3. In the Championship Series, he swept 2021 World champion and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Gilman in two straight matches, winning the first match 6-3, then scoring a fall in 5:58 in the second match.

Lee qualified himself and the United States for the Paris Games at the World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey in May. He won four straight matches, including three by technical fall, to earn the berth. His 10-0 technical fall victory over Rakhat Kalzhan of Kazakhstan in the Olympic Games qualifying match punched his ticket to Paris.

He also won a 2024 Senior Pan American Championships gold medal in February, winning all three matches by technical fall, including a 12-2 victory over Pedro Mejias Rodriguez in the finals.

Lee was a three-time NCAA Div. I champion for Iowa (2018, 2019, 2021) and a five-time All-American. He won two Dan Hodge Trophies as the nation’s best college wrestler while competing for the Hawkeyes. He was dominant as an age-group wrestler, winning three career World titles, a U17 World gold in 2014, and U20 World golds in 2015 and 2016. A native of Murrysville, Pa., Lee was a three-time Pennsylvania state champion for Franklin Regional High School.

Taylor finished off a historic career by winning a bronze medal at the 2024 Senior World Championships in Tirana, Albania at 92 kg. Taylor was defeated in his opening match by Independent Neutral Athlete Abdulrahid Sadulaev, a two-time Olympic champion and five-time World champion. When Sadulaev reached the finals, Taylor was drawn back into repechage, winning matches against Abubakr Abakarov of Azerbaijan and Lars Schaefle of Germany. In the bronze-medal bout, he defeated two-time Senior World champion Kamran Ghasempour of Iran, 6-2.

He qualified for the U.S. World team at 92 kg with a victory at the Senior World Team Trials in Omaha, Nebraska in September. Taylor powered through the Challenge Tournament with four victories, stopping Aiden Brenot, Marcus Coleman, Michael Macchiavello and Trent Hidlay. He swept the best-of-three Championship Series over 2023 World bronze medalist Zahid Valencia, winning 3-3 and by pin in 2:49.

In April, Taylor placed second at 86 kg at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, dropping two straight matches in the best-of-three Championship Series to Aaron Brooks.

Taylor’s competitive legacy includes a 2020 Olympic gold medal, three World gold medals and two other World medals. He won his Olympic title at 86 kg in Tokyo, Japan. His World gold medals came in 2018 in Budapest, Hungary, in 2012 in Belgrade, Serbia and in 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia. He also won a World silver medal in 2021 and a World bronze medal in 2024. Taylor was named United World Wrestling Freestyle Wrestler of the Year in 2018. A four-time U.S. Open champion, Taylor was also a three-time Pan American Championships gold medalist.

Taylor was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time NCAA finalist for Penn State. He was the winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy twice as the nation’s best college wrestler. Taylor won a bronze medal at the 2013 University World Games. A native of St. Paris, Ohio, Taylor claimed four Ohio state titles for Graham High School.

In May, Taylor was named as the head coach at Oklahoma State, succeeding the great John Smith at this historic wrestling powerhouse. In addition to leading the Cowboys in NCAA competion, he is also a coach with the Cowboy RTC program.

PAST JOHN SMITH AWARD WINNERS AS FREESTYLE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR

2024 – Spencer Lee, Iowa City Iowa, Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC and David Taylor, Stillwater, Okla., Cowboy RTC

2023 – Vito Arujau, Syosset, N.Y., Titan Mercury WC/Spartan Combat WC

2022 - David Taylor, State College, Pa., Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC

2021 - Gable Steveson, Apple Valley, Minn., Gopher WC RTC

2020 - No award (COVID-19)

2019 – J’den Cox, Colorado Springs, Colo., Titan Mercury WC

2018 - David Taylor, State College, Pa., Nittany Lion WC

2017 – Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md., Titan Mercury WC

2016 – Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md., Titan Mercury WC

2015 – Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md., Titan Mercury WC

2014 – Tervel Dlagnev, Columbus, Ohio, Sunkist Kids

2013 - Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids

2012 - Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids

2011 – Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids

2010 – J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio, New York AC

2009 – Jake Herbert, Evanston, Ill., New York AC

2008 - Henry Cejudo, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids

2007 - Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla., Gator WC

2006 - Bill Zadick, Colorado Springs, Colo., Gator WC

2005 - Tolly Thompson, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2004 - Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2003 - Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2002 - Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2001 - Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2000 - Brandon Slay, Amarillo, Texas, Dave Schultz WC

1999 - Stephen Neal, Bakerfield, Calif., Dave Schultz WC

1998 - Sammie Henson, Norman, Okla., Sunkist Kids

1997 - Les Gutches, Corvallis, Ore., Sunkist Kids

1996 - Kendall Cross, Raleigh, N.C., Sunkist Kids

1995 - Kevin Jackson, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids

1994 - Melvin Douglas, Mesa, Ariz., Sunkist Kids

1993 - Terry and Tom Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Team Foxcatcher

1992 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Sunkist Kids

Casey Cunningham named 2024 Terry McCann Award winner as USA Wrestling Men’s Freestyle Coach of the Year

Casey Cunningham (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) has been named the winner of the 2024 Terry McCann Men's Freestyle Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. This is the third time Cunningham has won this prestigious honor.

This award is named in honor of Terry McCann, a long-time coach with the Mayor Daley Wrestling Club. McCann was a 1960 Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling, and later served as a president of USA Wrestling and a Vice-President of the United World Wrestling (then FILA) Bureau.

Cunningham has served as the head assistant coach at Penn State University since 2009, working with head coach Cael Sanderson and his staff. In that span, Penn State has won 12 NCAA team championships and has placed numerous individual Nittany Lion wrestlers on the top of the podium at the national championships.

Penn State won the 2024 NCAA Div. I team title with four individual champions, Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (285). Starocci and Brooks won their fourth career NCAA titles. PSU had a total of eight All-Americans, and scored 172 points, a full 100 points ahead of runner-up Cornell with 72.5 points.

He also coaches with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, which is Penn State’s Regional Training Center. The Nittany Lion WC is among the most successful RTCs in the nation, producing prolific freestyle wrestlers on the Senior and age-group levels.

In 2024, Cunningham helped coach four Nittany Lion athletes to berths on the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team in men’s freestyle, Zain Retherford (65 kg), Kyle Dake (74 kg), Aaron Brooks (86 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg) with victories at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Penn State in April. It was Snyder’s third U.S. Olympic Team berth, Dake’s second Olympic Team, and the first Olympics for Retherford and Brooks. The Nittany Lion WC had an amazing 23 athletes qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. There were nine Nittany Lion WC athletes who qualified for the 2024-25 Senior National Men’s Freestyle Team.

At the Summer Olympic Games, two Nittany Lion WC athletes claimed bronze medals, Kyle Dake and Aaron Brooks. For Dake, it was a second career Olympic medal, while Brooks won his first Olympic medal. Kyle Snyder placed fifth, while Zain Retherford was eighth.

He also coached numerous athletes to age-group team berths and national medals in freestyle. Nittany Lion WC athletes who won age-group World medals in 2024 included Luke Lilledahl (U20 gold, 57 kg), Zack Ryder (U20 silver, 79 kg), Josh Barr (U20 silver, 86 kg) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (U23 bronze, 74 kg).

The Nittany Lion WC has produced numerous Senior Freestyle National Team members during Cunningham’s tenure going back to Jake Varner, a 2012 Olympic champion and World medalist, who is now a coach with the Nittany Lion WC. A number of wrestlers who compete internationally for other nations also have trained with the Nittany Lion WC, including Olympic and World Team members.  

Prior to joining the staff at Penn State, Cunningham worked with Cael Sanderson as his head assistant coach at Iowa State. Cunningham began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Central Michigan and spent time as an assistant coach there.

Cunningham recorded a successful freestyle career before joining the coaching ranks. He was a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. Cunningham was a two-time U.S. Open runner-up and finished second in the World Team Trials twice. In 2008, he won a Pan-American Championship gold medal.

In college, Cunningham was one of Central Michigan’s all-time greats. He won a 1999 NCAA championship for the Chippewas to become the school’s first Div. 1 national champion.  He finished NCAA runner-up the year before. Cunningham is originally from Middleton, Michigan.

PAST TERRY McCANN AWARD WINNERS AS FREESTYLE COACH OF THE YEAR

2024 - Casey Cunningham, State College, Pa., Nittany Lion WC

2023 – Jake Varner, State College, Pa., Nittany Lion WC

2022 - Casey Cunningham, State College, Pa., Nittany Lion WC

2021 - Casey Cunningham, State College, Pa., Nittany Lion WC

2020 - No award (COVID-19)

2019 – Reece Humphrey, Dayton, N.J., New Jersey RTC

2018 - Casey Cunningham, State College, Pa., Nittany Lion WC

2017 - Mark Manning, Lincoln, Neb., Nebraska RTC and Bryan Snyder, Lincoln, Neb., Nebraska RTC

2016 - Lou Rosselli, Norman, Okla., New York AC

2015 – Mark Manning, Lincoln, Neb., Nebraska RTC

2014 – Terry Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Hawkeye WC

2013 - Lou Rosselli, Columbus, Ohio, New York AC

2012 – Cael Sanderson, State College, Pa., Nittany Lion WC

2011 – Mark Manning, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids

2010 - Sean Bormet, Naperville, Ill., New York AC

2009 – John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Gator WC

2008 - Sean Bormet, Naperville, Ill., New York AC

2007 - Lou Rosselli, Columbus, Ohio, New York AC

2006 - Sean Bormet, Naperville, Ill., New York AC

2005 - Mike Duroe, Iowa City, Iowa, Hawkeye TC

2004 - Bobby Douglas, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

2003 - Tom Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Hawkeye WC

2002 - Tom Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Hawkeye WC

2001 - Zeke Jones, Morgantown, W.Va., Sunkist Kids

2000 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Sunkist Kids

1999 - Greg Strobel, Bethlehem, Pa., New York Athletic Club

1998 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Sunkist Kids

1997 - Greg Strobel, Bethlehem, Pa., New York Athletic Club

1996 - Bruce Burnett, Colorado Springs, Colo., National Freestyle Coach

1995 - Bruce Burnett, Colorado Springs, Colo., National Freestyle Coach

1994 - Gene Davis, Colorado Springs, Colo., Athletes In Action

1993 - Joe Seay, Oklahoma City, Okla., Sunkist Kids

1992 - Bobby Douglas, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids