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Thirteen Previous Champions Featured on U.S. Team Heading to Jordan for 2026 Veteran World Championships

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by David Gerhart, USA Wrestling

Rudy James competing at the 2026 U.S. Open Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada

Rudy James competing at the 2026 U.S. Open Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada

Team USA is sending a strong 40-man squad to the 2026 Veteran World Championships. The U.S. roster features 13 previous World champions who will compete in Amman, Jordan, October 6-10, at Princess Sumaya Hall. This event offers World-level competition for athletes ages 35 and older, with five distinct age divisions contested in both the men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines.


Of the 13 past champions, DeAndre Nunn (Group A, 100 kg), Rudolph James (Group C, 78 kg), and Kevin Pine (Group E, 88 kg) are all looking to defend their 2025 World titles. Nunn and James both won their titles in freestyle, while Pine captured his championship in Greco-Roman.


James enters this year’s Veteran Worlds with three consecutive World titles and nine total medals. Pine has four World titles in his career, following freestyle golds in 2018, 2022 and 2024. He finished a double medalist in 2025, winning bronze in freestyle to bring his medal total to 11 since 2013. Nunn’s 2025 title was his first career title and his second medal, following bronze in 2024.


Other past Veteran World champions include Tyler Graff (Group A, 62 kg), Garret Johnson (Group A, 130 kg), Joseph Forsman (Group B, 88 kg), Ben VomBaur (Group C, 62 kg), Rob Prebish (Group D, 62 kg), Tom Donahue (Group D, 70 kg), Stephen Horton (Group E, 70 kg), Jon Banko (Group E, 78 kg), Jeffrey Anderson (Group E, 88 kg) and George Porter (Group E, 130 kg).


Three-time champions VomBaur and Horton both claimed gold in 2024 and look to return to the top step of the podium in 2026. VomBaur, who won gold in both freestyle and Greco-Roman in 2024, captured bronze last year. Horton made the World finals in both disciplines each of the last two years. In 2024, he won gold in freestyle and finished with silver in Greco-Roman. In Hungary last fall, Horton claimed a pair of silver medals.


At the 2025 Veteran World Championships, Team USA finished atop the freestyle team rankings with 380 total points, topping second-place Kazakhstan’s 357 points. In Greco-Roman, the U.S. compiled 190 points to finish fourth. Host Hungary won the Greco-Roman team title last season with 314 points.


Overall, Team USA finished with 26 medals at the 2025 Veteran World Championships. The team compiled 21 medals in freestyle and five medals in Greco-Roman.


The 2026 event kicks off on Tuesday, October 6. Competition each day begins at 10:30 a.m. local time, with the medal rounds getting underway at 6 p.m. Greco-Roman action takes place the first three days of the tournament, with freestyle wrapping up the six-day event over the final three days. Amman, Jordan, is seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.


The complete event schedule, along with the full U.S. roster and support staff, is available below.


A live stream of the 2026 Veteran World Championships will be available on FloWrestling. Brackets and results will be available on UWW Arena.

2026 Veteran World Championships

At Amman, Jordan, October 6-10

Event Schedule

Tuesday, October 6
Greco-Roman Divisions B & E

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechages

6 p.m. – Finals and award ceremonies


Wednesday, October 7
Greco-Roman Divisions C & D

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechages

6 p.m. – Finals and award ceremonies


Thursday, October 8
Greco-Roman Division A

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechages

6 p.m. – Finals and award ceremonies

Friday, October 9
Freestyle Divisions B & E

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechages

6 p.m. – Finals and award ceremonies

Saturday, October 10
Freestyle Divisions C & D

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechages

6 p.m. – Finals and award ceremonies

Sunday, October 11
Freestyle Division A

10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechages

6 p.m. – Finals and award ceremonies


*All times listed are local to Amman, Jordan, which is seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

U.S. Roster

Group A

Freestyle

62 kg – Tyler Graff (Cottage Grove, Wis./New Jersey RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

70 kg – Kevin Caraballo (Denver, Colo./Air Force RTC/Beterman Elite Wrestling)

78 kg – Justin Hale (Bloomington, Ill./512 Outlaw Wrestling)

88 kg – Andy Lowy (Playa Vista, Calif./Titan Mercury WC)

88 kg – Philip Young (Casper, Wyo./Windy City WC)

100 kg – DeAndre Nunn (Joliet, Ill./Chicago WC)

130 kg – Garret Johnson (Spokane, Wash./Medical Lake Mat Maulers)


Greco-Roman

78 kg – Justin Hale (Bloomington, Ill./512 Outlaw Wrestling)

78 kg – Alexander Hamm (Valrico, Fla.)

130 kg – Garret Johnson (Spokane, Wash./Medical Lake Mat Maulers)


Group B

Freestyle

62 kg – Forrest Bouge (Polson, Mont.)

70 kg – Jason Ditchie (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Chicago WC)

88 kg – Joseph Forsman (Houston, Texas)

100 kg – James Medeiros (Granada Hills, Calif./World Team Training Center)

130 kg – Ronald Williams II (North Las Vegas, Nev./Las Vegas WC)


Greco-Roman

70 kg – Jason Ditchie (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Chicago WC)

88 kg – Joseph Forsman (Houston, Texas)

100 kg – Ron Dombkowski (Waterford, Pa./Own Code Combat Club)

100 kg – James Medeiros (Granada Hills, Calif./World Team Training Center)

130 kg – Ronald Williams II (North Las Vegas, Nev./Las Vegas WC)


Group C

Freestyle

62 kg – Ben VomBaur (Greely, Colo./Bear Cave WC)

70 kg – James Ferguson (Omaha, Neb./The Best Wrestler)

78 kg – Rudolph James (Bolingbrook, Ill./Chicago WC)

88 kg – Andrew Mitchell (Massillon, Ohio/Elevate Wrestling Academy)

100 kg – Charles Sandlin (Camarillo, Calif./Project 8 Wrestling)

130 kg – Christopher Pierce (Lemont Furnace, Pa.)


Greco-Roman

78 kg – Rudolph James (Bolingbrook, Ill./Chicago WC)

78 kg – Andrei Stashonak (Brooklyn, N.Y./Elite Wrestling Academy)

130 kg – Christopher Pierce (Lemont Furnace, Pa.)


Group D

Freestyle

62 kg – Rob Prebish (Midlothian, Va./Richmond WC)

70 kg – Tom Donahue (Bethel, Ohio/Donahue Wrestling Academy)

78 kg – Michael Kelly (Hebron, Ill./Old School Wrestling)

88 kg – William Carr (Maple Grove, Minn./Minnesota Storm)

88 kg – Kennedy Gilbertson (Vesta, Minn./Mustang WC)

100 kg – Chad Laqua (Sioux Falls, S.D.)

100 kg – Alvin Riggs (Lowell, Ore./Lowell Academy of Wrestling)

130 kg – Gabriel Beauperthuy (Colorado Springs, Colo./The Community WC)


Greco-Roman

62 kg – Rob Prebish (Midlothian, Va./Richmond WC)

88 kg – William Carr (Hebron, Ill./Old School Wrestling)

88 kg – Kennedy Gilbertson (Vesta, Minn./Mustang WC)

100 kg – Chad Laqua (Sioux Falls, S.D.)

100 kg – Alvin Riggs (Lowell, Ore./Lowell Academy of Wrestling)

130 kg – Gabriel Beauperthuy (Colorado Springs, Colo./The Community WC)


Group E

Freestyle

62 kg – Joe Raia, Jr. (South Elgin, Ill./Chicago WC)

70 kg – Stephen Horton (Cibolo, Texas/NB Elite WC)

70 kg – Frank Johnson (Forest Grove, Ore.)

78 kg – Ernesto Alarcon (Houston, Texas/Mad Cow WC)

78 kg – Jon Banko (New Kensington, Pa./All-American WC)

78 kg – Philip Groves (Chicago, Ill./Chicago WC)

78 kg – Kevin Torres (Benson, Ariz.)

88 kg – Jeffery Anderson (Zeeland, Mich./Chicago WC)

88 kg – Kevin Pine (Henderson, Nev./Las Vegas WC)

100 kg – Erik Hinckley (Lansing, Kan./Las Vegas WC)

130 kg – George Porter (Coral Springs, Fla./Chicago WC)


Greco-Roman

62 kg – Joe Raia, Jr. (South Elgin, Ill./Chicago WC)

70 kg – Stephen Horton (Cibolo, Texas/NB Elite WC)

78 kg – Ernesto Alarcon (Houston, Texas/Mad Cow WC)

78 kg – Philip Groves (Chicago, Ill./Chicago WC)

88 kg – Jeffery Anderson (Zeeland, Mich./Chicago WC)

88 kg – Kevin Pine (Henderson, Nev./Las Vegas WC)

100 kg – Erik Hinckley (Lansing, Kan./Las Vegas WC)

130 kg – George Porter (Coral Springs, Fla./Chicago WC)


U.S. Support Staff & Delegation List

Team Leader and Coach – Chris Brown

Coach – Craig VanDyke

Coach – Jeffrey Mallett

Coach – Ben McCrillis

Coach – David Habat

Official – J. Colby Robinson

Medical (ATC) – Harry Green, Jr.

Medical (ATC) – Shaun Sullivan