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Who ya got in tonight’s FCA Truth and Technique five-bout Senior card, which is free for fans to enjoy?
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
FCA Wrestling does a lot of great things within the sport of wrestling, including an extensive ministry program, camps and clinics, prayer breakfasts, international tours and much more.
The organization is taking a step in a new direction by hosting its first Senior-level card, Truth & Technique, which will be held Friday night at Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C. at 6:00 p.m. ET.
The five-bout card will have matches in men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman, with a variety of talented and well-known Senior competitors.
FCA Wrestling made a specific decision to make this card free for anyone to enjoy, and to introduce people to a new program.
“The main reason for bringing in these great athletes is to launch a new resource, “Truth & Technique,” said Carl Perry, FCA Wrestling Executive Director. “This will give people access to incredible technique from outstanding athletes, and some incredible biblical truth. To marry these together in one location is the target for this resource. Technique is a huge part of wrestling, and we also aim to go to the heart of wrestlers.”
You must register for this event right away if you have not already done so, to attend via video stream or in person.
Register for Truth and Technique event
FCA Wrestling is providing prize money for the competitors, and offered the opportunity to numerous athletes in developing its card. With both the Olympic Games and a Senior World Championships this year in wrestling, some athletes were not able to compete at this time, but Perry is pleased with the quality of the competitors on its first card.
“We are excited to step into this space,” said Perry about hosting this new competition.
Here is a summary of the matches being offered for fans to enjoy
Men’s Freestyle: Mark Hall vs. Drew Foster
A pair of past NCAA champions will do battle, as Mark Hall (Penn State) battles Drew Foster (UNI), both who also have had much success in the freestyle realm. Hall has a bigger freestyle resume, including a pair of Junior World titles and a 2021 Senior Nationals title. Foster was third in the 2021 Senior Nationals, and has a recent win over Hall in the third-place match of the 2021 Last Chance Olympic Qualifier by a 6-1 margin. Foster was also fourth at the 2020 Senior Nationals. Hall is fairly new to the 86 kg weight class, moving up this past season for his Olympic year run. We can expect high-level technique and two tough competitors in what should be an entertaining battle.
Men’s Freestyle: Ty Walz vs. Dom Bradley
Dom Bradley is one of the veteran warriors on the Senior scene at heavyweight. A past Junior World champion and All-American at Missouri, Bradley has won U.S. Senior National titles and qualified for a number of Senior National Teams. He takes on a relatively new Senior-level heavyweight in Ty Walz, a Virginia Tech All-American and a bronze medalist at the 2017 U23 World Championships. Walz has also made the Senior National Team and competed at the Senior level at 97 kg. In 2021, Walz moved up to heavyweight and battled Bradley in the bronze-medal match, with Bradley earning a 2-1 victory. Walz is a very active heavyweight (where he competed in college) but Bradley may have a size and experience advantage. This one should be close again, and scoring the first takedown will be key to which athlete controls the action.
Men’s Freestyle: Jay Aiello vs. Rocky Elam
This will be an intriguing battle between some young stars. Elam, who was an All-American as a freshman for Missouri this year by taking an impressive third place in St. Louis, is the younger of the two but may have more freestyle experience. Aiello has been a three-time NCAA qualifier for Virginia, winning the ACC title in 2020 and reaching the conference finals three times. Both of these athletes will represent the USA at age-group World Championships this year, with Elam on the Junior World Team and Aiello on the U23 World Team. Elam spent a year as a resident athlete at the USOPTC in high school as part of the EAP Program, which has helped develop his freestyle skills. Elam was also third in the 2019 U23 Nationals. This should be a fun match with two athletes who continue to improve rapidly.
Women’s Freestyle: Brenda Reyna vs. Lauren Louive
This will be another battle between a crafty veteran in Louive and one of the top young talents on the women’s scene in Reyna. Louive has made the Senior National Team a number of times, won the Senior Nationals in 2020 and has numerous international medals on her resume. She was a multiple WCWA All-American in college for the University of the Cumberlands, and has trained in a number of locations during her journey. Reyna was a 2021 NCWWC (NCAA-only) national champion this year for McKendree, and a WCWA Nationals runner-up in 2019. Reyna was onn the 2018 Junior World Team, placed second in the 2021 U23 Nationals and has placed fourth at the Senior Nationals twice. The athletes competed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Fort Worth earlier this season, with Louive securing a 13-4 decision. It will be interesting to see what Reyna does differently in their match this time to close the gap.
Greco-Roman: Joe Rau vs. Spencer Woods
When it comes to Greco-Roman, Joe Rau is one of the top talents on the Senior scene, with as much international experience as anybody. Raul has made two Senior World Teams and won a number of Pan American Championships medals. He qualified the USA for the Tokyo Olympics with his victory at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Canada in 2020, right before the pandemic hit. He placed second in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to Jon Stefanowicz. Woods is a young star making his mark, starting his Senior career with the Northern Michigan OTC and now competing for the U.S. Army WCAP program. He has placed numerous times on the national level in both age-group competitions and the Senior level. Woods has had a great 2021, winning the Senior Nationals and also the U23 Nationals. He was also a 2019 Senior Nationals runner-up. Since Woods moved up to 87 kg, he has not faced Rau, which makes this an intriguing matchup. Expect to see a bunch of points scored if these guys choose to open up their offense.
The organization is taking a step in a new direction by hosting its first Senior-level card, Truth & Technique, which will be held Friday night at Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C. at 6:00 p.m. ET.
The five-bout card will have matches in men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman, with a variety of talented and well-known Senior competitors.
FCA Wrestling made a specific decision to make this card free for anyone to enjoy, and to introduce people to a new program.
“The main reason for bringing in these great athletes is to launch a new resource, “Truth & Technique,” said Carl Perry, FCA Wrestling Executive Director. “This will give people access to incredible technique from outstanding athletes, and some incredible biblical truth. To marry these together in one location is the target for this resource. Technique is a huge part of wrestling, and we also aim to go to the heart of wrestlers.”
You must register for this event right away if you have not already done so, to attend via video stream or in person.
Register for Truth and Technique event
FCA Wrestling is providing prize money for the competitors, and offered the opportunity to numerous athletes in developing its card. With both the Olympic Games and a Senior World Championships this year in wrestling, some athletes were not able to compete at this time, but Perry is pleased with the quality of the competitors on its first card.
“We are excited to step into this space,” said Perry about hosting this new competition.
Here is a summary of the matches being offered for fans to enjoy
Men’s Freestyle: Mark Hall vs. Drew Foster
A pair of past NCAA champions will do battle, as Mark Hall (Penn State) battles Drew Foster (UNI), both who also have had much success in the freestyle realm. Hall has a bigger freestyle resume, including a pair of Junior World titles and a 2021 Senior Nationals title. Foster was third in the 2021 Senior Nationals, and has a recent win over Hall in the third-place match of the 2021 Last Chance Olympic Qualifier by a 6-1 margin. Foster was also fourth at the 2020 Senior Nationals. Hall is fairly new to the 86 kg weight class, moving up this past season for his Olympic year run. We can expect high-level technique and two tough competitors in what should be an entertaining battle.
Men’s Freestyle: Ty Walz vs. Dom Bradley
Dom Bradley is one of the veteran warriors on the Senior scene at heavyweight. A past Junior World champion and All-American at Missouri, Bradley has won U.S. Senior National titles and qualified for a number of Senior National Teams. He takes on a relatively new Senior-level heavyweight in Ty Walz, a Virginia Tech All-American and a bronze medalist at the 2017 U23 World Championships. Walz has also made the Senior National Team and competed at the Senior level at 97 kg. In 2021, Walz moved up to heavyweight and battled Bradley in the bronze-medal match, with Bradley earning a 2-1 victory. Walz is a very active heavyweight (where he competed in college) but Bradley may have a size and experience advantage. This one should be close again, and scoring the first takedown will be key to which athlete controls the action.
Men’s Freestyle: Jay Aiello vs. Rocky Elam
This will be an intriguing battle between some young stars. Elam, who was an All-American as a freshman for Missouri this year by taking an impressive third place in St. Louis, is the younger of the two but may have more freestyle experience. Aiello has been a three-time NCAA qualifier for Virginia, winning the ACC title in 2020 and reaching the conference finals three times. Both of these athletes will represent the USA at age-group World Championships this year, with Elam on the Junior World Team and Aiello on the U23 World Team. Elam spent a year as a resident athlete at the USOPTC in high school as part of the EAP Program, which has helped develop his freestyle skills. Elam was also third in the 2019 U23 Nationals. This should be a fun match with two athletes who continue to improve rapidly.
Women’s Freestyle: Brenda Reyna vs. Lauren Louive
This will be another battle between a crafty veteran in Louive and one of the top young talents on the women’s scene in Reyna. Louive has made the Senior National Team a number of times, won the Senior Nationals in 2020 and has numerous international medals on her resume. She was a multiple WCWA All-American in college for the University of the Cumberlands, and has trained in a number of locations during her journey. Reyna was a 2021 NCWWC (NCAA-only) national champion this year for McKendree, and a WCWA Nationals runner-up in 2019. Reyna was onn the 2018 Junior World Team, placed second in the 2021 U23 Nationals and has placed fourth at the Senior Nationals twice. The athletes competed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Fort Worth earlier this season, with Louive securing a 13-4 decision. It will be interesting to see what Reyna does differently in their match this time to close the gap.
Greco-Roman: Joe Rau vs. Spencer Woods
When it comes to Greco-Roman, Joe Rau is one of the top talents on the Senior scene, with as much international experience as anybody. Raul has made two Senior World Teams and won a number of Pan American Championships medals. He qualified the USA for the Tokyo Olympics with his victory at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Canada in 2020, right before the pandemic hit. He placed second in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to Jon Stefanowicz. Woods is a young star making his mark, starting his Senior career with the Northern Michigan OTC and now competing for the U.S. Army WCAP program. He has placed numerous times on the national level in both age-group competitions and the Senior level. Woods has had a great 2021, winning the Senior Nationals and also the U23 Nationals. He was also a 2019 Senior Nationals runner-up. Since Woods moved up to 87 kg, he has not faced Rau, which makes this an intriguing matchup. Expect to see a bunch of points scored if these guys choose to open up their offense.