This weekend wrestling fans will be turning their attention to Madison, Wisconsin. Where Team USA will have six of their slots for the World Championships decided. If you have a Flo Pro account, good for you, it looks like you will be watching all of the action, but for those of you who do not have a Flo account you can follow us @RossIAWrestle (myself), Tony – @HagerTony, or Kirk – @critterk10, and we will do our best to keep the updates flowing.
U.S. WORLD TEAM TRIALS SCHEDULE
at Madison, Wis., May 30 – June 1
Saturday, May 31
Men’s Freestyle: 57 KG, 97 KG, and 125 KG
Women’s Freestyle: 48 KG, 58 KG and 69 KG
10:00 a.m. – Session I – Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Challenge Finals/Consolations and Third Place, Challenge Tournament finals
6:00 p.m. – Session II – Final World Team Trials and True Second Place Matches
Sunday, June 1
Men’s Freestyle: 65 KG, 74 KG and 86 KG
Women’s Freestyle: 53 KG, 63 KG and 75 KG
10:00 a.m. – Session I – Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Challenge Finals/Consolations and Third Place, Challenge Tournament finals
6:00 p.m. – Session II – Final World Team Trials and True Second Place Matches
FILA JUNIOR WORLD TEAM TRIALS SCHEDULE (If you forgot this is going on too)
at Madison, Wis., May 30
Friday, May 30
Men’s Freestyle and Greco-Roman: All weights
9:00 a.m. – Challenge Tournament Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals
2:30 p.m. – Final Trials: Match #1, Match #2 and Match #3 (if needed)
On another note for those interested Universal Sports Network will be showing the finals on TV at 5:00 PM…but it won’t be until June 6th. Needless to say if you wait that long to find out who will be representing the USA, you might be waiting a long time. I am glad that World Team Trials is getting at least some coverage on the tube, it’s just too bad fans will have to wait another week. Van Stokes will be on the call with help from Jake Herbert, and of course Shane Sparks manning the sideline.
57 KG
Matt McDonough
Tony Ramos
This weight features two very young Hawkeye’s who have both fairly recently finished up storied careers at Iowa. McDonough was a three time finalist at 125, and has spent a majority of his post-collegiate career competing at 61 KG. This will be McDonough’s first career appearance at 57 KG since his injury. You can read about McDonough’s comeback from his injury (which started earlier this year) from the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. McDonough showed how tough he was at the US Open taking home 4th place, which included a pin over Joe Colon from UNI.
Christian Pyles give’s his take on the WTT’s here from Flo, and it’s a pretty good read. He talks a lot about how this weight is debuting a lot of the future. He left out McDonough in his list of contenders, but then again he might not have known he was dropping down to 57 KG for sure. Ramos, who is coming off a national title over Tyler Graff (also in the field at this weight), is predicted to finish 4th by Pyles. Which I would say that is pretty fair, and I think we could see both Hawkeye’s finishing in the top five at this weight. The big questions will be how will McDonough fair after cutting down to a weight he hasn’t seen since college and can Ramos convert on his leg attacks to become a legitimate threat at this weight.
65 KG
Brent Metcalf – clinched his spot in the finals thanks to his US Open championship.
Nick Fanthorpe
This is a pretty strong weight class with Jordan Oliver and Kellen Russell probably being the biggest obstacle standing in Metcalf’s way to make the team. Thanks to Metcalf’s Open championship, his opponent will need to beat him in a best of three series to claim the team spot, and as good as we have seen Metcalf this Spring, I am feel very comfortable with Metcalf’s chances of winning the trials. He already beat Russell in the Open finals, and from what we have seen his high crotch is working, and if he can use that to score on Russell, it’s over. Fanthorpe will be hard pressed to crack into the top five at this weight.
74 KG
Moza Fay
Fay will be competing at this weight, and to be honest, really won’t stand a chance. Jordan Burroughs is the best wrestler in the world, and the only threat that he will face to ending his reign on the world team is named David Taylor (maybe Kyle Dake would be another threat, but he is out with injury). Fay’s real weight is 70 KG, so we won’t see too much from him this weekend, as he is one of the best at the 70 KG weight class. Multiple NCAA finalists Andrew Howe will be dropping down to this weight as well, but I am not sure if he will be able to overcome Taylor at this weight to make the finals.
86 KG
Phil Keddy
Jon Reader
This is a weight that will be really tough for the former Hawkeye Keddy and former Cyclone Reader to break through at. With veterans Keith Gavin (already in the finals) and Clayton Foster, to go with the young rising stars Chris Perry and Ed Ruth, it’s going to be a battle. Ruth’s display at Beat the Street’s in New York was truly incredible, as at no point did he look troubled by the 5th place finisher from the World’s. I am not sure who comes out on top, but I feel confident that one of Keddy or Reader should finish top five.
97 KG
Jake Varner – also clinched his finals spot
Micah Burak
Deron Winn
David Zabriskie
This could be a weight where there are a ton of wrestlers with the Iowa connection finishing near the top. Watching Varner from the US Open I feel pretty strongly about him claiming the world spot though I am not sure who will be there to face him. Burak placed 5th at the US Open defeating Zabriskie 7-1, and Winn also notched a victory over Zabriskie at the Open. I think Burak and Winn are in the top six at this weight, but I don’t foresee either facing Varner in the finals.
125 KG
Eric Thompson
Thompson will be in the mix at this weight, but I really don’t see him threatening for the spot. He is definitely one of the up and comers at this weight, and much like Ramos and McDonough, his time will come.
As you can see this is the trials for the Olympic weights, the non-Olympic weights (61 and 70 KG) will take place a few months later and were we could see McDonough, Ramos, and Fay competing if they fail to win their weights this weekend.