A pair of 57 KG wrestlers for Team USA will be competing at the Cerro Pelado International tournament in Cuba on February 11-15th.
Panther Wrestling Club Joe Colon will be at 57 KG again after starting his freestyle career at 61 KG. Last spring he competed at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas placing 5th after being seeded 5th. This year we have seen Colon drop to the 57 KG weight class and now that he is wrestling freestyle full time we are able to see the just how good he can be at this weight.
At the Bill Farrell International in New York, Colon took home first place honors by defeating 4th place finisher from the World Team Trials, Nico Megaludis 14-8, a 7-4 win over veteran Brandon Precin. In the finals he won 13-6 over Dan Mitcheff. The tournament win boosted Colon’s stock as he is now the #2 ranked freestyle wrestler in the USA behind fellow Iowan Tony Ramos.
Iowa State assistant coach Angel Escobedo, who is ranked 9th in the USA, will also be in the tournament. Escobedo is a former placewinner at the World championships who dealt with a few injury issues last year. It appears Escobedo is back to full health after his FPL dismantling of Conor Beebe. If Escobedo is indeed healthy he is still one of the best 57 KG wrestlers USA has to offer.
Cerro Pelado International, Havana, Cuba (Feb. 11-15)
57 kg/125.5 lbs – Joe Colon, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Panther WC of NE Iowa)
57 kg/125.5 lbs – Sam Hazewinkel, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids)
57 kg/125.5 lbs – Angel Escobedo, Ames, Iowa (New York AC/ Ohio RTC)
57 kg/125.5 lbs – Zach Sanders, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
65 kg/143 lbs – Frank Molinaro, South Plainfield, N.J. (Nittany Lion WC)
65 kg/143 lbs – Reece Humphrey, Columbus, Ohio (NYAC/Ohio RTC)
70 kg/154 lbs – Kyle Ruschell, Madison, Wis. (NYAC/ Wisconsin RTC)
70 kg/154 lbs – Kevin LeValley, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
70 kg/154 lbs – Dustin Schlatter, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
70 kg/154 lbs– Jason Welch, Evanston, Ill. (Chicago RTC/Wrestling Prep)
86 kg/189 lbs – Clayton Foster, Laramie, Wyo. (GRIT Athletics/Cowboy WC)
97 kg/213 lbs – J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio (NYAC/Ohio RTC)
125 kg/275 lbs – Zack Rey, Bethlehem, Pa. (Lehigh Valley AC)
125 kg/275 lbs – Tony Nelson, Cambridge, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
U.S. Junior Competitors
60 kg/132 lbs – Joey McKenna, Towaca, N.J. (Lehigh Valley AC)
65 kg/143 lbs – Aaron Pico, Whittier, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC)
Assistant National Freestyle Coach –Brandon Slay, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach –Valentin Kalika, Laguna Niguel, Calif.