Jordan Holm attempts to make his fourth consecutive world team, and his first Olympic birth
On the Greco side of things this Saturday the United States will have a new Olympic representative at 85 kilos, as former Olympian Chaz Betts has moved on from this type of wrestling. Jordan Holm seems to be the heir apparent and has all the domestic credentials to go to Rio, but will he end up being at the top of the podium? Jon Anderson, Patrick Martinez, Jake Clark, and Ben Provisor will all be nipping Holm’s heels for a chance to be an Olympian.
Holm has a list of credentials domestically, and more recently internationally. He has represented the United States on the last three World Teams, and has won the US Open four times (2011, 2013-15). He took second at the Olympic Trials four years ago, but since then he’s done very well.
The former UNI Panther has seen some more international success in the past year as well, qualifying the weight for the United States at the Pan-Am games by winning gold, his first Pan-Am tournament gold medal, and also winning last years Hungarian Grand Prix.
Chasing Holm for top is Jon Anderson. The Army WCAP (World Class Athlete Program) member is ranked 2nd at 85 kilos and has lost to Holm the last three times the two have met; the first being at the Dave Schultz Memorial, then at the US Open and then again later at the Greco-Roman World Team Trails, all in 2015. Anderson lost all three matches, but made their last match a real battle at the WTT’s, losing 2-2 on criteria. He really pushed the pace and that was something that Holm wasn’t expecting, so if they do end up meeting in the finals look for the same type of match from Anderson.
Returning 2012 Olympic team member Ben Provisor has bumped up a couple weights since winning the 2012 trials at 74 kilos. He wrestled last season at 80 kilos as well, taking 3rd at the US Team Trials in 2013 and 2014, and winning the US Open in 2013.
There is another 2015 World Team member fighting for this weight though, and that’s Patrick Martinez, who was at 80 kilos last year in Las Vegas. Martinez, another Army WCAP member, has won bronze in a few tournaments this year, including the US Open. Martinez is by far the youngest wrestler among the favorites, graduating from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2014.
The number one seed’s teammate, Jake Clark, rounds out the list of favorites to win the weight. Both are members of the Minnesota Storm, and Clark has been on the World Team before, in 2006 and 2010. The veteran made a big comeback at the weight, winning the 2016 US Open to secure his place at the OTT’s. Along the way to his championship he defeated fellow trials competitors Lucas Sheridan in the semifinals and Provisor in the finals. It wouldn’t shock me to see Clark continue his run and end up in the trial finals.
Saturday, April 9
Men’s freestyle (65 kg and 125 kg)
Women’s freestyle (58 kg, 63 kg and 69 kg)
Greco-Roman (59 kg, 66 kg, 85 kg and 98 kg)
8:00 a.m. – Doors open to Carver-Hawkeye Arena
9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Preliminaries through Challenge Tournament finals
5:00 p.m. – Doors open to Carver-Hawkeye Arena
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Best two of three Championship Series
Sunday, April 10
Men’s freestyle (57 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg)
Women’s freestyle (48 kg, 53 kg, 75 kg)
Greco-Roman (75 kg and 130 kg)
8:00 a.m. – Doors open to Carver-Hawkeye Arena
9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Preliminaries through Challenge Tournament finals
5:00 p.m. – Doors open to Carver-Hawkeye Arena
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Best two of three Championship Series.
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ADDITIONAL NOTES
1) Unlike World Team Trials, the US Open champion does not get an automatic bye to the finals, which means Metcalf will need to go through the entire bracket.
2) This weight is a regular bracket with seeding that is contested until we have a pair of finalists. Once we have two finalists, they will wrestle a best-of-three to determine who gets the Olympic spot.
85 kg/187 pounds
2015 World Team member – Jordan Holm, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
2015 World Team member – Patrick Martinez, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
2015 Bill Farrell International champion – Jon Anderson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
2015 Olympic Trials Qualifier champion – Jacob Clark, Honolulu, Hawaii (Minnesota Storm)
2015 Olympic Trials Qualifier runner-up – Ben Provisor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC)
2015 Olympic Trials Qualifier fourth place – Lucas Sheridan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP)
2015 Olympic Trials Qualifier fifth place – Kevin Radford, Jr., Fayetteville, N.C. (Sunkist Kids)
2015 Olympic Trials Qualifier sixth place – Mark Stenberg, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/NMU)
2015 Olympic Trials Qualifier seventh place – Ryan Hope, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/CKWC)
2016 Dave Schultz Memorial runner-up – Courtney Myers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
Paris International bronze medalist- Michael Brant, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (U.S. Marine Corps)
2016 Interservice champion – Timothy Bleau, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
2016 Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier champion – Hayden Zillmer, Crosby, Minn. (CrosbyHay)