Then-No. 12 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec. then-No. 15 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State), 6-0 at the CyHawk dual meet in 2019. Photo courtesy of Ben Strandberg (@strandbergdesign/www.standbergdesign.com).
You'll need multiple screens to fully take in all the action that is happening across the country this weekend.
In Lincoln, Nebraska, the U23 World Team Trials, an event featuring dozens of the NCAA's best, plus some elite high school talent, will be getting underway Thursday, May 27-29. This stacked field of collegians and high schoolers will be fighting for World Team spots.
The finalized Team USA roster and schedule of events for U23 Nationals can be found here, according to FloWrestling, which will be on the call at the event as well.
Here are some things to keep an eye on this weekend regarding the men's freestyle competition, which begins Friday, May 28 and ends Saturday, May 29.
57 kg
Brandon Courtney Taylor LaMont, Pat McKee, and Pat Glory are your favorites here. I, for one, am excited to see Glory back on the mat after missing out on his college season at Princeton last year. As for the other three, all are riding high after finding top-5 NCAA finishes in St. Louis in March.
Nico Provo, a highly-thoughted prospect, is a name to keep an eye on as well. It will be intriguing to see how the high schooler and future Cornell lightweight looks against the college kids.
I expect one of the Pat's to win it all.
61 kg
The 61 kg class is a strong weight, one where the Northwestern Wildcat connection runs deep.
The shocker of the 61 kg class for me is seeing Sammy Alvarez at 61 kg (approximately 135 pounds) instead of 65 kg (approximately 143 pounds). As well all know, Alvarez missed weight at the 2021 Big Ten Championships, bringing his season to a close. It will be fascinating to see where Alvarez and fellow Scarlet Knight Sebastian Rivera fall in the lineup next season.
A pair of Northwestern teammates in Michael DeAugustino and freshman All-American, Chris Cannon, will be pitted against one another this weekend. Michigan's Dylan Ragusin, Arizona State All-American Michael McGee, and Oklahoma's Anthony Madrigal are among an impressive grouping of other NCAA stars looking to do some damage in Lincoln as well.
Also, a pair of high school recruits in Jesse Mendez (uncommitted) and Carter Young (committed to Northwestern) are definite podium contenders.
I like Ragusin and Cannon as potential winners.
65 kg
Will we see Chad Red and Dom Demas make deep podium runs this weekend? It's possible. Alan Hart (Missouri) and Josh Saunders (Cornell) will look to ruin that potential finals matchup. We'll have to see how Saunders looks after not have a college season this past year.
I like Dom Demas to come out on top.
70 kg
I'm very high on Yahya Thomas at this weight after watching the Northwestern Wildcat storm to the bronze medal at the 2021 NCAAs as a No. 25 seed. Also, he is better at freestyle than folkstyle, in my opinion.
Nebraska's Ridge Lovett and Minnesota's Brayton Lee will be title contenders as well.
I am predicting a Thomas vs. Lee finals match.
74 kg
To me, there is no clear favorite as there was in other classes. However, I favor Big Ten country here with Cornhusker Peyton Robb and Danny Braunagel (Illinois).
Braunagel gets the gold.
79 kg
At 79 kg, 2021 All-American Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) and Donnell Washington (Indiana) are probably the weight headliners. Big 12 174-pound runner-up Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) and Iowa's Patrick Kennedy are names that would be familiar to the Division I faithful.
At the Junior World Championships in Coralville, Iowa, earlier this year, Washington outscored his opponents 65-8 over seven matches, on his way to the UWW Junior National Championship at 79 kg and a World Team berth.
The Indiana Hoosier, who has a win over 2021 NCAA national champ Carter Starocci to his credit, is my pick to win it all his weekend.
86 kg
This class is one of those where it feels like you have two athletes that are in a league of their own within the broader field. For me, this means that Chris Foca (Cornell) and John Poznanski (Rutgers) are out in front. While Foca has a signature freestyle win over Max Dean to his credit – a result that has garnered a lot of attention this offseason – I like the scrappy Scarlet Knight who took fourth at 184 in St. Louis at NCAAs.
Poznanski over Foca in the finals. But it should be a fun one regardless of the result.
92 kg
Simply put, this is a star-studded grouping, and there are no two ways about it.
Rocky Elam (Missouri), Benjamin Darmstadt (Cornell), Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt), Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), and Cam Caffey (Michigan State) all have the potential to take home gold.
Of the above list, Bonaccorsi, Elam, and Woodley all found the the NCAA podium in 2021. Like all other Ivy school grapplers, Darmstadt didn't compete in 2021 but has tallied All-America accolades previously. Cam Caffey has shown spurts of promise on the international circuit as well.
This weight will be a fun one to watch unfold, but I'm picking a Bonaccorsi and Elam final at 92.
97 kg
The 97 kg field might be the weakest (and smallest) men's freestyle field this weekend in Lincoln.
With that, Gavin Hoffman likely runs away with the title for Ohio State and the Ohio RTC over Jay Aiello (Virginia). Bonaccorsi had Aiello's number numerous times during the 2021 NCAA season, so it is no surprise to see him opt for 97 kg over 92 kg.
Austin Cooley (Pitt) is a fun entrant to consider. He has strong prep credentials but never really cracked the Panther lineup at 197 last year as a redshirt freshman due to Bonaccorsi's presence in the starting 10.
The Buckeye gets it done.
125 kg
For me, 125 kg is Tony Cassioppi's weight to lose. I think that the Hawkeye big man (one of two in the 125 kg class) is taking home gold pretty easily. After seeing Cassioppi's runner-up finish at Senior Nationals, I think he'll get it done this weekend in Nebraska.
That said, Zach Elam, Lucas Davison, Lewis Fernandes, Luke Luffman, and Heindselman will do their best to prove me wrong. I'd expect that either Elam or Heindselman will meet Cassioppi in the finals.
It's worth noting that the Wildcat, Davison, is yet again competing at 125 kg (roughly 275 pounds). Davison has spent the entirety of his college career in Evanston at 197 pounds.
Cassioppi wins over Heindselman for all the marbles.
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