Pictured: Four-time World/Olympic medalist J'den Cox celebrates after winning gold at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan in September 2019. Photo courtesy of The Associated Press.
The wrestling community is spoiled in summer/fall 2021 with three incredibly high-level freestyle and Greco competitions roughly two months apart.
First, we had a fantastic 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for Team USA in August. Currently, we are just two days away from the 2021 World Team Trials in Lincoln, Nebraska. Then, looking forward, we are already less than three weeks away from the start of the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, Norway.
What makes the 2021 iteration of Team Trials all the more compelling is that we will see matchups that we don't often see and likely have never seen before. With four of the five men's freestyle 2020 Olympic medalists choosing to accept the automatic bid to the World Team, that meant those four weights (57 kg – Gilman, 74 kg – Dake, 86 kg – Taylor, and 97 kg – Snyder) would not be contested. Only Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson elected not to accept the auto bid.
Thus, the rest of the field has been required to jump up or down a weight to chase a World Team berth at the remaining weights (61 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 79 kg, 92 kg, and 125 kg).
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Here are some things to be on the lookout for this weekend in Lincoln.
61 Kilograms
This class is arguably the most compelling of the six to be contested alongside the 70 or 79 kg class. At 61 kg, we will see some heavy-hitters from the 57 kg class that have decided to bump up, including Seth Gross, Nick Suriano, Daton Fix, and others. With that, the match we all want to see is Daton Fix vs. Nick Suriano in what would be a 2019 NCAA finals rematch. Suriano will be extra motived after a positive COVID test kept him out of the Olympic Team Trials earlier this year.
While Suriano and Fix are your favorites at this class, you cannot rule out a heavier Seth Gross, Nathan Tomasello, Nahshon Garrett, or veteran Shelton Mack, all of whom will look to upend the Suriano-Fix finals party. Plus, top-seeded Tyler Graff, who has competed for a World medal in the past, and No. 2 Joe Colon, who has a World bronze from 2018, cannot be overlooked.
Junior World finalist Carter Young hopes to make a name for himself this weekend in Lincoln. The three-time OSSAA State Champion at Stillwater High School (Oklahoma) has yet to suit up for his first college dual at Northwestern.
Unfortunately, Vito Arujau will not be competing, and COVID-19 is thought to be the reason for his absence.
It will be fun to see how many of these career 57-kgers look at a heavier 61 kilogram this weekend.
Miller's Pick: Suriano
65 Kilograms
At 65 kg, I'm expecting a Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Joey McKenna finals matchup with the Cornell two-time NCAA champ coming out on top. Again, this would be a rematch of the 141-pound finals from Pittsburgh in 2019.
Evan Henderson, who has a Henri Deglane bronze medal to his credit and Pitt coach and RTC athlete, Luke Pletcher, are not to be counted out in this noticeable small field at 65 kg.
Also, Hawkeyes Jaydin Eierman and Pat Lugo are no longer listed as registered for the tournament. With that, no Iowa Hawkeye-affiliated athletes are competing in Lincoln this weekend.
Miller's Pick: Yianni
70 Kilograms
The 70-kg field is absolutely stacked. The weight features Alec Pantaleo, who is rated No. 1 in the world currently after stellar showings at the latest Mateo Pellicone and Pan-Am Championships. Plus, both Olympic Trials champ (65kg) Jordan Oliver and two-time World team member Zain Rutherford have bumped up for the event to add some chaos at the weight.
Additionally, Ryan Deakin, who has been hitting the RTC training circuit this offseason, looks to make some noise. The NU Wildcat standout has a U.S. Open title on his resume and recently breezed through the 2021 World Team Trials Last Chance Qualifier in Fargo, outscoring opponents 30-0. Deakin received a very favorable No. 3 seed at the weight.
Lastly, who can forget top-seeded James Green, the only American to rep 70 kg for Team USA since 2015. The former Nebraska collegian will be heading back to familiar territory to contend for yet another World Team spot. Tyler Berger is another former Cornhusker looking to make a statement in his former college home as well.
Miller's Pick: Green
79 Kilograms
Jordan Burroughs, an eight-time World/Olympic medalist, is the story of this weight class. Anytime such a skilled and credentialed wrestler like Burroughs takes to the mat, it's must-see T.V. That said, the 2021 Team Trials is extra interesting not only because Jordan is up at 79 kg, but also because this is the first event for the former Olympian since moving to the Penn RTC.
Burroughs aside, Alex Dieringer and Isaiah Martinez will look to ruin the party for Burroughs at his new weight. The pair will look to put some lengthy injury issues behind them to pursue a 2021 World Team berth. Will we get the Burroughs-IMAR matchup that fell through this summer? I sure hope so!
If that trio of star power wasn't enough, Jason Nolf, Evan Wick, Taylor Lujan, Tommy Gantt, Chance Marsteller, and David McFadden are some names that are capable of busting a bracket.
It should also be interesting to see how youngster Carter Starocci, the reigning 174-pound NCAA champ, does in freestyle instead of Folkstyle.
Oh, and somehow the always-intriguing Pat Downey is registered at 79 kg. Should he have a successful weight cut, PDIII is always dangerous. However, Downey is pre-seeded No. 13 at the weight, which, quite frankly, is woefully inaccurate for the 86 kg World Team member in 2019. That said, Downey hasn't wrestled often as of late, and definitely not at this weight. Assuming the pre-seeds hold, Jason Nolf has an exponentially more challengingopening-round draw.
Miller's Pick: Burroughs
92 Kilograms
At 92 kg, we all want to see J'den Cox return to the mat and put the Olympic Trials weigh-in snafu (April 2021) and a poor Poland Open performance (June 2021) behind him.
While the 92-kg WTT crown is J'den's to lose, in my opinion, that doesn't mean we don't have a deep entry field at this weight. Nate Jackson, Kollin Moore, Kyven Gadson, Myles Martin, and Michael Macchiavello are all capable of big-time performances.
I also find myself eager to see how Trent "Hoagie" Hidley wrestles in a different style. The NC State standout is coming off an NCAA runner-up performance at 184 as a redshirt freshman in addition to a runner-up showing at the 2021. U.S. Senior Nationals at 86 kg.
Miller's Pick: J'den
125 Kilograms
As we know, Gable Steveson was the lone Olympic medalist to turn down the opportunity to wrestle in Oslo next month. With that, veteran freestyler Nick Gwiazdowski, who already has two World bronze medals (2017 – Paris and 2018 – Budapest), is the most experienced and credentialed big man in the field. He will undoubtedly hope to use the 2021 WTT to put his tough Olympic Trials finals showing versus the eventual Olympic gold medalist, Steveson behind him.
While Gwizz may have the advantage in terms of Senior-level experience, that doesn't mean he isn't in for a few tough matches with the likes of young Michigan Man Mason Parris, Dom Bradley, Jordan Wood, and others.
Miller's Pick: Gwizz
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