UWW Juniors, the first major freestyle event of the year outside of the senior circuit, will take place this week. It's also the first step (for Greco, the only step) on the road to Macon, France, where the Junior World Championships will occur in September.

Growing American interest in cadet and junior campaigns is helping our youth world teams succeed. U.S. freestyle placed fourth, second, and fifth in the last three Junior World Championships. Meanwhile, U.S. cadets (whose team will be decided in Akron June 3-5) placed second and third the last two years and crowned a champion every year since Cadet Worlds were reinstated in 2011.

The junior level presents an interesting mix of wrestlers aged 17-20, which means clashes between top high schoolers and young college talent. Winners in Las Vegas on Saturday will earn a spot in the best-of-three finals in the Junior World Team Trials in Texas on May 20, where spots on the women’s junior team will also be contested. For Greco, this weekend IS their Olympic Trials.

So, who will end up going to France? Watch live on FloWrestling.

Note: Only world weights are previewed here. 63kg, 70kg, and are contested in Las Vegas, but they are not world championship weight classes.

50kg/110.25lbs | 2015 World Team Member - Spencer Lee, PA

Contenders:
Ryan Chauvin, FL - Fargo JR 4th
Rhett Golowenski, OK - UWW Cadet Finalist
Jason Holmes, AZ - Fargo JR Champ
Dom Lajoie, MI - Fargo JR 3rd
Spencer Lee, PA - Returning Junior World Champion
Patrick McKee, MN - Fargo Cadet 3rd
Mosha Schwartz, CO - UWW Cadet Finalist
Elijah Varona, FL - Fargo JR 6th

As you can see, there are some accomplished wrestlers here, including two that were a whisker from making the cadet world team (Golowenski and Schwartz) and another (Holmes) that wrestled in Fargo finals not once, but twice.

Despite the talent at 50kg, this is Lee’s weight. Not only has he earned gold at both the world cadet and junior levels, but he’s back at the same weight he dominated in Brazil last summer.

I think McKee or Holmes (who I feel is a bit underrated) will meet Spencer in the finals. Schwartz is purportedly scratching.

Willie’s Picks: 1. Lee  2. Holmes  3. McKee  4. Golowenski
Bratke's Picks: 1. Lee  2. McKee  3. Golowenski  4. Holmes

55kg/121.25lbs | 2015 World Team Member - Stevan Micic, IN

Contenders:
Kyle Akins, IL - 2014 Fargo AA
Austin Assad, OH - Back-to-Back Fargo Champion (’14 and ’15)
Brandon Courtney, AZ - Fargo JR Champ
Daton Fix, OK - Returning Cadet World Bronze Medalist
Austin Gomez, IL - 2013 Cadet World Team Member
Nick Piccininni, NY
Brian Rossi, IL - 2013 Fargo JR Runner-Up
Gavin Teasdale, PA - 2x Cadet World Team Member
Bryce West, IA
Kris Williams, IL

Fix and Gomez have both made cadet world teams and Assad had two dramatic wins in the Fargo finals, but I think the prevailing favorite is Fix. The cadet world bronze medalist is back down to 55kg, won this tournament last year to qualify for the best-of-three finals in both the junior and cadet age groups, and is freestyle-savvy and experienced.

Assad has the talent and ability, and after spending a year in Michigan’s room, he's also a good pick. He has two Fargo titles, but didn’t fare well at this tournament a year ago, going 2-3 with losses to Tyrone Klump and Ronnie Bresser.

Gomez will also be a handful. Like Fix, he's at the same weight as last year where he did very well against collegiates and placed fourth as a high-school sophomore. He was third among cadets, and took his sole loss from Lee in the semifinals.

Another interesting story is Teasdale, who earned spots (and performed well, taking seventh and fifth) in the last two Cadet World Championships. But has he adjusted to the jump in weight? 

You want a sleeper? How about Courtney? He made the finals of the junior trials at 50kg last year, and only lost to Lee. He beat Jabari Moody, who placed fifth at Junior Worlds the previous year, along the way. He then went on to win Fargo.

Now, for the X-factor: Piccininni, a freshman at Oklahoma State, hasn't wrestled much freestyle. But his talent is undeniable, and if anyone can help him transition, it’s Coach John Smith. 

With this depth, seeding will be key. Especially at a place like 55kg, where guys like Piccininni and Williams are fine talents without freestyle creds. I think Daton and Piccininni are the best two in the group, but will they be on opposite sides?

Willie’s Picks: 1. Fix   2. Piccininni   3. Assad   4. Gomez
Bratke's Picks: 1. Fix  2. Assad  3. Piccininni  4. Teasdale

60kg/132.25lbs | 2015 World Team Member - Joey McKenna, NJ

Contenders:
Yianni Diakomihalis, NY - Returning Cadet World Champion
Jaydin Eierman, MO 
Kaden Gfeller, OK - 2x Fargo 3rd
Seth Gross, MN - 2014 Fargo 6th
Johnny Jimenez, IL - 2012 Fargo 3rd
Taylor LaMont, UT - 2015 Fargo National Champion
Nick Lee, IN - 2014 Fargo Champ
Mitch McKee, MN - 2015 Fargo Runner-Up
Lincoln Olson, MI - 2015 Fargo JR 4th
Scottie Parker, PA - 2012 Fargo Champ
Jose Rodriguez, OH - 2013 FILA Cadet 5th
Zach Sherman, FL - 2014 Fargo 5th
Josh Terao, HI - 2015 University FS 8th

Still eligible for the cadet division, Diakomihalis will test the junior waters this weekend. It’s a field he can certainly win—his offense and defensive/counter craftiness presents problems in any age group. And at 60kg, he’ll be perfect in size.

Nick Lee essentially missed all of the 2015 freestyle circuit with an injury. That was a year after he reached cadet trials finals (where he lost to Carter Happel) and won Fargo. Surpisingly, he’s at the same weight as two years ago. He’s just a junior in high school, but should be a real player in this field.

Eierman is this weight’s Piccininni—great talent, but with limited-to-non-existent freestyle results. The last time he wrestled freestyle was 2013 when he DNP’d in Fargo.

Gross didn’t wrestle at Juniors last year, but in 2014, he DNP’d up at 66kg. Down at 60kg, the 2013 Fargo champ could be a sneaky pick.

I don’t like picking guys that are double-entered, like McKee and LaMont, who will both try to make the Greco-Roman team. The two met in Fargo finals in both styles with McKee winning Greco-Roman and LaMont in freestyle. I could see McKee beating anyone in the field. I don’t think a singular win against any of these guys would surprise anyone. But can Mitchell run the gauntlet? 

Another guy in that same vein is Gfeller, who’s been in the mix for titles the last two years at Fargo. I think the move up in weight helps him.

Terao is a bit of a dark horse / boom-or-bust pick.

Check out Christian Pyles' write up on 60kg.

Willie’s Picks:  1. Yianni   2. Eierman   3. McKee  4. Gfeller
Bratke's Picks: 1. Yianni  2. McKee  3. Gfeller  4. Eierman

66kg/145.5lbs | 2015 World Team Member - Aaron Pico, CA

Contenders:
Dom Demas, OH - 2014 Fargo Cadet 6th
Ethan Karsten, MO - 2014 Fargo Cadet Champ
Matt Kolodzik, OH - 2015 Junior Trials 4th
Zach Kelly, PA - 2013 Fargo Junior 3rd
Joe Lee, IN - 2015 Fargo Cadet Champ
Boo Lewallen, OK - 2015 Fargo 4th
Tristan Moran, OK - Returning 3rd at 63kg
Alec Pantaleo, MI - Returning Runner-Up at 70kg
Griffin Parriott, MN - Returning 3rd
Connor Prince, FL
Alex Rich, OR
Fredy Stroker, IA - 2015 Fargo Junior Champ
Vince Turk, IL
Nikko Villareal, CA

Kolodzik had a busy freestyle slate last summer. He placed fourth at 63kg at this event (losing twice to Moran), then missed 60kg at the Trials and went 2-2 at 66kg, losing to Zain and Ashnault and beating Zanetta and Villareal. He then went on to win Fargo at 138 lbs. He might be undersized at 66, but I think he’s one of the frontrunners.

Speaking of size, the gaps between 60 and 66, and 66 to 74, are a squeeze. Bigger guys like Parriott, Pantaleo, and Stroker loom.

Parriott wrestled the season at 152 lbs, and had a great tournament here last year, taking third and only losing to Retherford.

If the weight cut is right for Panteleo and Stroker, they are my picks for the finals. Pantaleo reached the finals at the non-UWW weight of 70kg last year, losing to Wyoming’s Archie Colgan.

At the same weight, Stroker was fourth at the Trials last year with losses to Ashnault and Zain.

Keep in mind that Aaron Pico, who took bronze and silver at the last two Junior World Championships, will likely be at the Trials in June. 

Willie’s Picks: 1. Pantaleo  2. Stroker  3. Kolodzik  4. Parriott
Bratke's Picks: 1. Pantaleo  2. Kolodzik  3. Stroker  4. Lewallen

74kg/163lbs | 2015 World Team Member - Mark Hall, MI

Contenders:
Jake Allar, MN
Kimball Bastian, UT - Returning 3rd at 79kg
Fox Baldwin, FL - 2014 Fargo Junior 3rd
Larry Early, IL - 2015 Fargo Junior Champ
Vincenzo Joseph, PA - 2015 Junior Trials Runner-Up
Jordan Kutler, NJ - 2014 Fargo Junior 7th
Mark Hall, MI - Returning World Team Member
Logan Massa, MI - 2015 Junior Trials Runner-Up
Josh Shields, PA - 2014 Fargo Junior 3rd
Joe Smith, OK - 2015 Fargo Junior Champ
Anthony Valencia, CA - 2014 World Team Member
Cole Walter, PA

What. A. Weight.

You don't often get many returning hammers in an age group tournament. Hall, Massa, Joseph, and Valencia have all made at least the challenge finals of Junior Trials.

A cadet world champion in 2014, Hall made the junior team by winning over Nolf last year and beating Chance Marsteller in the Trials finals.

Hall and Massa, who lost in a controversial Trials challenge tourney finals to Marsteller, wrestled a barn-burner last month at the Olympic Trials.

Joseph, at 66kg, opened his Trials with a huge win over Ashnault, but eventually lost in the challenge finals to Retherford. By all indications, he’s plenty big enough for the weight jump.

Smith also had a busy freestyle circuit last summer. In addition to winning Fargo, he was fifth in Vegas and fourth at the Trials. One of those losses was to Massa.

Let’s not forget about Valencia. A year after making the junior team (by beating IMAR multiple times), Valencia opted to enter the Senior Trials. For an indication of how good he is right now, he and Hall had another knock-down, drag-out affair at the last-chance qualifier a few weeks back.

At the end of the day, you must lean Hall. Some have come close to showing he CAN be beaten, but "close" doesn’t cut it. Hall has prevailed each step of the way. That being said, the margin is thin.

Although Smith and Early look much improved, this weight is so deep. Vincenzo Joseph will be the one to pull off some surprises. He’s a goer in a weight where everyone wrestles wide open.

Make sure to check out Christian Pyles’ write up on 74kgs, which features a ton of video history between these guys.

Willie’s Picks: 1. Hall   2. Joseph   3. Valencia   4. Massa
Bratke's Picks: 1. Hall  2. Massa  3. Joseph  4. Valencia

84kg/185lbs | 2015 World Team Member - Zahid Valencia, CA

Contenders:
Ryan Christensen, WA - 2012 Fargo Cadet Champ
Ben Darmstadt, OH - 2015 Fargo JR 4th
Jelani Embree, MI - 2015 Cadet Trials Champion
Nick Fiegener, CA 
Josh Hokit, CA
Myles Martin, NJ - Returning Runner-Up
Michael Pixley, MO - 2013 Fargo JR Champion
Bobby Steveson, MN - 2014 Fargo JR Champ
Nathan Traxler, IL - 2015 Fargo JR 5th
Zahid Valencia, CA - Returning World Team Member
David Whisler, OH - 2014 Fargo JR 7th

Five former Fargo champions highlight this weight.

I bet Zahid would like to have his 2015 World Championship opportunity back. If he re-wrestles the match he lost, I truly think he would make a medal run. But he was super-undersized last year and will easily make 84kg again. He won the Open with a finals win over Myles, and it was relatively one-sided, 7-0. He then beat Chandler Rogers in two straight at the Trials.

Martin is coming off a NCAA title as a true freshman and is much better now than he was last spring. But will it be good enough to make up that gap, especially considering Zahid should be fresher.

Steveson was the Cadet Trials runner-up to Angus Arthur (registered at 96kg) in 2013. He should be a good-sized 84kg. There was a time when Steveson-Zahid or Steveson-Martin would be super juicy, but we just haven’t seen much of Steveson lately.

The same could be said for two-time Fargo champ Pixley, who at one time was No. 1 in the country in high school.

Ultimately, it should be a Zahid-Myles rematch with Pixley, and to a higher degree, Steveson, as a bracket buster. The run that Myles went on at NCAAs might incline you to go with him as your pick. But, 1) it’s freestyle, 2) Zahid has had his number, and 3) Zahid is so darn good positionally.

Of the younger guys (Darmstadt, Traxler, and Hokit), I really like Darmstadt right now. He’s been on fire. I like Hokit’s talent and long-term upside, but he’s a freestyle rookie.

Like Pico at 66kg, keep in mind that we'll probably see Bo Nickal at the June Trials.

Willie’s Picks: 1. Zahid   2. Myles   3. Steveson   4. Pixley
Bratke's Picks: 1. Zahid  2. Myles  3. Pixley  4. Traxler 

96kg/211.5lbs | 2015 World Team Member - Anthony Cassar, NJ

Contenders:
Angus Arthur, MI - 2013 Cadet World Team Member
Lance Benick, MN - 2014 Fargo JR Runner-Up
Christian Dulaney, MN
Robert Enmon, FL
Kollin Moore, OH
Hunter Ritter, MD - 2014 Cadet World Team Member
Mason Reinhardt, WI
Chase Singletary, FL
Jacob Seely, CO - Returning Runner-Up

Although other names may have more of a following, Seely is the man to beat. He was runner-up to Anthony Cassar last year here and at the Trials. He then won Fargo, beating three highly ranked high schoolers, including Sammy Colbray, in the finals.

Angus Arthur made the cadet world team in both styles in 2013 at 85kg. That same year, Lance Benick was on the team at 100kg. 

The next year at Cadet Trials, Ritter knocked off Benick and Colbray to make the team at 85kg.

The biggest name in the group is Chase Singletary, who is ranked No. 1 in the country as a high school junior at 195 lbs. Although no one in the field is particularly big for this weight class, Singletary might be a bit undersized. Additionally, he has little in the way of freestyle experience, which tempers my expectations on him a bit this weekend.

Another X-factor is Kollin Moore. Relatively unknown until his senior season, he made a push to the top of the high school ranks and is purportedly doing well in the Ohio State room. But, like Singletary, he will be undersized with limited freestyle experience.

Willie’s Picks:  1. Seely  2. Moore   3. Benick   4. Singletary
Bratke's Picks: 1. Moore  2. Seely  3. Benick  4. Singletary

120kg/264.5lbs | 2015 World Team Member - Nathan Butler, KS

Contenders:
Christian Colucci, NJ
Joey Goodhart, PA
Gannon Gremmel, IA - 2014 Fargo Cadet Champ
Patrick Grayson, VA
Jake Gunning, PA - Returning Trials Runner-Up
Tommy Helton, IL - 2015 Fargo JR 7th
Youssif Hemida, NY - 2014 Fargo JR 4th
Andrew Piehl, MN - 2015 Fargo JR 4th
Dan Stibral, ND - 2015 Fargo JR 6th
Rylee Streifel, MN - 2015 Fargo JR Runner-Up

Gunning reached the finals of the Trials last year, where he was beaten by Nathan Butler, who went on to take bronze at Worlds.

There are several talented college redshirts, but many took lumps this year in folkstyle. I’m looking at Grayson and Stibral as contenders. I like Streifel to reach the finals opposite Gunning. His only loss at Fargo last year was to cadet world finalist Jordan Wood. He also teched Matt Stencel.

Gremmel won the Fargo title in Cadets two years ago, but DNP’d in Juniors last year, falling to Stibral.

Willie’s Picks:  1. Gunning  2. Streifel  3. Stibral   4. Grayson
Bratke's Picks:  1. Gunning  2. Streifel  3. Grayson 4. Stibral