Since its inception in 2017, the U23 World Championships has not been kind to the American program, which at first, to some, was confounding. After all, the U.S. had begun doing an excellent job in recruiting young talent both to Northern Michigan and the Olympic Training Center, and several of these same athletes immediately established themselves among the nation’s best. And, to be sure, once the U23 age group elevated in prominence on the heels of two test drives in Europe, the thought was that Team USA would have the horses to compete with the sport’s elite, what with boasting such an allotment of Greco “blue chippers”. 

It took a few years for the U.S. to fully understand the problem. U23 is, in essence, the same division as Senior; and because many of the sport’s top Seniors are U23-eligible, quite the disparity in skill and experience exists between those athletes and their Team USA counterparts. What also did not help was the timing of the tournament. Scheduled for late October/early November, the event usually occurs nearly six months following the American U23 World Team selection process. That, coupled with a lack of purposeful joint training, were obstacles early on around these parts. 

Times have changed. Not that the U23 level is suddenly much easier for USA Greco, but at the very least it is taken sufficiently seriously by this program when it comes to training and competitive opportunities. It is still an uphill battle when factoring in the development of foreigners compared to American athletes at the same age. But it is no longer viewed as an automatic quagmire for the U.S., either. 

Especially this year. 

Two members of the U23 World roster, Camden Russell (55 kg, NYAC/MWC) and Phillip Moomey (60 kg, Spartan Combat RTC) – competed in the ‘22 version of the U23 World Championships. In total, seven members of the squad have prior World-level experience in other age groups. Lastly, four athletes – Russell, Robert Perez III, Justus Scott, and Cade Lautt – are current Senior National Team members. That is a lot of weaponry to bring into battle. 

There is no escaping the fact that some on this U23 World Team are closely-associated with college folkstyle wrestling – but that does not need to be a bad thing. Too often, USA athletes try to “Greco up” their approaches to competition so much that it diminishes their abilities to just fight and compete. For those athletes on the roster who might fit this description, the most effective methodology is for them to wrestle precisely how they prefer whilst minding only the most necessary adjustments. 

55 kg: Camden Russell (NYAC/MWC) 

One of two holdovers from last year’s USA U23 World squad along with the man below, Russell looked and competed with more comfort and assurance throughout the spring compared to his previous campaign. Getting that first Worlds out of the way in ‘22 was important. Russell had relevant international experience going into it, but not of nearly the same magnitude. He cannot allow himself to become too amped. A positive first-period in his very first match this time around could be a difference-maker for him. 

60 kg: Phillip Moomey (Spartan Combat RTC) 

The narrative surrounding Moomey in ‘22 was his wide-open scoring ability, which still holds as a strength considering the more rigid nature foreigners bring to bear. This year, the story is confidence. In the U.S. Senior Open, Moomey dropped matches to Max Black (NMU/NTS) and Jonathan Gurule (NMU/NTS), this after downing Black last year to make this Team. When selection arrived once again for U23 in early-June, Moomey was on a mission and defeated Gurule in two straight. With already having appeared in two prior Worlds, combined with a strong ending to the domestic season, Moomey is as live of a threat as the U.S. has in Albania. 

63 kg: Jordan Hamdan (Michigan WC) 

Hamdan was responsible for putting together one of the most complete performances at the U23 Trials in June, which brought back memories of his earlier age-group days when he was constantly making headlines from winning tournaments such as Fargo. There is an experience deficit here, however. Hamdan has not yet encountered overseas competition, and that sort of thing tends to matter when discussing a World event. Then again, that could also work in his favor, as unconventional as such a declaration might seem. Hamdan does not have to feel compelled to suddenly adopt an authentic essence in order to score. Minding solid, if not decent position and re-attacking when opportunities arise is often helpful for American collegians, and Hamdan has a better base of which to speak than most of the folkstylers on the U23 World Team who have come before him. 

67 kg: Robert Perez III (Sunkist) 

Final X runner-up and two-time age-group World Teamer Perez has a chance to really shine in Albania, provided there are no early hiccups. He is of a rare breed, an American who actually competes better abroad than he does domestically. Perez has, for several years, wrestled with mature Senior-level mechanics and understands how to measure his output in relation to the opposition. This is no small item due to the manner in which passivity is determined. Perez observes a hard pace and is difficult to off-balance. What’s more, he is on an extremely promising trajectory. Aside from Aden Attao, Perez had the most encouraging performance at the ‘22 U20 Worlds, and then this past season he hung in there with several of the sport’s best Seniors before winning the U.S. Open. A lot of eyes will be on Perez this weekend and for good reason. 

72 kg: Justus Scott (Army/WCAP) 

Like Perez, Scott won the U.S. Senior Open in late-April, which to date is his biggest accomplishment in the good style. A volatile combatant. When Scott made the U20 World roster in ‘21, it was mainly because he was a solid wrestler as well as an extraordinarily aggressive fighter. He is the type who pushes and pushes, never concedes an inch, and is just fine with scoring messy points if they are available. The difference these days is maturity and workout partners. Scott’s game has become refined thanks in part to the fact he trains in a room full of top domestic athletes. That is not to suggest one might watch Scott wrestle and discern that he is polished technically. Oh no, he is not. But he doesn’t have to be, and maybe it is better right now that some rawness is still evident. Foreigners do not enjoy tangling with athletes like Scott because they know what it means, which is a long day at the office regardless of outcome. What you’re looking for out of Scott is to capitalize on that to a degree. Beat ‘em up, wear ‘em down’, and score once the opposition is suitably compromised. 

77 kg: Payton Jacobson (Sunkist/NTS) 

The U.S. program will not hold a contest to determine who the hardest worker in the country is. But if they did, the prize would likely belong to Jacobson, whose work ethic borders on fanaticism. All full-time Greco-Roman athletes are, obviously, devoted to the cause. but for Jacobson, it’s deeper than that. He legitimately, genuinely, believes in what he can do, right here and now, at what is still an early phase in his career; as such, his aim each day is to maximize his output as much as possible and dedicate an inordinate amount of time to correcting miscues. His passion for this style as well his improvement overall are why he has rapidly climbed the Senior ranks. He is also one of the few on this Team whose overseas experience accounts for a substantial percentage of his time logged in the sport. Jacobson trains for tournaments like this all year long. It’s certainly a tough field that is awaiting him, but he is ready for it. 

82 kg: Tyler Eischens (CARTC) 

The feeling about Eischens is that this is where he belongs, which is not a diss to his collegiate career. A multi-time NCAA qualifier for Stanford, he is a wrestler with a wide scope of abilities and, due to our country’s scholastic system, there is no begrudging his choice to pursue that side of the fence in concert with a stellar education. That said, he’s a Greco guy. Even with acknowledging his high school excellence pre-Stanford, the best way to put it is that Eischens “was ours before he was theirs”. Which is why whenever he has competed in the proper discipline during the springtime, it has felt natural. And to make this Team, Eischens had to get past Ty Dow, another scholastic-infused Greco competitor who the U.S. program loves. It has been a minute for Eischens on the World level. Four years ago he was on the Junior Team, and he has not had opportunities to trade paint with foreign types in the time since. While you’d like for him to have a little more recent seasoning in that regard, Eischens will have a solid idea of what he wants to do in this environment. It’s in his bloodline. 

87 kg: Mike Altomer (Curby 3-Style) 

A busy but encouraging year it has been thus far for “Muscle Mike”. He competed in Bulgaria, had a productive U.S. Open, won both the U20 and U23 Trials, won the U20 Pan-Ams, and two months ago competed in the younger age division’s World Championships. That is a lot of activity for an athlete who is still new to the full-time lifestyle. But, he has needed it. Altomer requires objectives to help drive his focus. As for how he matches up in this tournament, it is interesting. 87 kg is when the dynamics of this style change the most. The plodding, the gamesmanship for passivity, the decrease in actionable attempts and subsequent reliance on par terre scores to determine outcomes. None of the above describe Altomer’s approach, which on one hand is not fabulous, and on the other is the best thing about him. He’ll give bruisers the underhook because he does not mind attacking with an overhook or whamming headlocks. His bottom par terre game is a work in progress and, in this event, a potential liability; but his top game – while not elite just yet – can be sufficiently effective. 

97 kg: Cade Lautt (Tar Heel WC) 

Lautt got himself in position for this appearance via the Senior route. His ultra-competitive, foot-to-the-pedal way of doing business is how he was able to surprise Nick Boykin in the semifinal of the Senior Trials Challenge Tournament, an achievement that automatically elevated him to National Team status. Terrific athletic skill complements his grinding mentality, and that is the most important weapon in his arsenal this week. Purposeful, fluid movement and a jack-hammer tempo is the antidote to international 97’s who are not inclined to do much on the feet. Lautt wants to wrestle, as in actually attempt to execute technique and score points. At 97 on this level of competition, that is a rarity. It is, at best, a secondary goal. Therefore, forcing action that compels transitional opportunities is how he might score from standing, that or by simply counter-attacking/scrambling, which we have witnessed from other American upper-weights in recent years. Par terre, of course, remains the biggest vulnerability. 

130 kg: Kaleb Reeves (Eastern Iowa WC)

Reeves could have some moments in this tournament if not hindered by the decreased rhythm present on the international landscape. That is an under-reported adjustment USA 130’s often have to make. Heavyweights in general, in every style of wrestling, do not operate with the same speed as their lightweight colleagues. Of course. But overseas, heavyweight is much more of a chess match than it is an expression of kinetic aggression. Reeves is one who wants to move and catch opponents on their backs. For him, this is instinct. He competes with an end state in mind, seemingly. An attacking mentality at the World Championships needs to be measured appropriately, lest the young man risk surrendering a multi-point execution due to overextending, or by simply becoming overzealous. But you like Reeves here. He does have a very solid grasp of this style, as well as a customized feel for imparting offense. Minding his base, staying position, and then capitalizing appropriately are his paths to victory.