It depends which side of the fence on which you stand. The 2023 US Nationals for Greco-Roman this weekend in Fort Worth is either the most important domestic tournament of the year — or it comes in second by a razor-thin margin. 

The reason why the Nationals might very well be even more important, for Greco at least, than the Olympic Trials is due to its procedural implications with regards to Olympic Games qualification. Winners of each bracket in Fort Worth on Saturday will earn the right to represent the United States at the Pan-American Olympic Qualifier in February in Acapulco, Mexico. 

All six athletes who appeared in Olympic weight categories for Team USA at the ‘23 World Championships were unable to secure a quota for Paris ‘24, Hence the critical nature of the Pan-Am tournament. The U.S. certainly hopes to achieve this vital objective in February because only one more opportunity will be available if they do not – the World OG Qualifier in May, which promises to present a much larger challenge given the number of top-level participants who undoubtedly will be competing in that event. 

The Nationals coming up this weekend are positioned to go a long way towards solving this potential quandary. The U.S. (Greco-Roman) program’s procedures were, or are, designed to favor those competitors who were on the ‘23 World Team, since each member of that roster in an Olympic weight division (with the exception of Alex Sancho at 67 kg) were automatically awarded spots on November’s Pan-Ams squad; to take it one step further, the wrestlers fitting this description who earned medals at the Pan-Am Games last month (Ildar Hafizov, 60 kg, gold; Kamal Bey, 77 kg, gold; and Cohlton Schultz, 130 kg, silver) have received byes to Saturday evening’s final round. 

One additional wrinkle: though the Greco program’s procedures stipulate that the top five in each weight category this weekend will qualify for the Olympic Team Trials, one must bear in mind that this does not mean a “drill-down” effect is in order for those who place outside the top five. In other words, the National tournament allows for “spot stealing”. Should athletes who are already qualified for the OTT place in the top five, then that’s a wrap. There is no more space available. With Hafizov, Bey, and Schultz already sitting in the finals, a mere four spots are up for grabs at 60, 77, and 130 kg, respectively. The byproduct of these limiting procedures is that there are sure to be many excellent competitors who wind up in the “Last Chance OTT Qualifier” come springtime. 

2023 US National Greco-Roman Preview

60 kg

Seeds

*Pre-qualified for 2024 US Olympic Trials

– Bye To The Finals: *Ildar Hafizov (Army/WCAP, 5PM #1)

*Dalton Roberts (Army/WCAP, 5PM #2)

*Randon Miranda (NYAC, 5PM #3)

Hayden Tuma (NYAC, 5PM #8 at 67 kg)

*Sammy Jones (Sunkist/CTT, 5PM #4)

Max Black (NMU/NTS, 5PM #5)

*Brady Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque RTC, 5PM #8)

Dylan Gregerson (Minnesota Storm, 5PM #7)

Dylan Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque RTC, 5PM #6)

Dalton Duffield (Army/WCAP, 5PM #9)

Taylor LaMont (Minnesota Storm)

Most are well-aware of the ongoing domestic rivalry between Hafizov and Roberts, who have clashed a dozen times since ‘18 (including in four World Team Trials best-of-three finals). But they are not the only story of this weight category. At the moment, Tuma dropping down to 60 is the biggest story at the moment. The three-time National champ – at three different weight classes (59 kg, ‘16; 67 kg, ‘21; 63 kg, ‘23) is recognized due to his crisp technique and explosive attacks; plus, so long as he is not drained, is likely to be downright compared to most, if not everyone in the bracket. Jones, who appeared in both the ‘21 and ‘22 Worlds at 63, is a severe force with which to be reckoned in his own right; and then there are Miranda, Black, Gregerson, the Koontz twins, and the returning LaMont – all of whom could find themselves staring down Hafizov on Saturday to the surprise of no one. It’s a very stacked weight as far as seeds are concerned. One unseeded (or low-seeded, depending) wrestler for whom to look out is Rhett Peak, who is a monster in the making and a very real problem for just about each of the aforementioned names. 

67 kg

Seeds

*Pre-qualified for 2024 US Olympic Trials

*Alex Sancho (Army/WCAP, 5PM #1)

*Patrick Smith (Minnesota Storm, 5PM #4 at 77 kg)

*Justus Scott (Army/WCAP, 5PM #3)

Robert Perez III (Sunkist), 5PM #4)

*Xavier Johnson (Army/WCAP, 5PM #7)

*Peyton Omania (NYAC/CTT, 5PM #6)

David Stepanyan (NYAC/NTS, 5PM #10)

Hunter Lewis (Wolfpack WC)

Chayse LaJoie (CARTC)

Duncan Nelson (OTC)

Joel Adams (TBW)

Sancho – who along with Roberts and John Stefanowicz earned Military World bronze earlier this month is — save for a domestic hiccup or two — wrestling the best he ever has in his sparkling career. No athlete in the U.S. is more proficient from par terre top, no (active) athlete in the U.S. has been in as many meaningful Senior international matches, either. The ‘20 Olympian and reigning two-time World Teamer is where he’s at for a reason. But – Smith making the somewhat eye-opening decision to drop to 67 will be the focal point. The ‘19 Pan-Am Games gold and four-time World rep figures to be a major player in this bracket, and his style (provided he is operating on all cylinders) is often too overwhelming for technical types to handle. However, Scott, who seriously impressed all last year as well as in New York last month, speaks that language fluently, and so does Perez. ‘21 World Teamer Omania is coming off of a rather lengthy layoff from Greco competition but has been hard at work training in Colorado. If he is on, then it might not matter how tough and talented the rest are. 

There are two wrestlers in this bracket who put up points as if automated, and both have the potential to challenge for the title – ‘23 World Team member Johnson and Lenny Merkin. Johnson does not yet have Sancho’s smoothness from par terre, but his lift is certainly extremely effective; as for Merkin, he is a callback to a bygone era of the sport when men used to unashamedly attempt to throw other men in compulsory fashion. When Merkin exercises patience and sets up his attacks with a touch more deliberation, he might be the most dangerous of the bunch. 

77 kg

Seeds

*Pre-qualified for 2024 US Olympic Trials

Bye To The Finals – *Kamal Bey (Army/WCAP, 5PM #1)

Aliaksandr Kikiniou (NYAC, 5PM #9 at 87 kg)

*RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC, 5PM #2)

Payton Jacobson (Sunkist/NTS, 5PM #3)

Britton Holmes (Army/WCAP, 5PM #5)

*Benji Peak (Sunkist/NTS, 5PM #7)

*Jesse Porter (NYAC, 5PM #6)

Ty Cunningham (NYAC/MWC, 5PM #9)

Noah Wachsmuth (NYAC, 5PM #10)

Danny Braunagel (IRTC)

Aydin Rix-McElhinney

It was a very brief return to 87 kg for ‘23 Final X runner-up Kikiniou, who placed fourth at the November Farrell. That he has decided to jet back down to 77 makes sense considering the run he had a season ago. No one cares that he is 43-years-old, either. Skill does not diminish with age but recovery time increases. If the man is healthy, he’s a problem. This is not complicated material. Perkins, outside of Bey, it was him who gave Kikiniou the most contentious moments in ‘23 (at 77). The word most often used to describe Perkins is “elegant”. He knows how to not waste motion in anything he does. When he scores, it always looks completely natural, regardless from where those scores might arrive. A pleasure to watch, and an absolutely legitimate contender should he slap hands with Bey on Saturday night. 

Jacobson is riding high and is expected to be firmly in the mix. He has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder these days, which is a positive because the competitive maturity to balance out his aggression has long been cultivated. Holmes had knee surgery last spring and the Military World event two weeks ago was his first time back in action. If he knocked the rust off, then, again, here is one more guy for whom this event could be a big one. Dismissing Porter, despite his recent struggles, is a mistake. Few can get a read on his timing in matches and the explosiveness that has accompanied his career is still very much evident. Waschmuth has developed into a sincerely-skilled and potent Senior. The only question is how he feels five kilos north of 72 kg. Danny Braunagel, twin bro of 87 kg World Teamer Zac, obviously does not have the same time-on-target on the Senior level as the others, but that might not mean a whole lot in this thing. Braunagel is a workhorse who dishes out those little doses of punishment in each contest that have a tendency to add up and lead to the opposition becoming debilitated. 

87 kg

Seeds

*Pre-qualified for 2024 US Olympic Trials

*Zac Braunagel (IRTC, 5PM #1)

*Timothy Young (Army/WCAP, 5PM #4)

Rich Carlson (Minnesota Storm, 5PM #7)

*Spencer Woods (Army/WCAP, 5PM #3)

*John Stefanowicz (Navy WC, 5PM #8)

Ryan Epps (Army/WCAP, 5PM #5)

*Ben Provisor (NYAC/Dubuque RTC, 5PM #6)

Barrett Stanghill (Minnesota Storm)

Andrew Berreyesa (NYAC, 5PM #10)

Mahmoud Sebie (OTC)

Jake Clark (Minnesota Storm)

And here it is, the deepest, most interesting and competitive weight class in the country. For as popular with casuals as 77 is, and for how electric 60 and 67 might be, neither of the three brackets can touch 87. Three prior Olympians – Provisor (twice, ‘12 and ‘16), Sebie (‘16), and Stefanowicz (‘20) – along with the reigning World Team member in this category, Braunagel, and Woods, who was on the World roster at 82 both in ‘22 and ‘23 – should deliver sufficient evidence to this effect. But then you throw in Young, Carlson, Epps, Stanghill, Berreyesa, and Clark? It is perhaps difficult to explain how overcrowded this weight class is, and this is just in regards to the seeds, nevermind that Tommy Brackett is going to be involved and most assuredly will make an impact in Fort Worth. As for the seeds, they do not even matter, at all, in a bracket this overstocked (but how Woods wound up with the fourth spot is highly-questionable, if such a topic is even important enough to discuss). 

Zac Braunagel did not make his case as the top dog here because he was on the World Team. Or not just because. There is also how he has competed against credible World-caliber opposition. Braunagel does not play pretentious games like so many, and he is devoted to creating constant, aggressive movement that leads to scores. It’s not just about pace – “scores” is the keyword. Braunagel wants points, and he wants to beat people up when he’s not scoring, too. 

Second seed Young is a walking stick of dynamite whose rawness at Senior had, at times, hindered him in matches. Not how it is anymore. Young was rusty during the spring ‘23 selection process but was markedly sharper throughout his time at the Farrell. His reactions, decision-making, and opportunism were all where they should be for an athlete with a growing skill-set like his. In that tournament, Young defeated both Carlson and Epps en-route to the crown. A mighty-impressive feat, and one that came attached to a Trials berth. 

Carlson is, and has been, “right there”, so close that it has been within his grasp. He has the disciplined position and lunch pail mechanics to reach the top of this steep mountain. Carlson has all the tools he needs for success in this tournament and beyond.  His pseudo-stablemate – and ‘23 Final X runner-up to Woods – Epps is on the same wavelength. Epps, lauded for his vicious competitive mentality and unnerving physicality, is akin to a prototype for this weight category. With Epps, there is just a fine line separating him from the apex. A lockdown, go-to gut from par terre would elevate him to new heights. 

Stefanowicz was back in ‘23 following a two-year layoff from competition and made the US Open final before falling short of placement at the World Trials. The cobwebs have been shaken off. When Stefanowicz earned his CISM bronze at the beginning of this month, he defeated tough Kazakh Dias Kalen to get going and hung in there with Iranian Naser Alizadeh. Stefanowicz likely had zero idea who these opponents were prior to the tournament, but the fact that he defeated one and lost close to the other speaks to his current degree of readiness. 

Everyone and their mother’s cousin expects Woods to threaten for the title this weekend. His foray into non-Olympic 82 is nearly inconsequential to this prospect, particularly since Woods took wins from Epps and Provisor last year. As for Provisor, it would be insulting to tag him with “x-factor” status due to his incredible resume, but that seems to be how “Big Ben” is viewed entering the onset of this event. Such a concept is a step above ridiculous. Provisor – who made both the ‘21 and ‘22 World Teams at 82 – might prove even more problematic back down in 87, where he was a National Champion and twice a Final X runner-up. At this stage of his career, there is nothing that happens on a mat with which he is unfamiliar, and his ability to both turn and defend opponents in par terre is unmatched by all of his potential antagonists in this bracket. 

Sebie, an Olympian for Egypt in 2016, received his eligibility to compete for a U.S. World/Olympic spot last year and is now a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Previous to this phase of his athletic pursuits, he had also embarked on an MMA career. That is apparently on the shelf in the meantime. Sebie is versatile and well-balanced in each relevant aspect of Greco-Roman, and is considered by some to wield the potential to bust this bracket wide open. 

97 kg

Seeds

*Pre-qualified for 2024 US Olympic Trials

*Joe Rau (TMWC, 5PM #1)

Christian DuLaney (Minnesota Storm, 5PM #2)

*Alan Vera (NYAC, 5PM #2 at 87 kg)

Nick Boykin (Sunkist, 5PM #4)

David Tate Orndorff (TMWC, 5PM #8)

Sterling Hecox

Khymba Johnson (NYAC)

Mac Kukowski (Minnesota Storm)

Austin Craig (Navy)

Orry Elor (NYAC)

There are two narratives with which to approach 97 in Fort Worth: 1) like 130, it is a weight category with ample room for those who are not qualified for the OTT to do so; 2) Vera moving up from 87 changes the complexion of how this bracket is perceived. 

Rau has earned the right to be the conductor of this orchestra after returning in 2023 and, in order, winning the US Open, the Pan-Am Championships, and Final X. He also won the Farrell in November. The ultra-competitiveness for which Rau is and has been known still looms over the field. It is his hallmark. The insistent pressure (aka, “Rau Plow”) and rib-crunching guts are still part of the protocol, but it is his dedication to the cause that always catalyzes conversations about him. To that end, Rau, 32, bounced from Illinois in the summer to become a resident athlete at the OTC. That decision sufficiently demonstrates the devotion he still has to the sport and his success. 

Of course, there is Vera, who had defeated Rau twice in the recent past (‘19 Dave Schultz, ‘20 Coralville Nationals). Vera has not faced any other athlete in this class except for Rau, for whatever that might be worth. The additional 10 kilos for Vera should impart requisite breathing room for weigh-ins, but it is how his dynamic lift from par terre might be affected by the change is the most pressing question. Vera’s lifts are fluid and achieved in virtually one motion. But 87 kg (the weight class in which he defeated Rau) is not the same as 97. At 87, there are pummelers. At 97, most of the game is pummeling. The pace is dampened, which is good for Vera. He is poised to do well against plodders. But how his body holds up following a neck/spinal injury in ‘23 in a division where nearly every athlete is a bruiser is worth examining closely. 

None of this is to discount DuLaney. That would be an egregious error. DuLaney has, over the past two seasons, made big-time improvements, the type of improvements that can lead to making Teams. Consistency has been a part of it. DuLaney not only participated in the domestic selection process in ‘23, he also went over to Denmark for Thor Masters, his first taste of European competition. The ball could be in his court match-up-wise on Friday. DuLaney vs. Vera, should it happen, will commandeer the attention spans of most Greco-loving people in the audience because it is a pairing that has too much to offer in terms of possible tension and drama. 

It is hard to picture Orndorff not being a threat, even if 97 is still a little new to him. Kukowski, who you just wish you saw more often as the former NMU student is another competitor who has fashioned an MMA career, is similar insofar as he is too good to slip on a banana peel in Texas. 

But this bracket — aside from Rau, DuLaney, and Vera — comes down to two men who could meet in the quarterfinal – Boykin and Johnson. Two-time National Champion Boykin is easy for some folks to take for granted, but he has done nothing other than play a large role in every major domestic event dating back to ‘20. 

Johnson — twice an Open runner-up — did not compete at all in ‘23 but is, like Rau, a resident at the OTC and word is that he has been looking very, very tough leading up to this event. 

130 kg

Seeds

*Pre-qualified for 2024 US Olympic Trials

Bye To The Finals – *Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist, 5PM #1)

*Adam Coon (NYAC/Cliff Keen, 5PM #2)

*Courtney Freeman (Marines, 5PM #5)

Donny Longendyke (Minnesota Storm, 5PM #3)

Aden Attao (Suples, 5PM #8)

Kaleb Reeves (Eastern IA WC)

West Cathcart (NYAC, 5PM #7)

Donovan King

Cameron Groncki (NMU/NTS)

Michael Rogers (NYAC)

Malcolm Allen (LOG, 5PM #10)

The prospect of a Schultz/Coon showdown on Saturday is on the minds of most who are invested in the heavyweight bracket. It is not difficult to understand why. ‘18 World silver Coon was 4-0 against Schultz prior to departing the sport for NFL pastures; when he returned in April, he was defeated by Schultz in the Open final, and then again in two straight at Final X. Schultz went 1-1 at the World Championships before earning silver at the Pan-Am Games. Coon got a tournament under his belt this fall, as well. He dominated at the Bill Farrell Memorial to pick his second-career title from the event. 

With ‘22 Final X runner-up Tanner Farmer not registered, it falls on the foursome of Freeman, Longendyke, Attao, and Cathcart to try and snare centerstage from the likes of Coon. Schultz, as has been mentioned, will be waiting for whoever emerges from what is for all intents and purposes tantamount to a Trials challenge bracket. 

Freeman was exceptional in New York. It was his best showing to date. He had Longendyke in the semis, a match anyone with barely-firing neurons figured to be a tight, grueling six-minute affair. Instead, Freeman hit a high dive and bodylock for four, and then zipped an arm throw to close Longendyke out. It was a jarring scene. That said, it was one match; plus, Longendyke is excellent, and when he gets adequate training is a top-tier heavyweight. Freeman is smart enough to leave the past in the past, and it is his job on Friday to not rest on his Trials-qualifying performance from Midtown so that he can zero in on getting to Coon, who gutted Freeman out of dodge in the gold round. 

Attao, the ‘22 Junior World bronze, had some good moments in New York, too, which represented his first Senior-level tournament. He downed Cathcart in the tournament. It was Cathcart’s first tournament back in roundabout 18 months following injury, but it was a nice win for Attao nonetheless. How the former responds to not having a superb reintroduction to competition is the question of the hour. Cathcart is an experienced, well-rounded competitor who not long ago was in the thick of things. There is no reason for that to have changed; and now that he (keeping with one of the layered themes of this piece) is training at the OTC, he has Rau and Freeman to help regain the feel necessary to generate momentum. It’s not the Illinois Regional Training Center (“Heavyweight U” for Greco), but it’s not half-bad, either.