It's really here. Finally, the 2017 U.S. Open is upon us and it will be LIVE on Flo starting this Friday at 9am Pacific, and we close out Saturday night with the senior men's freestyle finals.

The complete schedule can be found here. Additionally, FloZone returns on Friday, for the entire day!

We wanted to make one gigantic preview for all eight men's freestyle weights. Check out the mother of all previews below, and remember, you can find brackets on FloArena.

57kg: Who Gets The Bye?

The lightest weight has been a bit of a sore spot for Team USA, with no medals since Henry Cejudo won the 55kg Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2008.

Tony Ramos has provided some stability since the weight changed from 55 to 57, winning the spot in 2014 and 2015 before losing in the finals last year to Dan Dennis. But Ramos has struggled a bit lately, with a 3-8 record since beating London bronze medalist Coleman Scott in the Olympic Trials semis. If he runs the table again in a few months in Lincoln, it wouldn't shock me. But I'm not sure I see him coming out of Vegas with the bye to the finals in June.

The Contenders
Tony Ramos, Sunkist Kids/Tar Heel WC
Nico Megaludis, Titan Mercury/Nittany Lion WC
Nahshon Garrett, Titan Mercury
Nathan Tomasello, Titan Mercury/Ohio RTC

Dark Horses
Frank Perrelli, Titan Mercury/Cavalier WC
Alan Waters, Titan Mercury/Missouri Wrestling Foundation
Zach Sanders, Minnesota Storm
Obe Blanc, Titan Mercury/Wolfpack WC
Jesse Delgado, Titan Mercury

At some point with this weight, the contenders and dark horses start to meld together and become one. Also, Titan Mercury has a very realistic shot of having over half the podium spots. We've already went over Ramos, who had a close match in the 2014 World Team Trials with another of the contenders, Nico Megaludis. An "almost takedown" won that 1-0 for Ramos.

Nico has since had quite a run for himself and is ranked 19th in the world. He won both the Bill Farrell (full break stick!) and Paris Grand Prix, and his only loss at the World Clubs Cup was to former world champ Hassan Rahimi of Iran.

A bruising folkstyler, Nico has transitioned from a grinder to a more efficient style of hand fighting that gives him low single opportunities. He typically tries to put his opponent's knee on the back of his head, come out the back, and work a shallow leg lace.

If the USA Wrestling rankings give us any indication of seeds, Ramos is the top seed and Nico is second, as it appears Tyler Graff will not be in attendance. Behind them is Joe Colon, who was third at the Schultz. Colon has traded techs with Nahshon Garrett, but has registered for 61kg.

Both of Garrett's losses at the Schultz showed he is susceptible to head pinches. The other loss came in the quarters to another former Cornell wrestler in Frankie Perelli. One of the more fun dark horses this season, Perrelli took silver in Ukraine and bronze at the Henri Deglane. What hurts Perrelli's seed is a 4-2 loss to two-time NCAA champ Jesse Delgado in Cuba, but I expect Perrelli to knock off a big name in Vegas with his head pinch. We only have one senior level tournament worth of data for Delgado, and he went 2-1 at the Cerro Pelado.

It will be fun to see if Nathan Tomasello do the same thing Frank Molinaro did last year. His lefty high crotch is always a threat to turn a takedown into a four-pointer. We didn't see the same dominance from Tomasello this year up at 133, but he still only lost one match. He also has never lost a match to Megaludis, which could throw a serious monkey wrench into my picks. Tomasello was knocked out of OTT by Alan Waters, who was injured pretty badly at the Schultz and may still not be 100 percent for this weekend.

There will also be salty veterans such as Zach Sanders and Obe Blanc there, as well as a couple high schoolers in Paul Konrath and Roman Bravo-Young. Tyler Graff will not be competing, Joe Colon is up at 61kg and Thomas Gilman will be at the last chance qualifier.

With all that being said, let's pick the top seven, since that's who qualifies for the World Team Trials in June.

Nomad's Picks

1. Nico Megaludis
2. Nahshon Garrett
   
3. Tony Ramosy
4. Nathan Tomasello
   
5. Alan Waters
   
6. Frank Perrelli
7. Jesse Delgado

61kg: There Will Be Points

Reigning world champ Logan Stieber is sitting this one out, as he has a bye to the World Team Trials finals in June. The ending of an Olympic cycle seems to have heavily affected this non-Olympic weight. None of the three world team members we've had at this weight will be in Vegas, with Reece Humphrey being retired and Jimmy Kennedy going up in weight.

Additionally, former national team members Dan Dennis and Coleman Scott seem to have retired, but Joe Colon is registered. That leaves big room for guys like Jayson Ness and Kendric Maple to try to earn themselves a top seed for the challenge tournament in Lincoln, Nebraska. Brackets may be found on FloArena. On to the full preview.

The Contenders

Jayson Ness, Minnesota Storm
Kendric Maple, Titan Mercury/Boilermaker RTC

The Dark Horses

Joe Colon, Titan Mercury/Viking WC
Cody Brewer, Titan Mercury/Chicago RTC
Seth Gross, Jackrabbit Wrestling Club
Chris Dardanes, Titan Mercury/Hawkeye WC

On paper, this is a two-man race between Ness and Maple. Ness might be one of the most under appreciated wrestlers in the country. He was third at the non-Olympic WTT in November, and then third at the Senior Nationals in Greco at 66kg a month later.

Ness has a deceptive double leg, and can hit non-controlled exposures from neutral with a gator roll head pinch. On top, he transitions well from takedowns into an immediate gut wrench or leg lace, both of which he can normally get at least one turn out of. Essentially, Ness can put up points in every position and blow matches open quickly.

Maple was fourth at the 2015 WTT at this weight, but hasn't competed in a freestyle tournament since that year's Bill Farrell. In those '15 Trials, he was one second away from making the finals before Dan Dennis took him down. He and Ness will be two of the biggest guys in the weight, but there is some concern about Maple's long layoff. Particularly when he is not in the latest senior freestyle rankings from USA Wrestling.

When he's on, Maple has probably the best leg attacks of anyone in this field. Blast doubles and ankle picks are the main weapons, and he has a knack for timing people off his lefty back step. A hard right leg lead, the NCAA champ for Oklahoma can win every takedown battle he's in in Vegas.

Cody Brewer is the other former Sooner stud in this field. Brewer has kept up the manic pace that made him so difficult to wrestle in college, but it can get him in trouble in freestyle. Nearly every time he shoots, someone scores, which is why most of his match final scores end up in the high teens.

He is one that could potentially be helped out by the new rules with five point throws and correct throws. Brewer has never been afraid to go upper body, and those fireman's carries he hits can turn into high amplitude throws quickly.

Seth Gross is coming off an NCAA finals appearance and had just two losses during the folkstyle season. His style, one in which he frequently allows opponents to get to legs so he can force scrambles, was thought to be tough to maintain in freestyle. But Gross made the junior world team and is the perfect size for this weight. His only senior level experience though is a 14-4 loss to Adam Diatta in last year's Grand Prix of Spain.

One thing seems for sure: these guys will put points on the board. I think this weight will have the highest average per match scores, especially as we start to see guys work in the new rule set of fives and correct throws. Guys like Joey Lazor will be sure to go upper body and try to bomb dudes. Veterans like Shelton Mack will force you to score in bunches to beat him, as will someone like Daniel DeShazer.

Where Maple gets drawn into the bracket will be huge. This will be one of the most fun and unpredictable weights to watch, which is great for the fans but potentially bad for prognosticators like me. Here goes nothing.

Nomad's Picks

1. Jayson Ness
2. Kendric Maple
3. Seth Gross
   
4. Cody Brewer
   
5. Joe Colon
   
6. Chris Dardanes
7. Andrew Hochstrasser

65kg: Zain's Bringing The Pain To Vegas

New Iowa State assistant Brent Metcalf held down the spot for almost the entire quad, before being upended by Frank Molinaro at the Olympic Trials. This could be the most wide open the weight has been in years, with four legit horses coming to Vegas looking to get the bye.

Given the amount of former NCAA champs and general hammers in this field, this could be the weight where the automatic berth into the World Team Trials finals is most valuable. Complete entries so far may be found on FloArena. On to the full preview.

The Contenders

Frank Molinaro, Titan Mercury/Southeast RTC
Zain Retherford, Nittany Lion WC
Jordan Oliver, Sunkist Kids
Jimmy Kennedy, NYAC/Cliff Keen WC

Dark Horses

Evan Henderson, Titan Mercury/Wolfpack WC
Kellen Russell, NYAC/Cliff Keen WC
Hunter Stieber, Titan Mercury

Frank Molinaro was about three inches away from putting Frank Chamizo's knee on the mat and winning an Olympic bronze medal. He has since made the move to Virginia Tech and spent some time up at 70kg.

Molinaro's career broke wide open over the past year and has turned him into a world beater. He figured out how to get takedowns when he needs to, and is especially adept at turning them into four pointers. Aside from the Asgarov loss in Rio, he rarely gets blown out anymore. Being able to keep yourself in every match is a valuable skill in any situation where criteria comes into play.

Waiting in the wings is his heir apparent in Happy Valley, Zain Retherford. ZPain has been absolutely dominant the past two seasons on the NCAA level, winning this year's Hodge. Last year, he knocked off James Green, Jason Chamberlain, Jayson Ness and Jimmy Kennedy at the Olympic Trials.

But Zain hasn't made a world team since his 2012 cadet world title. He lost two years in a row to Aaron Pico in the junior trials finals, and was "only" third at OTT. Many people think this is his year to break through on the senior level. His back bow will be one of this year's most devastating turns on top, which could be the difference since many of these guys are just as good if not better than Zain on their feet.

Just think about the growth as a wrestler in general and freestyle in particular that Zain has experienced since losing this January of 2015 match to Jordan Oliver.

Jordan Oliver has perpetually been the bridesmaid on the senior level. He was second at the 2013 Open, and made the WTT finals in 2014 and 2015. In November, he was runner-up to James Green at 70kg.

The book on JO has been the same for years: great leg attacks, undeniable talent and potential, but can he put it together and make a team. He rarely wrestles overseas and has trouble with hand fighters: Pico and Metcalf in particular. Still, you'd be foolish not to call him a contender at this weight, in part because he has beaten all three of the other contenders.

A few results to keep in mind here. Jimmy Kennedy beat Molinaro 4-2 at the 2015 trials, and Oliver beat Molinaro 4-4 at the Farrell that same year. Oliver beat Retherford 6-2 at the Dave Schultz that year, and Retherford beat Kennedy 2-2 in the third place match at last year's OTT. Are some of those results old? Yes, but we don't have a lot of head-to-heads to use when comparing these guys.

Evan Henderson got a good win over Kellen Russell at the Schultz, where Russell ended up third. Both finished ahead of Hunter Stieber, who made the Farrell finals in his return to the mat.

The seeding of the big four will have a lot to do with how this weight shakes out, though luckily we have USA Wrestling's March rankings as a guide. Zain at the three means he gets Oliver in the semis, and we already mentioned Oliver's struggles against guys who hand fight and have the pace of a guy like Zain. Molinaro seems destined to pull out a criteria win over Kennedy, who is the best athlete in this field.

A couple NCAA studs are likely to show up in Jaydin Eierman and possibly Joey McKenna, along with a bruising veteran in Nick Dardanes. The parade of NCAA champs inhabiting this weight is only going to continue, and Zain is the latest to join the club. With Molinaro leaving the Penn State room, I'm going with the young buck to get the bye to the trials finals.

Nomad's Picks

1. Zain Retherford
2. Frank Molinaro
3. Jimmy Kennedy
4. Jordan Oliver
5. Kellen Russell
6. Nick Dardanes
7. Mario Mason

70kg: Green Not So Green Anymore

Today's weight is 70kg, which has been manned by James Green for the past two years.

A world bronze medalist in 2015, Green dropped down to 65kg for the Olympic year and went 0-2 in Iowa City at the Olympic Team Trials. Back up at 70 a few months later, he won the non-Olympic WTT but was unable to medal in Budapest at the world championships.

Remember, registration is publicly available on FloArena. On to the full preview.

The Contenders

James Green, Titan Mercury/NWTC
Jason Chamberlain, Titan Mercury/Valley RTC
Nazar Kulchytskyy, Titan Mercury
Jason Nolf, Nittany Lion WC

The Dark Horses

Dylan Ness, Minnesota Storm
Chase Pami, Sunkist Kids/Penn RTC
Tommy Gantt, Titan Mercury/Wolfpack WC
Hunter Stieber, Titan Mercury
Alec Pantaleo, Michigan RTC
Jason Welch, Titan Mercury/Chicago RTC

It's been Green's weight for two years, and that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon. He will walk in as the one seed, and is the heavy favorite to walk out with a bye to the finals in his home gym in June.

So that means us prognosticators are tasked with guessing who will be the top seed in the challenge tourney in Lincoln, Nebraska in June. The guy walking in with the two seed should be Jason Chamberlain, who is now training and coaching at Fresno State. Chamberlain was fourth at the Farrell in November, with Jordan Oliver and Jimmy Kennedy finishing ahead of him, but dropping back down to 65kg.

The former Boise State wrestler was also second at the Dave Schultz, including a win over Olympian Boris Novachkov, as well as a fifth-place finish in Ukraine. One of the hardest wrestlers to score on, Chamberlain does an excellent job controlling elbows and in turn, controlling the pace of the match.

Nazar Kulchytskyy is the guy who seems to be the eternal bad draw. He had Green down 6-0 in the first period at the 2015 trials, and was third at the Schultz. Kulchytskyy's ability to go upper body is what makes him so dangerous, especially with correct throws and fives being back.

Speaking of throwers, Dylan Ness is transitioning back from Greco where he spent some time after his folkstyle career was over. Ness's previous freestyle tournament was the last chance OTT Qualifier up at 74kg. This is the best weight for Ness, who walks in (if healthy) as one of the best athletes in the bracket.

Tommy Gantt had a tough Farrell, losing to Kevin LeValley and Kulchytskyy, but seems like a reasonable shot to go top seven in this field. Pantaleo is a massive wildcard. He hasn't wrestled in months, but he did make the junior world team at 66kg last year. Welch is making his return to the mat and is always good for at least one highlight move per tournament.

Chase Pami is a grizzled vet who might love practice and being in the room more than just about anyone still actively competing. His gold in Paris was a good reminder that he can continue to compete at this level. A couple high scoring athletes in Hunter Stieber and Jason Welch are also anticipated to wrestle.

The one guy we're still waiting on is Jason Nolf. He hasn't signed up yet, but indicated at FloNats he would be in the field. We've never seen Nolf up in the senior field, though he has had some success at the junior level domestically. He hasn't made a world team, but he has been in the same weight as his world champ teammate Mark Hall.

No one can question Nolf's dominance on the collegiate level, or ability to be creative and put up video game numbers in folkstyle. What I'm waiting to see is if some of the shots he hits can turn into quick leg laces. At this time, he seems likely good enough to go with top 6 guys on his feet, but can he be a frequent par terre nightmare?

This weight seems like it will come down to experience. Green has been going to senior opens for years, as has Chamberlain. Would it be a complete shocker if Nolf made the finals or upset Green? Not terribly, but I'm being conservative for now. A third place match between Nolf and a properly motivated and healthy Nazar could see 30 points on the board.

Nomad's Picks

1. James Green
2. Jason Chamberlain
3. Jason Nolf
4. Nazar Kulchytskyy
5. Dylan Ness
6. Chase Pami
7. Hunter Stieber

74kg: The King Must Fight

Today's weight is 74kg, and all that comes with the match of the year.

Around January, I began asking as many people as I could about why Kyle Dake vs Jordan Burroughs was such an exciting matchup. The overwhelming answer was, "because Dake has a chance to win," which can be inferred as, it is interesting to see someone rise to the level of an all-time great.

This was completely baffling to me. Dake is 0-4 against Burroughs, rarely wrestles overseas and is often injured. He's also been outspoken against USA Wrestling allowing byes to the finals of World Team Trials, which can be perceived as counter productive to the "control what you can control" mentality so prevalent in the wrestling community.

Then the World Cup happened, and now, well, it seems a lot more possible. Full entries can be found on FloArena. On to the full preview.

The Contenders

Jordan Burroughs, Sunkist Kids/NWTC
Kyle Dake, Titan Mercury/Finger Lakes WC

The Dark Horses

Chris Perry, Titan Mercury
Alex Dieringer, Titan Mercury
Matt Brown, U.S. Army WCAP
Kevin LeValley, Buffalo Valley RTC
Qutinton Godley, Titan Mercury
Dan Vallimont, NYAC/Penn RTC
Chance Marsteller, Dark Knights

Jordan Burroughs is unquestionably the greatest American wrestler of the past 15 years. His double leg became the stuff of legends on his way to three world titles and the 2012 Olympic gold medal in London. Last year, it appeared he was well on his way to joining the rarified air of two-time Olympic champions from America.

From the start of 2016 to the semifinals of the German Grand Prix, Burroughs added 10.5 points per match. Since the German GP finals, he is averaging just 5.5 pts a match. The double leg hasn't been on display, and he is giving up more points.

Has Burroughs lost a step? Has he been battling injuries? These are questions I don't know the answers to. But it seems like something has changed. No one will likely forget the Burroughs of 2011-15, but it does leave some doubt as to whether he can beat a fully healthy and motivated Dake, after both will have to go through a full tournament.

Dake should now be a little bigger than the last time we saw him at 74kg, spending a full year up at 86kg and losing in the OTT to finals to eventual bronze medalist J'Den Cox. It says a lot about Dake that he could do well against a domestic field that is supposed to be bigger and stronger than him.

Mike Mal did a great job breaking down Dake's win over Dieringer in Paris, and showing that Dake scored offensive leg attacks, defensive exposures, and par terre turns. And we've seen that Dake has good par terre defense. Does this mean he's good enough to beat Burroughs one time? Possibly.

But enough about the the titans, there are other hammers in this weight. Two former Oklahoma State studs are both registered in Chris Perry and Alex Dieringer, who we recently saw sparring at the NYC RTC camp. While Dieringer has been wrestling extremely well the past few months and was fourth in Iowa City, give me big brother here in the third place match. As long as he's been in the public eye, Perry's been difficult to beat the second time around, and something tells me these two have had a few goes in the room in Stillwater.

Matt Brown is another interesting wild card, he was third at the Farrell and captured a bronze in Paris. Brown is absolutely massive for this weight, but likely doesn't have the freestyle chops just yet to break into the top four.

LeValley won the Schultz and appears to be going up to 74kg full time after being a tweener at 70kg for several years. He beat Quinton Godley there, who beat Dan Vallimont at the Farrell. Based on results, there is a pretty clear chain for seeding. Finally there is Chance Marsteller, who will forever be someone wrestling fans want to put eyeballs on. It's hard to forget the type of potential this young man had, so any tournament he enters there is always a bit of mystery to where he is in the grand scheme of things.

Now comes the hard part, picking the top seven. The bottom five is hard enough as it is, and the top seven all qualify for WTT in Lincoln in June. But there is the matter of the anticipated final between Burroughs and Dake.

Dake has never beaten Burroughs. He's never made a senior world team, in fact the only world team he ever made was a Greco team as a junior. But the World Cup introduced doubt in my head about JB for the first time. The performance in Rio I can get over, it's one bad bay. But looking at his dip in scoring, looking at this lack of the bread and butter double, makes me think it will be easier for Dake to win this

The Ivy leaguer has always been an intelligent wrestler. He's tried to stay low or in ties to prevent Burroughs' double. Dake has held leads on Burroughs in two matches, thrown him and taken him down. But it's hard to forget four titles.

Ultimately, I think my mind was made up when I saw this instagram post. The opening line to My Name Is Jordan is, "What is legacy?" If Dake wins this bracket in Vegas, we may all start talking about Jordan's legacy. Right now, I'm 51/49 in favor of Dake. That may change when I get to Vegas on Tuesday, or see them weigh in on Thursday.

If Burroughs beats Dake, or techs him, I won't be shocked or surprised. But I think it's finally Dake's time.

Nomad's Picks

1. Kyle Dake
2. Jordan Burroughs
3. Chris Perry
4. Alex Dieringer
5. Matt Brown
6. Chance Marsteller
7. Kevin LeValley

86kg: A New Generation Takes Shape

The Contenders

David Taylor, Nittany Lion WC
Austin Trotman, Titan Mercury/NWTC
Richard Perry, NYAC/Penn RTC

Dark Horses

Josh Asper, Navy-Marine Corps RTC
Vic Avery, Titan Mercury/Ohio RTC
Pete Renda, Wolfpack WC
Timmy McCall, Titan Mercury/Wolfpack WC
Gabe Dean, Titan Mercury
Bo Nickal, Nittany Lion WC

You'd be hard pressed to find an American wrestler on a better run than David Taylor. His World Cup performance made everyone realize he can contend on the world level, in particular his pin over Olympic gold medalist Hassan Yazdanicharati, in Iran no less. Taylor was also a crucial part of Titan Mercury's title at the World Clubs Cup.

It took him a year, but Taylor's cardio finally caught up to his frame, which is typically the toughest adjustment when going up in weight. He still wrestles like a 74kg, creating points off scrambles and chain wrestling in ways that other 86kg have a hard time keeping up with. He'll be the number one seed and universal favorite to take the title in Vegas.

Austin Trotman won both the Bill Farrell and Dave Schultz, and could wind up the two seed over Richard Perry. Trotman hasn't had quite the same level of overseas success as Perry, but outplaced him at the Farrell. Being in the Nebraska room has rubbed off on Trotman, who has developed a devastating blast double.

Perry has now had close matches with both Kyle Dake and David Taylor, and is a threat to make his first national team this year. He has continued to develop his counter offense, both in terms of go behinds and crotch locks. After dropping down from 97kg and now having a full stable of teammates training with him in Philly, Penn RTC coach Brandon Slay believes Perry has the tools to be top three on the ladder.

Timmy McCall beat Perry at the Farrell, but has losses to Vic Avery in Cuba and Pete Renda at the Schultz. The mass exodus of guys like Keith Gavin, Jake Herbert, Deron Winn and Clayton Foster leaves a great deal of uncertainty at this weight, on top of the mish mash of results I just mentioned. Asper's third at the Schultz as well as a few international results should give him a favorable seed this Friday.

The obvious X factor is two-time NCAA champ Gabe Dean. Whence we saw him last, Dean was winning a junior world bronze in 2014, but has not competed in freestyle since then. The Cornell star appears ready to commit himself to a full quad, but has no results and may get thrown in a poor spot in the bracket.

Then we have Bo Nickal, who will likely get hurt badly by the last chance OTT qualifier. He was teched by Kevin Steinhaus and pinned by Nick Heflin, and then lost to Zahid Valencia in the junior trials finals. Nickal is a different wrestler now, but the lack of certainty about where he will be thrown in gives me reservations about putting him in the top four until I see the bracket.

Nomad's Picks

1. David Taylor
2. Austin Trotman
3. Richard Perry
4. Gabe Dean
5. Bo Nickal
6. Josh Asper
7. Pete Renda

97kg Preview: Expect Pandemonium

The previews have come to the upper weights, heading up to 97kg today. Our reigning Olympic champion Kyle Snyder will not be competing, giving us a chance to showcase some of the other talent in this field.

Remember, FloZone returns on Friday for the entire day of action. Complete entries can be found on FloArena. On to the full preview.

U.S. Open Previews: 57kg | 61kg | 65kg | 70kg | 74kg | 86kg | 125kg

The Contenders

Dustin Kilgore, Sunkist Kids
Jeffery Felix, Titan Mercury/Cliff Keen WC
Kyven Gadson, Sunkist Kids

Dark Horses

Nathan Burak, Hawkeye WC
Micah Burak, Titan Mercury
Ty Walz, Titan Mercury
Blaize Cabell, Valley RTC
Kallen Kleinschmidt, NYAC

One of three weights with an athlete sitting out until the World Team Trials finals, 97kg is similar to 86kg in that there is now room for new athletes to take control of the ladder.

Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder looms large for the field in June, but there are several interesting new names to watch. Neither Jake Varner nor JD Bergman are registered, meaning two of the biggest names in the light heavyweight field from the last quad have likely hung it up.

With Snyder out, that leaves 2012 and 2015 Pan Am champ Dustin Kilgore as the obvious top seed heading into Vegas. He won both domestic tournaments (Bill Farrell and Dave Schultz) this season, was third at last year's Olympic Team Trials and fourth at the 2015 WTT. Kilgore had two great matches with JT Felix this season, once in the Farrell finals and again the Schultz semis (below).

Behind Kilgore is Kyven Gadson, who famously beat Snyder twice during the 2014-15 season, including his unforgettable pin in the NCAA finals. This was frequently pointed to as an indicator that he may be able to beat Snyder on the senior level, but it has taken Gadson some time to develop his style and put himself in a position to be top three and make the national team. Notably, Gadson may be our 97kg rep at next weekend's Pan Am championships.

Although Felix has come the closest of any American to beating Kilgore this season, he sits as the potential fifth seed based on last month's senior rankings. His silver at the Cerro Pelado and gold at the Guelp Open demonstrates his ability to compete beyond American borders, though he did not have any marquee wins in either event.

Ahead of Felix are both Burak brothers. Felix finished ahead of Micah at the Farrell and behind him at the Schultz, but they did not meet either time. Micah also split with Gadson at the Schultz, losing the third place match. Nathan's only results this season are a fifth place finish in Ukraine and a silver in Paris, but he did not wrestle any Americans in either event.

My current choice to win has not yet registered, which is why we run bracket reaction videos the night before the tournament. Felix has impressed me the most of anyone this season, and Kilgore has historically underperformed at the Open, to the point he has had to use Northern Plains to qualify in the past. I also believe Gadson has made steady incremental gains in freestyle and is a top four guy no matter what.

Ty Walz is without a doubt the most fun entry. Like Blaize Cabell, who I also believe will place, he was an undersized heavyweight in college making the drop for his senior level career. Walz placed third, fifth and fourth at University Nationals the past three years and is entering a wide open bracket.

No Snyder, Varner or Bergman is enough to guess that there will be upsets. Nathan Burak's lack of domestic competition reinforces that, as well as Micah's splitting with Gadson at the Schultz and loss to Cabell at the Farrell. When in doubt, pick the best wrestler (and hope for Burak on Burak crime!), and roll with it.

Nomad's Picks

1. JT Felix
   
2. Kyven Gadson
   
3. Dustin Kilgore
   
4. Ty Walz
   
5. Micah Burak
   
6. Nathan Burak
   
7. Blaize Cabell

125kg Preview: Replacing Tervel

We're closing out our previews with the big boys at 125kg. The new breed of hyper athletic, leg attacking heavyweight in college has trickled its way up to the senior level.

Remember, FloZone returns on Friday for the entire day of action. Complete entries can be found on FloArena. On to the full preview.

U.S. Open Previews: 57kg | 61kg | 65kg | 70kg | 74kg | 86kg | 97kg

The Contenders

Zach Rey, Lehigh Valley WC
Nick Gwiazdowski, Titan Mercury/Wolfpack WC
Tony Nelson, Minnesota Storm
Dom Bradley, Sunkist Kids
Bobby Telford, Titan Mercury/Hawkeye WC

Dark Horses

Justin Grant, NYAC
Ben Durbin, Titan Mercury
Braden Atwood, Sunkist Kids/Tar Heel WC
Nathan Butler, California RTC
Garrett Ryan, Columbia University

It won't be easy replacing Tervel Dlagnev, a man who was in the bronze medal match every world championships or Olympic games in which he competed. But that is precisely what coach Bill Zadick and Team USA must do now that Tervel has hung it up to coach for Ohio State.

Zach Rey was the No. 2 guy on the ladder for the last quad, and even got to wrestle at 2015 worlds when Tervel's back was hurt. He is probably the best athlete in the weight, with tree trunk thighs and acrobatic feet making it near impossible to finish leg attacks on him. However, he has been less likely to use his physical gifts on the offensive end. Rey is poised to take the mantle and be the man at heavyweight going forward. That is, unless Nick Gwiazdowski takes it.

Gwiz was quickly identified as someone who ascend to the throne domestically at 125kg, but hasn't quite made the leap just yet. He stagnated at fourth place for all four trials last quad, and lost every year at those trials to Rey: 4-2 last year, 7-1 in 2015, 9-3 in 2014 and 5-2 in 2013.

Domestically this season, Tony Nelson beat Dom Bradley in the Farrell finals with Chad Hanke beating Braden Atwood for third, and then Bradley won the Schultz over Justin Grant, with Ben Durbin taking out Atwood for third.

All five of the top guys have won international medals since the Olmypics: Gwiz was silver at the Intercontinental Cup, Bobby Telford was silver at the Cerro Pelado with Dom Bradley getting a bronze, Rey was bronze at the Paris Grand Prix and Nelson won the Ukrainian Memorial.

The way the current rankings shake out, Gwiz would meet Nelson in the semis. Their only match the past couple years was an 11-0 Gwiz tech in the 2015 Farrell semis. Bradley and Telford would meet in the quarters, a match we have yet to see in freestyle, with the winner getting Zach Rey.



Looking back at the results on Rey vs Gwiz makes it seem fairly obvious who to pick. But past results don't guarantee future ones, and the year after the Olympics tends to be when goofy or previously unseen things are most likely to happen. Even at the Olympic Team Trials there are some wins people likely forget about, like Justin Grant's 6-3 first round win over Bobby Telford, or Eric Thompson teching Nelson 11-0 on the back side.

On paper, the seeding favors Gwiz in the semis, especially considering Rey had a 1-1 nailbiter criteria win over Bradley in the 2015 challenge tourney finals. No one including myself is going to be all that surprised if Rey continues his winning streak over Gwiz and earns himself a bye to the World Team Trials finals.

What makes me comfortable picking the two-time NCAA champ from NC State over the 2011 national champ from Lehigh was the World Clubs Cup, when Gwiz knocked off Olympic silver Komeil Ghasemi. Now, Ghasemi returned the favor at the World Cup a few months later, but it showed he has the potential to beat guys on that level. This one may change once I get to see the brackets, but for now, I'm going with the Gwizard of Oz.

Nomad's Picks

1. Nick Gwiazdowski
2. Zach Rey
3. Tony Nelson
4. Dom Bradley
5. Bobby Telford
6. Justin Grant
7. Nathan Butler