This weekend in Akron, Ohio, the old University Nationals will be replaced with U23 World Team Trials. While University Nationals allowed for a larger field with older competitors, it also meant that the winners would not always get to wrestle for a world title. No more, as U23 is now the latest age-level world team someone can make.

WATCH U23 WORLD TEAM TRIALS LIVE ON FLO

Where: Akron, Ohio | When: June 2-3

The 10 weights for U23s match those on the senior and junior levels. Wrestling begins at 9:30 AM Eastern time on Saturday, June 2. Complete registration, and eventually brackets, can be found in FloArena. On to the previews and predictions.

57kg

Is Jack Mueller on his way back down to 125 this season? If so, this might mark his return. The Virginia sophomore has an excellent freestyle track record and should wind up making his first world team.

Skyler Petry is the highest returning placer and also beat Austin Assad at the Open. However, he also went 0-1 at U23 Trials in November and doesn't start for Minnesota, so it would seem kind of surprising for him to make a run at a title.

Assad and Drew Mattin make for an interesting subplot, as this could be the first step in determining who Michigan's 125-pounder will be next season. Both are Ohio natives who won Fargo titles and either would be serviceable in the Wolverines' lineup. The issue with Assad has never been talent, as Mattin wrestled more matches in 2017-18 than Assad has his whole college career.

Nomad's Picks: 1. Mueller   2. Petry   3. Assad   4. Mattin

61kg

A couple immediate things jump out when looking at registration, and that is Sean Fausz and Nick Piccininni both being up here when they wrestled 125lb during the season. It might just be the coaches letting guys not cut weight during the offseason, but it might also signal their plans for the year.

Vito Arujau was just in the Junior Trials finals and might possibly be the favorite walking in. That sounds crazy considering the guys who wrestled in the third-place match at NCAAs in Tariq Wilson and Luke Pletcher are in the bracket. Arujau dominated Wilson at last year's Junior Open, though we are clearly dealing with a different Wilson now.

There's always intrigue any time Roman Bravo-Young enters a bracket because he is so rarely challenged during folkstyle season. He has yet to wrestle in a UWW Junior bracket but was on the 2016 Cadet world team in his third crack at Akron.

Nomad's Picks: 1. Arujau   2. Wilson   3. Pletcher  4. Piccininni

65kg

The entry list is headlined by Junior world silver medalist Mitchell McKee. Minnesota coach Brandon Eggum has already confirmed McKee will be up at 141 this year, so this weekend will be a great test of that.

Hopefully, Dom Demas is in attendance, though it would be understandable if he's not since he just made the Junior MFS team and is in contention to make the Junior Greco team next weekend in Indianapolis.

A big question for me is if Yahya Thomas can duplicate his 15-5 win over Kaden Gfeller from the Junior Trials. Gfeller is in a group from Oklahoma State that also includes Tristan Moran and Kaid Brock.

All-American Kevin Jack is competing in his first tournament since his NC State career ended. Brock Zacherl is one of SIX from the Clarion RTC at this weight class. Luke Karam and Ben Freeman both add good depth, though Jamie Hernandez, who beat Freeman at the Open, will also be wrestling.

Nomad's Picks: 1. McKee   2. Demas   3. Brock  4. Jack

70kg

I don't think there's a U23 match I'm more excited for than Hayden Hidlay vs. Ryan Deakin. Hidlay has been on quite a run, making the NCAA finals, U.S. Open finals, and WTT challenge tournament finals. Deakin gave Frank Molinaro all he could handle (twice) and is rangy enough to give Hidlay problems.

Both NCAA third placers from 149 and 157 will be wrestling. It still seems like Matt Kolodzik is a bit undersized for 70kg, and Tyler Berger likely has some demons he'd like to work out after losing to Richie Lewis in two matches in last year's U23 finals.

Boo Lewallen is freestyle problems (like teched Jaydin Eierman at U23 trials) and finally broke through to be an AA this year. Ke-Shawn Hayes also appears to be in bulking phase, the former Fargo finalist wrestled off for the 141 spot this year at Ohio State. Josh Maruca has been solid for Arizona State but took two very strange losses here last year.

Nomad's Picks: 1. Hidlay   2. Deakin   3. Lewallen   4. Kolodzik

74kg

Could we see another chapter in the Evan Wick/David McFadden rivalry? McFadden has won both folkstyle matches, but Wick took the third-place match at last year's Junior Trials 10-4.

Carson Brolsma qualified for WTT, and Jon Jay Chavez is looking to double up. Josh Shields will be looking as big as ever and is coming off a seventh place finish at NCAAs.

Kaleb Young and Kennedy Monday are intriguing guys who could upset the apple cart.

Nomad's Picks: 1. Wick   2. McFadden   3. Chavez   4. Shields

79kg

The much-anticipated return of Joseph Smith happens this weekend. The two-time AA redshirted this past season for Oklahoma State and only wrestled seven matches, four of which were against non-DI competition. He wrestled 165 in early December, and then 174 in late January.

Smith is doing something similar to what Jordan Kutler did. Kutler wrestled 157 in the 2016-17 season, then wrestled (and won) 80kg at University Nationals last year. He'll be back again here, so we could get a rematch of their 2017 Southern Scuffle final.

Another matchup that could be renewed this weekend is Chandler Rogers and Daniel Lewis. Rogers is 3-1 against Lewis in their college folkstyle careers; he is also going to be wrestling Greco.

A few strong redshirts and NCAA qualifiers in the mix include Kimball Bastian, Dylan Lydy, Anthony Mantanona, Te’Shan Campbell.

Nomad's Picks: 1. Kutler   2. Smith   3. Rogers   4. Lewis

86kg

Half of the NCAA All-Americans at 184 will be in this bracket, headlined by Myles Martin. The Ohio State junior won 86kg at last year's University nationals and is hoping to make his first world team at any level.

Taylor Venz, Max Dean, and Chip Ness should all be seeded highly and be in position to place, which could mean more time around senior level wrestlers outside their own RTCs at Team USA camps.

While some guys who did the Junior Open and Trials are understandably taking a break and sitting this one out, Nino Bonaccorsi is just going to continue shooting and making life difficult for whoever is across the mat from him. Jelani Embree also picked up some good wins at those tournaments and has the offense to go with just about anyone in this field.

Nomad's Picks: 1. Martin  2. Venz   3. Dean   4. Bonaccorsi

92kg

Back in March, Kollin Moore and Ben Darmstadt entered NCAAs as the 1 and 2 seeds, respectively. Neither made the finals or got a chance to wrestle eventual champ Michael Macchiavello. It probably won't be quite the same, but they have the ability to get some retribution this weekend and make a world team in the process.

I would love to see another match between Darmstadt and Chris Weiler, their EIWA semi was excellent. Weiler only went 2-2 at Universities last year down at 86, so he will need to make some freestyle jumps.

Hunter Ritter was a member of the Cadet world team but may be a bit small for this weight.

Two-time NCAA qualifier Christian Brunner is registered, though his freestyle resume is also not terribly overwhelming. Jakob Woodley of Oklahoma and Jackson Striggow of Michigan could find themselves starting next season, so why not get a jump start on the folkstyle season with a strong freestyle performance among your future foes?

Nomad's Picks: 1. Moore   2. Darmstadt  3. Macchiavello  4. Ritter

97kg

The biggest story of NCAAs, or at least one of the biggest stories, was Kyle Conel's improbable run to third place. The last time Conel wrestled freestyle was at 2016 Universities when he pinned Jared Haught in the quarterfinals.

John Borst is already beginning to make the ascent to heavyweight, having wrestled 92kg at the Junior Open and Trials. Jake Boyd was a Fargo champ and still Junior eligible, as well.

U.S. Open champ Austin Schafer said Ben Honis has made big jumps in his freestyle, so this will probably be a better case to showcase it than the Open. Jared Campbell has been off the radar for a while but should place highly if he is still at the level we once saw him. Malik McDonald was third at Junior Trials a few years ago.

I expect Andre Lee and Kevin Snyder to make a run at placing.

Nomad's Picks: 1. Kyle Conel   2. Honis   3. Borst   4. Campbell

125kg

Garrett Ryan is back to defend his University title from last year's Akron tournament; he was also a Cadet world team member back in 2012. Youssif Hemida was an All-American for Maryland this season and was in the U23 Trials finals in November.

Michael Hughes was in those finals last year against Ryan and is the highest placer from the NCAA championships in the field. There in Cleveland, he majored Hemida 8-0 in the consi quarters.

Cory Daniel of UNC was fourth last year and qualified for NCAAs this season. Fargo champ Matt Stencel is another NCAA qualifier competing this weekend.

Nomad's Picks: 1. Hughes   2. Hemida   3. Ryan   4. Stencel