2018 Greco-Roman World Team Trials Preview
2018 Greco-Roman World Team Trials Preview
Previewing the 2018 World Team Trials in Greco-Roman, along with seeds and who is sitting in the finals in Tulsa.
Today marks the beginning of the 2018 Greco-Roman World Team Trials in Tulsa, OK. Athletes competing in the classic style will finish out the challenge tournament today to determine who will wrestle in Friday's finals. Wrestling starts at 10 AM Central.
The 10 athletes who won the U.S. Open back in April all have byes to the best-of-three Trials finals on Friday. Below is a quick rundown for every weight, as well as seeds and who is sitting out. You can find brackets in FloArena.
WATCH GRECO TRIALS LIVE ON FLO
When: June 21-22 | Where: Tulsa, OK
55kg
Sitting in finals: Max Nowry, U.S. Army WCAP
- Sam Hazewinkel
- Kyndall Rutz
- Dalton Duffield
- Britain Longmire
- Jabari Moody
- Jerome Carter
- Schuyler Swanton
- Sean Sesnan
Commentary: Nowry has never made a Senior world team but did make two Junior teams, three University teams, and a Military team. To his name is a 2012 World University title, a 2013 Pan Am gold and 2018 Pan Am silver. An interesting matchup could happen in the semis between U23 trials winner Dalton Duffield and Sam Hazewinkel, who spent a number of years coaching Duffield.
60kg
Sitting in finals: Dalton Roberts, NYAC/NMU
- Mike (Leslie) Fuenffinger
- Ildar Hafizov
- Randon Miranda
- Taylor LaMont
- Ty Pelot
- Austin Lister
- Devin Hester
- Jordan Auen
- Nicholas Quillen
Commentary: This weight might have the most volatility of any in this year's tournament. Roberts was steady Eddy on the age level, making world team after world team and winning the U.S. Open in impressive fashion. But he lost in a three-match series to Miranda at the U23 Trials, as well as losing to him at the Bill Farrell. Roberts has also gone back and forth with Taylor LaMont, who won a Junior medal when he and Roberts were teammates. Hafizov was a three-time world team member for Uzbekistan and 2008 Olympian before coming to America, where he has since been second in the 2016 Olympic Trials and made last year's world team.
63kg
Sitting in finals: Ryan Mango, U.S. Army WCAP
- Jesse Thielke
- Sammy Jones
- LilShawn Greedy
- Travis Rice
- Taylor Zippe
- Colton Rasche
- Xavier Johnston
- Christian Hunt
Commentary: A big part of the 63kg equation has been removed with U.S. Open top seed Hayden Tuma moving up a weight. Mango breezed through the Open, including a 9-0 win over 2016 Olympian and former Junior world medalist Jesse Thielke. Thielke teched Sammy Jones at the Dave Schultz, and Jones, in turn, teched U23 Trials winner Travis Rice at the Open.
67kg
Sitting in finals: Ellis Coleman, U.S. Army WCAP
- Alejandro Sancho
- Hayden Tuma
- Jessy Williams
- Raymond Bunker
- Jamel Johnson
- Austin Morrow
- Anthonie Linares
- Connor Myers
- Wesley Dawkins
- Britton Holms
- Morgan Flaharty
- Chris Anderson
Commentary: It will be hard not to pick Coleman over Alejandro Sancho, who is dropping down from 72kg. Coleman has been an Olympian and made two world teams, while Sancho was a runner-up each of the past three years at WTT. The two met in last year's finals, with the series going three matches, though nearly every point scored came off a passive call. Tuma coming up is a fascinating wrinkle, as he like Sancho is still searching for his first Senior team, though Tuma made a number of Junior teams.
What To Watch For At Greco Trials
72kg
Sitting in finals: RaVaughn Perkins, NYAC
- Pat Smith
- Chris Gonzalez
- Jon Jay Chavez
- Logan Kass
- Nick Tarpley
- Colin Shubert
- Eleazar Deluca
- Isaac Dukes
- Brett Bye
- Sergio Guerro
- Michael Donato
Commentary: The weight with most parity at the Open looks slightly different here in Tulsa, with Vegas champ Perkins sitting out until the finals, Alejandro Sancho dropping down to 67kg, and former age-level medalist Jon Jay Chavez coming down from 77kg.
77kg
Sitting in finals: Kamal Bey, Sunkist Kids
- Mason Manville
- Peyton Walsh
- Cody Pack
- Alec Ortiz
- Jesse Porter
- Michael Hooker
- Brandon Mueller
- Fritz Schriel
- Corey Fitzgerald
- Curt Calovecchi
- Eddie Smith
- Jayshon Wilson
Commentary: Perhaps the biggest upset of last year’s Trials was Mason Manville beating Bey in the finals, but Bey would go on to win a Junior world title. Back in March at the Bill Farrell, Bey had a razor-tight one with Kendrick Sanders, but Sanders will have to go through the mini-tournament just to reach Bey. The one everyone likely wants to see come through is Jesse Porter, as Bey and Porter have battled repeatedly over the years and there are almost never any dull moments in those matches.
82kg
Sitting in finals: Geordan Speiller, Florida Jets
- Cheney Haight
- Barret Stanghill
- John Stefanowicz
- Jacob Fisher
- Terrance Zaleski
- Carter Nielsen
Commentary: Cheney Haight broke through to make his second world team last year, but it appears to be Speiller’s weight to lose. Speiller is younger and made a Pan Am final last month.
87kg
Sitting in finals: Ben Provisor, Nittany Lion WC
- Pat Martinez
- Kevin Radford
- Khymba Johnson
- Richard Carlson
- Easton Hargrave
- James Souza
- Vaughn-Monreal-Bermer
Commentary: A two-time Olympian and 2017 world team member, Provisor is the prohibitive favorite, especially with Joe Rau not competing. But with Rau not wrestling, in slides two-time world teamer Patrick Martinez. Seeded third is Khymba Johnson, who way back in December 2016 beat Provisor.
97kg
Sitting in finals: Daniel Miller, U.S. Marines
- Tracy Hancock
- Micah Burak
- Lucas Sheridan
- Kevin Beazley
- Nicholas Boykin
- Pete Gounaridis
- Daniel Olson
- Roy Nash
Commentary: The return of G’Angelo Hancock injects some life into this weight. Hancock, who competed on the Junior, Senior, and U23 world teams last year, spent a number of months training overseas. The Colorado native was a Junior world bronze medalist in 2016 and represents a level of potential uncommon for the past few years in America. Also wrestling is Kevin Beazley, whose NCAA career was unfortunately cut short this past season before he could make his final appearance at the national tournament.
130kg
Sitting in finals: Robby Smith, NYAC
- Adam Coon
- Jacob Mitchell
- David Tate Orndorff
- Toby Erickson
- Dom Bradley
- Donny Longendyke
- Alton Meeks
- Jarrod Hinrichs
- Trent Osnes
- Malcolm Allen
- Logan Renas
- Christopher Pierce
Commentary: In addition to Adam Coon doing the unthinkable and trying to make both the freestyle and Greco world teams, Dom Bradley will also be competing in the classic style this weekend. Bradley has never competed in Greco at the Senior level and will need to get through three-time WTT runner-up Toby Erickson in the quarters. Erickson was the finalist in 2014, 2015, and 2017, getting third in 2016, which is also the last time Coon was involved. Coon and Bradley could meet in the semis in a rematch of the U.S. Open semis in freestyle, won 3-3 on criteria by Coon. However, Robby Smith is the overwhelming favorite to make his sixth straight world or Olympic team regardless of who comes out of the challenge tournament.
