It's U.S. Open week, and our previews have reached 74kg, where a new era of challengers has emerged to take on Jordan Burroughs. The five-time world and Olympic champion won't be in Las Vegas, but someone there will be the one attempting to stop his run at a ninth straight world team.

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Following his bronze medal in Budapest, Burroughs is sitting in Final X: Lincoln, so the winner of the U.S. Open will receive a bye to the World Team Trials finals. JB made his eighth straight world or Olympic team when he beat Isaiah Martinez in two matches at last year’s version of Final X: Lincoln. Martinez is the favorite to win the Open once again, but the field will be a little tougher this time around.

74kg Contenders

Isaiah Martinez, Titan Mercury/Illinois RTC

Tommy Gantt, Titan Mercury/Wolfpack WC

Dan Vallimont, NYAC/Penn RTC

Jared Frayer, Titan Mercury/SERTC

Alex Marinelli, University of Iowa

Logan Massa, Michigan

Anthony Valencia, ASU Wrestling

Evan Wick, Titan Mercury/Badger RTC

Josh Shields, ASU Wrestling

Last April, IMAR did not give up a point and no match made it to the second period, he was utterly dominant. It was his first time being on the senior national team, and since then he’s won a bronze medal at the Medved and went 4-0 for Team USA at the World Cup. He also wrestled at the Yarygin, where he lost to the same guy he lost to at the Medved last September: Azamat Nurykau of Belarus.

Martinez faced Dan Vallimont in the Open finals. Vallimont was second at the Dave Schultz and also competed at the Cerro Pelado in Cuba a month later. The veteran from the Penn RTC will likely have to beat a couple young bucks to get another crack at Martinez, though.

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That includes Alex Marinelli, Evan Wick, Logan Massa, and Josh Shields. all of whom still have college eligibility remaining. Marinelli made the finals of the Junior Open and Junior Trials in 2017, losing to Mark Hall both times. In last year’s Trials finals, he lost very controversially to Mekhi Lewis, meaning that Marinelli’s losses the last two years have come to the eventual world champ.

Wick has been third and fourth the past two years at NCAAs for Wisconsin, and is competing on the senior level for the second straight time. He qualified for the Trials with his fifth place finish last April, losing twice to Jake Sueflohn, who is not registered this year. Massa hasn't wrestled freestyle since 2016, when he was third at Junior Trials. He was also third at Junior WTT the previous year, and also competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials.

U.S. Open Previews: 57kg | 61kg | 65kg

So there will be some young bucks in contention, but making his return to wrestling will be a salty, grizzled veteran: Jared Frayer. The 2012 Olympian and Virginia Tech assistant apparently lost a bet to Mekhi Lewis and now is throwing his back in the ring. I have absolutely no idea how the 40-year-old is going to do, but let's be honest, you're going to want to watch just as much as I mean.

Another guy who hasn't wrestled freestyle in a couple years but used to be all world is Anthony Valencia. He redshirted this season for Arizona State and was recovering from several injuries, but the reports are great coming out of Tempe. Remember, this is a guy who teched Tyler Caldwell when he was a senior in high school.

Surveying the landscape, there are several more senior level veterans in the mix. Tommy Gantt wrestled up at 79kg for the World Cup, but has otherwise been down at 74kg the past two years. He won the Henri Deglane and was runner-up at the Cerro Pelado. He's not yet qualified for WTT, but after re-watching him tech Vallimont in Rochester last year, I've got him finishing fourth this weekend.

NCAA finalist Joey Lavallee was bronze at the Schultz and could place Top-7 here, it will be fun to see him against the college competition. Quinton Godley has made the Open semis before and is another wily vet who will provide an excellent gauge for the athletes still in college.

With all of the NCAA stars in attendance, it seems very likely at least three or four of them place, with probably two finishing in the top-four. I think Marinelli and Valencia are the two that come out of the scrum, with Gantt showing well for the veterans. Going in though, it's Imar's weight, and everyone else is fighting for second.

Get ready Vegas, IMAR coming.

Nomad's Picks

1) Martinez  2) Marinelli  3) Valencia  4) Gantt