Projected Seeds For The 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament
Projected Seeds For The 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament
Projecting the seeds for the upcoming World Team Trials challenge tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina
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With half of the Final X field set, we now know who must go through the World Team Trials to fill the remaining slots. So let's get a jump on projecting out how those brackets will look in Raleigh, NC.
Watch World Team Trials Live On Flo
May 18-19 | 10:00 AM Eastern
While the field is not quite set, we've still got the last chance qualifier this weekend (check out entries on FloArena), nearly all the winners there will get the lowest seed in their weights. The person sitting in Final X will be listed, as well as the person sitting in the best-of-three Trials finals in the seven weights with returning world medalists.
57kg
Final X: Daton Fix
Projected Seeds
- Thomas Gilman
- Nathan Tomasello
- Zane Richards
- Vitali Arujau
- Darian Cruz
- Frank Perrelli
- Josh Rodriguez
- Last Chance Qualifier
The obvious question is why Tomasello should be the two seed after defaulting to sixth when he lost in the semis. This also has to be applied to Jordan Oliver at 65kg and Myles Martin at 86kg, which we'll get to later. But there is common sense involved in that NaTo beat Zane Richards multiple times when they were in college and has shown himself to be the more credentialed freestyle wrestler when healthy. The person that hurts most is Vito Arujau, who has to face Thomas Gilman in the semis now.
If they decide to ding Tomasello for sitting out, which also rewards Richards for having a fantastic Open, he drops to the five seed, as he beat Perrelli at the Open. But I don't think they'll do that since the presumptive finals is going to be Gilman against NaTo. If Jack Mueller enters, he will likely be right above or below Pan Am champ Josh Rodriguez.
61kg
Final X: Joe Colon
Finals Bye: Cody Brewer
Projected Seeds
- Nahshon Garrett
- Nico Megaludis
- Joey Palmer
- Tyler Graff
- Cory Clark
- Tony Ramos
- Earl Hall
- Last Chance Qualifier
Pretty simple at the top, with the guy who actually won Final X last year in Nahshon Garrett getting the top seed if he comes to North Carolina, and the Open runner-up Megaludis getting the two seed. Joey Palmer has to be the three after beating Tyler Graff twice in Vegas and finishing third. Clark lost to Graff and beat Ramos twice, and Hall earned the last qualifying spot.
I'm not expecting to see Josh Saunders or Austin Gomez at WTT, and I also doubt we see Sean Fausz, but it will be right in his backyard so possibly. The massive X factor is Nick Suriano, who hasn't wrestled freestyle since 2014 but does have a huge match with Joe Colon at Beat the Streets. No one really knows if Suriano will try to make the team this year, but if he potentially beats Colon it will make seeding fascinating.
65kg
Final X: Yianni Diakomihalis
Projected Seeds
- Zain Retherford
- Jordan Oliver
- Jayson Ness
- Frank Molinaro
- Jaydin Eierman
- Dom Demas
- Kanen Storr
- BJ Futrell
- Mitch McKee
- Colton McCrystal
- Last Chance Qualifier
Yes, I am aware JO has never lost to Zain Retherford, including a win since last year's Trials, and literally just did not hit NaTo for forfeiting out. However, I think they drop Oliver one spot from his Open seed and reward Zain for making the finals. Jayson Ness beat Molinaro for third, so no matter where Oliver falls, Frank is below Ness. Eierman lost to both Retherford and Molinaro in Vegas and may now need to beat both to make the finals.
The 6-8 spots are a little jumbled and could change. Demas beat Storr in the first round of the Open but did not place, and Futrell forfeited to Storr in the seventh place match but has already qualified for WTT thanks to his Schultz title. Demas should be over Storr due to the H2H, but I'm not sure if they'll put Futrell over one or both of them.
Both Dean Heil and Joey McKenna need to enter the last chance qualifier if they want to wrestle in Raleigh; Heil beat McKenna in the round of 16 at the Open. Evan Henderson teched Heil in the Schultz semis but did not place in Vegas and is not qualified, nor is Bryce Meredith. Nick Dardanes, who has made it to the last two Trials, is not qualified either.
70kg
Final X: Ryan Deakin
Projected Seeds
- James Green
- Jason Nolf
- Alec Pantaleo
- Hayden Hidlay
- Brandon Sorensen
- Nazar Kulchytskyy
- Jason Chamberlain
- Last Chance Qualifier
The prevailing thought heading into last weekend was that the winner of the James Green/Jason Nolf semi would win the spot to Final X: Lincoln, with the loser probably taking the other spot by winning the Trials. Instead, it was Ryan Deakin who came out on top, ensuring that one of Green or Nolf will not be in Final X.
And there's no guarantee Nolf makes the best-of-three finals, either. Alec Pantaleo, who gave Nolf one of the toughest matches of his college career, was up 6-0 in the third place match to to Nolf. Also qualified is Hayden Hidlay (remember his NCAA semi with Nolf?), who did not wrestle at the Open but could compete since the Trials are in his home gym.
Anthony Ashnault is wrestling at Beat the Streets against James Green, which would point to him wrestling 70kg at WTT if he enters. But would anyone really be all that surprised if he cut down to 65kg?
74kg
Final X: Jordan Burroughs
Finals Bye: Isaiah Martinez
Projected Seeds
- Tommy Gantt
- Anthony Valencia
- Logan Massa
- Richie Lewis
- Brian Murphy
- Dan Vallimont
- Jared Frayer
- Last Chance Qualifier
Gantt gets the top seed in a tournament that's at NC State, so they should be feeling good about his chances to make the finals. It was great to see Valencia and Massa back in the freestyle realm. Lewis beat Vallimont and finished ahead of Murphy at the Schultz. Jared Frayer qualified at age 40!
79kg
Final X: Kyle Dake
Finals Bye: Alex Dieringer
Projected Seeds
- Zahid Valencia
- Chance Marsteller
- Nick Becker
- Matt Finesilver
- Geno Morelli
- Stacey Davis
- Ben Harvey
- Last Chance Qualifier
Zahid should enter the Trials again, doing the same thing he did last year. Chance Marsteller made the Open finals opposite Dieringer and was Becker's only loss of the tournament. I would love to see David McFadden and Aaron Brooks enter but I doubt we will, though Brooks has a better case since he will already be there sitting in the Junior finals. The big question will be if Pan Am champ Chandler Rogers decides to throw his hat in the ring.
86kg
Final X: David Taylor
Finals Bye: Pat Downey
Projected Seeds
- Nick Heflin
- Sammy Brooks
- Myles Martin
- Brett Pfarr
- Nathan Jackson
- Kenny Courts
- Last Chance Qualifier
I had a much more difficult time placing Martin than I did Oliver or Tomasello. The U23 spot is what I believe will help him the most, as he actually has the most credentials of any of those three. But that puts him in a semi against Sammy Brooks, who he has never beaten.
92kg
Final X: J'den Cox
Finals Bye: Bo Nickal
Projected Seeds
- Hayden Zillmer
- Michael Machiavello
- Tim Dudley
- Kollin Moore
- Riley Lefever
- Timmy McCall
- Last Chance Qualifier
Nickal knocked off last year's Final X runner-up in Zillmer to get the bye to the best-of-three finals, so on Saturday the 18th we're probably going to get a Machiavello/Zillmer challenge tournament final.
97kg
Final X: Kyle Snyder
Finals Bye: Kyven Gadson
Projected Seeds
- Ben Honis
- Danny Chaid
- Ty Walz
- Kevin Beazley
- Michael Boykin
- Wynn Michalak
- Last Chance Qualifier
This weight seems like a strong bet that we'll end up with the same Final X as last year. Honis beat Walz to make the Open finals, and Walz split with Chaid there.
125kg
Final X: Nick Gwiazdowski
Finals Bye: Adam Coon
Projected Seeds
- Tony Nelson
- Mike Kosoy
- Dom Bradley
- Derek White
- Youssif Hemida
- Tate Orndorrf
- Garrett Ryan
- Last Chance Qualifier
Kosoy won the Dave Schultz over Bradley, hence why he is seeded ahead here. Don't expect to see Anthony Cassar in attendance, but we're still not sure about Gable Steveson.