The men’s freestyle competition at the 2024 Senior World Team Trials is expected to be very competitive in Omaha, Neb., this coming weekend. There are a number of past World medalists and Senior World Team members in the field, competing in the four Senior World weight classes which were not featured at the Olympic Games.

This is an open tournament for all athletes who meet age and citizenship requirements, except for any athletes who wrestled in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. Champions will represent the United States at the Senior World Championships in Tirana, Albania, October 28-31.

Pre-seeds have been announced in all three disciplines. Click here for the World Team Trials men’s freestyle pre-seeds.

Among those entered in men’s freestyle are Olympic champion and six-time World champion Jordan Burroughs at 79 kg, World champion Vito Arujau at 61 kg, two-time World medalist James Green at 70 kg, World silver medalist Daton Fix at 61 kg and World bronze medalist Zahid Valencia at 92 kg.

61 kg men’s freestyle

Sitting out to Championships Series – Vitali Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC/ TMWC)

2023 World champion Vito Arujau has accepted his automatic berth in the best-of-three championship series at the World Team Trials and will await the winner of Saturday’s Challenge Tournament at the weight class. Arujau did not compete in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at 57 kg. This will be his first competition since winning the 2024 NCAA title at 133 pounds. His last international event was his 2023 World title run.

2021 World silver medalist Daton Fix will be among those expected to challenge for a spot in finals series. Fix dropped to 57 kg for the Olympic Trials and lost to World champion and Olympian Thomas Gilman in the semifinals of the Challenge Tournament. Fix lost to Arujau in the 2024 NCAA finals in folkstyle and the 2020 Olympic Trials in freestyle. Seth Gross, who was fifth in the 2022 World Championships at this weight class, drops back down from 65 kg, where he competed at the Olympic Trials. Gross beat Fix in the finals of 2022 Final X, but Fix has the most recent win in 2023. 2018 Final X champion Nahshon Garrett, a 2023 Pan Am Games silver medalist, is another talented veteran in the draw and received the No. 1 pre-seed. Garrett had a win over Gross in the consolations at the Olympic Trials.

Both high school wrestlers who qualified for the 2024 Senior National Team at 57 kg from the Olympic Trials, Marcus Blaze and Jax Forrest, have entered the World Team Trials at 61 kg. Blaze beat Forrest in the third-place match at Olympic Trials. Blaze won a U20 World bronze medal last week at 61 kg. Austin DeSanto, who wrestled at 65 kg at the December 2023 Senior Nationals, was a runner-up at the U.S. Open in April 2023 at 61 kg. Liam Cronin, who was third in the December 2023 Senior Nationals at 57 kg in freestyle, has a number of other age-group achievements in Greco-Roman.

Little Rock All-American Nasir Bailey, a 2021 Junior Nationals champion, is among the other entries. Devan Turner, a past Oregon State All-American and a 2023 Bill Farrell International runner-up, is competing. Stanford wrestler Nico Provo, who was third in the 2022 Bill Farrell International is entered, as well at Michael Tortorice, who was eighth in the 2023 U.S. Open.

70 kg men’s freestyle

This is the largest of the men’s freestyle weight classes and has a deep field with a ton of individual talent. The leading name is two-time Senior World medalist James Green, who made six Senior World Teams at 70 kg before retiring to become USA Wrestling’s Freestyle Developmental Coach. Green announced a return to competition in June 2023 and competed at 65 kg in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The past Nebraska star has been the dominant U.S. athlete at this weight class since it was created when the Senior Worlds expanded to 10 weights.

Also registered is a big name from the past, 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion Jordan Oliver, who is currently competing in mixed martial arts. Oliver, a U.S. Open champion and member of a number of Senior National Teams, has not wrestled since 2022. Alec Pantaleo, a two-time Pan American champion and 2022 U.S. Open champion, is among the other favorites. Like Green, Pantaleo competed in the Olympic Trials at 65 kg, but has had his best success at 70 kg. Green has beaten Pantaleo four of the five times they have wrestled, and also has a win over Oliver. Pantaleo has two wins over Oliver, including the 2022 U.S. Open finals. The pre-seeds went No. 1 Pantaleo, No. 2 Green and No. 3 Oliver.

Jarrett Jacques, who is No. 4 on the 2024-25 Senior National Team at 74 kg, is dropping to 70 kg. Evan Henderson, who was second in 2022 Final X at 65 kg and made two Senior National Teams, is among the most experienced of the entries. A name that won’t be in the field is Andrew Alirez, a two-time U.S. Open champion who had pre-registered but was scratched prior to the announcement of the seeds.

Among the past age-group World medalists in the field are Bryce Andonian, who was a 2021 U20 World bronze medalist, PJ Duke, who won a 2024 U20 World bronze medal, and Will Lewan, a 2017 U17 World champion. Andonian was a star at Virginia Tech, Lewan competed for Michigan, and Duke is an incoming freshman at Penn State. Another young star to watch is Kaleb Larkin, who won the 2023 Bill Farrell Memorial and won a match at the Olympic Trials.

There is considerable additional Senior level experience in the competition, including past U20 and U23 World Team member Yahya Thomas, a champion at the Grand Prix of Spain. Ian Parker, a 2022 Bill Farrell Memorial champion has placed as high as third at the U.S. Open. Iowa State star Paniro Johnson, who will compete at the 2024 U23 World Championships, NC State star Ryan Jack, Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Sheets and Stanford’s Daniel Cardenas and Jaden Abas are among those from the college ranks looking to make a move in the bracket. Cardenas won a U23 Pan American title this year. With such a large turnout, there are others who could make a name for themselves with some wins in the bracket.

79 kg men’s freestyle

This weight class is loaded with talent and experience, headlined by one of the greatest stars in wrestling history, 2012 Olympic champion and six-time World champion Jordan Burroughs. After competing in his fourth career Olympic Trials in April, Burroughs has chosen to continue his pursuit of gold. His last World title came at 79 kg in 2022. Burroughs went down to 74 kg for the Olympic Trials, but returns to the weight where he had his most recent success.

Chance Marsteller, the man who beat Burroughs in 2023 Final X at 79 kg to make his first World Team, is back. Marsteller made an inspiring comeback in life, and is very powerful at 79 kg. Alex Dieringer, who has made numerous Senior National Teams at multiple weight classes, seeks to make his first Senior World Team. Dieringer has beaten Marsteller five of their last six matches, including their most recent meeting at 86 kg during the Olympic Trials. Marsteller won their most recent meeting at 79 kg, in the 2023 U.S. Open finals. The pre-seeds went No. 1 Marsteller, No. 2 Burroughs and No. 3 Dieringer.

The next group of wrestlers include some of the top young stars in the game, all capable of making a big leap at the Senior level. In college, David Carr of Iowa State and Keegan O’Toole of Missouri had a great rivalry at the highest level, and both are age-group World champions. O’Toole won a 2023 U23 World gold and a 2021 U20 World gold. Carr won a 2019 U20 World gold. Both have also been successful at Senior-level events. Among those with past Senior level experience and success are Joey Lavallee and Evan Wick. Lavallee has been a U.S. Open placer four times, and a two-time Bill Farrell runner-up. Wick was third in the 2020 Olympic Trials Challenge Tournament and is a past Bill Farrell Memorial champion.

Recent college All-Americans in the field include Hunter Garvin of Stanford and Clay Lautt of North Carolina. Garvin won the 2024 U23 Nationals and won the U23 Pan American Championships. Noah Mulvaney, a 2023 Junior Nationals champion and 2024 U20 Nationals runner-up, is among the other young talents. The Bianchi brothers from Little Rock, Matthew and Joey, are both entered in the tournament. Kennedy Monday, who wrestled at North Carolina, is among the other prominent names in the field.

92 kg men’s freestyle

Sitting out to Championship Series – Zahid Valencia (Atreus WC)

2023 World bronze medalist Zahid Valencia accepted his automatic berth in the best-of-three championship series at the Senior World Team Trials. Except for that portion of 2023, Valencia has competed most of his international career at 86 kg, including a loss to eventual Olympic bronze medalist Aaron Brooks in the 2024 Olympic Team Trials Challenge Tournament finals. Valencia was a 2022 Pan American champion and claimed a U20 World silver medal back in 2017.

It should be a competitive battle in the Challenge Tournament for the right to wrestle Valencia. Past National Team members in the field are Michael Macchiavello, Trent Hidlay and Jay Aiello. Maachiavello was second in 2023 Final X to Valencia and was the U.S. Open champion that year at 92 kg. Macchiavello was an NCAA champion at NC State and quickly rose the ranks in freestyle. He competed at 97 kg for the Olympic Trials. Hidlay was third in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at 86 kg and has won a pair of age-group World medals. Aiello was third on the National Team at 92 kg in 2022. A star at Virginia, Aiello was also a 2021 U23 World bronze medalist. The pre-seeds went No. 1 Hidlay, No. 2 Aiello and No. 3 Macchiavello.

There is one past Senior World Team member in the mix, Pat Downey, who wrestled in the 2019 World Championships at 86 kg, the year David Taylor missed with an injury. Downey left wrestling for MMA, but has entered a few wrestling events in recent years. Another top contender is Eric Schultz, a 2022 Bill Farrell Memorial champion who placed fourth in the Challenge Tournament at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Schultz placed fourth at the U.S. Open two times, once at 92 kg and once at 97 kg.

2022 U.S. Open champion Cameron Caffey, who was second in the 2023 Bill Farrell Memorial, looks to make a run in Omaha. Caffey made a U20 World Team in Greco-Roman and has wrestled both styles in recent seasons. 2022 U.S. Open runner-up Marcus Coleman has turned his focus to freestyle after a strong career at Iowa State.

One of the top young stars in the field is incoming Missouri freshman Aeoden Sinclair, who competed in the 2023 U17 World Championships and claimed a U20 Pan American Championships title this year. 2023 U23 Nationals champion Nick Stemmet has continued to develop in freestyle. He is also a successful Beach wrestler, having won a bronze medal at the Beach World Series event in Romania this summer. Also entered is U.S. Open placewinner Maximus Hale.

Competition begins with the Challenge Tournaments in each weight class on Saturday. At 61 kg and 97 kg, which has a 2023 World medalist sitting out until the Championship Series, the winner of the Challenge Tournament will advance to Sunday’s finals series. At 70 kg and 79 kg, the winners of Saturday’s semifinals will both advance to the Championship Series on Sunday. All of the best-of-three Championship Series in each weight will be held Sunday, as well as the completion of the consolations of the Challenge Tournament.

Live Broadcast: FloWrestling

Brackets: FloArena

Complete Schedule

Tickets: Available only on-site at box office

All-sessions admission (Saturday & Sunday) - $50.00 + taxes/fees

All-sessions YOUTH (6-12 years old) - $30 +taxes/fees

Single-day admission - $30.00 + taxes/fees

Single-day YOUTH (6-12 years old) - $20 + taxes/fees

5 Years old & under - FREE

World medalists Burroughs, Arujau, Green, Fix, Valencia headline World Team Trials men’s freestyle field

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