Burroughs, Taylor, Arujau, Green make U.S. Senior World Team in men’s freestyle

OMAHA, Neb. – The United States will send an experienced team of men’s freestyle athletes to the 2024 World Championships. The four-man team, which earned their berths at this weekend’s World Team Trials, includes two Olympic champions, three World champions and all four who have won World medals.

Combined, these four athletes have won a combined two Olympic gold medals, 10 World gold medals and 16 total World medals. All four athletes swept their best-of-three Championship Series in two straight matches.

2012 Olympic champion and six-time World champion Jordan Burroughs swept his two-match series at 79 kg over 2023 World Team member Chance Marsteller. Burroughs sealed the win in the second match with a 6-3 victory. The key exchange late in the second period had Burroughs score four points on a double leg shot, with Marsteller getting a two-point counter exposure. On Sunday morning, Burroughs shut out Marsteller in the first match.

It was the third time these warriors battled in the finals of a World Team qualifier. Burroughs and Marsteller also wrestled in Final X twice, with Burroughs making the World Team in 2022 and Marsteller earning the spot in 2023. It will be Burroughs 10^th Senior World Team.

2020 Olympic champion and three-time World champion David Taylor came through the Challenge Tournament on Saturday, then swept the Championship Series at 92 kg over 2023 World bronze medalist Zahid Valencia. Taylor clinched the win in the second match pin over Valencia at 2:34. After Taylor scored the first two takedowns, he cradled Valencia for a takedown, then turned him again and secured the fall. In the first match, Taylor scored a second period takedown to claim criteria in a 3-3 match.

It was Taylor’s first competition since dropping his U.S. Olympic Team Trials finals series at 86 kg to Aaron Brooks. Since then, Taylor became the head wrestling coach at Oklahoma State.

2023 World champion Vito Arujau swept his 61 kg series over high school star Marcus Blaze in two close matches. In the second match, Arujau beat Blaze, 3-1. The first match on Sunday morning was a 2-1 win for Arujau, on a step out point with 45 seconds left. Neither wrestler scored a takedown in the two matches. It will be Arujau’s second Senior World Team.

Two-time Senior World medalist James Green also swept his finals series over Alec Pantaleo at 70 kg. Green won a 2-1 decision in the second match, with all of the points scored on the shot clock. In the first match, Green hit a four-point whip over, then added three ankle laces for a 10-0 technical fall. It will be Green’s seventh Senior World Championships appearance.

The Senior World Championships will be held in Tirana, Albania, October 28-31, and will feature 12 World Championship weight classes that were not contested at the 2024 Olympic Games.

2024 Senior World Team Trials

Sept. 15, Omaha, Neb.

Best-of-three championship series results

Men’s freestyle

61 kg

Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg WC) two matches to none

Round 1 – Arujau dec. Blaze, 2-1

Round 2 – Arujau dec. Blaze, 3-1

70 kg

James Green (Nebraska WTC) defeats Alec Pantaleo (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) two matches to none

Round 1 – Green tech. fall Pantaleo, 10-0

Round 2 – Green dec. Pantaleo, 2-1

79 kg

Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC) defeats Chance Marsteller (New Jersey RTC/Titan Mercury WC) two matches to none

Round 1 – Burroughs dec. Marsteller, 3-0

Round 2 –Burroughs dec. Marsteller, 6-3

92 kg

David Taylor (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Zahid Valencia (Atreus WC) two matches to none

Round 1 – Taylor dec. Valencia, 3-3

Round 2 – Taylor fall Valencia, 2:49

Third Place Bouts

Men’s Freestyle

61 kg - Jax Forrest (Young Guns) tech fall Liam Cronin (Nebraska Wrestling Training Center), 16-6 4:26

70 kg - Pj Duke (KD Training Center) dec. Yahya Thomas (NJRTC/ TMWC), 5-1

79 kg - David Carr (Cyclone RTC/ TMWC) dec. Levi Haines (Nittany Lion Wrestling Club), 8-2

92 kg - Michael Macchiavello (LVWC/ TMWC) tech fall Marcus Coleman (Cyclone RTC), 11-0 5:53