EAP freestyle athletes plus other talented age-group stars to compete in Flatz Open in Austria, Feb. 8

Six of the nation’s top age-group freestyle wrestlers will compete in the U20 division at the Flatz Open in Wolfurt, Austria on Feb. 8.

Three of the athletes on the tour are part of USA Wrestling’s Elite Accelerator Program (EAP): Dale O’Blia (Denver, Colo./EAP Program) at 57 kg, Kollin Rath (Stroudsburg, Pa./EAP Program) at 70 kg and Rylan Kuhn (Parkville, Mo./EAP Program) at 125 kg.

The Elite Accelerator Program (EAP) was designed to develop young athletes with Olympic potential at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center (USOPTC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This has included wrestlers who are still in high school, or are high school graduates who choose to train in the international styles prior to going to college.

Rath, who is a senior for Bethlehem Catholic, is a two-time Pennsylvania state champion. He is the No. 13 Pound-For-Pound high school wrestler according to FloWrestling. He was a 2023 U17 Nationals freestyle runnerup and a 2022 16U Nationals freestyle runner-up.

Kuhn was a two-time Missouri state champion for St. Pius X High School and a three-time Fargo All-American, including finishing as a runner-up in the 2022 16U Nationals in Greco-Roman. He was fifth in freestyle at the 2024 Junior Nationals.

O’Blia was a four-time Colorado state high school champion for Mullen High School.

Rath, Kuhn and O’Blia competed in a number of college opens this fall. Most recently, at the Bob Smith Open in Kansas in December, Rath and Kuhn won gold medals with O’Blia claiming a silver medal.

Three other age-group stars from the USA will also compete at the U20 division at the Flatz Open, William Dekraker (Warrenton, Va./Blair Academy) at 61 kg, Nathaniel Askew (Chapel Hill, N.C./Tarheel WC) at 65 kg and Sampson Stillwell (Centerview, Mo./Kobra Kai Training) at 125 kg.

Dekraker, who competes for Blair Academy, is ranked No. 5 in the nation at 138 pounds in the FloWrestling rankings and is a Northwestern commit. He was a 2024 U20 Pan American champion, and placed second in the Senior-level Bill Farrell Memorial International in 2024.

Askew, who has committed to North Carolina, is ranked No. 8 in the nation at 144 pounds in the FloWrestling rankings. Askew placed 10^th in the 2024 U17 World Championships and was a 2024 U17 Nationals champion. He was a runner-up at the 2022 16U Nationals.

Stillwell, who attends St. Michael the Archangel in Missouri, is ranked No. 3 at 285 pounds in the FloWrestling rankings. He has committed to the University of Missouri. Stillwell competed on the 2023 U17 World Team and won the 2023 U17 Nationals. He was also a 2022 16U Nationals champion in Greco-Roman.

The team is being coached by USA Wrestling National Freestyle Developmental Coach J’den Cox, a two-time Senior World champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist.

The tournament will be held on Saturday, February 8, starting at 9:30 a.m. local time. Wolfurt is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone.

Rath, Kuhn and O’Blia, along with Coach Cox, are among those featured in the upcoming docuseries, Journey Through EAP, which will be launched soon on USA Wrestling’s social platforms.

Journey Through EAP trailer

https://youtu.be/PNy9lOmg8tM

FLATZ OPEN

Wolfurt, Austria, Feb. 8

U.S. men's freestyle roster

57 kg: Dale O’Blia, Denver, Colo. (EAP Program)

61 kg: William Dekraker, Warrenton, Va. (Blair Academy)

65 kg: Nathaniel Askew, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Tarheel WC)

70 kg: Kollin Rath, Stroudsburg, Pa. (EAP Program)

125 kg: Rylan Kuhn, Parkville, Mo. (EAP Program)

125 kg: Sampson Stillwell, Centerview, Mo. (Kobra Kai Training)

National Freestyle Developmental Coach: J’den Cox, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Referee: Kenneth Cook, Braselton, Ga.

Event schedule

Saturday, Feb. 8

9:30 a.m. – conclusion – Preliminaries through finals, all age and weight divisions