2023-24 Team USA Ranking: No. 1 at 86 kg/189 lbs.

Years on Team USA: 11 (2013-24)

Residence: State College, Pa.

Club: Titan Mercury WC

Regional Training Center: Nittany Lion WC

Personal Coach: Casey Cunningham

College: Penn State

High School: St. Paris, Ohio (Graham)

Born: Dec. 5, 1990, Reno, Nevada

Height: 6’0”

Past Olympic Games

2020 Olympic Games (Gold at 86 kg)

Past Senior World Teams

2023 Senior Worlds (Gold at 86 kg), 2022 Senior Worlds (Gold at 86 kg), 2021 Senior Worlds (Silver at 86 kg), 2018 Senior Worlds (Gold at 86 kg)

Past Age-Group World Teams

2013 World University Games (Bronze at 74 kg)… 2007 Junior Worlds (8th at 50 kg)

Career Notes

2020 Olympic champion
2018, 2022 and 2023 World champion

2021 World silver medalist
Four-time U.S. Open champion (2015, 2017, 2018, 2021)
2017 and 2018 World Cup champion
Three-time Pan American Championships champion (2018, 2019, 2021)
Third in 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials

Two-time NCAA champion for Penn State (2012, 2014
Two-time Dan Hodge Trophy recipient, as nation’s best college wrestler (2012, 2014)
2018 United World Wrestling Freestyle Wrestler of the Year

2023: World champion.... Final X champion…

2022: World champion… Final X champion…

2021: Olympic champion… World silver medalist… Olympic Team Trials champion… Pan American Championships champion...

2020: Pan American Olympic Qualifier champion…

2019: Pan American Championships champion… Final X runner-up (did not compete due to injury)

2018: World champion… Final X champion… Yasar Dogu International champion (Turkey)… U.S. Open champion… Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix champion (Russia)… Gold at Pan American Championships… Freestyle World Cup champion…

2017: Second in U.S. World Team Trials… U.S. Open champion… World Cup champion… Grand Prix of Paris champion (France)

2016: World Freestyle Wrestling Clubs Cup team member with Titan Mercury WC… Second in U.S. Open…Third in U.S. Olympic Team Trials…Grand Prix of Spain cham

2015: Gold at Stepan Sargysyan Cup (Armenia)… Grand Prix of Spain champion… Third in U.S. World Team Trials… U.S. Open champion… Fifth at Golden Grand Prix (Azerbaijan)… Fifth at Yasar Dogu International (Turkey)

2014: Second in U.S. World Team Trials… Second in U.S. Open…

2013: Third in World University Games… Third in U.S. World Team Trials… University Nationals champion… Second in U.S. Open…

2008: U.S. Olympic Team Trials qualifier…

2007: Eighth in Junior World Championships… FILA Junior World Team Trials champion…

2005: FILA Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman…

College: Two-time NCAA champion at Penn State (2012 and 2014)… Four-time NCAA finalist… Two-time NCAA runner-up (2011 and 2013)… Four-time Big Ten champion… 2011, 2012 and 2014 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year… Led Penn State to four NCAA team championships…

High School: Four-time Ohio state champion for St. Paris Graham… Two-time ASICS first-team All-American…

USA Age-Group Achievements: 2007 Junior Nationals champion in Greco-Roman and freestyle… 2006 Cadet Nationals champion in Greco-Roman… 2005 Cadet Nationals freestyle champion… Second in 2005 Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman…

Awards: 2018 UWW World Freestyle Wrestler of the Year…. 2018 USA Wrestling Freestyle Wrestler of the Year… Two-time Hodge Trophy award winner as college wrestler of the year (2012 and 2014)… Three-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Year (2012 and 2014)… 2009 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner

Personal: Son of David and Kathy Taylor… Has one sister, Alex… Married to Kendra Kennedy… Has two daughters, London and Ivy…

Awards: 2018 UWW World Freestyle Wrestler of the Year…. 2018 USA Wrestling Freestyle Wrestler of the Year… Two-time Hodge Trophy award winner as college wrestler of the year (2012 and 2014)… Three-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Year (2012 and 2014) 2009 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner

Twitter: @magicman_psu

Instagram: @magicman_psu

Sam Sasso

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