World Team Trials are my favorite event in all of freestyle wrestling - I enjoy them even more than worlds and the Olympics. They are almost certainly the best domestic event we have. USAWrestling just wrapped up another set of trials and here are some quick thoughts:
57KG: Ramos has quickly secured ownership of this weightclass. I'm not sure many people watching his college career predicted he'd have this much success, but here he is. I'm fairly confident he is undefeated in freestyle on the senior circuit. My guess is for him is similar to my guess for Metcalf - he'll keep the weight on lockdown and eventually claw his way to a world bronze within the next couple of years.
61KG: Reece is really talented and at his best can hang with most anybody in the world. Dennis really didn't belong on the mat with him (though, he is a very talented wrestler). I think Reece will do well, but it unlikely to medal. My sense is that moving forward, this could end up being Maple's weightclass.
65KG: Metcalf keeps getting better and continues to widen the gap between him and Oliver/Russell. For a while, people thought Oliver would eventually be the man, but that hasn't proven the case. This is Metcalf's weight and my sense is that he's going to get his medal soon. Why not in Vegas?
70KG: An understated story in USAWrestling recently has been the resurgence of Dustin Schlater - a freshman national champion whose status as an all-time great was denied due to the injuries that plagued him him for the next three years. But James Green beat him from pillar to post. I don't think Green will medal, but I also didn't think he'd beat Dustin.
74KG: What is there to say? JB is already an all-time great. Dake beat Howe in another thrilled with the closing scramble being one few people are likely to forget - Dake's knees are BJ Penn level flexible. Dake then completely outclasses a surging David Taylor. With all of the momentum at his back, he loses the first match to the champ on a controversial (though I think properly called) 4 point move. In the second match, Burroughs tech falls one of the top 5 college wrestlers in American history. Good lord. All hail the champ.
86KG: Wow. After losing to Ruth at FloPro Herbert has shown that he really owns Ruth. Ruth has looked absolutely hopeless the past three times he's wrestled Herbert - Ruth can't get in on Jake's legs and gets owned from the whizzer/seatbelt position. I still think Ruth's ceiling is higher than Jake's (although Jake has shown that his ceiling can take him to a world silver medal) and Ruth beat Salas whereas Jake did not. But Jake certainly has a shot at winning.
97KG: I've been underestimating Synder for a couple years now and he keeps proving me wrong. It's likely we have a future world champion in Synder. He is now 3-0 against the Olympic gold medalist, Jake Varner.
HW: Tervel is very good and better than the field in the US. He is always capable of medaling.
Marable not making weight at 70 kg was a bummer. He's not got a lot of offense, but if he makes weight I don't think James Green beats him.
Bad tournament for Nittany Lion WC.
Molinaro also lost early in the challenge tourney to Jimmy Kennedy. Taylor, Ruth, and Varner all got badly dominated by their nemeses.
"Marable not making weight at 70 kg was a bummer. He's not got a lot of offense, but if he makes weight I don't think James Green beats him." - Yeah, I agree.
"I was surprised that Snyder beat Varner, but not THAT surprised. Varner doesn't open up and his matches are typically pretty close. Needs more of an offense" - I'm mostly surprised he's beaten him 3 times in a row. You're definitely right. It's what made him such an unlikely gold medalist.
Hardcharger - Bad tournament for Nittany Lion WC.
Molinaro also lost early in the challenge tourney to Jimmy Kennedy. Taylor, Ruth, and Varner all got badly dominated by their nemeses.
For sure.
Though I think Ruth as already out at ASU.
wiggum -Hardcharger - Bad tournament for Nittany Lion WC.
Molinaro also lost early in the challenge tourney to Jimmy Kennedy. Taylor, Ruth, and Varner all got badly dominated by their nemeses.
For sure.
Though I think Ruth as already out at ASU.
You're right. I forgot about that.
ttt
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Wiggum, have you seen the full match 1 of Dake vs Burroughs?
Did they have true 2nd place matches for the tournament participants? I was wondering if guys like Stieber and Kennedy faced off, or Howe and Taylor after eliminated from first place.
Didn't Howe drop to 70k at one point?
I'm kind of surprised dake didn't try and drop down.
74 is so stacked and Burroughs isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
I also thought he might try a run at Greco, he was training it for a while and even did that exhibition greco match at grapple in the garden 
TEAM FOXCATCHER
Hardcharger - Wiggum, have you seen the full match 1 of Dake vs Burroughs?I don't think they have a true second. Winner of the bracket gets to face the returning team member( or is it the winner of US open?).
Did they have true 2nd place matches for the tournament participants? I was wondering if guys like Stieber and Kennedy faced off, or Howe and Taylor after eliminated from first place.
Jordan Burroughs is the man. He is head and shoulders above his peers. He is a gifted athlete with a work ethic that would kill a horse. I think his strength is that he is human and loses every now and then.... And that seems to just fuel his greatness. He always comes back better and not just from losses... JB takes a weekend off and somehow seems to come back stronger much less a break between major World action.
Big ups to that dude 