Final X Rutgers Preview
Check out the Match By Match Breakdown and Our Picks
- Location: RAC, Piscataway, NJ
- Session 1, 12:00pm
Bout 1 Men’s Greco 87 Kg: Joe Rau, TMWC vs. Ben Provisor NLWC
Rau: Div. 3 Nat’l Champ at Elmhurst College in Illinois, 2x Midlands placer, and 2016 Olympic Trials Champ
Provisor: 2015 and 2017 Dave Schultz Memorial Champ, and 2x Olympian in 2012 and 2016.
My Pick: Being a former D3 guy myself, I am definitely pulling for Rau. I remember his national title run, and he is an absolute dog!
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Bout 2 Women’s Freestyle 72Kg: Alyvia Fiske TMWC vs. Victoria Francis TMWC.
Fiske: 2016 junior olympic champ, sophomore 3rd place winner at the WCWA for Simon Fraser University.
Francis: World Team Trials Champ, 2x /national champ for Lindenwood university, and 2nd at the 2016 Olympic Trials
My Pick: Even those this seems like quite the year for the young guns, I am going to go with the vet here in Francis.
Bout 3 Men’s Greco 82Kg: Kendrick Sanders NYAC vs. John Stefanowicz USMC.
Sanders: US Open Champ, 2014/15 Bill Farrell Invitational champ, and 2014 US Open champ.
Stefanowicz: World Team Trials Champ, runner up at the WTT in 2017, and Armed Forces champ in 2017
My Pick: Sanders. Winning the Bill Farrell is a pretty sound achievement, and although not listed he is a 2x Dave Schultz champ as well. He has had some good tournament appearances and I expect him to ride that momentum into Saturday.
Bout 4 Women’s Freestyle 50Kg: Whitney Conder, Army vs Victoria Anthony, Sunkist Kids.
Conder: US Open Champ 2019 and 2017, 2nd in 2016 but not in her Olympic Class
Anthony: 2019 World Team Trials Champ, 2017 Ukrainian Memorial Champ, and placed 9th at the Yarygin.
My Pick: I’m going to go against my gut here and say Anthony. Although her competition doesn’t quite seem to stack up, the Sunkist Kids have a tough club with lots of talent. Maybe this will be the breakthrough that we all see her finely polished skill.
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Bout 5 Men’s Greco 55Kg: Max Nowry, Army vs. Brady Koontz, Ohio RTC
Nowry: 3rd at the World Team Trials in 2017, 5th at 2017 US Open, and 1st in the 2016 Armed Forces Championships
Koontz: RS Soph at Ohio State,2019 World Team Trials champ and 27-10 overall collegiate record
My Pick: I’m not to familiar with either athlete but just off the stats, I have to go with Nowry. Hes been on a championship caliber stage before and I am not sure that Koontz has the experience or skill to pull it off. That being said, I’d love to be proven wrong.
Bout 6 Men’s Greco 67Kg: Ellis Coleman, Army vs Jamel Johnson, Marines
Coleman: 2019 US Open Champ, 2012 Olympian, and 2017 Greco and Freestyle Armed Forces Champ.
Johnson: 2019 World Team Trials Champ
My Pick: The OG, THe Flying Squirrel himself, Coleman. Hes a former Olympian, and he has already went up against the armed forces best in both styles recently and come out on top.
Bout 7 Women’s Freestyle 57Kg: Becka Leathers, TMWC, vs. Jenna Burkert, Army.
Leathers: US Open 2019 champ, 2018 U23 World Team Trials Champ, and World Bronze in 2017.
Burket: 2019 World Team Trials Champ, and 2018 World Team member
My Pick: Burket. I feel her style clashes with Leathers’ own in a good way. She seems much more aggressive and offensive in her matches, so I expect the veteran to take the W.
- Session 2, 6PM
Bout 1 Women’s Freestyle 65Kg: Forrest Molinari, TMWC vs. Maya Nelson, Sunkist Kids.
Molinari: 2019 US Open Champ, 2018 World Team Trials Champ, and Pan Am Champ.
Nelson: 2019 WTT Champ, Jr World champ in 2017
My Pick:Molinari. This one falls solely on high level experience, but again I’m eager to see an exciting match.
Bout 2 Men’s Greco 77Kg: Kamal Bey, Sunkist Kids vs Pat Smith, Minnesota Storm.
Bey: 2019 US Open Champ, 2018 Greco WTT Champ, and 2018 Bill Farrell Champ
Smith: WTT 2019 champ, WTT 2017 Champ
My Pick: I’m 50/50 here. Bey is an absolute stud and has been nothing but a treat to watch these last 4-5 years in competition. Smith however is the vet, has won these type of high level events before, and is probably looking to put a young pup in his place.
Bout 3 Women’s Freestyle 68: Tamyra Mensah-Stock, TMWC vs. Alexandria Glaude, McKendree Bearcat WC
TMS: world broze medalist 2019, 2017 Yarygin Champ, and 2nd in the 2017 US Open.
Glaude: 2019 WTT Champ, and National Team Member.
My Pick: I have some personal bias toward TMS and have seen first hand that she is an absolute stud! I expect to see a win in dominant fashion Saturday.
Bout 4 Men’s Freestyle 125Kg: Nick Gwiazdowski, TMWC vs. Gable Steveson, Minnesota RTC.
Gwiz: world bronze medalist 2019, 2017 WTT and US Open champ.
Steveson: 2x cadet world champ, Jr world Champ, and 3rd place finish at the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
My Pick: Gwiz, hands down. He isn’t as quick on his feet as Gable, but the man is a brick wall with impeccable defense and an extremely high wrestling IQ.
Bout 5 Men’s Freestyle 65Kg: Yianni D, TMWC vs. Zain Retherford, NLWC
Yianni: 2019 US Open Champ, 2x NCAA Champ with a 66-1 record
Zain: 2019 WTT Champ, 3rd at 2017 WTT, and 3rd at 2016 Olympic Trials
My Pick: This is a toss up for me. In college both of these young men were borderline unstoppable, amazing to watch, just seemed like they were miles ahead of their competition. Zain has been in the international field longer, but Yianni has also already beaten the top ranked wrestler in the world at BTS earlier this year.
Bout 6 Men’s Freestyle 79Kg: Kyle Dake,* TMWC vs. Alex Dieringer, TMWC
Dake: 2019 World Champ, 2016 and 2017 US Open Champ
Ringer: 2019 WTT Champ, 2017 bronze at WTT, and 3rd at the 2016 Olympic trials.
My Pick: Dake has pulled out of this match due to injury and is going through the appeal process with USAW to get a rematch scheduled. For now, Dake takes the cake….as long as he gets the rematch.
Bout 7 Men’s Freestyle 92Kg: J’Den Cox, TMWC vs. Bo Nickal, TMWC
Cox: 2019 world champ, WTT champ in 2017, and Olympic Bronze in 2016
Bo: 2019 WTT champ, US Open Champ, and 3x NCAA champ
My Pick: This one is another tough one to call for me. Cox has the experience and proven ability, Bo has the tenacity and outrageous pinning ability, both athletes are unconventionally good in their own right. I do however expect a very fast paced match so don’t blink, or you might miss a takedown.
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