This coming Saturday is the 2023 US World Team Trials Challenge Tournament for Greco-Roman wrestling. At press time, there are 54 athletes registered athletes and Friday is the definitive deadline.
2023 US World Team Trials Schedule
All times +2 hrs ET; FLOWrestling will carry the broadcast live.
Winners of the 2023 World Team Trials compete at Final X on June 10 in Newark, NJ.
Saturday, May 20
10:00am-1:30pm — Preliminary rounds, quarterfinals, semifinals, & consolation rounds
3:00pm-4:15pm — Consolation semifinals
4:30pm-6:00pm — Finals/National Team matches (true third)
’23 WTT Seeds
Earlier on Monday, USA Wrestling released their seeds for each weight category. Movement is abound. Two-time National Champion Mike Fuenffinger (Army/WCAP), who like several returned to action at the US Open following a long hiatus — is back at 60 kilograms after going 63 last month. Barrett Stanghill (Minnesota Storm) is not a stranger to 82 kilograms, although he grown comfortable at 87, which is the weight he entered in Vegas. For Saturday, he is listed back at 82. Stanghill has not competed in that weight category in five years.
55 kg
1. Dalton Duffield (Army/WCAP) — ’18 U23 World Team, ’23 Pan-Am Championships gold
2. Camden Russell (MWC) — ’22 U23 World Team
3. Billy Sullivan (Army/WCAP)
4. Jacob Cochran (Army/WCAP)
5. Tirso Lara (Top Gun)
60 kg
1. Ildar Hafizov (Army/WCAP) — 2X Olympian, 3X World Team
2. Mike Fuenffinger (Army/WCAP) — 2X National Champion
3. Max Black (NMU/NTS) — ’22 U20 World Team
4. Dylan Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque RTC)
5. Jonathan Gurule (NMU/NTS)
6. Randon Miranda (Unattached) — 2X Junior World Team, ’18 U23 World Team, ’22 Pan-Am Championships gold
7. Phillip Moomey (Spartan Combat RTC) — ’22 U23 World Team
63 kg
1. Sammy Jones (Sunkist/CTT) — 2X US World Team, ’14 University World bronze
2. Dylan Gregerson (UVRTC) — ’20 U23 National Champion
3. Xavier Johnson (Army/WCAP) — ’21 National Champion
4. Savion Haywood (Iguana WC)
5. Corbin Nirschl (MWC)
67 kg
1. Jesse Thielke (Army/WCAP) — ’16 Olympian, 3X World Team, ’22 National Champion
2. Alex Sancho (Army/WCAP) — ’20 Olympian, ’22 World Team, 2X National Champion
3. Chayse La Joie (CARTC) — ’21 U20 World Team
4. David Stepanyan (NYAC/NTS) — ’21 U23 World Team
5. Joel Adams (TBW) — ’22 U17 World Champion
6. Nick Leonetti (NMU/NTS)
72 kg
1. Patrick Smith (Minnesota Storm) — 3X World Team, ’19 Pan-Am Games gold, 4X Pan-Am Championships gold
2. Noah Wachsmuth (NYAC)
3. Jack Ervien (Viking WC)
4. Michael Hooker (Army/WCAP)
77 kg
1. Aliaksandr Kikinou (Poway) — ’09 World bronze, ’10 European Championships gold
2. Payton Jacobson (Sunkist/NTS) — ’22 U20 World Team
3. Burke Paddock (NYAC)
4. Jesse Porter (NYAC) — ’21 World Team, ’20 Olympic Trials Champion, 3X U23 World Team
5. RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC) — ’16 Olympic Trials Champion, ’18 World Team, 2X Pan-Am Championships gold
82 kg
1. Ben Provisor (NYAC/Viking WC) — 2X Olympian, 2X World Team, 4X National Champion
2. Andrew Berreyesa (NYAC) — ’18 Junior World silver
3. Johanner Correa (NC)
4. Tommy Brackett (NYAC)
5. Kendrick Sanders (NYAC) — 2X National Champion
6. Tyler Cunningham (NYAC/MWC) — ’22 U23 World Team
7. Barrett Stanghill (Minnesota Storm) — ’17 U23 World Team
8. Ryan Epps (Minnesota Storm) — ’21 World Team Trials runner-up
87 kg
1. John Stefanowicz (Navy WC) — ’20 Olympian, ’19 World Team
2. Zac Braunagel (IRTC) — ’19 Junior World Team
3. Timothy Young (Army/WCAP) — ’22 Final X runner-up
4. Jordan Lara (Texas RTC)
5. Rich Carlson (Minnesota Storm)
97 kg
1. Nick Boykin (Sunkist) — 2X U23 World Team, ’19 Junior World Team, 2X National Champion
2. Christian DuLaney (Minnesota Storm)
3. Brandon Marshall (Big Game WC)
4. Cade Lautt (Tar Heel WC)
130 kg
1. Adam Coon (NYAC/Cliff Keen) — ’18 World silver, ’14 Junior World bronze, 2X World Team
2. Tanner Farmer (NYAC/IRTC) — ’22 Final X runner-up
3. Donny Longendyke (Minnesota Storm) — ’21 Pan-Am Championships silver
4. Brandon Metz (ND)
5. Darryl Aiello (Dubuque RTC)
Hungarian Nationals
This past Saturday, Hungary held their National tournament at the Kozma István Hungarian Wrestling Academy (KIMBA) in Budapest, and there were several surprises — with weight class changes being one of them.
The biggest item might have been ’17 U23 World gold Erik Szilvassy jumping all the way back up to 97 kilograms after astonishing observers earlier this season by dropping down, albeit briefly, to 82. Szilvassy, 28, won this year’s Thor Masters at 82 and followed with a low 14th place at the European Championships last month. Szilvassy’s weight has often served as a conversation piece. He had begun his Senior career at 85/87, climbed to 97 in his attempt to make the ’20 Olympic Team, and then in ’23 dropped down for the two aforementioned events. He apparently felt comfortable in his return to 97 on Saturday because he put a nice scare into sizzling Tamas Levai, whose own weight-fluctuating experiences as of late had drawn considerable attention.
Levai (one of three Levai brothers along with Zoltan and Levente; all three siblings earned domestic titles over the weekend) has been the talk of Hungary all season long. He shocked the nation at Hungary’s winter selection tournament not only by entering at 97 after having spent the brunt of his young career at 82, but also due to his taking first over ’21 World silver Alex Szoeke. Levai has been Hungary’s go-to ever since and, like Szilvassy, walked away with Thor Masters gold before coming in 9th at the Euros.
On Saturday, the pair met twice due to the event’s observance of the Nordic system. Levai was behind Szilvassy 1-0 in pool competition but capitalized on his passivity/par terre chance in the second period to score a turn en-route to victory. In the final, Levai coaxed Szilvassy off the line twice for two step-out points and held on for a 3-1 tournament win.
Levente Levai prevailed at 72, as did Zoltan at 77. Their results were not eye-openers. ’22 European Championships gold Robert Fritsch going up to 82 was, however. Fritsch breezed past Norbert Urbankovics 7-0 but grinded out tight decisions over Moric Kismoni and Peter Doemoek, respectively, to claim gold. Fritsch had owned 71/72 kg in Hungary dating back to the non-Olympic weight’s introduction, and it was the category in which Fritsch earned U23 World silver in ’17.
The last of the head-scratchers occurred at heavyweight, where ’22 U23 World/European bronze Dariusz Vitek was upended 8-2 in the semifinal by Artur Vegh. Vegh was then caught and decked in the final by U17 World silver Laszlo Darabos.
The only surprising component to 87 kilograms was not its champion, which happened to be U23 World champ/freshly-minted Euro gold Istvan Takacs, who dominated. It was the fact that 87 on Saturday was a round-robin bracket featuring only four competitors. Takacs won via VSU in two of his three bouts.
Hungary’s National tournament can hold implications towards the country’s World Team selection process, but it is not by any stretch a prerequisite or determining factor for eligibility.
2023 Hungarian National Championships
May 13 — Budapest, HUN
PLACEWINNERS
55 kg
GOLD: Krisztian Gazdag
SILVER: Szabolcs Losonc
BRONZE: Czaba Horvath
60 kg
GOLD: Jozsef Andrasi
SILVER: Dean Petrovic
BRONZE: Edmond Domokos
63 kg
GOLD: Krisztian Kecskemeti
SILVER: Mate Vegh
BRONZE: Levente Toth
67 kg
GOLD: Erik Torba
SILVER: David Manyik
BRONZE: Daniel Bogdan
72 kg
GOLD: Levente Levai
SILVER: Krisztian Vancza
BRONZE: Zsolt Takacs
BRONZE: Krisztofer Klanyi
77 kg
GOLD: Zoltan Levai
SILVER: Martin Toth
BRONZE: Antal Vamos
BRONZE: Attila Tosmagi
82 kg
GOLD: Robert Fritsch
SILVER: Peter Domok
BRONZE: Krisztian Marozsi
BRONZE: Norbert Ubankovics
87 kg
GOLD: Istvan Takacs
SILVER: Csaba Szinlay
BRONZE: Levente Szokol
97 kg
GOLD: Tamas Levai
SILVER: Erik Szilvassy
BRONZE: Bence Almasi
130 kg
GOLD: Laszlo Darabos
SILVER: Artur Vegh
BRONZE: Dariusz Vitek
BRONZE: Zoltan Deak
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