World Team Trials Challenge Tournament 92 kg Preview
World Team Trials Challenge Tournament 92 kg Preview
Everything you need to know about the 92 kg World Team Trials bracket.
There will only be three weights contested in men’s freestyle at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament on May 20 and 21, but those three weights are going to be electric. In addition to 61 kg and 125 kg, 92 kg will be in action. With top talent coming both up and down from 86 and 97 to try and make Final X, you’re not going to want to miss it.
Entries
*As of me writing this on May 10th
Rankings are from the domestic men's freestyle rankings, which can be found HERE.
#2 Nate Jackson
#3 Kollin Moore
#3 (86 kg) Zahid Valencia
#4 Eric Schultz
#6 Jay Aiello
#7 (97 kg) Sam Mitchell
Qualified But Not Yet Entered
The deadline to register in order to be seeded is May 14. However, an athlete can register up until May 19.
Tim Dudley
Records vs The Field
The rows represent an athlete’s record against specific opponents. So, start on the left and track over to the right to see their record.
Can Zahid Valencia Compete Up A Weight?
Zahid Valencia has spent his entire senior career at either 86 or 79 kilos. While he’s not small, he’s not a particularly big 86. He’s able to use his power and explosiveness very effectively at 86 kg. While it definitely won’t be the same up six kilos, can it still be affective?
Valencia’s only record against opponents in the field is 2-0 against Nate Jackson. The matches occurred in 2019 and 2021 while Jackson was at 86 kg. Valencia won 3-2 and 10-0. The 10-0 match occurred on the backside of the Olympic Trials, but at 2019 Senior Nationals, it took a late stepout to secure victory for Valencia.
Watch Valencia and Jackson’s razor-thin 2019 Senior Nationals match.
What Version Of Nate Jackson Do We See?
Nate Jackson has improved a lot since 2019 Senior Nationals when he almost beat Zahid. He was one, if not the, most active senior-level guys during 2020 and 2021 and it paid off when he took J’den Cox to three matches at Final X last year. However, I don’t think we saw the best version of Jackson at the US Open. He dropped a 4-2 match to eventual champ Mike Macc in the semis before coming back for 3rd place.
While we’re talking about Nate Jackson, I encourage you to all to watch the crazy story of Nate Jackson going from false drug test Final X in 2022.
Will Kollin Moore Be Healthy?
Along with Valencia and Jackson, Moore will be in the contender tier in Colorado Springs. However, his health will be a question. Moore appeared to injur his left elbow at the US Open. While he was still made the finals, it was clearly affecting his wrestling. If three weeks is enough time for the elbow to heal up, Moore is likely the odds-on-favorite to win. He beat Nate Jackson 12-6 at 2021 World Team Trials. Even with a bum wing, he’s dangerous. He beat Eric Schultz 10-0 at the Open with it.
Watch Moore beat Schultz 10-0 at the US Open below. Note the taped up elbow.
Can Tanner Sloan Emerge As A Wildcard?
If Tanner Sloan can wrestle as well as he did at NCAAs, he going to be a factor in Colorado. The SDSU senior got hot and took out Gavin Hoffman, Jacob Cardenas, and Rocky Elam en route to making the finals. A 2022 U23 World silver medalist, you don’t have to worry about his freestyle skills either.
Watch Tanner Sloan’s 2022 U23 semifinal victory below.
