2016 Bill Farrell International OpenNov 8, 2016 by Nomad Lobdell
Bill Farrell 2016 - Men's Freestyle Preview
Bill Farrell 2016 - Men's Freestyle Preview
The 2016 Bill Farrell Memorial will be the world team trials for the non-Olympic men's freestyle weights of 61kg and 70kg
The time has finally come to determine who the United States will be sending to the world championships in December.
Since the event in Budapest, Hungary, was not originally on the United World Wrestling calendar, the non-Olympic weight world team trials had to be built into an existing tournament. The Bill Farrell International Open was chosen, which means only Americans (no Olympians) can enter in the 61kg and 70kg weight classes.
FloWrestling is previewing the men's freestyle weight classes, which go live Friday morning from the New York Athletic Club. It will also serve as the first qualifier for the 2017 WTT at the six Olympic weights, as the highest placing U.S. wrestler will be granted a spot. Action starts at 10 AM ET on Friday, and everything will be LIVE on FloWrestling.
The Field So Far
Logan Stieber
Cody Brewer
Nahshon Garrett
No one sits in the finals of this weight, so both finalists will have to go through the tournament. The wrestler everyone seems most excited about at this weight is Logan Stieber. When he spoke to us a few weeks ago, Stieber made it clear the weight cut is not an issue, and while he has been fine-tuning his defense, he's never going to stop attacking. In Stieber's same vein is hyper-offensive wrestler Nahshon Garrett. Both of them are operating on a high upside, and some anticipate one of them will be the future at 61kg the next three years.
Stieber has massive potential at this weight, and he has beaten high-level guys like Soslan Ramonov and Opan Sat in the past. But Stieber has also never been higher than fourth on the domestic ladder. For Garrett, he lost in controversial fashion at the Olympic Trials and lost a wrestle-off for the University World team spot in 2014, so he has had limited experience against senior-level competition.
The timing of the Farrell seems to most favor a guy like Tyler Graff, who always has strong seasons and has beaten virtually all the top guys at 57 and 61 in the country (including Stieber). However, Graff hasn't been able to put together a full tournament in a world team trials setting. Graff, who is sponsored by the NYAC and trains nearby at Rutgers, won the Farrell at 57kg last year in a gut-wrenching series.
Tyler Graff techs 57kg Olympian Dan Dennis in the 2015 Farrell semifinals:
A few guys who will be major roadblocks for this weight are Nick Dardanes, Josh Kinding, and Jayson Ness. All of them have spent time up at 65kg and could present serious size/strength issues to anyone who runs into them.
While Cody Brewer lost twice to Garrett in the NCAA season, he looked fantastic in his match at Who's #1 against Tony Ramos. By all accounts, Brewer is making huge gains at Northwestern, simply due to the fact that he's having fun again. While he didn't always have super crisp shots against Ramos, his conversion time was 6.4 seconds. From start of attack to finish on the mat, Brewer took just over six seconds, in large part because he would immediately come up and get a leg off the ground. Like Graff, Brewer also has a win over Stieber.
Finally, a few guys to keep an eye on include Alan Waters, who just won a medal in Russia and has also spent time doing Greco, former Boise State star Andrew Hochstrasser, and high school senior and Penn State commitment Nick Lee.
James Green
Jimmy Kennedy
Jordan Oliver
Isaiah Martinez
As a reigning world medalist at this weight, James Green sits in the best-of-three finals awaiting the winner of the mini-tournament. He'll have a whole day to watch and figure out a game plan for his finals opponent -- when to shoot, how to time his opponents' head/hands defense, and what angles to attack. The challenge tournament winner will need to have a lot left in the tank to go three rounds with Green.
Of all those registered to this point, Isaiah Martinez is by far the most intriguing prospect, and people are salivating at the thought of him doing freestyle. He beat Green twice during the 2014-15 college season, but both of those wins can be attributed to top work in folkstyle. He made the University world team this year, only to have the trip to Turkey canceled for safety reasons. That means this is IMar's one and only shot at a world title in 2016.
Two guys coming up in weight are Jordan Oliver and Jimmy Kennedy, both of whom were on the world team ladder at 65kg. There has always been a belief that JO was cutting too much weight, but allowing him to get big means he almost must use all of that extra time training. Kennedy has transformed his body from a top-notch 60/61kg guy into a 70kg animal. He has only gained strength and not lost any of that freak athleticism (think cartwheeling on his head against Stieber).
Those are everyone's main contenders, but of course there are more than just four people in this field. Nazar Kulchytskyy is without a doubt the biggest question mark, X-factor, monkey wrench -- pick a cliche, he embodies it. In a single match setting, he can tech or throw anyone. We've seen him push Green before and win big matches, but Kulchytskyy is similar to Graff in that he has yet to put together a full WTT tournament. Still not a guy you want to see in round one, though.
The Wolfpack Wrestling Club is throwing the kitchen sink at this weight, sending Adam Hall, Tommy Gantt, and Hayden Hidlay. All three are at different stages in their careers, but finishing top three would show that N.C. State is committed to not just collegiate folkstyle success but also wants to build a thriving freestyle Regional Training Center.
It would be wise not to forget Kellen Russell, Kevin LeValley, and Jason Chamberlain. Most of the guys who will be competing here seem to be coming up from 65kg, as opposed to internationals who we likely will see be either "full-time" 70kg or dropping down from 74kg.
Contenders:
Nico Megaludis
Zach Sanders
Frank Perrelli
Zach Sanders made the finals here last year and is itching to get that WTT spot locked in so he can focus on coaching and international tours in the winter. Nico Megaludis just saw Frank Molinaro make an Olympic run, but the key for Megaludis is still whether or not he can develop a high-level leg attack. Frank Perrelli continues to show up at these events and never fails to pull an upset. David Terao is a new wrinkle people will want to know about. Who could forget the show he put on in Madison Square Garden back in March at the NCAA Championships?
BJ Futrell
Dave Habat
Hunter Stieber
Given that the non-Olympic world team trials are at 61 and 70, this weight can be forgiven as seeming a little thin on paper. It will feature a good amount of, "what have they been up to?" type guys, such as Stieber, Evan Henderson, and Ganbayar Sanjaa. BJ Futrell was originally registered at 61kg but is now showing up here and could just be committed to a full quad at the Olympic weight. Dave Habat is also slated to compete, and he has been having an impressive run overseas in the German Bundesliga.
Alex Dieringer
Bekzod Abdurakhmonov
Chance Marsteller
Dan Vallimont
If you don't already know by now, Chance Marsteller will be competing this Friday. More so than perhaps any college-aged athlete, possibly including IMar, fans love to see Marsteller wrestle. He represents so much in terms of ability, hype, and mythology built around him from the time he was a young man, and now there is the redemption aspect. No one has ever doubted the talent, but now is the time to show he can handle the rigors of being a senior-level athlete.
After years of being locked away in the Oklahoma State room, Alex Dieringer is now being unleashed upon the world. We saw him at Olmypic Trials, World Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and now Bill Farrell. Winning here and locking up the WTT spot will go a long way in allowing him more time to train and focus on foreign guys. Bekzod Abdurakhmonov actually won this weight last year and just missed being an Olympic medalist in Rio. Veteran Quinton Godley will be there, as well as Mike Moreno, who appears to be fully healed from that gruesome hamstring injury that befell him at last year's Farrell.
Rich Perry
Deron Winn
Austin Trotman
Based on the results of the past year, this is Richard Perry's bracket to lose. He is right on the precipice of cracking that top-three ladder and is huge for the weight. But he'll have to get through guys like Austin Trotman, who is still training at Nebraska, and Deron Winn, who wanted to get a competition in as he continues to train for his first professional MMA fight. Guys like Josh Asper and Mike Evans have made big jumps from their collegiate weights to wrestle up this high. Pete Renda will be competing here as he will be redshirting this season for N.C. State.
Perry vs Trotman for 3rd place at last year's Farrell
Dustin Kilgore
JT Felix
Micah Burak
The big three in this field heading into Friday are Dustin Kilgore, JT Felix, and Micah Burak. Kilgore was in last year's finals and could very well be the second best guy in the country if Varner is done competing. Burak lost in the first round at Olympic Trials, only to claw all the way back to finish third. Felix was hurt on the consolation side at OTT and has not competed since April.
Dom Bradley
Tony Nelson
Dom Bradley, the newest addition to the Cyclone Wrestling Club, will be the favorite in what will likely be a bracket of fewer than 12 guys. His main competition will be Tony Nelson, who knocked Tyrell Fortune twice at this event last year.
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Since the event in Budapest, Hungary, was not originally on the United World Wrestling calendar, the non-Olympic weight world team trials had to be built into an existing tournament. The Bill Farrell International Open was chosen, which means only Americans (no Olympians) can enter in the 61kg and 70kg weight classes.
FloWrestling is previewing the men's freestyle weight classes, which go live Friday morning from the New York Athletic Club. It will also serve as the first qualifier for the 2017 WTT at the six Olympic weights, as the highest placing U.S. wrestler will be granted a spot. Action starts at 10 AM ET on Friday, and everything will be LIVE on FloWrestling.
The Field So Far
61kg
Contenders:Logan Stieber
Cody Brewer
Nahshon Garrett
No one sits in the finals of this weight, so both finalists will have to go through the tournament. The wrestler everyone seems most excited about at this weight is Logan Stieber. When he spoke to us a few weeks ago, Stieber made it clear the weight cut is not an issue, and while he has been fine-tuning his defense, he's never going to stop attacking. In Stieber's same vein is hyper-offensive wrestler Nahshon Garrett. Both of them are operating on a high upside, and some anticipate one of them will be the future at 61kg the next three years.
Stieber has massive potential at this weight, and he has beaten high-level guys like Soslan Ramonov and Opan Sat in the past. But Stieber has also never been higher than fourth on the domestic ladder. For Garrett, he lost in controversial fashion at the Olympic Trials and lost a wrestle-off for the University World team spot in 2014, so he has had limited experience against senior-level competition.
The timing of the Farrell seems to most favor a guy like Tyler Graff, who always has strong seasons and has beaten virtually all the top guys at 57 and 61 in the country (including Stieber). However, Graff hasn't been able to put together a full tournament in a world team trials setting. Graff, who is sponsored by the NYAC and trains nearby at Rutgers, won the Farrell at 57kg last year in a gut-wrenching series.
Tyler Graff techs 57kg Olympian Dan Dennis in the 2015 Farrell semifinals:
A few guys who will be major roadblocks for this weight are Nick Dardanes, Josh Kinding, and Jayson Ness. All of them have spent time up at 65kg and could present serious size/strength issues to anyone who runs into them.
While Cody Brewer lost twice to Garrett in the NCAA season, he looked fantastic in his match at Who's #1 against Tony Ramos. By all accounts, Brewer is making huge gains at Northwestern, simply due to the fact that he's having fun again. While he didn't always have super crisp shots against Ramos, his conversion time was 6.4 seconds. From start of attack to finish on the mat, Brewer took just over six seconds, in large part because he would immediately come up and get a leg off the ground. Like Graff, Brewer also has a win over Stieber.
Finally, a few guys to keep an eye on include Alan Waters, who just won a medal in Russia and has also spent time doing Greco, former Boise State star Andrew Hochstrasser, and high school senior and Penn State commitment Nick Lee.
70kg
Contenders:James Green
Jimmy Kennedy
Jordan Oliver
Isaiah Martinez
As a reigning world medalist at this weight, James Green sits in the best-of-three finals awaiting the winner of the mini-tournament. He'll have a whole day to watch and figure out a game plan for his finals opponent -- when to shoot, how to time his opponents' head/hands defense, and what angles to attack. The challenge tournament winner will need to have a lot left in the tank to go three rounds with Green.
Of all those registered to this point, Isaiah Martinez is by far the most intriguing prospect, and people are salivating at the thought of him doing freestyle. He beat Green twice during the 2014-15 college season, but both of those wins can be attributed to top work in folkstyle. He made the University world team this year, only to have the trip to Turkey canceled for safety reasons. That means this is IMar's one and only shot at a world title in 2016.
Two guys coming up in weight are Jordan Oliver and Jimmy Kennedy, both of whom were on the world team ladder at 65kg. There has always been a belief that JO was cutting too much weight, but allowing him to get big means he almost must use all of that extra time training. Kennedy has transformed his body from a top-notch 60/61kg guy into a 70kg animal. He has only gained strength and not lost any of that freak athleticism (think cartwheeling on his head against Stieber).
Those are everyone's main contenders, but of course there are more than just four people in this field. Nazar Kulchytskyy is without a doubt the biggest question mark, X-factor, monkey wrench -- pick a cliche, he embodies it. In a single match setting, he can tech or throw anyone. We've seen him push Green before and win big matches, but Kulchytskyy is similar to Graff in that he has yet to put together a full WTT tournament. Still not a guy you want to see in round one, though.
The Wolfpack Wrestling Club is throwing the kitchen sink at this weight, sending Adam Hall, Tommy Gantt, and Hayden Hidlay. All three are at different stages in their careers, but finishing top three would show that N.C. State is committed to not just collegiate folkstyle success but also wants to build a thriving freestyle Regional Training Center.
It would be wise not to forget Kellen Russell, Kevin LeValley, and Jason Chamberlain. Most of the guys who will be competing here seem to be coming up from 65kg, as opposed to internationals who we likely will see be either "full-time" 70kg or dropping down from 74kg.
57kg
Contenders:Nico Megaludis
Zach Sanders
Frank Perrelli
Zach Sanders made the finals here last year and is itching to get that WTT spot locked in so he can focus on coaching and international tours in the winter. Nico Megaludis just saw Frank Molinaro make an Olympic run, but the key for Megaludis is still whether or not he can develop a high-level leg attack. Frank Perrelli continues to show up at these events and never fails to pull an upset. David Terao is a new wrinkle people will want to know about. Who could forget the show he put on in Madison Square Garden back in March at the NCAA Championships?
65kg
Contenders:BJ Futrell
Dave Habat
Hunter Stieber
Given that the non-Olympic world team trials are at 61 and 70, this weight can be forgiven as seeming a little thin on paper. It will feature a good amount of, "what have they been up to?" type guys, such as Stieber, Evan Henderson, and Ganbayar Sanjaa. BJ Futrell was originally registered at 61kg but is now showing up here and could just be committed to a full quad at the Olympic weight. Dave Habat is also slated to compete, and he has been having an impressive run overseas in the German Bundesliga.
74kg
Contenders:Alex Dieringer
Bekzod Abdurakhmonov
Chance Marsteller
Dan Vallimont
If you don't already know by now, Chance Marsteller will be competing this Friday. More so than perhaps any college-aged athlete, possibly including IMar, fans love to see Marsteller wrestle. He represents so much in terms of ability, hype, and mythology built around him from the time he was a young man, and now there is the redemption aspect. No one has ever doubted the talent, but now is the time to show he can handle the rigors of being a senior-level athlete.
After years of being locked away in the Oklahoma State room, Alex Dieringer is now being unleashed upon the world. We saw him at Olmypic Trials, World Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and now Bill Farrell. Winning here and locking up the WTT spot will go a long way in allowing him more time to train and focus on foreign guys. Bekzod Abdurakhmonov actually won this weight last year and just missed being an Olympic medalist in Rio. Veteran Quinton Godley will be there, as well as Mike Moreno, who appears to be fully healed from that gruesome hamstring injury that befell him at last year's Farrell.
86kg
Contenders:Rich Perry
Deron Winn
Austin Trotman
Based on the results of the past year, this is Richard Perry's bracket to lose. He is right on the precipice of cracking that top-three ladder and is huge for the weight. But he'll have to get through guys like Austin Trotman, who is still training at Nebraska, and Deron Winn, who wanted to get a competition in as he continues to train for his first professional MMA fight. Guys like Josh Asper and Mike Evans have made big jumps from their collegiate weights to wrestle up this high. Pete Renda will be competing here as he will be redshirting this season for N.C. State.
Perry vs Trotman for 3rd place at last year's Farrell
97kg
Contenders:Dustin Kilgore
JT Felix
Micah Burak
The big three in this field heading into Friday are Dustin Kilgore, JT Felix, and Micah Burak. Kilgore was in last year's finals and could very well be the second best guy in the country if Varner is done competing. Burak lost in the first round at Olympic Trials, only to claw all the way back to finish third. Felix was hurt on the consolation side at OTT and has not competed since April.
125kg
ContendersDom Bradley
Tony Nelson
Dom Bradley, the newest addition to the Cyclone Wrestling Club, will be the favorite in what will likely be a bracket of fewer than 12 guys. His main competition will be Tony Nelson, who knocked Tyrell Fortune twice at this event last year.
How To Watch
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Popular Right Now:
125U | 133U | 141U 149U | 157U | 165U
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