Our Most Anticipated U23 Freestyle Potential Matchups
Our Most Anticipated U23 Freestyle Potential Matchups
The potential matches we're looking forward to watching most at the 2019 U23 World Team Trials in Akron, Ohio.
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The U23 World Team Trials features brackets bigger than the NCAAs that attracts talent from all corners, levels and divisions of the country. Below the potential matches we're looking forward to watching most here in Akron.
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57 Kilograms
#2 Gabe Townsell vs #3 Michael Colaiocco
Whether due to last minute registration or simple oversight, we did not mention three-time NCAA qualifier and Stanford Cardinal Gabe Townsell in our U23 preview. As the #2 seed, however, Townsell is one of the leading contenders to win the bracket. Michael Colaiocco is one of the many blue chip recruits head coach Roger Reina is bringing to the University of Pennsylvania. Colaiocco will be a true freshman next year, and a match with Townsell, or any of the other of the D1 studs in the weight class, will be an excellent litmus test to see how college-ready the young Blair graduate is.
61 Kilograms
#4 Drew Mattin vs #5 Louie Hayes
Mattin of Michigan and Hayes of UVA both made deep runs in the NCAA tournament in 2018 as true freshman. They will both also have to get through several tough competitors to meet in the quarterfinals, but if they do, it'll be a matchup that very easily happen again in the quarterfinals in March.
#3 Jaime Hernandez vs Noah Gonser
This one is scheduled to happen in the round of 64, so it may have already taken place by the time you read this. Hernandez fell just short of making a junior world team a few weeks ago in Raleigh. Gonser is poised to make a deep run at NCAAs in his senior season at Campbell University. This is an excellent round of 64 matchup.
65 Kilograms
This weight is loaded with talent so we're just going to list the potential quarterfinals we might see and let the names do the talking.
#1 Jaydin Eierman, Missouri vs #8 Carter Happel, Iowa
#2 Dom Demas, Oklahoma vs #7 Luke Pletcher, Ohio State
#3 Mitch McKee, Minnesota vs #6 Josh Saunders, Cornell (commit)
#4 Kanen Storr, Michigan vs #5 Ben Freeman, Michigan
70 Kilograms
#1 Alec Pantaleo vs #2 Matt Kolodzik
Both these three-time NCAA All-Americans will be heavy favorites to reach the finals, where we would be treated to a three match series between these two hammers. Pantaleo and Kolodzik have never wrestled each other in college. No disrespect to the other wrestlers in this bracket, but we very much want to these two in the finals.
74 Kilograms
#1 Brady Berge vs #2 Anthony Artalona
Does wrestling at 74 kilos (about 163 pounds) mean that rising sophomore studs Brady Berge of Penn State and Anthony Artalona of Penn are moving up weight classes? Could be. Or the 2019 NCAA qualifiers at 149 pounds want to enjoy their summers a little and not worry about cutting weight. Either way, we win whenever and wherever they compete!
79 Kilograms
#5 Ethan Smith vs #4 Jacob Covaciu
This is a very hard bracket to predict, so there's no guarantee these two will meet. But if they do, it will be a prelude of things to come in the Big Ten next season, as both wrestlers qualified for the NCAA tournament at 174 pounds, Smith for Ohio State and Covaciu for Indiana.
86 Kilograms
Here's another awesome bracket that we will allow the top seeds and potential quarterfinalist to speak for themselves.
#1 Max Dean, Cornell vs #8 Greg Harvey, Pitt
#2 Matt Finesilver, Duke vs #7 Cam Caffey, Michigan State
#3 Lou DePrez, Binghamton vs #6 Devin Sktazka, Minnesota
#4 Nino Bonaccorsi, Pitt vs #5 Hunter Bolen, Virginia Tech
We would love to write far more on each of these All-American caliber wrestlers but matches have already started and we need to get this published already!
92 Kilograms
#1 Christian Brunner vs #8 Kyle Lightner or Jackson Striggow
Brunner is on a quest to make back-to-back U23 world teams. He'll have a tough test in the quarterfinals with either highly touted Rutgers recruit Kyle Lightner or unseeded but very dangerous Michigan Wolverine, Jackson Striggow.
97 Kilograms
#1 Ben Honis vs #4 Jeremiah Imonode or #5 Chase Singletary
Honis was a surprise NCAA All-American last March. Well, a surprise to some, I'm sure those that were in the Cornell wrestling room with him were not shocked in the slightest. Honis could be tested in the semis by the very tough West Pointer Jeremiah Imonode or a slimmed down Chase Singletary, who made the NCAAs as a heavyweight just a few months ago for Ohio State.
125 Kilograms
#2 Daniel Kirkvliet vs #3 Anthony Cassioppi
This is a very good and very deep heavyweight bracket, and we are going to learn a lot from it when it's all said and done. One of the most mouth-watering matchups is a potential bout between Iowa's soon to be starting heavyweight Anthony Cassioppi and the #1 recruit in the entire Class of 2019, Daniel Kirkvliet, who is headed to Ohio State in the fall. All table workers will need to be on high alert when these big men are rumbling on the mat.