2022 US Open Lightweight Preview & Predictions
2022 US Open Lightweight Preview & Predictions
A preview of the first five weights at the 2022 US Open in men's freestyle.
The US Open will take place April 29-30 in Las Vegas with the top 7 place winners qualifying for the world team trials. Take a look below at an in-depth preview of the 5 lightest weights in men’s freestyle at the US Open.
57 kg
Seeds
1. Gabriel Townsell, California Regional Training Center (CA RTC)
2. Matthew Ramos, Boilermaker RTC
3. Jakob Camacho, Wolfpack Wrestling Club
4. Joey Prata, Oklahoma Regional Training Center
The Favorites
With many of Team USA’s top 57kg wrestlers already qualified for World Team Trials, 57kg in Vegas is wide open. This makes it difficult to pinpoint a clear favorite but the top seeds Gabriel Townsell and Matt Ramos are the safe bets. Townsell notably made the U23 world team in 2019 and will be interesting to watch down at 57kg. Townwsell was never able to secure All-American honors for Stanford but his wrestling abilities are better suited for the international styles.
Though Ramos didn’t earn All-American honors this year, he is a freestyle specialist and his results show his strength lies in the international style - he won a Cadet world title in 2018 and also has a win over NCAA champ Darian Cruz from 2020 senior nationals. It's also important to note Ramos' impressive run to the round of 12 at the NCAA tournament highlighted by wins over RayVon Foley, Kai Orine, and Lucas Byrd.
Ramos' win in the 2018 cadet world finals:
Other Contenders
The other two seeded wrestlers - Jakob Camacho and Joey Prata will challenge top-seeded Ramos for the title in Vegas. Camacho and Prata are both relatively inexperienced on the senior level but their results from their college careers show they are the class of this field. Of the two, Camacho has had the better freestyle results with a 7th place finish at Senior Nationals in 2020.
Sleepers And Landmines
Greg Diakomihalis could break into the top tier in this bracket and should finish in the top 7 to qualify for the world team trials. Diakomihalis most recently wrestled at the Bill Farrell last month where he placed 4th losing to Zane Richards and Nico Provo.
57kg Predictions:
- Gabriel Townsell
- Matthew Ramos
- Jakob Camacho
- Joey Prata
- Greg Diakomihalis
- Caleb Smith
- Anthony Molton
- Aden Reeves
61 kg
Seeds
1. Tyler Graff, Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)
2. Nico Megaludis, Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)
3. Seth Gross, Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club
4. Joshua Rodriguez, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club
5. Daniel DeShazer, Gopher Wrestling Club – RTC
6. Josh Kramer, Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club
7. Brandon Wright, Indiana
The Favorite
Tyler Graff will be the #1 seed at the US Open and should be considered a slight favorite to bring home a title from Vegas. Graff was a 2019 world team member for Team USA and placed 5th at the 2019 world championships. Last year, Graff came up just short at the World Team Trials where he lost a close, 2-0 match to eventual world silver medalist Daton Fix. Graff is a freestyle veteran and is one of the big contenders to make Final X to set up a rematch with Fix.
Tyler Graff's win over Nico Megaludis in the 2019 World Team Trials Finals:
Other Contenders
After suffering from injuries in 2020 and 2021, Nico Megaludis is back and looks to be wrestling better than ever. He most recently competed at the Yasar Dogu in February and took home a bronze medal. Along with that performance, prior to his injuries, Megaludis was frequently in the top 3 for Team USA and finished second at world team trials in 2018 and 2019. Megaludis is capable of winning the US Open and will threaten to make Final X at 61kg.
If Seth Gross wrestles 61kg, he will be a key wrestler to watch not only because he’s a contender but also because he’s one of the most entertaining freestyle wrestlers entered at the Open. Gross has impressive freestyle wins over the likes of Thomas Gilman, Nathan Tomasello, and Nick Suriano. The big question - will he stay up at 65kg or drop to 61kg? Last month we saw Gross take home gold at 65kg at the Bill Farrell with a win over Ian Parker in the finals.
Seth Gross' win over Ian Parker at 65kg from the 2022 Bill Farrell:
Sleepers And Landmines
Josh Rodriguez and Jesse Mendez will be two competitors to watch who are dangerous freestyle wrestlers. Rodriguez wrestled in February at the Kolov and brought home a bronze medal with impressive wins over junior world silver medalist Ravinder Dahiya (IND) and Andrey Bekrenev (BLR). Mendez is still eligible to wrestle U20s (and will likely enter the trials in June) but is testing himself against the seniors in Vegas. As one of the country’s brightest prospects and top recruit for Ohio State, look for Mendez to challenge some of the veterans in this bracket. It's also worth noting that Mendez defeated Carter Young in the junior world team trials last year just a few months before young would go on to defeat the likes of Tyler Graff and Seth Gross and the senior world team trials.
Jesse Mendez's win over Carter Young in the 2021 Junior World Team Trials:
61kg Predictions
- Nico Megaludis
- Tyler Graff
- Josh Rodriguez
- Seth Gross
- Josh Kramer
- Jesse Mendez
- Daniel DeShazer
- Brandon Wright
65 kg
Seeds
1. Evan Henderson, Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)
2. Patricio Lugo, Hawkeye Wrestling Club
3. Luke Pletcher, Pittsburgh Wrestling Club
4. Ian Parker, Iowa
5. Matthew Kolodzik, New Jersey RTC
6. Kendric Maple, Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club
7. Dean Heil, Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)
The Favorite
65kg is one of the most wide-open weights in Las Vegas with a number of wrestlers who could come away with the title. Of those entered, top-seeded Evan Henderson has the best results against domestic and international competitors. Henderson has past wins over Dean Heil, Matt Kolodzik, Ian Parker, Jaydin Eierman, Joey McKenna, and Pat Lugo. Henderson is also one of the more exciting guys to watch in this bracket and will likely put up as many points as any wrestler in Vegas.
Evan Henderson's win over Joey McKenna from the 2019 Bill Farrell:
Other Contenders
While Henderson has wins over numerous guys seeded in the top 7, there are a number of capable contenders in this field. The most notable are Pat Lugo, Luke Pletcher, Ian Parker, and Matt Kolodzik. All of these competitors have impressive freestyle results and should qualify for the world team trials. It’s also important to note we haven’t seen many of these athletes compete in the last few months - the Open will be a great preview of who of this group is a legitimate contender at the World Team Trials.
Sleepers And Landmines
The biggest sleeper in all of the US Open might be Kendric Maple. A 2013 NCAA Champion, Maple hasn’t competed on the senior level since 2018 but was forced to enter this year’s US Open after losing a bet to Keegan O’Toole. Rumor is that Maple is an unstoppable force in the practice room and if the rumors are even half-true, Maple should challenge every wrestler in this bracket. To go along with the practice room gossip, Maple has impressive past freestyle credentials - he was second to Logan Stieber at the 2017 World Team Trials and won the US Open in 2017. If he’s anywhere close to wrestling his best, Kendric Maple is capable of winning this entire bracket.
Kendric Maple's win over Brandon Wright in the 2019 US Open finals:
65kg Predictions
- Evan Henderson
- Kendric Maple
- Pat Lugo
- Luke Pletcher
- Ian Paker
- Kanen Storr
- Matt Kolodzik
- Dean Heil
70 kg
Seeds
1. Alec Pantaleo, Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)
2. Jordan Oliver, Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club
3. Tyler Berger, California Regional Training Center (CA RTC)
4. Anthony Ashnault, New York Athletic Club
5. Harold 'Brock' Mauller, Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club
6. Will Lewan, Cliff Keen Wrestling Club
7. Austin Gomez, Wisconsin Regional Training Center
8. Sam Sasso, Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)
9. Yahya Thomas, Wildcat Wrestling Club
The Favorite
After defeating Jordan Oliver 4-1 last month at the Rudis Super Match event, Alec Pantaleo is the favorite to win a loaded 70kg bracket. On top of two wins over Oliver (he also defeated Oliver in December of 2020), Pantaleo has past wins over the #3 and #4 seeds in this bracket - Tyler Berger and Anthony Ashnault. With James Green officially retired, winning the US Open will be of utmost importance to Pantaleo. Gold in Vegas will secure Pantaleo the #1 seed at the World Team Trials next month and set him up with a favorable path to make Final X.
Pantaleo's win over Jordan Oliver from December 2020:
Other Contenders
While he might be a slight underdog to Pantaleo, Jordan Oliver is absolutely capable of defeating anyone in this bracket. Coming off winning the Olympic trials last year at 65kg, Oliver seems to be settling in at 70kg and will be one of the main contenders to make the world team this year. However, Oliver will have to wrestle his best as he’s slated to have tough matches against Austin Gomez in the quarterfinals and Tyler Berger in the semis.
Jordan Oliver's win over Zain Retherford at the 2021 World Team Trials:
It’s also worth noting the aforementioned Berger defeated top-seeded Pantaleo in March of 2021 and has freestyle wins over Sammy Sasso, Carson Kharchla, Anthony Ashnault, Joey McKenna, and Ryan Deakin. Because of those credentials, Berger should be considered a contender in Vegas and should not be considered a major underdog to Pantaloe or Oliver.
Sleepers And Landmines
There are a number of competitors outside the top 3 who could pull an upset and make a run to the finals at the US Open. Of those seeded, Austin Gomez and Will Lewan fit the best description of a “landmine.” Will Lewan was a cadet world champion in 2017 and defeated college teammate Pantaleo twice in the 2018 NCAA season. Gomez was a cadet world team member back in 2013 and looks to be wrestling better than ever. Also, Gomez’s ability to hit big moves and score in bunches suits freestyle perfectly and could result in him taking out a top-seeded wrestler or two in Vegas.
After the seeded wrestlers, Ed Scott is an unseeded wrestler who could make some noise at 70kg. Scott put together a solid year for NC State compiling a 26-4 record and falling one win short of All-American status. During the college season, Scott had impressive wins over Austin O’Connor, Quincy Monday, and Kaleb Young. On top of that, Scott is an experienced freestyle wrestler, was a multiple-time placer at Fargo, and made the finals of the junior world team trials last year. Don’t be surprised if Scott makes a run at the US Open and qualifies for the world team trials.
70kg Predictions
- Alec Pantaleo
- Jordan Oliver
- Tyler Berger
- Anthony Ashnault
- Austin Gomez
- Sammy Sasso
- Will Lewan
- Yahya Thomas
74 kg
Seeds
1. Jason Nolf, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club
2. Thomas Gantt, Wolfpack Wrestling Club
3. Joshua Shields, Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club
4. Joey Lavallee, Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)
5. Cameron Amine, Cliff Keen Wrestling Club
The Favorite
Jason Nolf might be the biggest favorite at the US Open and has seen his best results on the senior level in the past few months. Last December, Nolf traveled to Russia and defeated former world champion Khetik Tsabolov during an all-star Russian league match. Then at the Yarygin in January, Nolf made the finals by pinning 2021 world bronze medalist Timur Bizhoev. Not only should Nolf win the US Open but he’s the favorite to make Final X and challenge Kyle Dake for the 2022 world team spot.
Nolf's dominant win over Mitch Finesilver:
Other Contenders
Nolf might be a big favorite but Tommy Gantt should not be underestimated. Gantt has been a consistent threat on the freestyle scene over the past five years and has put together an impressive hit list highlighted by wins over Josh Shields, Evan Wick, Anthony Valencia, Tyler Berger, Joey Lavallee, Logan Massa, Franklin Gomez, and Michael Kemerer. While Gantt will be a significant underdog against Nolf, no one else in this bracket has proven to be on the same level as Tommy Gantt.
Gantt's win over Anthony Valencia to make the 2019 US Open Finals:
Sleepers And Landmines
Cam Amine at the 5 seed might not be a true sleeper but his lack of freestyle experience makes him a mystery in this bracket - so I’m including him. It’s also important to note Amine is just over a month removed from taking out Alex Marinelli to make the semi-finals at the NCAA tournament. That win, combined with his 4th place finish at NCAAs, proves Amine has made consistent progress and is ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country at 74kg. On top of that, Amine’s defensive style and strong positioning could present a unique challenge to top-seeded Nolf. I’m not predicting the upset, but Amine certainly won’t back down against Nolf and could be the biggest hurdle to Nolf winning his first US Open title.
74kg Predictions
- Jason Nolf
- Tommy Gantt
- Josh Shields
- Cam Amine
- Joey Lavallee
- Jacob Wright
- Josh Ogunsanya
- Quentin Perez