11 Must-See Session 2 World Team Trials Matches
11 Must-See Session 2 World Team Trials Matches
Session one of the World Team Trials is in the books. Get ready for session two by looking at these incredible matchups on tap.
The World Team Trials are off to an incredible start. If you missed session one, check out highlights from some of the most exciting matches, then get ready for session two by reading about some of the best bouts on tap.
74kg - Jason Nolf vs David Carr
Jason Nolf took out David Carr at the Olympic Trials last year in a dominant, 10-0 tech fall. Will David Carr be able to close the gap enough to challenge Nolf? Or is Nolf destined to meet Kyle Dake in Final X? We’ll find out tonight!
79kg - David McFadden vs Chance Marsteller
These two have wrestled twice this year - both incredibly entertaining bouts. In February at the Yasar Dogu, Marsteller outlasted McFadden in a wild, 10-7 match. Then, last month at the US Open, McFadden came back from an 8-2 deficit to win 11-10. The rubber match will decide who wrestles in the finals tomorrow evening!
50kg - Erin Golston vs Emily Shilson
Golston and Shilson have history. Golston won their initial meeting in January of 2021 on the night Tamyra Mensah-Stock and Adeline Gray squared off, but Shilson turned the tide and won in their September World Team Trials meeting. Who takes the rubber match? Find out tonight.
57kg - Zane Richards Vs Vito Arujau
Zane Richards took out Vito 8-2 three years ago at the US Open. Arujau has made big strides since then and will look to flip the result and make tomorrow’s finals. The winner of this bout will be a big favorite to meet Thomas Gilman in Final X.
Richards’ win over Vito from the 2019 US Open:
61kg - Nico Megaludis vs Seth Gross
These two met in the US Open semi-finals where Megaludis won a tight, 4-1 decision. Gross will need to make important adjustments but as we saw in the quarters against Mendez, Gross can score in bunches and is never out of a match because of his par terre offense.
Megaludis’ win over Gross from the US Open Semis:
97kg - Braxton Amos vs Lucas Sheridan
We only have two Greco semis in tonight’s session, but the Amos vs Sheridan match should be a lot of fun. When these two met at the Olympic Trials, Greco Junior World bronze medalist Amos won, but it was a tight 8-6 contest.
79kg - David McFadden vs Chance Marsteller
These two have wrestled twice this year - both incredibly entertaining bouts. In February at the the Yasar Dogu, Marsteller outlasted McFadden in a wild, 10-7 match. Then, last month at the US Open, McFadden came back from a 8-2 deficit to win 11-10. The rubber match will decide who wrestles in the finals tomorrow evening!
79kg - Vincenzo Joseph vs Alex Dieringer
The rematch! Vincenzo Joseph stunned Alex Dieringer in the quarter finals of the US Open with a late score to secure a comeback win. Dieringer was leading a majority of that match but Joseph looks to be wrestling as good as ever after a 10-0 tech fall over Taylor Lujan in the quarter-finals. Dieringer is also off to a great start with a 14-3 tech fall over Isaiah Martinez. Who wins in Dieringer - Joseph rematch? We’ll find out tonight but we can expect a highly competitive bout for the right to wrestle in tomorrow’s finals.
86kg - Drew Foster vs Mark Hall
Everyone knows how good Mark Hall is at freestyle but Drew Foster seems to go fly under the radar with his freestyle accomplishments. Foster placed 4th at last year’s world team trials and, more important than that, holds a 6-1 win over Mark Hall from last year’s Olympic Trials Qualifying tournament. If Foster is wrestling his best, he’s absolutely capable of once again taking out Mark Hall.
86kg - Zahid Valencia vs Trent Hidlay
Zahid Valencia and Trent Hidlay met in the CKLV finals back in 2019. At that point, Hidlay was just a redshirt freshman, and Zahid was at the height of his collegiate powers. While he’s still a big underdog in this matchup, his underhook just might give him the ability to threaten Zahid in the positional battle. It favors Zahid, but we need to see it find out where both guys stand.
50kg - Sage Mortimer vs Alyssa Lampe
Sage Mortimer is fresh off a U20 World Team Trials finals appearance, and very much at the beginning of her senior level career. She’ll see Alyssa Lampe who won a Junior World bronze way back in 2008 and has been a staple on the senior scene since. It’s a high-level bout of the past vs the future.