Six Americans over 30 earn spots on Non-Olympic Weights World Team

Photo: Jordan Burroughs penetrated the defense of Chance Marsteller to score a total of two takedowns — including a four-pointer in the second match — to win both bouts at 79k in men’s freestyle — at the 2024 Non-Olympic Weights World Team Trials in Omaha. (Justin Hoch photo)

By Mike Finn

OMAHA — Sunday was quite a day for several of USA Wrestling’s older wrestlers as six wrestlers over the age of 30 — James Green, Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor in men’s freestyle, Ildar Hafizov and Aliaksandr Kikiniou in Greco-Roman, and Jacarra Winchester in women’s freestyle — all won Best-of-3 Championships at the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials.

For Green and Burroughs, New Jersey natives and former stars at the University of Nebraska, they earned spots before many of their Husker fans in the MECA – CHI Health Center. Green, 31, a two-time World medalist, defeated former Michigan All-American Alec Pantaleo in two straight matches at 70 kilos, while Burroughs, 36, a six-time World champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, avenged a 2023 World Team Trials loss to Chance Marsteller at 79 kilos.

Taylor, 33, the former World and Olympic champ who came up short at the 2024 Olympic Trials at 86 kilos before taking the Oklahoma State head coaching position, defeated fellow 2023 Worlds teammate Zahid Valencia in two straight bouts at 92 kilos.

Aliaksandr Kikiniou (right), a 2009 World bronze medalist for Belarus, defeated Jesse Porter in two bouts to claim a World Team Trials title in Greco-Roman. (Sam Janicki photo)

Hafizov and Kikiniou, both immigrants from Uzbekistan and Belarus, respectively, earned spots on the team. Hafizov, 36, qualified for his fifth World Team for Team USA but needed three matches to beat Max Black at 63 kilos, while Kikiniou, 44, a former World bronze medalist for his native country, will represent Team USA for the first time.

Winchester, 31, who has represented Team USA at 53k and 55k in past World and Olympic Championships, won two straight matches against Michaela Beck at 59 kilos.

Jacarra Winchester has now qualified for either the Worlds or Olympics in three different weights. (Sam Janicki photo)

The other six winners, who will compete in the 2024 Non-Olympic Weight World Championships, Oct. 28-31 in Tirana, Albania, were 2023 World champ Vito Arujau (61k) in men’s freestyle, Areana Villaescusa (55k), 2023 World silver medalist Macey Kilty (65k) and Kylie Welker (72k) in women’s freestyle, and Brady Koontz (55k) and Benji Peak (63k) in Greco-Roman.

The following are highlights from the Best-of-3 Championship Series:

Men’s Freestyle

61k  Vito Arujau (Spartan WC) defeated Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg WC) two matches to none

Match 1 – Arujau won 2-1 — 25 seconds after giving up a passivity point, which would have given Blaze criteria, Arujau scored the deciding point on a stepout with 45 seconds left.

Match 2 – Arujau won 3-2 — Similar to the first match, the 2023 World champ earned a pair of passivity points and a stepout point to take a 3-0 lead against the high school senior, who finally scored a stepout with eight seconds left

70k  James Green (Nebraska WC) defeated Alec Pantaleo (Cliff Keen WC) two matches to none

Match 1 — Green won by TF 10-0: 0:48 – The former Cornhusker caught the former Michigan All-American in a throw with 42 seconds gone in the bout before he switched to a strong leg lace for three straight turns, ending the bout six seconds later.

Match 2 — Green won 2-1 — A second passivity point against the former Wolverine came with 50 seconds left to give the two-time World medalist a spot on his seventh all-time World Team.

79k  Jordan Burroughs (Penn RTC) defeated Chance Marsteller (NJRTC/TMWC), two matches to none

Match 1 — Burroughs won, 3-0 – Burroughs scored the bout’s only takedown off a single leg with 1:53 left in the first period, before earning a passivity point against Marsteller halfway through second frame.

Match 2 — Burroughs won 6-3 – Trailing 1-0 at the break, Burroughs qualified for his 10th World Team and avenged last year’s loss to Marsteller, when the former Nebraska star exploded for a double-leg takedown that put his foe on his back for a 5-1 lead with 54 seconds left. Marsteller did earn two exposure points off Burroughs takedown to cut the lead to 5-3 before Burroughs added a final stepout point.

92k — David Taylor (Cowboys RTC) defeated  Zahid Valencia (TMWC), two matches to none

Match 1 – Taylor won 3-3 criteria – Taylor scored the deciding takedown with 2:05 left, 20 seconds after Valencia used an effective high crotch to lead 3-1. Both men exchanged stepouts in the first period.

Match 2 – Taylor won by fall (2:49) – Taylor was leading 8-0 off three takedowns when he scored the pin.

Women’s Freestyle

55k — Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP) defeated Amanda Martinez (Cardinal WC) two matches to none 

Match 1 — Villaescusa won 4-3 — The 27-year-old native of Arizona scored exposure points off the former North Central College All-American off a scramble with 31 seconds left to take a 4-2 lead. Both women scored two stepouts each with Villaescusa holding a 2-2 criteria lead.

Match 2 — Villaescusa won 11-8 — Moments after Martinez scored a takedown and stepout to tie the match and lead on criteria with 25 seconds left, Villaescusa clinched her first World Team berth with a stepout and takedown in the final 11 seconds.

59k Jacarra Winchester (USOPTC/TMWC) defeated Michaela Beck (USOPTC/TMWC), two matches to none

Match 1 – Winchester won 11-0 (2:57) — The 2019 World champ scored the bout’s only takedown off a snap down midway through the first period before adding three guts to take a 9-0 lead, then ended the match on an exposure move with three seconds left before intermission.

Match 2 – Winchester won 11-0 (4:25) — Leading just 3-0 at the break, Winchester scored a pair of takedowns and two gut wrenches to clinch her fifth World Team.

65k Macey Kilty (Iowa Women’s WC) defeated Aine Drury (NYAC/King) two matches to none

Match 1 — Kilty won 10-0 (2:10) — A second takedown by the 2023 World silver medalist with 1:15 left in the first period turned into three straight laces for the technical fall.

Match 2 — Kilty won 12-1 (2:53) — The first of three takedowns led to three straight leg laces by Kilty, who added the first two takedowns in the final 29 seconds.

72k Kylie Welker (Iowa Women’s WC) defeated Yelena Makoyed (Cardinal WC) two matches to none

Match 1 – Welker won by fall, 7-0 (5:03) — The pin happened shortly after the Hawkeye countered a shot by the former North Central star with a headlock with 1:08 left to take a 7-0 lead. Welker led 1-0 off a passivity call against Makoyed then scored a takedown 30 seconds into the second period.

Match 2 — Welker won 5-2 — Leading 1-0 at the break, Welker scored two takedowns in the first half of the second period before Makoyed tallied a takedown with 1:36 left.

Greco-Roman

55k  Brady Koontz (Dubuque RTC/TMWC) defeated. Kennedy Crosby (Northern Michigan TC), two matches to none

Match 1 – Koontz won by TF 9-0 (5:19) — Koontz ended the bout on a takedown after he led 3-0 at the break, thanks to an effective gut from par terre, then opened the second period with four straight stepouts.

Match 2 — Koontz won by a TF, 8-0 (3:48) — After earning a passivity point, the Wisconsin native used par terre to score four points off two gut wrenches in the first half, then added three stepouts in the second frame.

63k Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) defeated Max Black (NYAC/Northern Michigan), two matches to one

Match 1 — Hafizov won by TF, 11-0 (2:13) — The two-time Olympian and seven-time World Team wrestler made the most of his passivity par terre when he used three straight bodylocks to lead 7-0 before a four-point takedown ended the bout.

Match 2 — Black won 3-1 — Black forced a third bout when he defended a Hafizov body attack with 43 seconds left in the first period, then clinched the bout on a passivity point against Hafizov.

Match 3 — Hafizov won by TF, 9-0 (1:35) – Shortly after earning a passivity point, Hafizov caught Black in four high guts to end the bout and earn his xx World Team.

72k – Benji Peak (Combat WC) defeated RaVaughn Perkins (NWAC) two matches to none

Peak won the weight class when Perkins failed to make weight Sunday morning. This marked the second World Team berth, first coming in 2022, for the 24-year-old native of Elkhorn, Wisc.

82k – Aliaksandr Kikiniou (NYAC) defeated Jesse Porter (NYAC) two matches to none

Match 1 —Kikiniou won 5-1 – The 44-year-old native of Belarus broke open the close bout when he executed a reverse headlock with 1:39 left in the match.

Match 2 — Kikiniou won 3-1 – A defensive leg foul by Porter with 1:04 left provide the winning point for the immigrant from Belarus.