Olympic champ Burroughs, NCAA champs highlight US Open in freestyle

By Craig Sesker USA Wrestling

Olympic and World champion Jordan Burroughs headlines the list of No. 1 seeds for next week’s U.S. Open in freestyle wrestling.

Burroughs won a World title in 2011 and an Olympic title in 2012 at 74 kg/163 lbs. He is 48-0 on the Senior level over the past three seasons. He is 10-0 this season.

2012 Olympic bronze medalist Coleman Scott is the top seed at 60 kg/132 lbs. Two-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber is seeded second behind Scott.

Past World bronze medalist and Olympian Tervel Dlagnev is the top seed at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Olympian Sam Hazewinkel is No. 1 at 55 kg/121 lbs. with past World Team member Brent Metcalf No. 1 at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.

Past National Team member Keith Gavin is No. 1 at 84 kg/185 lbs. with past NCAA All-American Wynn Michalak No. 1 at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

Two-time NCAA champions Jordan Oliver (66/145), Ed Ruth (84/185), Logan Stieber (60/132) also are expected to compete along with 2012 Hodge Trophy winner David Taylor (74/163).

The Senior-level portion of the U.S. Open is scheduled for April 18-20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the first time since April of 2009 that Vegas will host the U.S. Open. The 2010 and 2011 Opens were held in Cleveland, Ohio, and the 2012 Open was replaced by the 2012 Olympic Trials.

The top eight seeds in each weight class will advance directly to the final day of the tournament in their respective weight classes. Those wrestlers will be exempt from competing in the qualifying tournament the day before.

The first qualifying tournament will be held on April 18 at 66 kg, 84 kg and 120 kg with the top eight wrestlers advancing to the championship tournament the following day.

The second qualifying tournament will be held on April 19 at 55 kg, 60 kg, 74 kg and 96 kg with the top eight wrestlers advancing to the championship tournament the following day.

Qualifying tournaments will not be held in weight classes with 19 or fewer entries. If that occurs, all the wrestlers will compete only on the second day.

The top seven finishers in each weight class at the U.S. Open will qualify for June’s U.S. World Team Trials in Stillwater, Okla.

There will also be competition in Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle on all three days with the finals taking place at 7 p.m.

In Greco, 74/163 and 84/185 will take place on April 18, 55/121 and 96/211 will be contested on April 19, and 60/132, 66/145 and 120/265 will be wrestled on April 20.

In women’s freestyle, the daily order of competitions will be 51/112, 59/130, and 67/147 on April 18; 48/105 and 63/138 on April 19; and 55/121 and 72/158 on April 20.

Seeds are tentative and subject to change. Final seeding of the top eight will be done and posted right after the close of registration on Tuesday, April 16.

2013 U.S. OPEN SEEDS

55 kg/121 lbs.
1. Sam Hazewinkel, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Obe Blanc, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
3. Ben Kjar, Orem, Utah (Titan Mercury WC)
4. Zach Sanders, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
5. Mark McKnight, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
6. Brandon Precin, Evanston, Ill. (Wildcat WC)
7. Frank Perrelli, Itahca, N.Y. (New York AC)
8. Kyle Hutter (HRWA/Virginia Beach RTC)
9. Steve Mytych, Coplay, Pa. (Lehigh Valley AC)
10. Shawn Contos, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)

60 kg/132 lbs.
1. Coleman Scott, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
2. Logan Stieber, Monroeville, Ohio (New York AC/Ohio RTC)
3. Reece Humphrey, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
4. Tyler Graff, Loveland, Colo. (New York AC)
5. Andrew Hochstrasser, Boise, Idaho (Titan Mercury WC)

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
1. Brent Metcalf, Iowa City, Iowa (New York AC)
2. Chase Pami, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
3. Adam Hall, New York, N.Y. (New York AC/Titan Mercury WC)
4. Jordan Oliver, Easton, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC)
5. Jason Chamberlain, Springville, Utah (Titan Mercury WC)
6. Phil Simpson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
7. Kevin LeValley, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
8. Drew Headlee, Bethlehem, Pa. (Lehigh Valley AC)
9. Kellen Russell, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC/Cliff Keen WC)
10. Kyle Ruschell, Madison, Wis. (New York AC)

74 kg/163 lbs.
1. Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Nick Marable, Columbia, Mo. (Sunkist Kids)
3. David Taylor, St. Paris, Ohio (Nittany Lion WC)
4. Anthony Jones, E. Lansing, Mich. (Michigan WC)
5. Colt Sponseller, Glenmont, Ohio (New York AC)

84 kg/185 lbs.
1. Keith Gavin, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
2. Max Askren, Hartland, Wis. (New York AC/Titan Mercury WC)
3. Phil Keddy, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC)
4. Jon Reader, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids/Cyclone WC)
5. Austin Trotman, Boone, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC)
6. Clayton Foster, Laramie, Wyo. (Cowboy WC/GRIT Athletics)
7. Ed Ruth, Harrisburg, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
8. Cam Simaz, Ithaca, N.Y. (Finger Lakes WC)
9. Mike Pucillo, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)

96 kg/211.5 lbs.
1. Wynn Michalak, Champaign, Ill. (Titan Mercury WC)
2. Les Sigman, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
3. David Zabriskie, Bethlehem, Pa. (Lehigh Valley AC)
4. Chris Pendleton, Laramie, Wyo. (Cowboy WC)
5. Dustin Kilgore, Berea, Ohio (Sunkist Kids)
6. J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
7. Trevor Brandvold, Verona, Wis. (New York AC)
8. Jack Jensen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
9. Cayle Byers, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
10. Luke Lofthouse, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC)

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
1. Tervel Dlagnev, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids/Ohio RTC)
2. Dom Bradley, Blue Springs, Mo. (Sunkist Kids)
3. Zach Rey, Hopatcong, N.J. (Lehigh Valley AC)
4. Ryan Tomei, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC)
5. Kyle Massey, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC/Cliff Keen WC)