Jason Nolf, left, celebrates after beating Jordan Burroughs to win the Challenge Tournament at 70 kilograms Friday at the U.S. Olympic trials at Penn State. More Olympic trials photos
STATE COLLEGE, Penn., April 19, 2024 – Can attending a sporting event be considered a marathon? Perhaps.
The 2024 U.S. Olympic wrestling trials kicked off Friday morning at 10 a.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center and concluded at 10:45 p.m. with Penn State’s Aaron Brooks erasing a three-point deficit in the final 1:42 to beat Zahid Valenica, a former two-time NCAA champion from Arizona State, in the final of the Challenge Tournament at 89 kilograms (189 pounds).
And the tournament resumes in less than 12 hours. Saturday’s first match begins at 10 a.m. Minutes after Brooks’ emotional win in the Challenge Tournament he passed on meeting with the media to work out to make sure he can make weight on Saturday morning.
The winners of Friday’s Challenge Tournaments advanced to the best-of-3 series on Saturday for the right to compete on the U.S. Olympic team. Wrestlers who won a 2023 world championship medal or were finalists at the 2024 Pan American championships earned the right to advance to the Saturday’s championship series.
Six wrestlers will earn a spot in the American squad in men’s freestyle, six in women’s freestyle and six in Greco-Roman although there are two men’s freestyle and four Greco Roman weight classes were the United States has yet to clinch a spot in the Olympic tournament.
Kennedy Blades is in control of Yelena Makoyed in the Challenge Tournament final at 76 kg Friday night. More Olympic trials photos
Victors in the Challenge Tournament won three to four matches depending on the size of their weight classes in a 12-hour period against some of the top wrestlers in the country – opponents who had won NCAA national championships, earned spots on previous U.S. world championship teams and medals at previous Olympiads.
There were all plenty of emotional wins and stories – too many to compile in one story.
Still, a few stood out. Jordan Burroughs, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist who has won six world championships, dropped a 3-0 decision to Penn State’s Jason Nolf at 74 kg in the Challenge Tournament final.
Nolf had a 1-0 lead with four seconds left in the first period when he thought he secured a takedown. A video review nullified the call.
No problem. Nolf literally tossed Burroughs into the air just seconds after the start of the second period for a 3-0 lead.
That pleased the crowd that loudly cheered current and former Penn State wrestlers in the tournament. Burroughs drew the ire of the crowd after his 8-3 win over Mitchell Mesenbrink in the Challenge tournament semifinals.
There was plenty of chatter between Burroughs and Mesenbrink on the mat and the crowd sided with Mesenbrink, a current Nittany Lion.
Taylor Lamont, left, throws Billy Sullivan to the mat in the 60 kg weight class in the Greco-Roman division at the U.S. Olympic trials.
J’den Cox lost in the semifinals at 97 kg and the Rio Olympic bronze medalist took his shoes off and left them on the mat in a symbolic act of retirement.
Jessie Mendez, a sophomore from Ohio State who won the NCAA title in March, was seeded 11th at 65 kg and won three straight matches including a 12-7 win over former Cornell wrestler Yianni Diakomihalis to advance to the semifinals before losing to Penn State graduate Zain Rutherford, 3-2.
Aliaksandr Kikiniou, a two-time Olympian and 2009 world championship bronze medalist for Belarus, won his Challenge Tournament semifinal at 77 kg in the Greco-Roman division, outlasting Benji Peak from Northern Michigan, 7-6. Kikiniou, 44, is the oldest wrestler in the tournament.
When it was over, both wrestlers lay on their backs gasping for air, exhausted.
We snapped plenty of photos of the action. The action was fast and furious. Take a look at what we saw.
https://collinsvillepress.smugmug.com/2024-US-Olympic-Wrestling-Trials
Men’s Freestyle Best-of-Three Championship Series Matchups
57 kg: Spencer Lee (Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Thomas Gilman (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
65 kg: Nick Lee (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Zain Retherford (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
74 kg: Kyle Dake (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Jason Nolf (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
86 kg: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Aaron Brooks (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
97 kg: Kyle Snyder (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Isaac Trumble (Wolfpack RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
125 kg: Mason Parris (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC)
Challenge Tournament Finals Results
74 kg: Jason Nolf (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC/Sunkist Kids WC), 3-0
86 kg: Aaron Brooks (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Zahid Valencia (Sunkist Kids WC), 7-6
97 kg: Isaac Trumble (Wolfpack RTC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC), 11-1
125 kg: Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC) dec. Nick Gwiazdowski (Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC), 5-1
Women’s Freestyle Best-of-Three Championship Series Matchups
50 kg: Sarah Hildebrandt (New York AC) vs. Audrey Jimenez (Sunkist Kids WC)
53 kg: Dominique Parrish (Beaver Dam RTC/Sunkist Kids WC) vs. Haley Augello (Izzy Style/New York AC)
57 kg: Helen Maroulis (Sunkist Kids WC) vs. Jacarra Winchester (Titan Mercury WC)
62 kg: Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids WC) vs. Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids WC)
68 kg: Amit Elor (NYC RTC/Titan Mercury) vs. Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids WC)
76 kg: Adeline Gray (New York AC) vs. Kennedy Blades (Sunkist Kids WC)
Women’s Freestyle
Challenge Tournament Finals Results
50 kg: Audrey Jimenez (Sunkist Kids WC) dec. Sage Mortimer (Titan Mercury WC), 10-6
53 kg: Haley Augello (Izzy Style/New York AC) dec. Areana Villaescusa (U.S. Army WCAP), 3-0
57 kg: Jacarra Winchester (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Alex Hedrick (Titan Mercury WC), 4-2
62 kg: Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids WC) dec. Jen Page (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC), 9-8
68 kg: Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids WC) dec. Alex Glaude (Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC), 4-3
76 kg: Kennedy Blades (Sunkist Kids WC) tech. fall Yelena Makoyed (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC), 11-0
Greco-Roman
Best-of-Three Championship Series Matchups
60 kg: Ildar Hafizov (U.S. Army WCAP) vs. Dalton Roberts (U.S. Army WCAP)
67 kg: Alejandro Sancho (U.S. Army WCAP) vs. Ellis Coleman (U.S. Army WCAP)
77 kg: Kamal Bey (U.S. Army WCAP) vs. Aliaksandr Kikinou (New York AC)
87 kg: Spencer Woods (U.S. Army WCAP) vs. Payton Jacobson (Northern Michigan/Sunkist Kids WC)
97 kg: Alan Vera (New York AC) vs. Josef Rau (Titan Mercury WC)
130 kg: Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist Kid WC) vs. Adam Coon (Cliff Keen WC/New York AC)
Challenge Tournament Finals Results
87 kg: Payton Jacobson (Northern Michigan/Sunkist Kids WC) dec. John Stefanowicz (U.S. Marine Corps), 1-1
97 kg: Josef Rau (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Nicholas Boykin (Sunkist Kids WC), 5-3
130 kg: Adam Coon (Cliff Keen WC/New York AC) tech. fall Aden Attao (Beaver Dam RTC/New York AC), 9-0
