Sacred Heart’s Madison Sandquist will be competing at the U.S. Olympic trials beginning Friday at Penn State. (Photo courtesy Sacred Heart athletics)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Penn., April 18, 2024 – Only 18 people will go home happy from this weekend’s U.S. Olympic wrestling trials from the Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of NCAA champion Penn State University.
There are just six spots available on the men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and men’s Greco-Roman team on the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in July.
While the United States has earned a spot in the Olympic tournament in all six of the women’s freestyle weight classes, the Americans have earned spots in four of six weight classes in the men’s freestyle tournament and just three of six in the Greco-Roman tournament.
The American Olympian in those unqualified weight classes will have to try and finish in the top three of their respective weight class of the World Olympic Games qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey on May 9-12.
The U.S. Olympic wrestling trials begin Friday with a challenge tournament with up to 15 qualifiers participating. The winner of the challenge tournament will face a finalist in a best-of-three series to determine which wrestler advances to the U.S. Olympic team.
Sacred Heart junior Madison Sandquist qualified for the trials and will be competing at 76 kilograms (kg) or 167 pounds. Sandquist, the first Pioneer wrestler to earn a spot at the Olympic trials, is the No. 10 seed in the Challenge Tournament.
Four American gold medalists are in the field including David Taylor (2021, Tokyo), Kyle Snyder (2016, Rio), Jordan Burroughs (2012, London) and Helen Maroulis (2016)
Former U.S. Olympians and world championship wrestlers are scattered throughout the weight classes along with collegiate national champions, too.
The 2024 U.S. Olympic trials begin Friday at Penn State.
The Olympic trials will primarily be streamed on NBC’s Peacock streaming service beginning on Friday at 10 a.m. with coverage from all four mats. The finals of the challenge tournaments be on USA cable network and Peacock on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The Olympic trials finals will be on USA and Peacock on Saturday night beginning at 6:30 p.m. All of the trials coverage will also be streamed at NBCOlympics.com and through the NBC Sports app.
“I’m fired up to be wrestling against the 15 best wrestlers in the country so I feel privileged to be here,” said Penn State’s Levi Haines, who won the NCAA championship at 157 pounds in March. “But I want to be standing on the top (of the podium) at the end of it.”
Haines is wrestling at 74 kg (163 pounds), which is one of the deepest weight classes in the men’s freestyle tournament. The top seeded wrestler is Dake, who won a silver medal at the 2023 world championship meet. Dake awaits the winner of the challenge tournament in a best-of-three final.
Among the wrestlers competing at 74 kg are former Olympian Jordan Burroughs, the top seed in the challenge tournament, 2021 world team member James Green and a pair of world champions, Mitchell Mesenbrink, who won a title in the U20 meet and Keegan O’Toole, who won a title at the U23 championships.
At 86 kg (189 pounds), Taylor is the defending Olympic champion and world champion. He awaits the winner of the challenge tournament that includes U23 world champion Aaron Brooks (2023) of Penn State, Patrick Downey, a member of the 2019 world team, and three NCAA champions from the recent meet in March – Iowa State’s David Carr (165), Penn State’s Carter Starocci (174) and Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen (184).
“That is what makes the (U.S.) Olympic trials so difficult,” Taylor said. “You take 10 weight classes and you have multiple people who are the best in the world and you shrink that to six weight classes.”
Added Kayla Miracle, the top seed at 62 kg (136 pounds), “It’s the fricking Olympic trials. You don’t want to make the moment bigger than it is but you have to know what you are wrestling for. It’s very exciting to be here and make a team, be my best self and have fun out there.”
Miracle is looking for her second consecutive trip to the Olympics.
Sandquist, a three-time All-American at Sacred Heart, went 3-0 including a 6-1 victory over teammate Cara Broadus of Plymouth at the Last Chance qualifier in Fairfax, Virginia earlier this month to secure her spot at the Olympic trials.
Sandquist won her first match at the Last Chance meet by pin and beat Naomi Simon of Northeast Iowa, 10-8 to earn a spot in the final where she met her teammate Broadus.
“It feels amazing,” Sandquist said. “I wasn’t sure where it was going to happen. I fell short at nationals and at the U.S. Open.”
Sandquist, who is from Humble, Texas, was 27-5 this season for the Pioneers and finished fifth at the national championship meet at 155.
“I am proud and happy for her,” Sacred Heart head coach Paulina Biega said. “This is an opportunity that doesn’t come often too often. She is among the best of the best. I am nothing but proud and happy for her.”
Broadus went 21-6 at 170 this season for the Pioneers and finished fourth at the recent national championship meet. At the Last Chance qualifier, she advanced to the finals with a pair of pins before running into Sandquist in the championship match.
Sandquist has a challenging match to begin the tournament on Friday against NCWWC national champion Marlynne Deede of Iowa (23-1) at 155 pounds. Should Sandquist win that match, she would face the No. 2 seed in the challenge tournament, Kylie Welker of Iowa, a NCWWC national champion at 170 pounds, in the next round.
“She (Sandquist) isn’t here by accident. She has worked for it just like everyone else here,” Biega said.
The winner of the challenge tournament will face Adeline Gray in the best-of-3 finals.
2024 U.S. Olympic wrestling trials
At University Park, Penn.
Men’s freestyle (six weight classes): 57, 65, 74, 86, 97 and 125 kilograms. Four of six weight classes have qualified for the Olympics. 57 and 65 kg still have to qualify.
Women’s freestyle (six weight classes): 50, 53, 57, 62, 68 and 76 kilograms. All six weight classes have qualified for the Olympics.
Greco-Roman (six weight classes): 60, 67, 77, 87, 97 and 130 kilograms. Three of six weight classes have qualified for the Olympics. 60, 67 and 77 still have to qualify.
Qualifying for the Olympics. Americans will have one last chance to earn spots in the Olympic tournament by finishing in the top three at the world Olympic Games qualifier in Turkey on May 9-12.
Follow the action on TrackWrestling.com.
Schedule
Friday, April 19
Session 1: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Challenge tournament: preliminaries, quarterfinals and consolation rounds
Broadcast: Peacock (all four mats, quad box), NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports app
Session 2: 6:30 to 10 p.m.
Challenge tournament: semifinals and finals
Broadcast: USA, Peacock (all four mats, quad box), NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports app
Saturday, April 20
Session 3: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Championship series, round 1**
**Weights not currently qualified for the Olympics will wrestle round 2 in this session
Challenge tournament: consolations, consolation semifinals, 3rd place and True 3rd (if needed)
Broadcast: Peacock (all mats, quad box), NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports app
Session 4: 6:30 to 10 p.m.
Championship series, round 2
Championship series, round 3, if necessary
Broadcast: USA, Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports app
