Jordan Burroughs, shown at the Olympic Trials, is heading to another world championship meet.
Courtesy USA Wrestling
It won’t be the usual team of 10 American wrestlers heading to the world championships in October in Albania. Because this is an Olympic year, the world championships consist of four weight classes that weren’t held at the Olympics.
Team USA held the 2024 World Team Trials in Omaha with four wrestlers earning spots on the men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman teams, respectively.
Six-time world champion Jordan Burroughs and three-time world champion David Taylor, who missed out on berths to the U.S. Olympic team in April, secured spots on the U.S. team heading to the world championships Sunday.
Burroughs, a 2012 Olympic champion, swept his two-match series at 79 kg over 2023 world team member Chance Marsteller.
Burroughs sealed the win in the second match with a 6-3 victory. The key exchange late in the second period had Burroughs score four points on a double leg shot, with Marsteller getting a two-point counter exposure. On Sunday morning, Burroughs shut out Marsteller in the first match.
It was the third time these warriors battled in the finals of a qualifier for a berth to go to the world championships. Burroughs and Marsteller wrestled in Final X twice, with Burroughs making the world team in 2022 and Marsteller earning the spot in 2023. It will be Burroughs’ tenth berth on the American world championship team.
Taylor, a 2020 Olympic champion, came through the Challenge Tournament on Saturday, then swept the championship series at 92 kg over 2023 world bronze medalist Zahid Valencia.
Taylor clinched the win in the second match pin over Valencia at 2:34. After Taylor scored the first two takedowns, he cradled Valencia for a takedown, then turned him again and secured the fall. In the first match, Taylor scored a second period takedown to claim criteria in a 3-3 match.
It was Taylor’s first competition since dropping his U.S. Olympic Team trials finals series at 86 kg to Penn State’s Aaron Brooks. Since then, Taylor became the head wrestling coach at Oklahoma State.
2023 world champion Vito Arujau swept his 61 kg series over high school star Marcus Blaze in two close matches.
In the second match, Arujau beat Blaze, 3-1. The first match on Sunday morning was a 2-1 win for Arujau, on a step out point with 45 seconds left. Neither wrestler scored a takedown in the two matches. It will be Arujau’s second appearance at the world championships.
Two-time world medalist James Green also swept his finals series over Alec Pantaleo at 70 kg. Green won a 2-1 decision in the second match, with all of the points scored on the shot clock. In the first match, Green hit a four-point whip over, then added three ankle laces for a 10-0 technical fall. It will be Green’s seventh world championships appearance.
The Senior World Championships will be Oct. 28-31 in Tirana, Albania, and will feature the world championship weight classes that were not contested at the 2024 Olympic Games.
2024 Senior World Team Trials
Sept. 15, Omaha, Neb.
Best-of-three championship series results
Men’s freestyle
61 kg
Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg WC) two matches to none
Round 1 – Arujau dec. Blaze, 2-1
Round 2 – Arujau dec. Blaze, 3-1
70 kg
James Green (Nebraska WTC) defeats Alec Pantaleo (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) two matches to none
Round 1 – Green tech. fall Pantaleo, 10-0
Round 2 – Green dec. Pantaleo, 2-1
79 kg
Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC) defeats Chance Marsteller (New Jersey RTC/Titan Mercury WC) two matches to none
Round 1 – Burroughs dec. Marsteller, 3-0
Round 2 –Burroughs dec. Marsteller, 6-3
92 kg
David Taylor (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Zahid Valencia (Atreus WC) two matches to none
Round 1 – Taylor dec. Valencia, 3-3
Round 2 – Taylor fall Valencia, 2:49
Third Place Bouts
Men’s Freestyle
61 kg – Jax Forrest (Young Guns) tech fall Liam Cronin (Nebraska Wrestling Training Center), 16-6 4:26
70 kg – Pj Duke (KD Training Center) dec. Yahya Thomas (NJRTC/ TMWC), 5-1
79 kg – David Carr (Cyclone RTC/ TMWC) dec. Levi Haines (Nittany Lion Wrestling Club), 8-2
92 kg – Michael Macchiavello (LVWC/ TMWC) tech fall Marcus Coleman (Cyclone RTC), 11-0 5:53
Winchester, Kilty, Welker, Villaescusa make U.S. team in women’s freestyle
The four women freestyle wrestlers who will represent the United States at the 2024 Senior World Championships were determined during the best-of-three Championship Series on Sunday. The USA will have a team mixed with experience and youth in the four women’s freestyle weight classes.
Jacarra Winchester, a 2019 world champion, was dominant in her two-match sweep over Michaela Beck at 59 kg.
Winchester combined strong takedown attacks with the ability to score turns from the top, and beat Beck by 11-0 technical falls in both matches. Winchester won a 2023 world silver medal and was a member of the 2020 Olympic Team. This will be her fifth world championship tournament.
Macey Kilty, a 2023 world championship silver medalist, scored technical falls in both of her matches, at 65 kg, beating 2024 NCWWC Nationals runner-up Aine Drury in two straight. Kilty scored a 10-0 technical fall in bout one, and a 12-1 technical fall in bout two. Kilty heads to her second senior world championship.
Kylie Welker, a member of the 2021 world team, beat long-time rival Yelena Makoyed in two straight matches in the 72 kg finals series.
In the second match, Welker won the key positions for a 5-2 victory. In the opening match, leading 3-0, Welker hit a counter headlock and pinned Makoyed in 5:03. These two had wrestled over 10 times before, with Makoyed winning the previous encounter at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Kilty and Welker are teammates at the University of Iowa. Welker won a NCWWC national title for the Hawkeyes last year, and Kilty is in her first season there.
Both also qualified for the U23 world championships, which will be held in Tirana, Albania, October 21-23. Both Kilty and Welker plan to wrestle in both world championship tournaments back-to-back.
Areana Villaescusa (55 kg) won her championship series in two straight matches over 2023 Senior Nationals champion Amanda Martinez.
Both matches were close. Villaescusa won the second match in an 11-8 shootout, scoring key points late for the win. The first match was a 4-3 win for Villaescusa, with a counter tilt as the key last score.
Best-of-three championship series results
Women’s freestyle
55 kg
Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP) defeats Amanda Martinez (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC) two matches to none
Round 1 – Villaescusa dec. Martinez, 4-3
Round 2 – Villaescusa dec. Martinez, 11-8
59 kg
Jacarra Winchester (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Michaela Beck (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) two matches to none
Round 1 – Winchester tech. fall Beck, 11-0
Round 2 – Winchester tech. fall Beck, 11-0
65 kg
Macey Kilty (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Aine Drury (Team Tornado WC/New York AC) two matches to none
Round 1 –Kilty tech. fall Drury, 10-0
Round 2 – Kilty tech. fall Drury, 12-1
72 kg
Kylie Welker (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Yelena Makoyed (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC) two matches to none
Round 1 – Welker fall Makoyed, 5:03
Round 2 –Welker dec. Makoyed, 5-2
Women’s Freestyle third place matches
55 kg – Elena Ivaldi (California) dec. Felicity Taylor (TMWC), 12-12
59 kg – Xochitl Mota-pettis (Rise RTC) dec. Abigail Nette (WCAP), 9-3
65 kg – Claire Dicugno (Team Tornado Wrestling Club) dec. Savannah Cosme (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club), 7-4
72 kg – Skylar Grote (USOPTC/ TMWC) tech fall Gretchen Donally (Colorado Mesa Wrestling Club), 10-0 2:32
Hafizov, Kikiniou, Koontz, Peak make U.S. in Greco-Roman
The United States will bring a seasoned team in Greco-Roman to the world championships this year. All four wrestlers who made the U.S. team by winning their weight classes at the World Team Trials on Sunday have been to the world championship meet before.
Ildar Hafizov, a 2020 U.S. Olympian, earned the world team spot at 63 kg, defeating Max Black in the Championship Series in a full three-match series.
Hafizov was dominant in an 11-0 technical fall in the first match, but Black battled back to win the second match, 3-1. In the deciding third match, Hafizov claimed a 9-0 technical fall. Hafizov usually competes at 60 kg.
Hafizov was a native of Uzbekistan, and competed in the 2008 Olympic Games and in three Senior World Championships for Uzbekistan. After becoming a USA citizen, Hafizov was an Olympian, and will be competing in his fourth world championship appearance for Team USA.
Making his first U.S. Senior World Team is 44-year old Aliaksandr Kikiniou, who defeated 2021 world team member Jesse Porter in two straight bouts at 82 kg.
Kikiniou, the top seed, beat Porter 5-1 in the first match, then closed it out with a 3-1 win in the second bout.
Kikiniou was a 2012 Olympian and six-time Senior World Team member for Belarus, including a 2009 World bronze medal. Kikiniou became a U.S. citizen and earned his first trip to the World Championships for the United States. His two sons are both top age-group Greco-Roman wrestlers in the United States.
2023 World Team member Brady Koontz earned a return trip to the world championships, after sweeping his three-match series against Kenneth Crosby at 55 kg. Koontz was dominant, taking a pair of technical falls in the finals series. Koontz won bout one 9-0, and closed out the win with an 8-0 victory.
Best-of-three championship series results
Greco-Roman
55 kg
Brady Koontz (Dubuque RTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Kenneth Crosby (NMU-National Training Center) two matches to none
Round 1 – Koontz tech. fall Crosby, 9-0
Round 2 – Koontz tech. fall Crosby, 8-0
63 kg
Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) defeats Max Black (NMU-National Training Center/New York AC) two matches to one
Round 1 – Hafizov tech. fall Black, 11-0
Round 2 – Black dec. Hafizov, 3-1
Round 3 – Hafizov tech. fall Black, 9-0
72 kg
Benjamin Peak (Combat W.C. School of Wrestling) defeats RaVaughn Perkins (New York AC) two matches to none
Round 1 – Peak forfeit Perkins
Round 2 – Peak forfeit Perkins
82 kg
Aliaksandr Kikiniou (New York AC) defeats Jesse Porter (New York AC) two matches to none
Round 1 –Kikiniou dec. Porter, 5-1
Round 2 – Kikiniou dec. Porter, 3-1
Greco-Roman Third Place Bouts
55 kg – Billy Sullivan (Army WCAP) tech fall Peter Del Gallo (South Side Wrestling Club), 9-0 2:24
63 kg – Dylan Gregerson (New York Athletic Club) tech fall Aidan Nutter (New York Athletic Club), 9-0 1:42
72 kg – Peyton Robb (NWTC) tech fall Hunter Lewis (North Carolina), 8-0 2:03
82 kg – Beka Melelashvili (NYAC) tech fall Tyler Eischens (NYAC/Tar Heel WC), 11-2 3:35
