Saturday’s Last Chance Qualifier confirmed the field in each weight category for the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials on April 19-20 in State College, Pennsylvania. To mark the occasion, this piece features the entire dossier of athletes who are qualified as well as their projected seeds.
Seeding in United States Trials tournaments (a tradition that is both outdated and from a competitive standpoint unproductive) tends to follow results from the previous Nationals. For example, at 60 kg, ’20 Olympian/multi-time US World representative Ildar Hafizov (Army/WCAP) placed first in December and Hayden Tuma (NYAC) was the runner-up. Hafizov will assuredly be awarded the top seed just as Tuma is likely to be seeded second. Dalton Roberts (Army/WCAP) finished second to Hafizov at Final X last year, was on the ’18 and ’21 World Teams, has been in a Senior Trials final in three of the past five seasons (in this weight division), and has earned two National crowns. But — he was scratched from the December Nationals due to an injury. An argument could be posited that Roberts is deserving of the #3 seed when considering his overall scope of work; but given his absence from the aforementioned Nationals in conjunction with the observance of how seeding often operates, it stands to reason that he might be seeded lower than his recent credentials might indicate.
Situations similar to this one are not uncommon when seeding is discussed. They are also mostly irrelevant except for those who pine over such optics since seeding order in a crowded and highly-challenging bracket does not impart a significant influence on outcomes. But, as they say, here we are.
In addition, there are athletes in five of the six weight categories who are no longer active but are nevertheless eligible to compete in the Olympic Team Trials. They are listed below the main group in each bracket and, keeping with the 5PM style guide, are published without bold type and are not accompanied by a club/team affiliation. Moreover, the selection procedures for this Olympic cycle stipulate that NCAA Division I National Champions are automatically qualified for the Olympic Trials. Because it is highly improbable that any of these wrestlers attempts to enter Greco-Roman, their names are not included.
One more item: not all of the eligible wrestlers may receive a seeding distinction but each athlete is given one in this early preview of the tournament.
2024 Olympic Trials Projected Seeds
60 kg
1. Ildar Hafizov (Army/WCAP)
2. Hayden Tuma (NYAC)
3. Dalton Roberts (Army/WCAP)
4. Sammy Jones (Sunkist/CTT)
5. Max Black (NMU/NTS)
6. Randon Miranda (NYAC)
7. Taylor LaMont (Minnesota Storm)
8. Dylan Gregerson (Minnesota Storm)
9. Phillip Moomey (TMWC/Spartan Combat RTC)
10. Brady Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque RTC)
11. Dalton Duffield (Army/WCAP)
12. Billy Sullivan (Army/WCAP)
13. Sidney Flores (Air Force)
Also qualified:
Sam Hazewinkel
Ryan Mango
Max Nowry
67 kg
1. Alex Sancho (Army/WCAP)
2. Peyton Omania (NYAC)
3. Robert Perez III (Sunkist)
4. David Stepanyan (NYAC/NTS)
5. Patrick Smith (Minnesota Storm)
6. Justus Scott (Army/WCAP)
7. Xavier Johnson (Army/WCAP)
8. Ellis Coleman (Army/WCAP)
9. Jesse Thielke (Army/WCAP)
10. Duncan Nelson (OTC)
11. Jamel Johnson (Marines)
*Pete Ogunsanya (West Point WC) — injured
Also qualified:
Ray Bunker
77 kg
1. Kamal Bey (Army/WCAP)
2. Benji Peak (Sunkist/NTS)
3. Mahmoud Sebie (NYAC)
4. Danny Braunagel (IRTC)
5. Aliaksandr Kikiniou (NYAC)
6. RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC)
7. Jesse Porter (NYAC)
8. Tyler Eischens (Tar Heel WC)
9. Vincent Dolce (Air Force)
Also qualified:
Geordan Speiller
87 kg
BYE TO BEST-OF THREE FINAL: Spencer Woods (Army/WCAP)
1. Rich Carlson (Minnesota Storm)
2. Zac Braunagel (IRTC)
3. John Stefanowicz (Navy WC)
4. Timothy Young (Army/WCAP)
5. Ben Provisor (NYAC/Dubuque RTC)
6. Payton Jacobson (Sunkist/NTS)
7. Ryan Epps (Army/WCAP)
8. Terrence Zaleski (Marines)
9. Fritz Schierl (Minnesota Storm)
10. Marciano Ali (Marines)
Also qualified:
Patrick Martinez
97 kg
BYE TO THE BEST-OF-THREE FINAL: Alan Vera (NYAC)
1. Joe Rau (TMWC)
2. David Tate Orndorff (TMWC/Ohio RTC)
3. Braxton Amos (Sunkist/Wisconsin RTC)
4. Nick Boykin (Sunkist)
5. Mike Altomer (Curby 3-Style)
6. George Sikes (NYAC/NTS)
7. Diante Cooper (Air Force)
8. Brandon Marshall (Big Game WC)
Also qualified:
G’Angelo Hancock
130 kg
BYE TO THE BEST-OF-THREE FINAL: Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist)
1. Adam Coon (NYAC/Cliff Keen WC)
2. Courtney Denzel Freeman (Marines)
3. Aden Attao (Suples)
4. Donny Longendyke (Minnesota Storm)
5. Jacob Mitchell (Unattached)
6. Jeremiah Imonode (Army/WCAP)
Listen to “5PM57: Kamal Bey and David Stepanyan” on Spreaker.
Listen to “5PM56: Rich Carlson and Spencer Woods” on Spreaker.
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