The initial set of best-of-three finals was a short one with each of the series contested on Friday evening ending in two matches, though one did so in rather booming style.
Round 2 of the 2025 World Team Trials finals for the “Group A” weight categories began at 4:45pm local time/7:45pm ET from the Expo in Las Vegas and streamed live on FLOWrestling.
Northern Michigan’s Max Black (60 kg) and Army’s Alston Nutter (67 kg) achieved milestones by coming away victorious at a Senior Trials for the first time. Black — who had performed at three age-group World events previously — was projected as a potential threat to fight his way onto this year’s Senior squad and he made good on such talk by turning back well-prepared Greco newcomer Zane Richards (TMWC/IRTC). As for Nutter, the experience was just as special. Thursday marked his first competitive appearance in two years as the former NMU standout had to step away from the mat in order to join Army’s World Class Athletes Program in addition to healing up from injury. Coincidentally, Nutter vanquished super-prospect and ’24 U20 World silver Otto Black (NYAC/CTT), younger brother of Max, to secure the 67 kg spot. Nutter accomplished such by whamming a headlock that resulted in his second straight pin of their abbreviated series.
Three of the United States’ most successful Senior competitors shared the spotlight with Black and Nutter. Army teammates Ellis Coleman (63 kg), Alex Sancho (72 kg), and Kamal Bey (77 kg) — all of whom have been Olympians — prevailed in their respective series after winning Round 1 matches earlier today. Coleman’s opponent was, of course, also one of the nation’s best Greco-Roman athletes — Ildar Hafizov, who was suiting up for his 11th consecutive USA World/Olympic Team Trials best-of-three final.
Round 2 Recap
As reported after the morning session, ’24 U17 World Champion Jayden Raney (55 kg, NYAC) — like Black and Nutter — is on his first Senior World Team due to Brady Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque RTC) having missed weight by a mere fraction of a kilogram. There was no series in this category.
Black had decisioned Richards by a score of 3-2 in the first round and their second match unfolded in a similarly tight manner. Black grabbed a step-out point and benefited from the Period 1 passivity call but could not engineer a turn. Richards had his own shot from top par terre in the second frame, but likewise was unable to generate offense. Richards level-changed and sought arm spins throughout in an effort to force a third and decisive match. Black’s positioning and grit would not allow that to happen and his was the victory by a score of 2-1.
In Match 1 at 63, Coleman’s elbow-to-elbow gutwrench gave way to a snappy VSU over Hafizov. Match 2 nearly started the same way. Coleman had once again received the first chance from par terre and, at the whistle, Hafizov attempted to scamper out so as to decrease the likelihood of repeating the issues from their previous affair. Then Hafizov was penalized for a caution due to blocking; he wanted a challenge review and got one. When the officials returned with the call, the caution points for Coleman were wiped off the board but Hafizov had to restart from par terre bottom. This time, Coleman’s lock hit home and he raked three turns for seven points. But — on the back-end of the sequence, Hafizov found himself over the top of Coleman and torqued a front headlock that scored two. Coleman was cautioned for legs, as well, to update the score to 7-4.
What looked to be on the verge of a barnburner grew tepid in the second period. Coleman added a step-out point to widen his margin just a touch, and, although he certainly tried, Hafizov could not come up with the bevy of points necessary to extend the series. Coleman, at 33, had made the World Team in the lightest weight he has been since bursting onto the Senior circuit some 14 years ago at 60 kg.
Otto Black did not lack for poise in Match 2 opposite Nutter, but neither did the eventual victor. The pair were testing one another in space, behaving a touch more deliberate this time around. Passivity was levied against Nutter and Black did not yield a follow-up score. The tempo was just about even after the restart with Black holding a tenuous 1-0 lead. The clock was winding down towards intermission when Nutter, who a moment earlier had been working with a righty underhook, torched a headlock from the left side. The execution brought a cascading tumble for Black, who was pinned nearly immediately. Nutter celebrated by releasing any and all adrenaline available as the third first-time World Teamer on the roster thus far.
It was not a walk in the park for Sancho in Match 1 against 20-year-old Aliaksandr Kikiniou Jr. Far from it. Offense was at a premium for both and Sancho had held on for a 2-1 decision. Their second bout told a different story. Sancho did not let par terre go to waste. Rather, he hurriedly achieved his lock and lifted Kikiniou Jr. for a big four points that set the tone at 5-0. The duo exchanged single points in the second period, and Sancho was not threated through the entirety, thus sewing up the series along with making his third World Team.
Bey and Aliaksandr Kikiniou Sr. — an ’09 World medalist for Belarus and most recently a World Team member for the US in ’24 at 82 kg — embraced static in both of their matches on Friday. Bey took Match 1 via 7-2 decision and was on the prowl for points in this bout, but there were not many to be found. Bey scored a takedown from a counter to get things going midway through the first, only to have Kikiniou stay pasted adequately from bottom. A caution on account of a hands-to-the-face call in the second period delivered to Bey a 4-0 advantage and a try from top PT. Again, Kikiniou did not budge, but he was still down on points and in need of a big score. Instead, it was Bey who earned another point to go up 5-0, which represented the last score of the match. Bey, 27, now claims his fifth spot on a Senior World Team in addition to having competed at the ’24 Paris Games.
Saturday’s WTT Schedule
The four remaining World Team Trials best-of-three series will commence tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:00am local time/1:00pm ET and can be viewed live on FLOWrestling. The results recap is available at this link. Below are the pairings.
82 kg: Jesse Porter (NYAC) vs. Beka Melelashvili (NYAC)
87 kg: Payton Jacobson (NYAC) vs. Spencer Woods (Army/WCAP)
97 kg: Joe Rau (TMWC) vs. Michial Foy (Army/WCAP)
130 kg: Adam Coon (NYAC/Cliff Keen) vs. Cohlton Schultz (Atreus WC)
2025 World Team Trials Finals
55 kg: Jayden Raney (NYAC/IRTC) def. Brady Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque RTC) via forfeit
60 kg: Max Black (NYAC/NTS) def. Zane Richards (TMWC/IRTC) 2 matches to 0
Match 1: Black def. Richards 3-2
Match 2: Black def. Richards 2-1
63 kg: Ellis Coleman (Army/WCAP) def. Ildar Hafizov (Army/WCAP) 2 matches to 0
Match 1: Coleman def. Hafizov 9-0, TF
Match 2: Coleman def. Hafizov 8-4
67 kg: Alston Nutter (Army/WCAP) def. Otto Black (NYAC/CTT) 2 matches to 0
Match 1: Nutter def. Black via fall
Match 1: Nutter def. Black via fall
72 kg: Alex Sancho (Army/WCAP) def. Aliaksandr Kikiniou Jr. (NYAC) 2 matches to 0
Match 1: Sancho def. Kikiniou Jr. 2-1
Match 2: Sancho def. Kikiniou Jr. 6-1
77 kg: Kamal Bey (Army/WCAP) def. Aliaksandr Kikiniou Sr. (NYAC) 2 matches to 0
Match 1: Bey def. Kikiniou Sr. 7-2
Match 2: Bey def. Kikiniou Sr. 5-0
Listen to “5PM57: Kamal Bey and David Stepanyan” on Spreaker.
Listen to “5PM56: Rich Carlson and Spencer Woods” on Spreaker.
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