Wrestling: US Open Preview

WHAT: US Open

WHERE: South Point Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

WHEN: Thursday: U20 Greco-Roman; Senior Women’s Through Semis

Friday: Senior and U20 Freestyle Through Semis; Senior Women’s Medal Matches

Saturday: Senior and U20 Freestyle Medal Matches

HOW TO WATCH: FloWrestling

BRACKETS: FloWrestling

LIVE CHAT: WRNL Wrestling Discord — Know the ins and outs of freestyle wrestling and dying to talk about it? Join us on Discord! Never heard of it before? There are no stupid questions, join us on Discord!

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This looks to be a big weekend for Cyclone athletes looking to make a name for themselves in Las Vegas. That’s right, I’m talking about the US Open in men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling. A strong contingent will be making the trip west. What’s at stake? Placing top 7 at your weight in the senior division and top 8 in the Under 20 division qualifies you for that respective World Team Trials bracket.

Ian Parker is in a great position to move on. He earned the 4 seed at 65 kilograms. While you never know who may show up last minute without a seed, he is set to see Princeton alum Matthew Kolodzik in the quarterfinals. Winning that would advance him to Coralville. With no Kyven Gadson or David Carr entered, Parker will be the face of this crew. Jason Kraisser, Marcus Coleman, Julien Broderson, Duncan Lee and Sam Schuyler will also compete in the senior freestyle division. Lee is a Cyclone RTC resident athlete who wrestled collegiately at Central College.

There are 7 Cyclone wrestlers/commits registered for the U20 freestyle tournament and 2 for the U20 Greco tournament. The results from these young cats will be very interesting to see. Areana Villaescusa is seeded second at 53 kg in the senior women’s tournament. She represents the Army World Class Athlete Program, but spends time training in the Iowa State room. Her dad, Fernando, is a volunteer assistant coach for the Cyclones. Her brother, Fernando Jr will be a true freshman this season.

Full Schedule

Senior Men’s Freestyle

Ian Parker-65 kg

Jason Kraisser-70 kg

Marcus Coleman-86 kg

Julien Broderson-86 kg

Duncan Lee-97 kg

Sam Schuyler-125 kg

Senior Women’s Wrestling

Areana Villaescusa-53 kg

U20 Freestyle

Conor Knopick-57 kg

Zach Redding-65 kg

Paniro Johnson-70 kg

Manny Rojas-79 kg

Tate Naaktgeborn-79 kg

Fernando Villaescusa-86 kg

Gabe Greenlee-125 kg

U20 Greco-Roman

MJ Gaitan-77 kg

Tate Naaktgeboren-82 kg