Late Summer Thoughts from Justin Heiserman

Incoming freshman Justin Heiserman reflects on his summer training as he prepares to enter his first year at UB. 

" I am looking forward to wrestling for Buffalo.  I have been wrestling at my high school with some of my old high school team mates, and running to stay in shape."


Heiserman was a 3x Michigan State Finalist, 2x Michigan State Champ, and ranked in the Top 10 at 189 lbs.

Late Summer Thoughts from Jake Waste

Incoming freshman Jake Waste reflects on his summer training as he prepares to enter his first year at UB.  


"I think this summer what I did the most to prepare for UB was just train. There is nothing better that will get you ready for college or any level than just training. My coach’s would always say “practice makes perfect”, as a kid I would just blow it off. When you start to get older and your muscle memory really starts to kick in you realize that it is a completely true statement. With that being said all I did was train and compete all summer. Focusing on the minor details and working on every move I have. Another big thing that came into my mind was this is a whole new level. While wrestling in high school you will get your normal “puds”, but in college everyone is a D1 wrestler. You have to train like you are wrestling one of the top ranked guys at your weight. In my mind if you do that you will succeed with all of your goals."


Waste is a Top 100 recruit and a five-time National Champion. 

2011-2012 Wrestling Schedule

Link to Buffalo Athletic Website here.

Junior Freestyle Begins Today

Congratulations again to two of UB's outstanding incoming freshman for reaching All-American status at Junior Greco Nationals in Fargo. Today, Blake Roulo and Jake Waste set out on their quest for championships in the Junior Freestyle division.

You can follow the entire event at trackwrestling.com. Click on 2011 USAW Junior FreestyleNationals. From there, click "Brackets" on the left side. Blake is competing at 145 and Jake is competing at 189. For updates after each of Jake & Blake's matches, follow us on twitter (@UBBullsWrestle).

Best of luck to the future Bulls!

Below is an excerpt from The Open Mat's Junior Freestyle Preview. Waste is predicted to place third in this analysis. The entire preview can be found here.

145
2010 Final: Alex Dierenger (WI) over Dylan Ness (MN)
Entrants: 88

The Skinny: When scanning the list of entries, the name that immediately jumps out is Brandon Kingsley. Not just because he’s one of the best young wrestlers in the country, but because he hasn’t popped up often on the Freestyle trail. His only significant results in the style came last year in Cadet Duals where he went undefeated. In his eight bouts there only one didn’t end up in a tech or pin, and that was a 6-0, 4-0 decision.

Kingsley will be my pick to make the finals, and though there are two other returning champions (Oliver Pierce and Brian Murphy) I won’t be picking them to meet Kingsley in the finals.

No. I have a hunch about Sueflohn. He’s a tough bird. He only took 7th here last year, but I see a dream match-up with him and Kingsley on the horizon.

Contenders:
Ryne Cokeley (KS)
*Dylan Cottrell (WV)
Jacob Crawford (VA)
Zach Dailey (OH)
Jake Elliot (CA)
Jacob Falk (UT)
Justin Hays (CO)
*Eric Hoffman (MD)
Brandon Kingsley (MN)
Jeremiah Lutz (GA)
*Jake Marlin (IA)
*Gabe Moreno (IA)
*Brian Murphy (IL)
*Oliver Pierce (TX)
Brian Realbuto (NY)
Jared Reis (ND)
*Blake Roulo (VA)
*Angelo Silvestro (IL)
*Jake Sueflohn (WI)
Reed Van Anrooy (OR)
Brady Turnbull (WY)

TOM Prediction: Sueflohn (WI) over Kingsley (MN). Crawford (VA) over Murphy (IL) for 3rd.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

189
2010 Final: Morgan McIntosh (CA) over Matt Riley (IA)
Entrants: 64

The Skinny: Two of these wrestlers, Jake Waste and Jahwon Akui, won this event in 2009 as Cadets. Actually, they were both double titlists that year. On Tuesday, Wast finished runner-up at this weight in GR, while Akui won the crown at 171. It’s going to be hard for anyone to stop them from meeting. There are ten other returning All-American’s here though. So anything can happen along the way. If someone can do it, it’s probably Peterson.

Contenders:
*Jahwon Akui (IL)
*John Bolich (PA)
*Sam Brooks (IL)
Nathan Burak (CO)
Tim Dudley (SC)
Devan Fors (OR)
*Scott Gibbons (LA)
*Payne Hayden (MI)
*Dwight Howes (CO)
Cody Johnston (MO)
*Preston Lehman (ND)
*Kevin Marvel (MD)
Frank Mattiace (NJ)
*Taylor McGiffen (IL)
Willie Miklus (IA)
*Mickey Pelfrey (IA)
*Devin Peterson (WI)
James Souza (WA)
James Suvak (OH)
*Jake Waste (MN)

TOM Prediction: Peterson (WI) over Akui (IL). Waste (MN) over Miklus (IA) for 3rd.

* Denotes Former Fargo Freestyle All American/Fila Placer

Junior Greco Results

CONGRATULATIONS TO BLAKE ROULO AND JAKE WASTE - BOTH EARNED ALL-AMERICAN HONORS IN THE GRECO ROMAN DIVISION OF THE 2011 JUNIOR NATIONAL TOURNAMENT!

Jake placed 2nd at 189lbs and Blake was 6th at 145lbs. To see the full brackets, go to www.trackwrestling.com.

Both Waste and Roulo will compete in the freestyle division beginning tomorrow. Follow us on Twitter for match by match updates on two outstanding incoming freshman! (@UBBullsWrestle)

Best of luck to both young men in their final high school tournament!

Fun fact of the day: The only Division I school to earn more Greco All Americans than UB was Utah Valley. Utah Valley incoming freshman accounted for 3 of the Greco All Americans, while UB, Wisconsin, and Missouri all recorded 2 All American incoming freshman. For the full recap, visit D1CW's forum here.

The Open Mat Junior Greco Preview

Both Jake Waste & Blake Roulo are predicted to take Junior Greco titles at their weight classes this week at the 2011 USA Wrestling National Tournament in Fargo, ND. Below are the excerpts from their weight classes.

145

2010 Final: Dylan Ness (MN) over Andy Rico (TX)
Entrants: 68

The Skinny: Texan Oliver Pierce moves up to the Junior division after winning Cadets last year. He won Fila’s this spring and went undefeated at JR Duals, and should be considered the prevailing favorite.

Pierce’s top competition should come from Blake Roulo, who placed 3rd and 4th here in two previous trips to Fargo.

Babcock was undefeated at Junior Duals and 2nd to Cokeley at the Southern Regional.

Cokeley’s only duals loss came to Lubeck.

Falk was 3rd in Cadet GR in ’09.

Hoffman was 3rd at Fila’s with a win over last year’s Cadet Champ, Coover.

Marlin was 7th as a Cadet last year.

Smith was 4th here in ’09.

Contenders:
Nick Babcock (CO)
Ryne Cokeley (KS)
Jacob Falk (UT)
Cole Fulk (PA)
Justin Hays (CO)
Eric Hoffman (MD)
Jeremiah Lutz (GA)
Jake Marlin (IA)
Oliver Pierce (TX)
Blake Roulo (VA)
Luke Smith (IL)
AJ Zemke (WI)

TOM Prediction: Roulo (VA) over Pierce (TX). Hoffman (MD) over Smith (IL) for 3rd.

-------------------------------------------------------------

189

2010 Final: Luke Sheridan (CA) over Drake Stein (IN)
Entrants: 52

The Skinny: Another weight, another bunch of former finalists. Fargo GR this year is loaded and 89 is no different. Brooks, Doyle, Gibbons, Howes, Peterson, and Waste have made the raised platform. Who’s the hottest? Despite being undersized, I’d go with Waste, who’s been training with two-time World Team Member, Jake Clark.

Contenders:
Nolan Boyd (OK)
Sam Brooks (IL)
Nathan Burak (CO)
Skyler Carroll (MT)
Jesse Doyle (NC)
Tim Dudley (SC)
Devan Fors (OR)
Scott Gibbons (LA)
Payne Hayden (MI)
Dwight Howes (CO)
Connor King (CO)
Micah Kullman (OH)
Kevin Marvel (MD)
Mickey Pelfrey (IA)
Devin Peterson (WI)
James Souza (WA)
Jake Waste (MN)

TOM Prediction: Waste (MN) over Brooks (IL). Peterson (WI) over Nolan Boyd (OK) for 3rd.

This article can be found in it's entirety here.

Roulo Dominates National Duals; Competes at Fargo with Waste

Two of UB's incoming freshman have been tearing up the mats this off-season.  Blake Roulo and Jake Waste each of dominated their competition in the freestyle & greco roman worlds this summer.  Recently, Roulo crushed competition at the National Duals, and today, he and future teammate Jake Waste will each seek out double titles at the 2011 USA Wrestling Greco & Freestyle Nationals.  Roulo will compete in the 145 weight class in both styles, and Waste will compete at 189.  We wish them both the best of luck in their quest for 2 additional national titles!!

You can follow the entire event at trackwrestling.com. Click on 2011 USAW Junior Greco-Roman Nationals.  From there, click "Brackets" on the left side.  Blake is competing at 145 and Jake is competing at 189.  My apologies, as the links to their direct brackets were broken and there doesn't seem to be a shortcut. For updates after each of Jake & Blake's matches, follow us on twitter (@UBBullsWrestle).

Blake's results from the National Duals are as follows.  He went 6-0 in greco and 8-0 in freestyle.  He defeated two wrestlers ranked in the top 10 (Jared Reis and Jarod Donar). Great job Blake!

Greco Roman Results

        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Zach Dobbins (Oklahoma) Pin 1:45
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Jonathan Blackwell (Kansas 2) Dec 10-0,6-2
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Paul Zupofska (Florida) Dec 6-0,2-1
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Logan Marcicki (Michigan 1) TF 6-0,9-0
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Parker Smith (Tennessee) TF 6-0,6-1
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Jared Reis (North Dakota) Dec 2-0,3-0

Freestyle Results

        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Blake Bowman (Pennsylvania) Dec 6-3,2-2,1-1
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Nate Harms (Iowa 2) Pin 1:43
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Jarod Donar (Wisconsin) Dec 1-2,3-0,2-0
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Alex Abono (California 1) Dec 4-1,5-1
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Jonathan Blackwell (Kansas 2) TF 10-3,6-0
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Keenan Hagerty (Missouri) Dec 6-2,1-1
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Ryan Butler (Connecticut) Dec 3-1,6-0
        145 - Blake Roulo (Virginia) over Nick Adams (Colorado ) Dec 10-1,6-1

Spotlight on Zach Ward

Yesterday's post spurred a question about sophomore Zach Ward.  Coach Beasley's answer is below. 

Question:

How is Zach Ward looking? He wrestled at my HS alma mater. Is he still projected at 174? I'm hoping he's been hitting the weights hard.

Answer:

Zach Ward has been working exceptionally hard.  He is a great young man, good student, etc.  He is the kind of student-athlete that coaches love to have.  He has improved a great deal in the last year.  He actually wrestled most of the year last year at 184 pounds and a few times at 197 pounds as a redshirt.  He finished the season with an 11-11 record after starting the year at 1-4.  He won the NCCC Open, took 3^rd at the NYS Collegiate B Bracket, and 4^th at the JCC Open.  He will be in the mix to start at 184 pounds.

----

UB WRESTLING CAMP BEGINS SUNDAY, JULY 10.  ARE YOU SIGNED UP?? IT'S NOT TOO LATE! 

Keep Your Questions Coming

As was the case in the prior posts, the question asked by a fan will be answered by Coach Beasley. Keep your questions coming folks, we'll get them answered as soon as possible!


Question:
Do you think that Kevin Smith could move up a weight this year? If so what does 133 like if he is at 141 pounds?


Answer:
Kevin is planning on moving up to 141 pounds this coming season  (note:  Andrew Schutt is a possible redshirt and Rickey Bronson is looking to certify at 141 pounds as well).  He is big right now and is ready to move-up for his final year.  Justin Farmer is coming off a good redshirt year where he won 21 matches.  He placed at the UB Open, W&J Open, Cleveland State Open, JCC Open, and won the New York State Collegiate B Bracket.  Justin will be a redshirt sophomore.  Also, Taylor Golba (redshirt junior) has the potential to move to 133 pounds or stay at 125 pounds.  He was the starter at the beginning of the season last year before having an injury that he is still recovering from.  He started the season on fire and walked through the UB Open but saw limited action after that last year.  We also have an incoming freshman that is projected at 133 pounds that placed 6^th, 5^th, 3^rd, and 2^nd in the state of New York.

Your Questions Answered

During our small hiatus, we received two additional questions about the UB Wrestling program.  Below are those questions along Coach Beasley's responses.


Question 1:
Josh Peters was having a solid year before fading some against MAC competition last year. Seems that he would be a good wrestler and likely starter at 197 next year. I recently visited the roster page and didn't see his profile. Will he be back next year? Related to this, 184 is open with Jimmy Hamel graduating. Justin Heisserman wrestled at 189 and occasionally 215 in high school. Do you project Heiserman at 184 or 197?


Response:

Jimmy Hamel graduated this year and we will have very good 184 and 197 pound wrestlers in the line-up.  Unfortunately, Josh Peters is no long a part of the UB Wrestling Team.

At 184 pounds, we will have one of the following three wrestlers:  Ron Majerus, Zach Ward, or Jake Waste.  Ron is a redshirt junior who started at 165 pounds as a true freshman.  He had a solid year where he placed in the MAC Championships.  The following year, he redshirted and placed in several tournaments at 174 pounds.  Last season, he again started for us at 174 pounds.  Ron placed at both the UB Open and the New York State Collegiate Tournament.  He also had a memorable match where he scored multiple takedowns on #1 Nationally Ranked Honeycutt of Edinboro when he wrestled up at 184 pounds.  Zach Ward is a redshirt freshman who won an open tournament last year and placed in several others.  He won about a dozen matches last year and continues to improve.  Jake Waste was one of the top recruits in the country this year.  He won five National Championships during his high school career and is looking to add two more at Fargo this month.  Jake also was a Minnesota State Champion, placed in a ton of national tournaments, won a college tournament as a junior in high school, and finished high school with a 201-26 career record.  Waste or Majerus could also be at 174 pounds this season.

At 197 pounds, we will have one of the following three wrestlers:  Tyler Peter, Mibo Aiono, and Justin Heiserman.  Tyler will be in his fourth year with the program and has worked very hard and gained a lot of experience over the years.  He has wrestled a lot of good competition and is ready to go for next year.  Mibo joined the team last year and wrestled up at heavyweight.  He plans to drop down to 197 this year and will be big for the weight.  He is also very athletic.  Justin Heiserman is projected to wrestle 197 pounds.  He was ranked in the top 20 in the country at 189 pounds this year and has several very good wins.  He was a NHSCA High School Senior All-American, Disney Duals Gold Medalist, two-time Michigan State Champion, three-time Michigan State Finalist, and four-time Michigan State Qualifier.  He finished his high school career with a 192-27 record with 116 pins.

Question 2:

Congratulations on a strong season last year and a great recruiting class! UB will be loaded at the lower weight classes next year. The Soria brothers and Arik Robinson have been mentioned as competing for the 125 spot. Last year's starters Taylor Golba (early) and Sean Walton (late) are rarely mentioned but are both tough wrestlers at 125. Kevin Smith at 133 is not likely to be displaced. Andrew Schutt had a strong year at 141. Blake Ruolo comes in at 141/149. Other strong wrestlers will also be pushing for time. 149 is the only lower to mid weight class without an incumbent starter. How do you see competition for the starting lineup playing out?

Response:

I would say that we will be very good at 149 pounds next year.  Chris Conti, Wally Maziarz, James Loomis, and Blake Roulo will all probably be 149 pounders.  Chris Conti has won several important matches for us in the last three years.  He is a very hard worker and great young man.  He is getting bigger as he is moving up from 141 pounds and looks great.  I think the people that do not get the chance to see him train daily will be impressed with how good he really is.  He is a hammer on the mat and is getting very good on his feet.  Wally Maziarz is rapidly improving and recently qualified for the World Team Trials in Greco-Roman.  Wally also won an open tournament this year.  Loomis gained valuable experience last year and wrestled several matches.  He is very aggressive and wrestles a high-pace style which makes him exciting to watch.  Nothing is set in stone, but there is a good possibility in Roulo redshirt next year.  Roulo was one of the best recruits in the country this year and won four straight NHSCA High School National Titles (only the second wrestler to ever do so).  Roulo also was a multiple-time All-American, Virginia State Champion, and finished his high school career with a 179-14 career record.

-------------

Please feel free to leave additional comments and questions on this post.  

The UB Wrestling Camp gets underway this Sunday on UB's North Campus. If you haven't signed up yet, there is still time! Go Bulls!

Wrestling Renovation Photo Update 07.04.11

Aaand we're back! Below are some shots I took last night before the fireworks at UB of the wrestling room.  We've been gone for 2 weeks and the room is very close to completion, as most of the remaining work is cosmetic. Enjoy the photos!

Coach Deubel's office

Coach Deubel's office

Jeff Parker Student Lounge - furniture to arrive July 11

Jeff Parker Student Lounge - furniture to arrive July 11

Coach Beichner's Office

Coach Beichner's Office

Coach Beichner's Office

Coach Beasley's Office

Coach Beasley's Office

Coach Beasley's Office

Wrestling Room - New mats!

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Cardio Facility - equipment has not yet been delivered

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Tomorrow, Coach Beasley will answer the remaining questions we received in the Q&A posts.  As always, if you have any more comments, questions, etc., please leave a comment!

Q & A

We received one question from our post the other day asking what fans wanted to know about UB Wrestling.  


Question:

Do you feel that UB can truly be competitive against the other top teams in NY in the next 3 years? What sets UB apart from the other schools (Cornell, Binghamton, Hofstra) to recruiting the top NY talent?

Answer:

We are competitive with any team in the country.  Two years ago, we beat #12 ranked Nebraska.  Last year we beat three returning conference champions (Virginia, Edinboro, and Binghmaton).  Both Virginia and Edinboro were ranked in the top 20 in the country when we beat them.  We qualified 6 underclassmen to the National Tournament last year and had 4 MAC Champions.  We had more MAC Champions and more MAC place winners than any school in the conference.  For this coming season, we only have one returning starter that will exhaust his eligibility (Kevin Smith).  Also, we have the #11 recruiting class in the country coming into UB.  There are several things that set us apart from other programs but the most important is the people here at UB.  We have a great coaching staff and a very tight-knit team that cares about one another and works very hard.  Also, we are bringing in the right kind of student-athletes to UB.  If you would like me to get into more detail, feel free to e-mail or call me.

Thanks,

Coach Beasley

---------

If you think of more questions to ask the coaching staff, please comment on this thread or the original post.  We'll get to your answers as soon as possible.  

Also, posts will most likely not be as frequent for the next couple of weeks, since Coach Beasley and I are getting married on the 25th.  When we return, I'll make sure to post pictures of the wrestling facility after completion!

Incoming Freshman Roulo Named 2011 NHSCA Wrestler of the Year

Congratulations to incoming freshman, Blake Roulo, on being recognized as the 2011 NHSCA Wrestler of the Year.  He will be inducted into the NHSCA Hall of Fame along with 19 other athletes, each representing their respective sport.

The excerpt on Roulo is below. For the entire article, click on the NHSCA logo above. 

Wrestling - Blake Roulo
Matoaca High School, Ettrick, Virginia

 

In April, Roulo made NHSCA history by becoming the second wrestler to become a four-time National High School champion. His takedown nine seconds into overtime gave him a 3-1 victory in the 140-pound championship match and the National Seniors championship, to go along with titles in the National Juniors, the National Sophomores and the National Freshman Championships the previous three years. He joins Tyler Beckwith of Greene (N.Y.) High, who accomplished the feat last year and also earned NHSCA National Senior Athlete of the Year honors. The title was a record seventh for Roulo in a NHSCA national event. The Group 3A state champion at 140 pounds as a junior, Roulo was the state runnerup at 145 as a sophomore and third in state at 135 as a freshman. He finished 37-3 and was the Central Region champion at 145 this year, and he posted a career record of 185-14. He will attend the University of Buffalo.

Wrestling Renovation Photo Update 06.15.11

These photos were taken this morning, June 15, 2011.  The renovation is still on track to be completed by July 1.  New floor and wall mats are on schedule to arrive next week.  Enjoy the photos.

Door to Coach Deubel's office

Coach Deubel's office

Hallway to wrestling room & Jeff Parker Lounge

Jeff Parker Lounge

Jeff parker Lounge

Coach Beasley's office

Door looking into the Jeff Parker Lounge from Coach Beasley's office

Looking into the cardio room from Coach Beasley's office

Coach Beichner's office

Coach Beichner's office

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Wrestling room emergency exit door

Wrestling room

Wrestling room

Cardio room from the wrestling room

What do YOU want to know about UB Wrestling?

This post is all about YOU, the reader.  What would you like to know more about when it comes to UB Wrestling? We are always striving to improve the blog and make it better for our readers.  Please comment on this thread and let me know what you'd like to see more of on the blog.  We'll get to work on your suggestions right away.

Thanks for your input! Go Bulls!

Wrestling Renovation Video Update 06.07.11

Coach Beichner tours the progress in the new wrestling facility on June 7, 2011.

Incoming Freshman Waste Takes 3rd at Junior World Team Trials

Jake Waste placed 3^rd at the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Franklin, Indiana on May 20^th, 2011.  He lost to eventual champion Joel Bauman of the Minnesota Storm Wrestling Club 1-0, 1-2, 0-1.  In the third place match, he beat Eli Adams of the YES Wrestling Club 0-1, 5-1, 6-4. 


By placing 3^rd at the FILA Junior World Team Trials, Jake qualified for the FILA Junior Pan-American Team.  He will be competing at the Pan-American Championships in Sao, Brazil.  The Pan-American Championships run from June 27^th through July 4^th.


Below are Jake's semifinals and third place match.

Third place match vs. Eli Adams

Semifinals vs. Joel Bauman

Incoming Freshman Roulo Crushes Competition

On May 30 & June 1, Blake Roulo competed (dominated) in the Southeast Regional in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.  Here are his results:

Greco-Roman:

Blake won by fall Javon Scott of Georgia in 1:47

Blake won by technical fall over Ronquai Love of Tennessee 7-0, 6-0

Blake won by technical fall over Charlie Mitchell of Florida 6-0, 7-0

Blake won by decision over Nick Mclean of Florida 6-0, 2-1

Blake won by decision over Nick Hall of Alabama 4-0, 4-0

Blake won by technical fall in the finals over Scott Hardiman of North Carolina 7-0, 6-0

Freestyle:

Blake won by fall over Will Hobbs of Georgia 7-0, 0:41

Blake won by fall over Josh Stephens of North Carolina 6-0, 0:24

Blake won by technical fall over Alex Destra of Florida 6-0, 8-0

Blake won by fall over Nick Mclean of Florida in 1:03

Blake won by fall over Deshawn Taylor of North Carolina in 0:40

Blake won by decision over Keagan Matlock of Tennessee 5-0, 6-1

Blake won by fall in the finals overJavor Scott of Georgia in 1:32

For the weekend, Blake wrestled 13 matches with 6 falls and 4 technical falls.  Looking forward to big things from the future Bull in the coming years! 

66kg Preview - 2011 World Team Trials

This article was originally posted by themat.com here.  Wally Maziarz will be competing at the 66kg/145.5lbs weight class at the 2011 World Team Trials in the Greco-Roman division.


By Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
05/28/2011

Two-time World bronze medalist Justin Lester, previously known as Harry Lester, enters as a strong favorite at the 66 kg division. Lester won his World medals in 2006 and 2007, then was upset in the 2008 Olympic Trials by 18-year old phenom Jake Deitchler. In 2009, Lester made the World Team competing up at 74 kg, and then took the 2010 season off. He returned this year after joining the U.S. Army and dropping back down to 66 kg.

It has been a good season for Lester, who won the U.S. Open for the third time in his career. He also won the Dave Schultz Memorial at 66 kg, then went to Cuba and won the Granma Cup up at 74 kg.

Placing second to Lester in a close final at the U.S. Open was Glenn Garrison, a veteran who has won two U.S. Open titles and has won dozens of international medals but has yet to make a World Team. Garrison has been a consistent contender for a decade. A new challenger in this weight class is former Minnesota star C.P. Schlatter who decided to make a run in Greco-Roman this year. Schlatter was third at the U.S. Open and won the gold at the New York AC International.

Faruk Sahin, who competed at the last two World Championships at this weight class, was injured and has not yet competed this season. Should Sahin enter the field in Oklahoma City, he will be a top contender. A naturalized citizen, Sahin is excited about the prospect of competing in the 2011 World Championships, which is being hosted in his birth nation, Turkey.

This weight class has a ton of young talent, many who are still showing improvement as they gain experience. Placing fourth at the U.S. Open was Pat Smith, who came through the age-group Greco-Roman program with the Minnesota Storm and is talented in this style. Ben Sanchez, who has continued to excel with the USOEC program at Northern Michigan was fifth at the Open. Taking sixth at the U.S. Open was John Cox, a former star for the U.S. Naval Academy who now competes for the U.S Marines. Cox also won the Northeast Senior Regional this year. Tanner Anders, another USOEC product, placed seventh at the U.S. Open.

Others in the draw will include Northern Plains Regional champion RaVaughn Perkins, who is also a member of the 2011 Junior World Team. Qualifying from the University Nationals is 66 kg champion Bo Beckman and true second finisher Wally Maziarz. The top two University Nationals placers at 63 kg can also enter the event, champion Joe Colon and runner-up James Clark.

The return of Harry Lester brings additional talent and experience to this division. Because he has won a World medal in the last four years, Lester gets to sit out until the best-of-three finals series, which is a significant advantage. Faruk Sahin, who has held this spot the last two seasons, will be a strong threat if he is able to return. Glenn Garrison and C.P. Schlatter have had strong seasons and look to battle for a spot in the finals.

2011 U.S. Open results at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. in Greco-Roman
1st - Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army) dec. Glenn Garrison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army), 2-2, 1-0
3rd - CP Schlatter, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) dec. Pat Smith, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 3-0, 1-0
5th - Ben Sanchez, Marquette, Mich. (New York Athletic Club) inj. dft. John Cox, Hampstead, N.C. (U.S. Marine Corps)
7th - Tanner Andrews, North Aurora, Ill. (USOEC) dec. Bo Beckman, Orem, Utah (New York Athletic Club), 2-0, 1-0

2011 World Team Trials qualifiers at 66 kg/145.5 pounds in Greco-Roman
U.S. Open Champion – Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
U.S. Open, second place – Glenn Garrison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
U.S. Open, third place – C.P. Schlatter, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
U.S. Open, fourth place – Pat Smith, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
U.S. Open, fifth place – Ben Sanchez, Leominster, Mass. (New York AC)
U.S. Open, sixth place – John Cox, Hampstead, N.C. (U.S. Marine Corps)
U.S. Open, seventh place – Tanner Andrews, North Aurora, Ill. (USOEC)
Northeast Regional Trials Champion – RaVaughn Perkins, Omaha, Neb. (Readyrp Mational)
Past U.S. World Team member – Faruk Sahin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
University Nationals Champion 66 kg – Bo Beckman, Orem, Utah (New York AC)
University Nationals True Second 66 kg– Wally Maziarz, North Tonawanda, N.Y. (Buffalo WC)
University Nationals Champion 63 kg – Joe Colon, Clear Lake, Iowa (Clear Lake)
University Nationals True Second 63 kg– James Clark, Hartland, Wis. (Ringers)