Projecting the Olympic Trials field: 57kg

[Katie 1,076]

Don't sleep on Garrett. His style is perfect for freestyle. 

[maligned 528]

Best guess at 57kg:

In:
Ramos
Graff
Scott

Colon

Escobedo

Dennis

Hazewinkel

Tomasello

Tadzhimetov

Waters

2 Pan Am events:
(I'll guess Ramos qualifies the weight at the Pan Am qualifier, but what will the U.S. do for the Pan Am championships proper just before that?  Would they maybe send a young guy like Naser or a past world teamer like Blanc to "gift" them a chance to qualify for trials?  I think more likely Graff or Dennis would be our rep and there will be no new qualifiers from these events.)

NCAA champ at 125 and 133:

Garrett
(Tomasello...no new qualifier)

Final Trials Qualifier:
Naser

Potential Bracket with Seeds, based on the criteria outlined in the selection procedures document:

1. Ramos (via qualifying the weight at Pan Am's would be automatic top seed)
bye
Escobedo
8. Tadzhimetov
5. Hazewinkel
Garrett
bye
4. Scott
3. Dennis
bye
Waters
6. Colon
7. Tomasello
Naser
bye
2. Graff

Such a wide open weight class...Hochstrasser, Megaludis, Blanc, Perelli, Sanders, Micic, McDonough, and others would be on the outside looking in if the above unfolds.  

Edited January 30, 2016 by maligned

[maligned 528]

Don't sleep on Garrett. His style is perfect for freestyle. 

The problem is the messed up system that essentially excludes all our college guys.  If he doesn't win NCAAs, he gets exactly one shot to qualify for the trials as the champ at the last-chance event....and it could mean needing to beat a couple guys like Tomasello, Megaludis, Sanders, Micic, Perelli.

[dtl38 79]

I would like to see Tyler Graff come out of this bracket. The best shot for Team USA for a medal.

[LJB 2,093]

the answer is clear... fuk NCAAs and focus on what really matters... WORLD and OLYMPIC glory.... Pico doing it the right way... 

#alldayerrday
#d1

 

[LaxHawk174 40]

Daniel Dennis and Coleman Scott will both be at this weight for the olympic year.

[maligned 528]

Daniel Dennis and Coleman Scott will both be at this weight for the olympic year.

I didn't know about Dennis and totally spaced Scott. Woops.

[TripNSweep 740]

Ramos didn't qualify this weight yet.  It still needs to be done at the Pan Am qualifier in March. 

[maligned 528]

If you re-read the post of how the projected bracket members each qualified, you'll see that I mention this issue and make the guess that Ramos will in fact qualify the weight at Pan Am's.

[maligned 528]

I've updated this projection with a bit more research included.

Edited September 26, 2015 by maligned

[Cletus_Tucker 890]

The problem is the messed up system that essentially excludes all our college guys.  If he doesn't win NCAAs, he gets exactly one shot to qualify for the trials as the champ at the last-chance event....and it could mean needing to beat a couple guys like Tomasello, Megaludis, Sanders, Micic, Perelli.

 

 

If he can't beat those guys, he's probably not Olympic caliber. 

 

I like the matchups as thye're set in the hypothetical bracket.   

 

Simmons destroys an emaciated Scott and i can't wait to see it.   

 

Great weight class with Simmons arguably the most exciting American wrestler, this side of Robbie Smith

[Hubbard 426]

Ramos spends a LOT of time giving back to the sport.  Always teaching kids etc... 

 

I like that.

[goiahawkeyes 7]

I have a hard time thinking McDonough doesn't make this field

[maligned 528]

I have a hard time thinking McDonough doesn't make this field

I had him as one of the last couple in until I remembered there's a good chance Hochstrasser will be there and someone told me Dennis is cutting down.

 

There are certainly spots to be had and there aren't many guys he can't beat.  But if you take the results of the US Open and WTTs, he's 7th in line in terms of who he beat and lost to.  Then bring back 2 of the top 3 from 2014 (Megaludis and Hazewinkel...though not certain if Haze is coming back), Olympic bronze medalist Scott, the fast rising star Micic, and the always tough Dennis.  Suddenly you're running out of spots if you're just trying to rank guys for the 10 or 11 spots available outside of ncaa bids.

[goiahawkeyes 7]

I had him as one of the last couple in until I remembered there's a good chance Hochstrasser will be there and someone told me Dennis is cutting down.

 

There are certainly spots to be had and there aren't many guys he can't beat.  But if you take the results of the US Open and WTTs, he's 7th in line in terms of who he beat and lost to.  Then bring back 2 of the top 3 from 2014 (Megaludis and Hazewinkel...though not certain if Haze is coming back), Olympic bronze medalist Scott, the fast rising star Micic, and the always tough Dennis.  Suddenly you're running out of spots if you're just trying to rank guys for the 10 or 11 spots available outside of ncaa bids.

 

Can't argue with you there.

 

I would put him on the same line as Hoch / Escobedo / Micic / Haze  but that's where it gets tough to pick them apart.

Edited September 29, 2015 by goiahawkeyes

[newyorkwrestler 258]

anyone think cejudo comes back again?

[Yellow_Medal 209]

I would like to see Tyler Graff come out of this bracket. The best shot for Team USA for a medal.

Yes! Saw him at the Schultz and if he wrestles that way at trials he could be our man.  

[Guest Kingsland]

anyone think cejudo comes back again?

Not with his budding mma career.

[rpm002 192]

Mitcheff is a guy who has a good chance to make it to trials I would think.

 

I think it is crazy that Graff hasn't wrestled either Colon or Ramos since college. He keeps running into the same guys (split with McDonough, split with Angel, swept 2 vs Simmons). Gotta think we start to see some of those matchups sooner rather than later. I hope so.

[maligned 528]

 

Mitcheff is a guy who has a good chance to make it to trials I would think.

 

I think it is crazy that Graff hasn't wrestled either Colon or Ramos since college. He keeps running into the same guys (split with McDonough, split with Angel, swept 2 vs Simmons). Gotta think we start to see some of those matchups sooner rather than later. I hope so.

 

Very true..he was one of the last guys I left off the bracket also.  Another interesting prospect for the last-chance qualifier is Gilman (assuming he doesn't win NCAAs), who was obviously a junior world medalist 2 years ago.  

 

What if Moisey wins NCAAs, for example, and no previous non-qualifier takes a spot at the Schultz?  We would have something similar to this list at the last-chance qualifier, fighting for one measly spot: Tomasello, Megaludis, Gilman, Garrett, Mitcheff, McDonough, and C. Scott.  That would be very much worth the price of admission.  Even if it's not that list, it's going to be something similar to that with other studs from above subbed in.

[rpm002 192]

I was thinking about this more and this is a good example of what makes wrestling a crazy sport.

 

McDonough was 1 point away from teching Colon.  If he does that, he faces Escabedo who he recently beat 6-2 and a win there would have put him against Ramos.  Doubtful he wins that, but even if he doesn't, he is on the National team for the 2nd straight year and is seen as the clear #2 at 57.

 

Instead, he gives up the comeback to Colon, gets routed by Graff (who he just beat a few weeks prior), and rather than viewed as #2, he is viewed as being on the outside looking in of a 12 wrestler field. 

[de4856 370]

Not sure, but I don't think McDonough can handle the weight cut anymore. Look at his Senior year, maybe he was injured or maybe the cut just exhausted him to the point he was no longer that dominate guy. I'm beginning to think that after what Coach Slay said about Kyle Snyder, I believe that if Ramos can't get it done we might find out next superstar in this weight coming up from the Jr.'s.

[maligned 528]

I was thinking about this more and this is a good example of what makes wrestling a crazy sport.

 

McDonough was 1 point away from teching Colon.  If he does that, he faces Escabedo who he recently beat 6-2 and a win there would have put him against Ramos.  Doubtful he wins that, but even if he doesn't, he is on the National team for the 2nd straight year and is seen as the clear #2 at 57.

 

Instead, he gives up the comeback to Colon, gets routed by Graff (who he just beat a few weeks prior), and rather than viewed as #2, he is viewed as being on the outside looking in of a 12 wrestler field. 

It's true that the margin for error is very slim.  But it gets exaggerated in this scenario since none of Hochstrasser, Hazewinkel, Micic, Megaludis, Scott, or Dennis were in the picture at WTTs.  So instead of going from 2/3 down to 6 with the big point swing against Colon and the whitewash against Graff, he goes from 2/3 down to 12 (in this one humble projection).  When it's all said and done, though, it will be a minor miracle if Hoch and Haze are there and Scott and Dennis both make the weight.  Even then, it's still probably better than 50/50 odds that McDonough finds his way into the field somehow...it's just that there are like 8 others with him that all have an equal 55% shot at getting one of 4 or 5 slots.

[Hubbard 426]

Ramos planning to train in Russia for a little bit. 

[maligned 528]

Updated to reflect the Farrell results.