Article: 2024 Olympic Trials Indiana Notables

[Y2CJ41]

Wrestlers from all over will converge upon State College, Pennsylvania Friday and Saturday for one of 18 coveted spots on the Olympic team. Seven wrestlers with Indiana ties will look to call themselves Olympians after the dust settles on Saturday evening.

 

Men's Freestyle
At 65kg there are two entries from Indiana in Nick Lee and Jesse Mendez. Lee is coming in as the top seed, while Mendez is the 11th seed. This weight is not qualified for the Olympics yet, so the winner here will go to Turkey with hopes of getting a qualifying spot. Lee won the spot last year and wrestled at Worlds, but did not qualify the spot. He potentially see Penn State teammate Beau Bartlett or 2023 NCAA champ Andrew Alirez to make the best of three finals.

 

Moving up to 97kg we will see Christian Carroll attempt to make the team. He qualified at the Last Chance Qualifier a couple weeks ago and slots in as the 9th seed. He will have Iowa's Anthony Cassioppi in the first round with the winner getting former Olympic medalist J'den Cox in the quarters.

 

At heavyweight Mason Parris will sit out until the finals on Saturday. He will away the challenge tournament winner in a best of three series due to winning a bronze medal at last year's world championships. It will be very fitting to see Parris in Paris this summer.

 

Women's Freestyle
Three wrestlers will look to earn spots on the team in Women's Freestyle. All of the women's weights are qualified for the Olympics which means winning here will get you a trip to Paris. At 50kg the Queen of Granger Sarah Hildebrandt will be sitting out until Saturday's best of three finals. She has medaled multiple times on the world stage and looks to make her second Olympic team. 

 

Kayla Miracle will be in the best of three series at 62kg awaiting the winner of the challenge tournament. She was an Olympian in 2021 and qualified the weight again for the Olympics at the Pan Am qualifier.

 

Lastly, Yorktown's Alara Boyd will look to earn a spot at 68kg. She comes in as the 5th seed in the challenge tournament. She has multiple world medals and will be a threat to make the best of three series against Amit Elor.

 

Schedule

Friday, April 19
Session 1: 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Challenge Tournament: Preliminaries, Quarterfinals and Consolation Rounds* 
(ALL STYLES AND WEIGHTS)
*All championship matches will wrestle prior to consolation rounds

 

Session 2: 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Challange Tournament: Semifinals and Finals
(ALL STYLES AND WEIGHTS)

 

Saturday, April 20
Session 3: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Final 2 out of 3 Championship Series Round 1**
**Weights not currently qualified for the Olympics will wrestle match 2 in this session
Challenge Tournament: Consolations, Consolation Semi-finals, 3rd place and True 3rd (if needed)
(ALL STYLES AND WEIGHTS)

 

Session 4: 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Final 2 out of 3 Championship Series Round 2**
**Weights not currently qualified for the Olympics will wrestle match 3 at beginning of session (if needed)
Final 2 out of 3 Championship Series Round 3 (If Needed)

 

How to Watch
On Peacock and USA
https://www.themat.com/news/2024/april/16/how-to-watch-live-u-s-olympic-team-trials-wrestling-live-on-peacock-and-usa-network

 

Brackets

Brackets on TrackWrestling

 

TheMat.com Coverage Page

 

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[Dingo Brigade]

Good preview. Thanks for that.

 

I just got to State College about a half hour ago. I'll be reporting live from the event the next couple of days, rooting for our Hoosier hammers of course.

 

Hope to see any of you that might be around during the competition. Let's GO!

 

 

[MUSKEEWRESTLER]

Can't wait for it to get going.  Very exciting seeing all of the Indiana representation.

[Dingo Brigade]

[Dingo Brigade]

Mendez with a big throw of McKenna...leads 4-0

[Dingo Brigade]

Larkin gets a leglace on Kolodzik and techs him.

 

Mendez up 4-1

[Dingo Brigade]

18 year old Connor Mirasola up against McFadden at 86kg.

 

Mendez with another TD, pouring it on, leads 8-2, Wins 8-2

 

Bartlett over Garrett in a changing of the guard match.

 

Pantaleo wins 5-3 over Gross

[Dingo Brigade]

HSer Ladarion Lockett quickly gets a TD and a leglace and nearly techs fellow phenom Meyer Shapiro, wins 10-1. Oklahoma State is getting a monster in Lockett.

 

Starocci was down to Downey and got a leglace himself and took the lead, opening it up later with a 12-4 final score. Starocci has been talking a lot of trash in the media, and I'm excited to see what he is going to do the rest of this tourney. Really looked like Starocci might be in trouble, but as he has always done, he turned it on when it mattered most.

[Dingo Brigade]

Marinelli wins a 1-0 barnburner over Tyler Berger

 

Christian Carroll up against big Tony Cassioppi

Edited April 19, 2024 by Dingo Brigade
Christian not Chandler

[Dingo Brigade]

Carroll with a very quick, deep shot to start the match. Cassioppi hips out, but Carroll stays on the attack and takes a 2-0 lead on another quick shot. Carroll looking incredibly explosive early in the match. Looks like Tony C is gonna try to put his weight on Carroll in the clinch, but Carroll isn't getting pushed around by the bigger man thus far.

[Dingo Brigade]

Big Tony gets a TD near the edge, ties it up 2-2. Cassioppi seizes the momentum and works hard for another single, gets it just before the end of the period, leads Carroll 4-2. Christian has his work cut out for him to start the 2nd.

 

They exchange TDs, Tony C leads 6-4 with a minute left

[Dingo Brigade]

Carroll with another big toss, leads by criteria 6-6...wins it in an absolutely phenomenal match

[Dingo Brigade]

Jaron Smith is some kind of physical specimen. He was 197 not too long ago but he looks like a He-Man action figure. The AA from Maryland has some nice freestyle chops too, as he is up 6-2 on Gastank Gary Traub.

[Dingo Brigade]

HSers really showing out in Mens' Freestyle so far. Lockett was unreal earlier, Jax Forrest dominated Liam Cronin, won 10-0.

 

Marcus Blaze U17 World Champ led Suriano 2-1, Suriano tied and took criteria with a pushout. Blaze is still 17. Unbelievable

[Dingo Brigade]

Nick Lee vs. Pantaleo. We know 2 things: Lee will be modest in defeat or victory, and Pantaleo is never an easy out.

 

Suriano holds off the phenom Blaze, wins 4-2. Blaze pushed him to the edge, but Suriano is so difficult to beat under any circumstances or style.

[Dingo Brigade]

Lee pushing the action, Pantaleo gives up a point for passivity. Lee is just so solid in all facets, opens up a 9-2 lead with some back exposure.

 

Green and Mendez up now. Green gets a pushout a minute into the match. 

[MUSKEEWRESTLER]

Lee and Mendez moving on!!!!!!

[Dingo Brigade]

Nick Lee wins 9-2.

 

Green using some stepouts to get a 3-0 lead, Mendez responds with a TD with a minute left. 40 seconds, Mendez stalking...gets the leg, get the TD and 2 for a quick exposure....Mendez winning 6-3. Wins 6-3! Indiana wrestlers have been phenomenal thus far.

 

Yianni looking vulnerable against Larkin, who is so long for this weight. Very tough body type to compete against in FS....8-8, with Larkin with criteria...Yianni with a sweep single, chops out Larkin's leg to complete the takedown. Bricks from both sides

 

Bartlett up on Alirez 2-2 by criteria in the 2nd period.....Alirez stalking

[Dingo Brigade]

Lots of explanations for the scoring in the final flurry with Yianni and Larkin. Yianni pulls it out like a champion

[Dingo Brigade]

Alirez pulls it out 6-2 over Bartlett, who looked very competitive with the former NCAA champ.

[Dingo Brigade]

Mat 4 Mirasola against a grown man in Aaron Brooks...Mirasola takes the early lead 2-1. Brooks ties is on a stepout. 2-2, Mirasola with criteria, Brooks continues to push the action, gets another stepout, on top 3-2 over the 18 year old Mirasola. Starts to pour it on, opens up a 9-2 lead. He really wore him down as the match progressed. Mirasola remained competitive, got a 2nd period TD but they had a clash of heads that really knocked Mirasola for a loop. 4Xer Brooks wins 11-5, but what an effort by Mirasola

 

Dieringer up 3-2 over Mark Hall. Wins 5-2, looked pretty solid.

[Dingo Brigade]

So many studs. It's very hard to keep up with them all.

 

Hidlay with a quick stepout on Starocci. Starocci ties it with one of his own. 1-1, 1 minute left in the 1st. 1-1 to start the 2nd. What a match. They exchange 2nd period TDs, but Hidlay get an additional 2, leads 5-3. Starocci has under a minute left....Hidlay gonna pull it out and beat Starocci. What a hard earned win for Hidlay.

 

Marstellar looking good against Wick. Wins 5-0. Just heard that Marstellar and GR standout Stefonowicz are brothers. Both won their matches on abutting mats.

[Dingo Brigade]

Had to rub my eyes, but Facundo gets the first 2 against Burroughs. JB responds with a stepout, 2-1 Facundo. Another stepout, 2-2, criteria still with Facundo

 

Lockett and Mesenbrink up now...can't wait to see what these 2 will do.

[Dingo Brigade]

Lockett with a lightning quick single, somehow Mesenbrink avoids going to the mat, scrambles and gets in on Lockett's legs, leads 2-0. Mesenbrink reminds me a little of Nick Lee out there. Just keeps going, very fundamentally solid.

 

Burroughs is really being tested by Facundo. Gets his 4th point via stepout, leads 4-2.

[Dingo Brigade]

Mesenbrink get another TD, gets a deep gut, turns Lockett, leads 8-1 at the break.

 

Burroughs just knows how to win, but credit Facundo with getting deep in on Burroughs' legs. He just can't complete the TD. Facundo with a stepout point, cuts it to 5-3 but only 9 seconds left. A TD would win it for Facundo...JB survives!, 5-3