USA Wrestling Olympic Team Trials 2021 – 74kg Preview

USA Wrestling Olympic Trials Preview – 74kg

The USA Wrestling Olympic team trials are a few days away. and I got you covered with a preview of all the weight classes and the next up is 74kg. In this preview I break down the best matchups, the biggest story, and the biggest dark horses to keep an eye out for.

The Story

The biggest difference between this weight and the previous weights I covered, 57kg and 65kg, is there are two wrestlers that have earned a unique advantage. Jordan Burroughs sits throughout the initial bracket and awaits the champion for a best of three series. He has won an Olympic gold medal before, and his previous accolades and tournament wins give him this unique opportunity.

Kyle Dake is in a similar situation, he is sitting until the challenger tournament semifinals, and then will wrestle whoever else makes the semis. That makes this challenger bracket that much harder, with only three semifinal spots up for grabs.

The 1st for the challenger tournament is Jason Nolf, a three-time NCAA champion who has also placed in international competition. He has earned a silver medal in the 2019 World Team Trials and won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships in 2020.

Dark Horses

The top two guys at this weight class are going to be really tough to beat, but Chance Marsteller is a name to keep in mind. He is someone that has been through major adversity in his wrestling career, and sometimes those intangibles of life can be an advantage for a tough wrestling tournament.

Vincenzo Joseph comes in as the lowest-seeded wrestler in this weight, but his spot in the bracket is deceiving for the wrestler he is. The three-time All-American and two-time national champion is a big move threat at all times. That is dangerous for anyone who has to wrestle Joseph.

Best Matches to Watch

Evan Wick and Thomas Gantt will most likely square off in round one, and this is the match I am keeping my eye on early. Wick is a tall lengthy wrestler and his reach can help him get to legs from spots where other guys are not capable of scoring from. Gantt is the three seed, and doesn’t have the accolades as some of the other guys in this weight, but the former North Carolina State wrestler is quick and can blow a match open quickly.

Prediciton

There is ZERO DOUBT in my mind that Burroughs vs Dake will wrestle in a best of 3. That could be the most anticipated of the entire weekend, so whatever happens in the challenger side of the tournament. Nolf will probably end up being his victim.

I really am torn on who will be the guy for Team USA, but I think I have to go with the New Yorker Dake over Burroughs in match 3. Let me know what you think I got wrong on my Twitter.

SEEDS from TeamUSA.org

Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska WTC/Sunkist Kids) – sitting to best-of-three finals
Kyle Dake (Spartan Combat RTC/TMWC) – sitting to challenge tournament semifinals

1. Jason Nolf (Nittany Lion WC/TMWC)
2. Chance Marsteller (TMWC)
3. Thomas Gantt (Wolfpack RTC/ TMWC)
4. Logan Massa (Cliff Keen WC/NYAC)
5. David Carr (Cyclone RTC/TMWC)
6. Evan Wick (Wisconsin RTC/TMWC)
7. Vincenzo Joseph (Nittany Lion WC/TMWC)

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