Current and former Iowa wrestlers will be competing at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament this weekend. The competition will take place at Discovery Canyon High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Sunday, May 21.
The winner of the WTT Challenge Tournament will face a defending World medalist or 2023 U.S. Open champ at Final X in Newark, New Jersey on June 10. The winner of Final X will represent Team USA at the 2023 World Freestyle Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in September.
Austin DeSanto and Tony Cassioppi will represent the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. DeSanto looked real good in placing second at the recent U.S. Open and is seeded #1 at 61 KG. I love the way the seeds look at this time and I really like DeSanto’s chances to win this tournament.
Tony Cassioppi is seeded #7 at 125 KG. Cassioppi won a World title at the 2022 U23 World Freestyle Championships and won the Bronze last year at U23 Worlds. Cassioppi will be a senior next season for the Hawks where he is already a four-time All American.
Kylie Welker will represent the Hawkeye Women’s Wrestling Club. Welker placed fifth at the U.S. Open and is seeded #4 at 76 KG. I like her draw for this tournament. In 2021 as a high school junior Welker was runner-up in the Olympic Trials, won a U20 World title, and a Bronze at the U23 World Championships.
Bella Mir qualified for the WTT Challenge Tournament at 68 KG after placing sixth at the U.S. Open but will not be competing. Mir won the 68 KG title at U20 Nationals and will represent Team USA at the 2023 U20 World Freestyle Championships in Warsaw, Poland in August.
Welker and Mir are both true freshmen at Iowa. The Hawks will have their first year of competition in the 2023-24 season.
The tournament will be streamed live on FloWrestling.com.
I will post a follow up blog with results.
2023 Senior World Team Trials Challenge on Sunday, May 21
9 AM – Women’s and Men’s Freestyle (Prelims, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolations)
2 PM – Women’s and Men’s Freestyle (Consolation Semifinals)
3:30 PM – Women’s and Men’s Freestyle (Finals, Third Place)
*****All times CST
61 KG
- Austin DeSanto, Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC
- Seth Gross, Sunkist Kids WC
- Daton Fix, Titan Mercury WC
- Nahshon Garrett, Lehigh Valley WC/Titan Mercury WC
- Nathan Tomasello, Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC
- Joe Colon, Titan Mercury WC
- Aden Valencia, California RTC/Titan Mercury WC
125 KG
- Nick Gwiazdowski, Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC
- Mason Parris, Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC
- Wyatt Hendrickson, Air Force RTC
- Dominique Bradley, Sunkist Kids WC
- Ty Walz, Southeast RTC/Titan Mercury WC
- Demetrius Thomas, Pittsburgh WC/New York AC
- Anthony Cassioppi, Hawkeye WC
76 KG
- Adeline Gray, New York AC
- Yelena Makoyed, Titan Mercury WC/Cardinal WC
- Dymond Guilford, Titan Mercury WC/USOPTC
- Kylie Welker, Titan Mercury WC/Iowa Women’s WC
- Tristan Kelly, Army WCAP
- Precious Bell, Titan Mercury WC
- Ashley Lekas, Minnesota Gold WC
- Skylar Grote, Titan Mercury WC/Beaver Dam RTC
- Nahiela Magee, Army WCAP
- Brooklyn Hays, Minnesota Gold WC
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
