Last chance qualifiers for World Team Trials set for this weekend

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Craig Sesker (USA Wrestling)
05/02/2006


There are a variety of different ways you can qualify for the U.S. World Team Trials in wrestling.

Among them are finishing in the top seven at the U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas, being a past World Team member or Olympian, winning a medal on an overseas tour or capturing one of USA Wrestling's qualifying events.

Wrestlers are now down to their final chance to qualify. The final weekend to qualify for the World Team Trials is this Saturday and Sunday.

The last shot for men's freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers to qualify for the Trials comes at the Northern Plains Regional May 4-6 at Young Arena in Waterloo, Iowa. Women's freestyle competitors have their last shot at University Nationals May 5-7 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

The men's freestyle and Greco-Roman champion in each weight class at the Northern Plains Regional will qualify for the World Team Trials on May 26-28 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

World champion and Olympic silver medalist Sammie Henson is among the wrestlers who have entered the event in Waterloo. Henson, who made the 2005 World team, will compete up a weight class at 132 pounds. He normally competes at 121. Henson already has qualified for the World Team Trials, but sat out the U.S. Nationals last month in Las Vegas.

Among those who also entered are former National Team member Brian Keck, NCAA All-Americans Jacob Volkmann, Joel Flaggert and Matt Keller, and four-time NCAA Division II champion Les Sigman of Nebraska-Omaha. Keck is entered in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at 264.5 pounds. Volkmann will compete in freestyle at 163 with Flaggert at 211.5, Keller at 132 and Sigman at 264.5.

The top two finishers in each weight class from the University Nationals for women will qualify for the World Team Trials for women's freestyle on June 30 in Colorado Springs.