Brent Metcalf (left) battles Josh Churella. Larry Slater photo.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – NCAA champions Brent Metcalf and Angel Escobedo finished their standout college careers less than two months ago.

But that’s not stopping them in their pursuit of making their first World Teams in freestyle wrestling.

Metcalf and Escobedo won Challenge Tournament titles on Saturday to earn berths in the best-of-3 finals at the U.S. World Team Trials. The finals are set for 5 p.m. at the Mid-America Center.

Champions in each weight class advance to September’s World Championships in Moscow, Russia.

Metcalf, a two-time NCAA champion for Iowa, beat Olympian and past World fifth-place finisher Doug Schwab in the semifinals of the Challenge Tournament before downing U.S. Open runner-up Josh Churella in the Challenge finals.

“I wrestled hard and smart,” Metcalf said. “I got to my offense and finished. That’s the biggest thing and will be the biggest thing tonight. I did a good job all the way through those matches today.”

Metcalf now faces U.S. Open champion Jared Frayer in the final-round series at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Frayer has been second in this event twice, including last year. Frayer beat Metcalf in this tournament last year, and coached Metcalf last year at the University of Iowa.

“If I am going to win, I have to get to his legs and score,” Metcalf said. “To beat him, I have to get to the legs and score up in the air, which is the right way to finish. You don’t want to be hanging your head down, where he is going to be good.”

Escobedo downed past National Team member Nick Simmons in the Challenge freestyle finals at 55 kg/121 lbs. Escobedo earns another shot at U.S. Open champion Obe Blanc in the finals. Blanc downed Escobedo in April’s U.S. Open finals.

2009 World bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev won the Challenge Tournament to earn a finals rematch with U.S. Open champion Les Sigman in freestyle at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Sigman beat Dlagnev in the finals of the Open.

Dlagnev beat Junior World champion Dom Bradley in the Challenge finals. Bradley swept past World fifth-place finisher Tommy Rowlands in the Challenge semifinals.

Past NCAA champion Keith Gavin knocked off 2009 World Team Trials runner-up Bryce Hasseman to win the Challenge Tournament in freestyle at 84 kg/185 lbs. Gavin now faces 2009 World silver medalist Jake Herbert in the finals. 

World champion and Olympian Clarissa Chun won tough matches over Junior World champion Victoria Anthony and National Team member Sara Fulp-Allen to win the Challenge Tournament in women’s freestyle at 48 kg/105.5 lbs.

Chun advances to face U.S. Open champion Alyssa Lampe in the finals. Chun beat Lampe in the finals of the 2008 and 2009 World Team Trials.

It will be a battle of past World Teamers in the women’s finals at 55 kg/121 lbs. as World bronze medalist Tatiana Padilla battles 2008 World Team member Helen Maroulis in the finals. Maroulis downed past World Team member Leigh Jaynes to win the Challenge Tournament.

Padilla downed Maroulis in the finals of the U.S. Open.

Two-time World Team member Elena Pirozhkova will take on Veronica Carlson in the final series at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.

In Greco-Roman, World bronze medalist Justin Ruiz will battle 2009 World Team member R.C. Johnson in the finals at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Ruiz is looking to make his fifth World Team.

U.S. Open champion Nathan Piasecki is set to take on 2009 World Team member Jeremiah Davis in the finals at 60 kg/132 lbs. Davis downed past World Team member Joe Betterman to earn a shot at Piasecki.

U.S. Army teammates Glenn Garrison and Faruk Sahin will meet for the title at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Garrison beat Sahin, a 2009 World Team member, in the U.S. Open title bout.

SATURDAY NIGHT’S FINALS MATCHUPS

FREESTYLE

55 kg/121 lbs.
Obe Blanc (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) vs. Angel Escobedo (Griffith, Ind./New York AC)

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Jared Frayer (Madison, Wis./Gator WC) vs. Brent Metcalf (Iowa City, Iowa/New York AC)

84 kg/185 lbs.
Jake Herbert (Evanston, Ill./New York AC) vs. Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Lehigh Valley AC)

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Les Sigman (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) vs. Tervel Dlagnev (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids)

WOMEN’S FREESTYLE

48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Alyssa Lampe (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) vs. Clarissa Chun (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids)

55 kg/121 lbs.
Tatiana Padilla (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) vs. Helen Maroulis (Rockville, Md./New York AC)

63 kg/138.75 lbs.
Elena Pirozhkova (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) vs. Veronica Carlson (Addison, Ill./New York AC)

GRECO-ROMAN

60 kg/132 lbs.
Nathan Piasecki (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) vs. Jeremiah Davis (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army)

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Glenn Garrison (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) vs. Faruk Sahin (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army)

96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Justin Ruiz (Meridian, Idaho/New York AC) vs. R.C. Johnson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids)