USA Wrestling has announced that the Men’s Freestyle Olympic Trials Qualifier will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., Dec. 2-3.

It will be showcased alongside one of the nation’s most respected college wrestling tournaments, the 30th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational.

Wrestling fans will have the opportunity to see many of the nation’s best freestyle wrestlers competing side-by-side with many of the nation’s best college wrestling stars. Both events will be held in Hall C-3. 

“There is no better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational than to include the Olympic-caliber athletes that are aspiring to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team,” said Mark Churella, Sr., Executive Director of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational. “We are pleased and honored to have them as part of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this year.”

There will not be a U.S. Open in freestyle wrestling during the 2012 year. This event, the Men’s Freestyle Olympic Trials Qualifier, is one of the most important qualifying events for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

The top three athletes in each of the seven weight classes who haven’t already qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will earn a spot in the field at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa, April 22-23.

“USA Wrestling is excited to partner with the Churella family and Cliff Keen Athletic to present the 2012 Senior Men’s Freestyle Olympic Trials Qualifier. Having both events at the same time will be very appealing to athletes and fans,” said Pete Isais, USA Wrestling’s Director of National Events. “Our National Team created a new Olympic Trials qualifying system. There won’t be a U.S. Open in freestyle this year. This is a vital event, in which the top three athletes will qualify for the Olympic Trials. We will see a lot of great athletes.”

Online registration for competitors is available for this event. The deadline for online registration is Wednesday, November 30 at 5:00 p.m. MST. Entry fee for those registering online is $40. 

Participants must meet U.S. citizenship requirements necessary to compete for the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games. The competition will be a double-elimination, straight-line bracket to eighth place.

The host hotel for the event is the Las Vegas Hilton. Please book your hotel rooms at the Las Vegas Hilton by calling 800-635-7711. You must mention Group Code SCWC1R in order to receive the proper room rate of $85.00 a night.

All-session tickets for both days of competition, which allows fans to see both the college and Senior freestyle action, is $40 for adults and $30 for students. Single session tickets for the preliminary rounds are $15 for adults and $12 for students. Tickets for the championship finals are $20 for adults and $15 for students.

Tentative teams participating in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational this year are: Air Force; Arizona State; Boise State; Brown; Cal Poly; Cal State Bakersfield; California Baptist; Central Michigan; Columbia; Cornell; Dickinson State; Drexel; Duke; Edinboro; Grand Canyon; Harvard; Hofstra; Illinois; Indiana; Kent State; Michigan; Missouri; Navy; Nebraska-Kearney; North Carolina; North Carolina State; North Dakota State; North Idaho College; Ohio State; Oklahoma; Oregon State; Pittsburgh; Purdue; San Francisco State; Southern Illinois Edwardsville; Stanford; Utah Valley; Virginia Tech; West Virginia; Western Wyoming; Wisconsin

MEN’S FREESTYLE OLYMPIC TRIALS QUALIFIER
At Las Vegas, Nev., Dec. 2-3

Friday, December 2
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Registration and Skin Checks
5:00 p.m. – Weigh-ins

Saturday, December 3
9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Preliminaries, Consolation, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolation Semifinals, 5th and 7th place matches 
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Championship finals and 3rd place matches