This is a preview of the 2011 New York AC International in men’s freestyle

55 kg/121 lbs.

2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Hazewinkel is the top U.S. entry here, looking to get a strong start to his Olympic year competition. 2009 U.S. World Team member Danny Felix, who was second at the Sunkist Kids International, is also competing. Angel Escobedo, who was second at the 2010 World Team Trials, is among those entered. Among those who have been nationally ranked are Brandon Precin, Dan Mitcheff and Mark McKnight. Young Ben Kjar, who qualified for the Olympic Trials with his fourth place at the Sunkist International last month, is also competing. High school star Mark Grey, who was fifth at the Junior World Championships last year, is also in the field. Nurlan Makenaliev of Kyrgyzstan, who was ninth in the 2011 World Championships is perhaps the top international entry here. Mongolia has two entries, Junior World placer Bekhbayar Erdenebat, as well as Asian placewinner Davaakhuyag Tumur. Erdenbat scored a win over Hazewinkel in a dual meet on Thursday night. A veteran Canadian, Promise Mwenga, will be in the mix. 

60 kg/132 lbs.
2011 World Team member Reece Humphrey will compete this year, adding a tournament to the two dual meets he wrestled in earlier this week. National team member Coleman Scott, who finished third at last year’s World Team Trials, is also entered. Matt Valenti, who is nationally ranked at this weight, will also be a top challenger. Both are past NCAA champions, Scott at Oklahoma State and Valenti at Penn. Mongolia brings its 2011 World Team member Mandakhnaran Ganzorig at 60 kg/132 lbs. who scored a win over Humphrey in a dual meet on Thursday. Mongolia has two other entries in the field, as well. Russia has two entries, Alexander Bogomoev and Asadulla Lachinov, both talented young competitors. Drew Headlee is another U.S. national placewinner at this weight class. Jimmy Kennedy, the former star at Illinois, has dropped to this weight class. Troy Nickerson, a former NCAA champion for Cornell who was a U.S. Open runner-up last year at 55 kg, is now competing at this division. Taking an Olympic redshirt year to compete this year in freestyle is Wisconsin’s Tyler Graff. Another talent to watch is former Boise State star Andrew Hochstrasser. Young talents in the field include Nick Fanthorpe, Steve Mytych, David Marble and Kyle Hutter. Canadian James Mancini could also be in the mix.

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
There are no Freestyle Team USA members on the preliminary roster, but a full set of top challengers in the weight class. The most intriguing entry is 2009 World Team member Dustin Schlatter, who has competed at 74 kg but has just dropped down to 66 kg for the first time which makes him a compelling story. Veteran Joe Johnston and USOTC residents Chase Pami and Todd Meneely are nationally ranked athletes looking for a strong performance. Kevin LeValley, who has been an age-group freestyle star, is also entered. Adam Hall, who starred at Boise State, is another wrestler with a strong age-group freestyle background.Young star Destin McCalley, who is training at the USOTC prior to going to college, is another athlete to watch. Another tough U.S. competitor to watch is Justin Pearch. Competing for the U.S. Marines Corps is former Naval Academy star Bryce Saddoris, a good freestyler who is also learning Greco-Roman. Back on the mats is Andy Simmons, brother of World Team member Nick and an athlete with considerable freestyle background. The weight class has its share of international competitors, with entries from Australia, Canada, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolis, Puerto Rico and Russia mixed into the field.

74 kg/163 lbs.
Russia has three entries in this weight class including 2011 Yarygin Tournament champion Saba Khubezhty and 2010 Yarygin Tournament bronze medalist Kamal Malikov. Dzhalauludin Kurbanaliev, a 2011 World Cup champion at 66 kg, has moved up to this division. Muzaffar Aburakhmanov of Uzbekistan, a past college star for American University and a coach at Harvard, is always a tough match. Mongolia’s 2011 World Team member Unurbat Purevjav will also be competing. There are no national team member athletes from the United States in the draw, but a good mix of young talent looking to move up in the rankings. USOTC resident Moza Fay is among the nationally ranked athletes looking for a big win here. Former Iowa star Ryan Morningstar had a strong year in freestyle las season and looks to move up in the rankings. Former Harvard NCAA champion J.P. O’Connor is competing. Tyler Caldwell, who was an All-American for Oklahoma but is taking a year off and will transfer elsewhere, has looked good in freestyle. 

84 kg/185 lbs.
Bryce Hasseman, who has been on the national team a number of times, is among the top challengers here. Tyrone Lewis, an Olympic Trials runner-up at 74 kg, who has returned this year and is competing at 84 kg. Two top young talents, Missouri NCAA champion Max Askren and Cornell NCAA runner-up Mack Lewnes, are looking to move up in the rankings. Kirk Smith, who starred for Boise State in college, has been a successful age-group freestyle wrestler. Two wrestlers who used to compete at 96 kg, Kurt Backes and Mike Tamillow, are now down at 84 kg. This is a deep U.S. field, with talents including Phillip Keddy, James Yonushonis, Doug Umbehauer and Marty Useman in the mix. Jaime Espinal of Puerto Rico, who trains with the Nittany Lion WC, has had success at a number of international events. Canada’s top wrestler in this weight, Jeff Adamson, is also entered. Nate Ackerman of Great Britain, who wrestled for Harvard, is also in the field.

96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Russia has a pair of past University World champions, Evgeniy Kolmeits and Yury Belonovskiy, entered at his weight class. National Team member Dustin Kilgore, who was a NCAA champion last year for Kent State and has rapidly improved in freestyle, is competing. Belonovskiy defeated Kilgore in a dual meet on Friday night. 2010 World Team member J.D. Bergman and 2007 World Team member Tommy Rowlands, both who train together in Columbus, Ohio, add tremendous experience to the field. Rowlands has dropped down from heavyweight this year. Among those with national rankings and experience are Wynn Michalak, Aaron Anspach, Brett Jones and David Zabriskie. Also seeking freestyle success is Clayton Foster and Luke Lofthouse. Young star Tanner Hall, a Junior World Team member for the USA, can also be dangerous.

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
This is a small division with just six entries. Jarod Trice, who was a medalist at Hargobind International, is entered, as is Charles Fish, who won a medal at the Sunkist Kids International. Russia’s entry is young Eduard Bazrov, who gave a good showing in the dual meet here on Friday night. Carl Floor of American Samoa, who is from the United States and went to college here, is in the field.