Six American Greco-Roman wrestlers are set to take aim at qualifying their country’s weight classes for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The U.S. will have six entries in Greco-Roman at the FILA Pan American Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament, set for March 23-25 at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Fla.

The American team is led by World champion Dremiel Byers, World bronze medalist Justin Ruiz and Olympian Spenser Mango. The U.S. team also includes Junior World bronze medalist Ellis Coleman along with past World Team members Andy Bisek and Chas Betts.

The top two finishers at each weight class will qualify their countries for the 2012 Olympic Games, set for this August in London, England. There will be no true second-place matches, so the two wrestlers that advance to the finals will qualify their countries for the Olympics.

The Pan American countries can only enter athletes in weight classes where they have not qualified for the Olympics. The U.S. has qualified in one weight class for the Olympics in Greco while Cuba is qualified in two classes and Venezuela in one. Wrestlers who finished in the top six at the 2011 World Championships qualified their country for the Olympics in the weight class they competed in.

The U.S. has already qualified for the Olympic Games in Greco-Roman at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. American Justin Lester placed fifth at the 2011 World Championships to qualify the U.S. for the Olympics at 66 kilos. Cuba has qualified for the Olympics at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Venezuela has qualified at 60 kg/132 lbs.

“Our team has to come to Orlando with their ‘A’ game, for sure,” U.S. National Coach Steve Fraser said. “Our goal is to qualify all remaining weight classes at this event. This means we need to come prepared to wrestle at our very best and beat Cubans or anyone else that is trying to stand in our way. It will come down to who wants it more. Our Greco team has had our backs against the wall many times before. We are used to this.

“Now is the time for our U.S. team to really pull together and do whatever it takes to win in Orlando. The hot pain of our wounds will become a warm glow of pride for giving everything we have.”

Tickets for this event are $25 for all sessions and $15 per day for adults. Tickets for youth ages 6-18 are $15 for all sessions and $10 per day. Children five and under will be admitted for free.

Two more Olympic Games qualifiers will be held after the Pan American qualifier.

The first will be in Taiyuan, China on April 27-29 and the second in Helsinki, Finland on May 4-6.

FILA PAN AMERICAN OLYMPIC GAMES QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT
March 23-25, Kissimmee, Fla.

U.S. GRECO-ROMAN LINEUP
55 kg/121 lbs. – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
60 kg/132 lbs. – Ellis Coleman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Andy Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Minnesota Storm)
84 kg/185 lbs. – Chas Betts, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Minnesota Storm)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Justin Ruiz, Orem, Utah (New York AC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)

EVENT SCHEDULE

Friday, March 23
1-5 p.m. – Qualification rounds and repechage: Greco Roman (55 kg, 60 kg, 66 kg, 74 kg, 84 kg, 96 kg).
6-8 p.m. – Finals

Saturday, March 24
1-5 p.m. – Qualification rounds and repechage: Greco-Roman (120 kg), women’s freestyle (48 kg, 55 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg), freestyle (55 kg).
6-8 p.m. – Finals

Sunday, March 25
1-5 p.m. – Qualification rounds and repechage: Freestyle (60 kg, 66 kg, 74 kg, 84 kg, 96 kg, 120 kg)
6-8 p.m. – Finals