Dake/Gentry and Maroulis/Hudson exhibition bouts, along with Beat the Streets youth matches, also added to schedule

The U.S. Olympic Team Wrestle-off for the 60 kg/132 lbs. position on the U.S. Olympic Team in men’s freestyle wrestling will be held in New York City on Thursday, June 7.

The event will be held alongside the USA vs. Russia international freestyle dual meet set for Times Square in New York City, also on Thursday, June 7.

Three wrestlers will participate in the U.S. Olympic Team Wrestle-off:
• Shawn Bunch, Columbus, Ohio (Gator WC)
• Reece Humphrey, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC)
• Coleman Scott, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)

The U.S. Olympic Team Wrestle-off became necessary because the United States had not yet qualified to compete at the London Olympic Games at 60 kg/132 lbs. in men’s freestyle prior to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling in Iowa City, Iowa, April 21-22.

According to the Olympic Trials Procedures for Men’s Freestyle Wrestling, USA Wrestling could hold athletes out of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in order to participate in Olympic Games Qualifying Events. Bunch and Humphrey were chosen to train for the Olympic Games Qualifiers.

Also according to the Olympic Trials Procedures, the winner of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the weight class would also become eligible for the Secondary Olympic Trials if the United States was able to qualify the weight class. Scott was the champion at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City.

On April 27, Bunch placed third in the World Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament in Taiyuan, China, which qualified the United States to compete in the London Games at 60 kg/132 lbs. At that event, the top three athletes in each weight class qualified their nation to participate in the Olympics.

Based upon the Olympic Trials Procedures, as the athlete who qualified the USA for the Olympics, Bunch moves directly into the best-of-three Championship Series for the Olympic berth. 

Earlier on June 7, there will be a single preliminary match between Humphrey and Scott to determine which athlete advances to the Championship Series against Bunch. The match is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Times Square.

Bunch will face the Humphrey/Scott winner in the first match of the Championship Series at 6:00 p.m. in Times Square. The second match will be held at approximately 7:20 p.m. If necessary, the third match will be held at approximately 8:20 p.m.

Bunch was ranked No. 2 at 60 kg/132 lbs. on 2011-2012 Freestyle Team USA. He placed second in both the 2011 U.S. Open and the 2011 World Team Trials. He was a member of the 2009 U.S. World Team and has won two U.S. Open titles. He was an NCAA runner-up and two-time All-American for Edinboro and hails from Leavenworth, Kan.

Humphrey was ranked No. 1 on 2011-2012 Freestyle Team USA. He placed ninth in the 2011 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Humphrey won the 2011 U.S. Open and the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials. He is a two-time University World Championships medalist. He was an NCAA runner-up and two-time All-American for Ohio State and hails from Indianapolis, Ind.

Scott was ranked No. 3 on 2011-2012 Freestyle Team USA. He won the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, defeating Logan Stieber in the Championship Series. He went undefeated in five matches at the 2012 Freestyle World Cup. He was third at the World Team Trials the last three years and was a 2008 U.S. Open runner-up. Scott was a 2008 NCAA champion and four-time All-American for Oklahoma State and hails from Waynesburg, Pa.

The international dual meet between the United States and Russia will feature the other six U.S. men’s freestyle wrestlers who won titles at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and will represent the United States this summer at the London Games. 

The U.S. lineup will feature Olympic Trials champions Sam Hazewinkel (55 kg), Jared Frayer (66 kg), Jordan Burroughs (74 kg), Jake Herbert (84 kg), Jake Varner (96 kg) and Tervel Dlagnev (120 kg). Competing in the dual at 60 kg will be Olympic Trials runner-up Logan Stieber.

Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. has also announced two additional Senior-level exhibition matches featuring top stars in both men’s and women’s freestyle wrestling.

There will be a battle at 74 kg/163 lbs. in men’s freestyle between college wrestling sensation and three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./New York AC) and a two-time Olympian and NCAA champion Matt Gentry of Canada.

Dake has won three NCAA titles for Cornell University, and became the first wrestler ever to win NCAA Div. I national titles at three different weight classes. Dake placed an impressive fourth at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in freestyle wrestling. Gentry, who grew up in Oregon, was an NCAA champion for Stanford University. He competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games for Canada and has qualified to compete again at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. Gentry recently beat a strong international field to win the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament in Florida.

The women’s match will be a battle between two-time U.S. World Team member and three-time FILA Junior World medalist Helen Maroulis (Rockville, Md./New York AC) and 2011 U.S. World Team Trials runner-up Ashley Hudson (Wildwood, Mo./Gator WC-OCU). 

Maroulis competed in the 2008 and 2011 World Championships for the United States. She was recently second at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Hudson was a WCWA college national champion for Oklahoma City University, and has won a USA Wrestling University Nationals title.

In addition to the U.S. Olympic Trials Wrestle-off at 60 kg, the USA vs. Russia dual meet and the two Senior-level exhibition matches, there will be a number of Beat the Streets high school and junior high school youth wrestling matches held in Times Square at 3:00 p.m.

Below is the most current tentative schedule for all of the wrestling competition set for Times Square on Thursday, June 7.

U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS WRESTLE-OFF AT 60 KG
At Duffy Square in Times Square, New York, N.Y., June 7

Preliminary Match
Reece Humphrey, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC) vs. Coleman Scott, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)

Best of Three Championship Series
Shawn Bunch, Columbus, Ohio (Gator WC) vs. winner of Humphrey vs. Scott match

TENTATIVE BEAT THE STREETS GALA COMPETITION SCHEDULE
At Duffy Square in Times Square, New York, N.Y., June 7
1:00 PM – U.S. Olympic Trials Wrestle-off at 60 kg – Humphrey vs. Scott preliminary
3:00 PM – Beat the Streets youth wrestling exhibition matches
6:00 PM - U.S. Olympic Trials Wrestle-off at 60 kg – Championship Series Match 1 – Bunch vs. Humphrey/Scott winner
6:10 PM – 55 kg women’s freestyle exhibition – Maroulis vs. Hudson
6:40 PM – USA vs. Russia freestyle dual meet – 55 kg, 60 kg, 66 kg matches
7:10 PM – 74 kg men’s freestyle exhibition – Dake vs. Gentry
7:25 PM - U.S. Olympic Trials Wrestle-off at 60 kg – Championship Series Match 2 – Bunch vs. Humphrey/Scott winner
7:40 PM - USA vs. Russia freestyle dual meet – 74 kg, 84 kg, 96 kg, 120 kg matches
8:20 PM - U.S. Olympic Trials Wrestle-off at 60 kg – Championship Series Match 3 (if necessary)– Bunch vs. Humphrey/Scott winner

ABOUT BEAT THE STREETS
The Mission of the Beat the Streets Wrestling Program is to expand and develop wrestling in the New York City Metropolitan area from the youth through the Olympic level. Our dream is to provide opportunities for boys and girls in the activity of wrestling, building lifelong skills. If you share this mission and would like to volunteer to help, please contact volunteer@beat-the-streets.org.