Kyle Dake tops list of Wild Cards selected to compete in freestyle at U.S. World Team Trials

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Craig Sesker (USA Wrestling)
06/05/2013


American Kyle Dake defeated Iran's Hassan Tahmasebi 2-0, 1-0 in the Rumble on the Rails event last month in New York City. John Sachs photo.

Kyle Dake’s magical 2013 has featured a historic fourth NCAA title in a fourth different weight class and his selection as the Hodge Trophy winner.

Now we will have a chance to see how well Dake fares on the Senior level in freestyle wrestling.

Dake was one of three men’s freestyle wrestlers who were awarded Wild Cards by USA Wrestling to compete in the U.S. World Team Trials, set for June 21-22 in Stillwater, Okla.

Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./New York AC) was awarded a Wild Card to the Trials on Wednesday along with Jack Jensen (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) and Jeremy Johnson (North Royalton, Ohio/Bobcat WC).

Dake is expected to compete in a loaded World Team Trials bracket at 74 kg/163 lbs. that also includes Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs, past Hodge Trophy winner David Taylor and NCAA champion Andrew Howe.

Dake, 22, won his fourth NCAA title for Cornell this past March in Des Moines, Iowa. He became just the third wrestler in NCAA history to accomplish that feat.

Dake placed fourth at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials and he earned a win over Iran last month at the Rumble at the Rails event in New York City.

Jensen placed third in the 2012 New York AC International at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

Johnson placed eighth at April’s U.S. Open at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.

Champions at the World Team Trials qualify for the World Championships in September in Budapest, Hungary.

Men's freestyle can be awarded up to five Wild Cards for the Trials, but only three have been approved at this point by USA Wrestling.