Burroughs downs Dake in OT to sweep series on exciting first day of U.S. World Team Trials

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Craig Sesker (USA Wrestling)
06/21/2013


Jordan Burroughs fires in on a shot in his finals win over Kyle Dake. Tony Rotundo photo.

STILLWATER, Okla. – Jordan Burroughs made it look easy in rolling to a first-match, first-period technical fall over Kyle Dake.

But the four-time NCAA champion from Cornell made Burroughs earn his World Team spot during an epic battle in the second match of the best-of-3 finals.

Burroughs delivered by driving Dake to his back in a scramble to pull out a dramatic 9-6 overtime win over Dake in a wild U.S. World Team Trials match on Friday night at Oklahoma State’s Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Burroughs, the 2011 World and 2012 Olympic champion at 74 kg/163 lbs., swept the series to advance to September’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

“It’s been an amazing run,” Burroughs said. “Kyle Dake’s an awesome opponent, but I didn’t get rattled at all out there. I stayed calm and collected, and just kept wrestling hard.”

Burroughs rolled to a 7-0 win in the first match. He trailed 6-4 in the second match, but kept his composure before scoring a late takedown to send the match into overtime.

“I just had to keep wrestling and not let up,” Burroughs said. “Kyle is extremely confident and that really fueled me. He’s tough and he’s a stud. He had a great day. He beat a lot of tough wrestlers to get to the finals.”

Burroughs is now 56-0 on the Senior level.

Dake battled Burroughs after winning a loaded Challenge Tournament by beating NCAA champions Trent Paulson, David Taylor and Andrew Howe in succession to reach the finals. Burroughs clinched a spot in the best-of-3 Trials finals after winning April’s U.S. Open.

"The hype was huge and it was great for American fans," Burroughs said of the 74 kg class. "I think it was a little overhyped. There were some NCAA champions in there, but only one World Team member other than myself. But it was great for the fans."

Two-time World bronze medalist and 2012 Olympian Justin Lester took two straight matches from Olympian Ellis Coleman in the Greco-Roman finals at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Lester made his sixth World Team.

"I got healthy - I was really sick at the U.S. Open and wrestled up a weight class," Lester said. "I maintained my weight a lot better for the Trials. I'm feeling good and having fun again."

2012 World champion Adeline Gray swept U.S. Open champion Brittney Roberts to win the women’s freestyle finals at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.

2012 World silver medalist Helen Maroulis swept past World Team member Whitney Conder to win the women’s freestyle title at 55 kg/121 lbs.

"I'm super happy and very thankful," Maroulis said. "I had a rough few weeks since Nationals with a lot of injuries. It was a battle, but I got through it. I can't wait to get to the World Championships."

J.D. Bergman threw Chris Pendleton to his back to record an 18-second pin to clinch his series sweep over Pendleton in the freestyle finals at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Bergman made his second World Team.

Two-time Olympian Spenser Mango made his fourth World Team after sweeping U.S. Army teammate Nate Engel in the Greco-Roman finals at 55 kg/121 lbs.

Reece Humphrey made his second World Team after taking two straight matches from Jimmy Kennedy in the freestyle finals at 60 kg/132 lbs.

Jordan Holm made his first World Team with a strong performance in sweeping Peter Hicks in the Greco-Roman finals at 84 kg/185 lbs.

Robbie Smith defeated David Arendt Jr. 6-1 in the decisive third match to win the Greco-Roman title at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.

This event has been named an official Olympic Day Event by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Day 2 of the World Team Trials is set for Saturday in Stillwater. Competition in men’s and women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.

U.S. WORLD TEAM TRIALS
June 21-22, Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla.

FINALS RESULTS

Men’s freestyle

60 kg/132 lbs.
Reece Humphrey (Columbus, Ohio (New York AC) def. Jimmy Kennedy (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC), 2 matches to 0
Humphrey dec. Kennedy, 6-3
Humphrey dec. Kennedy, 13-5

74 kg/163 lbs.
Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) def. Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC), 2 matches to 0
Burroughs dec. Dake, 7-0
Burroughs dec. Dake, 8-6 OT

96 kg/211.5 lbs.
J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC/Titan Mercury WC) def. Chris Pendleton (Laramie, Wyo./Titan Mercury WC),  2 matches to 0
Bergman dec. Pendleton, 9-2
Bergman pinned Pendleton, 0:18

Women’s freestyle

55 kg/121 lbs.
Helen Maroulis (Rockville, Md./Sunkist Kids) def. Whitney Conder (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 2 matches to 0
Maroulis pinned Conder, 4:41
Maroulis dec. Conder, 7-0

72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Adeline Gray (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) def. Brittney Roberts (Santa Fe, Texas/Gator Women’s RTC), 2 matches to 0
Gray dec. Roberts, 9-0
Gray dec. Roberts, 8-0

Greco-Roman

55 kg/121 lbs.
Spenser Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) def. Nate Engel (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 2 matches to 0
Mango dec. Engel, 5-0
Mango dec. Engel, 7-0

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Justin Lester (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) def. Ellis Coleman (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 2 matches to 0 
Lester dec. Coleman, 1-0
Lester dec. Coleman, 4-3

84 kg/185 lbs.
Jordan Holm (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) def. Peter Hicks (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 2 matches to 0
Holm dec. Hicks, 5-0
Holm dec. Hicks, 7-0

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Robbie Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) def. David Arendt Jr., Camp Lejeune, N.C. (U.S. Marines), 2 matches to 1 
Arendt dec. Smith, 5-3
Smith dec. Arendt, 6-0
Smith dec. Arendt, 6-1