U.S. Nationals preview at 60 kg/132 lbs. in men's freestyle wrestling

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
04/02/2004


Eric Guerrero has been on the last three U.S. World teams, controlling a weight class that is stacked with young talent. Guerrero was 10th at the 2003 World Championships and was seventh in the 1999 World meet, and continues to seek his first World medal. He has won major titles, such as the World Cup. He has experience and talent, but has yet to put it all together at a World-level event.    Guerrero has continued to have an edge against the U.S. competitors at this weight, something that should be a major challenge for him this year. He has only faced international opponents since the last World Team Trials, wrestling an extended tour to Russia. The U.S. Nationals will be his first test against his domestic rivals, who have had another year to try to catch up with Guerrero.    Coming in at No. 2 last year was young star Mike Zadick, who climbed this high on his first year on the Senior circuit. Zadick is big for this weight class, and seems to have adapted well to international freestyle. His older brother Bill is also an Olympic contender at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Zadick wrestles aggressively, and is still learning the sport and expanding his international experience.    Veteran Jason Kutz came in at No. 3 on the National Team and has extensive experience at this division. Kutz is with the U.S. Army program, and has been training in Colorado Springs for many years. He seems to wrestle his best at season's end. He has taken some losses against American foes, losing to Ryan Lewis and Jesus Wilson at the Dave Schultz Memorial and Michael Lightner and Danny Felix at the Sunkist Kids International. That alone shows how much depth there is at this division, and how hard it will be to reach the medal rounds.    Jesus Wilson, an immigrant from Cuba, was a 2002 World Team Trials runner-up and has the ability and experience to challenge for the title here. For Cuba, he was sixth in the 1993 World meet. Last year was a bit of a down season for Wilson, who hopes to have his best finish this year. Wilson wrestles a rough-and-tumble style, with power a big part of his arsenal. His third-place finish at Dave Schultz International included a loss to Danny Felix.    Michael Lightner has won big tournaments at this division and is one of the best young athletes in the nation. He won gold medals at the Sunkist Kids International and the New York AC Christmas International, and beat many of the top challengers at the division along the way. That should lead to a strong seed at the U.S. Nationals. Lightner has speed and technique and big heart, wrestling hard every match.    Yero Washington, a past member of Freestyle Team USA, has made a strong return to competition and is a legitimate challenger here. He has already qualified for the Olympic Trials through the Regionals, but seeks a strong performance in Las Vegas to establish that he is fully back near the top. He has gotten in a number of tournaments this year, which should help him in this tough division. He lost to Lightner in the finals of two tournaments.    Danny Felix, a past U.S. Nationals runner-up, is always a difficult opponent. Felix won the Dave Schultz International this year, an important event leading into the Olympic Trials process. He also has won a Regional tournament, which guarantees a spot in the field in Indianapolis. Felix has paid his dues for a long time, and would like to make this the year that he breaks ahead of the pack.    Another young wrestler who made  an impact this winter is Ryan Lewis, fresh off a strong college career at the Univ. of Minnesota. Lewis has wrestled in all the key domestic events, and has improved each time. He was fifth at the Sunkist Kids International, third at the New York AC Tournament and second at the Dave Schultz Memorial. He also nailed down his spot in the Olympic Trials with a Regionals win, beating past World champion Sammie Henson who moved up in weight to challenge there. Lewis is quickly becoming a force here.    Eric Akin, a two-time Olympic Trials finalist, has often competed in this division and has been very successful. He could potentially drop to 55 kg, but many expect that he might stay up at 60 kg for this Olympic quest. He combines experience with an aggressive style. Akin has a legitimate shot to be a U.S. Nationals finalist in this division if he gets on a roll. Is Akin past his prime? Who knows. It seems that he has done a good job maintaining a high level of wrestling year after year and you can never count him out.    Two wrestlers who met in the NCAA finals last year, Travis Lee and Chris Fleeger, could also be a factor here. Fleeger took the year off to pursue his Olympic quest, while Lee will join in after the college season ends. Fleeger has been training at the Olympic Training Center often and is entering freestyle events. Lee will have to switch gears to freestyle quickly, hoping to turn things around after a disappointing NCAA fifth place finish. This year's NCAA champion at 133 pounds, Zach Roberson, has been a successful freestyler on the age group levels. It would not be surprising if Roberson moved up pretty high in the standings at this division. Johnny Thompson's college career has now ended; many wonder how he might do if he gave freestyle a shot for a few years.    Veterans Dwight Hinson and C.C. Fisher are always in the battle at this weight class. Both have wins over quality opponents in past years, but both also have been beaten by many of the other contenders. If they receive low seeds, they will offer some tough early round matches to higher seeds who they have the potential to beat.    Dane Valdez and Juan Venturi have been developing their craft at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, and are looking for an All-American finish at the tournament this year. Shawn Bunch, who has had age-group success, is seeking an Olympic redshirt and will seek also be somebody who might last deep into this tournament.    For pure fans of wrestling, this weight division offers some great talent and fierce early round battles. There is a great mix of young and old, all who seem to be reaching their peak right in time for this event. Eric Guerrero remains the king of this pack, but his inability to win World medals gives all of his talented opponents confidence coming in. Mike Zadick's rapid rise last year was one of the sport's best stories. Can Zadick continue to climb or will the tremendous depth here slow down his progress? There should be some real drama up and down the bracket in this weight class.    THEMAT.COM RANKINGS FOR APRIL 2004  60 KG/132 LBS. IN MEN'S FREESTYLE  1. Eric Guerrero, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)  2. Mike Zadick, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC)  3. Michael Lightner, Norman, Okla. (Dave Schultz WC)  4. Yero Washington, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)  5. Danny Felix, Charlottesville, Va. (Sunkist Kids)  6. Jesus Wilson, Fayette, Iowa (Minnesota Storm)  7. Ryan Lewis, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)  8. Jason Kutz, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  9. Eric Akin, Lincoln, Neb. (Dave Schultz WC)  10. Dwight Hinson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)    ATHLETES ALREADY QUALIFIED FOR THE OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS  West Regional Trials Champion - Danny Felix, Charlottesville, Va. (Sunkist Kids)  North Regional Trials Champion -Ryan Lewis, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota  Storm)  Central Regional Trials Champion -Yero Washington, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)