The Olympic wrestling trials will be held on April 19th and 20th in State College, Pennsylvania. The 65 kg weight class is one of the most interesting brackets, and almost everyone in this bracket has the right to win. For a complete preview and predictions for the 65kg division of the Trials, check out the article below.
History of the US 65kg spot
2023: Nick Lee (World Championship 7th place)
2022: Yani Diakomihalis (World Championship silver medal)
2021 (World Championship): Yani Diakomihalis (DNP at World Championship)
2021: (Olympic): Jordan Oliver (ineligible weight)
2019: Zane Retherford (dnp at world championship)
2018: Logan Steber (dnp at World Championship)
2017: Zane Retherford (dnp at World Championship)
2016: Frank Molinaro (Olympic 5th place)
potential seeds
*Zane Retherford enters semi-finals as 2023 world medalist at non-Olympic weight
nick lee
- Yani Diakomihalis
- Andrew Alires
- james green
- Beau Bartlett
- joey mckenna
- caleb larkin
- jesse mendes
- Seth Gross
- matt kolozik
- Alec Pantaleo
- Nashon Garrett
John Kozak has predicted his seeding and in his words: “Given recent results, 65kg may be the hardest seed to predict in any weight class.'' Joey McKenna said in November He's a wrestler who has made things difficult, as he had a win over Yanni Diakomihalis overseas in December, but lost to Beau Bartlett at Senior Nationals in December. Because of that loss, I put McKenna behind Bartlett. I will also keep Yanni as the 2nd seed for a Final X appearance in 2023 and a World Silver medal in 2022.”
You can read his full reasoning on seed predictions at each weight here.
potential bracket
Why are these brackets especially important?
The American team has yet to qualify for the Paris Olympics in the 65kg weight class. This means the winner of this slot is not guaranteed to wrestle at the Olympics. They will travel to Istanbul, Turkey from May 9th to 12th and must place in the top three in a deep field of international competition.
The U.S. was in the same situation in 2021 when Jordan Oliver won the bracket. He did not perform well enough in the last-chance qualifiers and the United States did not compete in the 65kg weight class in Tokyo.
Match results + field for each wrestler
The wrestlers are listed in the far left column, with their records against their opponents lined up horizontally.
A brief overview of each wrestler
Nick Lee: He earned a spot on the World Team last year, but he hasn't left the field yet.
Yani Diakomihalis: He proved at 65kg that he can do as well internationally as anyone in his weight class when he won World Championship silver in 2022, but Nick Lee is his kryptonite.
Andrew Alires: Defeated Beau Bartlett 8-0 at the Olympic Trials. It's definitely a candidate for the title.
James Green: A legend in USA Wrestling, he never weighed the same at 65kg as he did at 70kg. Will his new hips give him the ability to defeat both Scale and Father Time?
Beau Bartlett: Literally raised his hand against Nick Lee at the U.S. Open months before he earned a spot on the world team last summer.
Joey McKenna: Although he didn't have enough wins to earn him a spot on the World/Olympic team, he is the only player with wins over Lee, Yanni, and Green.
Caleb Larkin: Young, but very talented. In 2023, Bill Farrell defeated Jesse Mendez and guided Matt Kolodzik to the gold medal with skill.
Jesse Mendez: Absolute dog. We know he expects to win this slot after his win over Beau Bartlett in the NCAA finals.
Seth Gross: A very tricky wrestler, but the best fit is the 61kg weight class, where he earned a spot on the World Team in 2022.
Matt Kolodzik: Always know you're going to get good things from him. He has yet to beat the top fighters in this weight class.
Alec Pantaleo: 65kg is a very difficult weight for him. If he can do that effectively, he will be a title threat.
Nashon Garrett: Absolute wild card. You never know what National will get. The best version of him can beat anyone. In the worst case scenario, anyone's technique could deteriorate. Just enjoy the ride.
Why Zane Retherford?
Zane Retherford has a huge advantage over the other players as he will be able to reach the semi-finals. He earned this right last summer by winning the world title in the 70kg weight class. He showed progress throughout his senior-level career, winning a silver medal in 2022 and a gold medal in 2023, although he was selected for the world team but did not place.
Having said that, the weight gain to 70kg played a big role in it. There is no doubt that 70kg is his highest weight class. He has not reached 65kg (other than a private simulation) since the 2021 Olympic Trials, when he lost to Joey McKenna on the frontside and Nick Lee on the backside. Although not ideal, I believe Retherford is a disciplined professional. He is also scheduled to weigh in at 7:30 a.m. and does not have to fight Friday at 6:30 p.m. If he wins, it will be an even bigger challenge on Saturday as the first two bouts of the 65kg best-of-three series take place just two hours after the weigh-in.
Top 4 predictions
- Zane Retherford
- nick lee
- Yani Diakomihalis
- Andrew Alires
It's very difficult to predict this bracket without knowing the seeds for sure. Since Retherford, the top side has a huge advantage over the bottom side. Andrew Alires is the third seed, but will likely be followed by Joey McKenna, Yanni Diakomihalis, and Zane Retherford to advance to the finals. That's insane.
Nick Lee is probably a lock for the No. 1 seed, so he's the one I have the most confidence in next. However, don't sleep on the idea that if James Green gets the No. 4 seed, he'll be in the finals.
Yani takes #3 because no other athlete at this weight has been more of a mainstay in the quad than him. He commands our respect and attention.
That being said, just about everyone in this weight class has the ability to beat other fighters in the weight class if they do their best, and we've seen some turmoil at this weight in the past. Frank Molinaro was the No. 9 seed in 2016, but no one gave him a chance.
