The men's freestyle slot at this weekend's World Olympic Trials in Istanbul will feature a significant number of wrestlers with experience in American college wrestling programs.
May 9-12 · Reopening tomorrow at 7:00 AM UTC
2024 World Olympic Qualifier
And we're not just talking about Spencer Lee and Zane Retherford representing Team USA in Turkey. We scoured the entries and found 18 wrestlers with ties to American college wrestling programs looking to qualify for the Paris Games.
Below is a list of all the men's freestyles we found at this tournament, which was also held at US universities. If anyone missed it, please let me know.
57: Peter Hammer, Costa Rico – Oklahoma State
Hammer wrestled for two seasons at Oklahoma State University and then transferred to North Texas.
57: Gueseppe Lea, Ecuador – Wilkes
Rhea, a native of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was also an NCAA DIII All-American at Wilkes, Pennsylvania.
57: Ibrahim Bunduka, Sierra Leone – George Mason
Bunduka attended high school in Alexandria, Virginia, and was a two-time national qualifier for the Patriots.
57: Spencer Lee, USA – Iowa
It is impossible to learn about Spencer Lee from this article, so there is no need to copy it further here.
65: Shannon Hanna, Bahamas – Campbell
Hanna grew up in central Florida and was a two-time national qualifier for the Camels, but began his college career at Old Dominion University, a sadly shuttered program.
65: Lachlan McNeil, Canada – North Carolina
McNeil is a two-time All-American, finishing fourth and sixth in the NCAAs in 2023 and 2024, and has two years of eligibility remaining with the Tar Heels. McNeil grew up in Toronto and graduated from Wyoming Seminary Prep School in eastern Pennsylvania.
65: Anthony Wesley, Cape Verde – Iowa State
A graduate of Jesuit High School in Sacramento, Wesley was a Cyclone member for several years.
65: Josh Kramer, Ecuador-Arizona
Kramer, a native of Buckeye, Arizona, started two different seasons with the Sun Devils.
65: Kizan Clark, Germany – USA/North Carolina
Born in Germany to an American father and a German mother, Clark was a senior at American University before transferring to North Carolina, where he reached the NCAA finals in his final year of eligibility.
65: Sahid Karugbo, Sierra Leone – George Mason
Like his Sierra Leone teammate Bunduka, Calvo is from Alexandria, Virginia, and wrestled at Geroge Mason University, a 2017 NCAA qualifier.
65: Zane Retherford, USA – Pennsylvania
See comment above about Spencer Lee.
74: Sonny Santiago, Puerto Rico – North Carolina
Santiago, a native of Downey, Calif., is a two-time starter and one-time NCAA qualifier for the Tar Heels and has one year of eligibility remaining.
74: Malik Amin, San Marino – Michigan
Amin, a native of Brighton, Michigan, was an NCAA qualifier twice during his time in Ann Arbor. He is a talented and experienced sports broadcaster and is also an international wrestler in his wrestling career.
86: Ariston Bartley, American Samoa – Lyon
Bartley is a senior at Ryan University in Batesville, Ark., and a graduate of King Kamehameha High School in Hawaii.
86: Noel Torres, Mexico – Newman
Torres graduated from Newman University in Wichita, Kan., as the school's only NCAA champion in any sport when he won the DII national title in 2017. Newman grew up in Emporia, Kansas, and has been training in Oklahoma for several years.
97: Maxwell Lacey, Costa Rica – Wheeling
Lacey, a native of Columbus, Ohio, played four years as a starter for the Wheeling Cardinals, graduating in 2017.
97: Ben Honis, Italy – Cornell
After graduating from Cornell University, 2019 All-American Ben Honis took his talents back to his hometown of Syracuse, New York, where he spent his final year of NCAA eligibility with the Syracuse University football team.
125: Aaron Johnson, Jamaica – Cumberland
Johnson, a native of Kennesaw, Ga., was an All-American at NAIA College of the Cumberlands.