May 2023 U.S. Freestyle Wrestling Ranking

57 KG

Placers at the U.S. Open are as follows: 1. Zane Richards 2. Nick Suriano 3. Jakob Camacho 4. Austin Assad 5. Cooper Flynn 6. Spencer Lee 7. Caleb Smith 8. Michael Tortorice

#4 Zane Richards won the U.S. Open over #3 Nick Suriano. #2 Vito Arujau moved up to 61 KG, where he won the U.S. Open and is currently ranked number one in the 61 KG rankings. Taking third was #5 Jakob Camacho, fourth was Austin Assad, fifth was Cooper Flynn, #4 Spencer Lee injury defaulted for 6th, Caleb Smith took seventh and Mikey Tortorice took eighth. #6 Matthew Ramos, #7 Anthony Noto, #8 Trevor Mastrogiovanni, #9 Tim Levine, and #10 Greg Diakomihalis (USA) were removed from the rankings due to inactivity and not competing at the U.S. Open. 

Spencer Lee debuts in the rankings at #4 and while there’s an argument for him to be higher due to his career record, his best win at the Open was #8 Caleb Smith in the quarterfinals and he hasn’t put together a full tournament in freestyle since the 2019 Open where he beat #1 (61) Vito Arujau and #6 (61) Nathan Tomasello. Gilman, Richards, and Suriano’s greater competition frequency coupled with a more robust international record than Spencer’s allows for them to be ahead of him in the rankings.

2023 NCAA Champion Pat Glory (USA) debuts in the rankings at #6 for making the quarters of the Open where he was teched by #5 Jakob Camacho. Glory has folkstyle wins over 2022 U.S. Open runner-up Matt Ramos and #1 Vito Arujau but folkstyle wins don’t count towards freestyle wins, so sixth is the best that he can do. Cooper Flynn slots in at #7 for taking fifth at the U.S. Open and where he beat seventh place finisher #8 Caleb Smith in the consolation quarterfinals. 

Caleb Smith takes #8 for taking seventh at the U.S. Open with a win over #10 Michael Tortorice in the seventh place match. Austin Assad took fourth at the Open but after losing to #3 Nick Suriano in the round of 16, he received a forfeit over #6 Pat Glory in the blood round, got a tech fall over #10 Michael Tortorice in the consolation quarterfinals, won another forfeit over #4 Spencer Lee and then was tech falled by #5 Jakob Camacho in the bronze medal match. Michael Tortorice takes the number ten spot in the rankings for taking eighth at the U.S. Open.

61 KG

Placers at the U.S. Open are as follows: 1. Vito Arujau 2. Austin DeSanto 3. Nahshon Garrett 4. Nathan Tomasello 5. Joe Colon 6. Seth Gross 7. Aden Valencia 8. Daniel DeShazer.

#2 (57) Vito Arujau made the move up to 61 KG where he won the U.S. Open in dominant fashion with a 10-0 tech fall over #3 Austin DeSanto. Arujau debuts in the 61 KG rankings at number one, while DeSanto moves up one spot to number two for beating #1 Seth Gross and #5 Joe Colon to make the finals of the U.S. Open. Gross falls two spots to #3 for losing to #2 Austin DeSanto in the semifinals of the U.S. Open.  2021 World Team Trials runner-up Nathan Tomasello returns to the rankings at #6 for taking fourth at the U.S. Open after making the semis where he lost to #1 Vito Arujau and then losing in the bronze medal match to #5 Nahshon Garrett. Tomasello’s best win at the U.S. Open was over 2022 World Team Trials runner-up #9 Daniel DeShazer in the quarterfinals. Aden Valencia, a high school junior from Sobrato High, makes the Senior rankings at number eight after taking seventh with victories over #9 Daniel DeShazer and #10 Josh Rodriguez.

65KG

Placers at the U.S. Open are as follows: 1. Nick Lee 2. Joey McKenna 3. Matthew Kolodzik 4. Beau Bartlett 5. Anthony Ashnault 6. Ridge Lovett 7. Jason Miranda 8. Evan Henderson

#4 Nick Lee won the U.S. Open over #2 Joey McKenna 10-5. Lee moves up two spots to #2 for winning the U.S. Open over #2 Joey McKenna. #3 Evan Henderson falls three spots in the rankings to number six for losing in the quarterfinals to Beau Bartlett and then to Matthew Kolodzik in the consolation quarterfinals. Matthew Kolodzik returns to the rankings at #4 for taking third at the U.S. Open with wins over #5 Beau Bartlett, #6 Evan Henderson, and #10 Cole Matthews. Beau Bartlett takes the #5 spot in the rankings for beating #6 Evan Henderson in the quarterfinals. 

#9 Ridge Lovett moves up two spots to #7 for beating #9 Cole Matthews and #10 Patricio Lugo to make the semifinals of the U.S. Open. Lovett would injury default out to take 6th place after his semifinal loss to #3 Joey McKenna. Anthony Ashnault fills the number eight spot in the rankings for taking fifth at the U.S. Open, where he notched wins over Luke Pletcher and 2022 70 KG Bill Farrell Memorial champion Ian Parker.  

70KG

Placers at the U.S. Open are as follows: 1. Tyler Berger 2. Sammy Sasso 3. Alec Pantaleo 4. Jarret Jacques 5. Hayden Hidlay 6. Jarod Verkleeren 8. Double forfeit between Jaydin Eierman and Joshua Reyes.

Before getting into the results of the U.S. Open, it’s best to acknowledge who is out at 70 KG as over half of the weight has been removed due to inactivity and not competing at the Open, moving weights, or retirement. #2 Jordan Oliver retired and is going to fight in Bellator, #4 Ryan Deakin was removed for inactivity, #7 Ian Parker moved down to 65 KG, #8 Doug Zapf was removed for inactivity, #9 Yahya Thomas and #10 Jonathan Millner were removed for inactivity. Now that we’ve covered who isn’t in, let’s talk about who showed out and made it in.

#3 Tyler Berger moves up one spot to number two in the rankings for beating #5 Sammy Sasso to win the U.S. Open. Sasso moves up two spots to #3 for taking silver at the U.S. Open with wins over #6 Jarret Jacques and Ed Scott. #6 Alec Pantaleo, third in the world going into the U.S. Open, was dramatically upset in the round of 32 by Jacob Butler but rebounded back to take third in the bracket. With the removal of so many competitors plus Pantaleo’s tear (wins over #5 Hayden Hidlay, #6 Jarret Jacques, and #10 Joshua Reyes) through the consolation bracket to take third, he moves to #4 in the rankings.

The following results all ensue from #4 Alec Pantaleo’s early round upset to Jacob Butler. After beating Pantaleo, Butler loses to Deondre Wilson in the round of 16. Wilson lost in the quarterfinals to Jarret Jacques. Both men drop down to the bloodround. Both men lost in the blood round; Butler to Jarod Verkleeren and Wilson to Joshua Reyes. Jacques loses his semifinal match to #3 Sammy Sasso and then beat Jarod Verkleeren in the consolation semifinals to wrestle for bronze against #4 Alec Pantaleo which he loses. So, from all of this, the following happens: Jacob Butler enters the rankings at #10 for beating Pantaleo (can’t be higher due to multiple losses after Pantaleo win), Deondre Wilson takes the #9 spot for beating #10 Jacob Butler in the round of 16, Joshua Reyes takes the number eight spot for beating #9 Deondre Wilson in the blood round, Jarod Verkleeren takes the #7 for beating #8 Joshua Reyes in the round of 16 and then beating #10 Jacob Butler in the blood round. Jarret Jacques takes the #6 spot for beating #9 Deondre Wilson in the championship quarterfinals and #7 Jarod Verkleeren in the consolation semifinals. Hayden Hidlay (USA) slots in at #5 after taking fifth over #7 Jarod Verkleeren after falling in the championship semifinal 11-10 to eventual champion #2 Tyler Berger and in the consolation semifinals by pin to #4 Alec Pantaleo (USA). Hidlay’s #5 spot is afforded due to career wins over #4 Alec Pantaleo, #5 (74) Joshua Shields, #6 (79) Evan Wick, #7 (74) Joey Lavallee, 2019 Junior World champion David Carr, and  2019 70 KG U.S. Open champion Ryan Deakin. 

74KG

Placers at the U.S. Open are as follows: 1. Jason Nolf 2. Vincenzo Joseph 3. Keegan O’Toole 4. Joshua Shields 5. Derek Gilcher 6. Collin Purinton 7. Tommy Gantt 8. Joey Lavallee

#2 Jason Nolf won the U.S. Open over #5 Vincenzo Joseph with a controlling 10-5 win. #3 David Carr has been removed from the rankings due to inactivity and not competing at the U.S. Open. #4 Joey Lavallee drops three spots in the rankings to #8 for taking eighth at the U.S. Open from losses to #5 Joshua Shields (championship quarterfinals) and #7 Collin Purinton (consolation quarterfinals). Keegan O’Toole takes the #4 spot in the rankings for taking third at the U.S. Open with wins over #5 Josh Shields, #6 Collin Purinton, and #9 Tommy Gantt. Derek Gilcher enters the rankings at #6 for beating #7 Collin Purinton to take fifth at the U.S. Open. Bryce Hepner takes the number ten spot in the rankings for making the blood round and notching wins over eighth seed Peter Pappas and Elijah Cleary. 

79KG

The Placers at the U.S. Open are as follows: 1. Chance Marsteller 2. Alex Dieringer 3. David McFadden 4. Alex Marinelli 5. Michael Kemerer 6. Carter Starocci 7. Taylor Lujan 8. Devin Skatzka

#2 Chance Marsteller won the U.S. Open in a tight 3-2 match against #7 Alex Dieringer. #7 Alex Dieringer moves up four spots in the rankings to #3 for upsetting #3 Carter Starocci in the semifinals. Michael Kemerer enters the rankings at #8 for taking fifth at the U.S. Open for posting wins over Nelson Brands, Mikey Labriola, and #9 Taylor Lujan. Devin Skatzka enters the rankings at #10 for taking eighth at the U.S. Open where he beat Mikey Labriola and Nelson Brands.

86KG

The Placers at the U.S. Open are as follows: 1. Aaron Brooks 2. Zahid Valencia 3. Mark Hall 4. Trent Hidlay 5. Andrew Morgan 6. Dylan Fishback 7.Owen Webster 8. Maximus Hale

Aaron Brooks enters the rankings at #2 for beating #2 Zahid Valencia and #3 Mark Hall to win the U.S. Open. Dylan Fishback is in at #7 for taking sixth at the U.S. Open to #6 Andrew Morgan and registering wins over Victor Marcelli and #8 Owen Webster. Owen Webster is at #8 for taking seventh at the U.S. Open with wins over #10 Nathan Haas and #9 Maximus Hale. Maximus Hale is in at #9 for taking eighth at the U.S. Open. Hunter Stewart takes the #10 spot in the rankings for finishing in the round of twelves to #6 Andrew Morgan and registering a win over CJ LaFragola. 

The following athletes have been removed from the rankings due to inactivity/not competing at the Senior Open/ different weight/age group: #5 Drew Foster (did not compete), #6 Marcus Coleman (did not compete), #7 Brayden Thompshon (Junior’s), #9 Caleb Hopkins (did not compete), #10 Caden Steffen (did not compete).

92KG

The placers at the U.S. Open are as follows: 1. Michael Macchiavello 2. Kollin Moore 3. Nathan Jackson 4. Eric Schultz 5. Jay Aiello 6. Morgan McIntosh 7. Jacob Cardenas 8. John Gunderson

#4 (97) Michael Macchiavello captures the number one spot in the rankings after beating #1 Nathan Jackson in the semifinals and tech falling #3 (97) Kollin Moore in the finals to win the U.S. Open. #3 (97) Kollin Moore takes the #3 spot in the rankings for finishing runner-up to #1 Michael Macchiavello at the U.S. Open. #2 Jacob Cardenas drops five spots in the rankings to #7 after finishing seventh at the U.S. Open. Cardenas beat Stephen Buchanan in the round of 16, lost to #2 Nathan Jackson in the quarterfinals, and was then pinned in his consolation quarterfinal match to #6 Jay Aiello. John Gunderson enters the rankings at #9 for taking eighth at the U.S. Open. Kyle Haas enters the rankings at #10 for finishing in the blood round at the U.S. Open and posting wins over Michael Boykin, and formerly #9 Michael Battista.  

97KG

The placers at the U.S. Open are as follows: 1. J’den Cox 2. Isaac Trumble 3. Timothy Dudley 4. Silas Allred 5. Morgan Smith 6. Samuel Mitchell 7. Marco Retano 8. Malik McDonald

#6 Ethan Laird, #7 Tanner Sloan, #9 Garret Joles, #10 Ty Bagoly were removed from the rankings due to inactivity and not competing at the U.S. Open. #3 Kollin Moore, #4 Michael Macchiavello, and #8 Nick Stemmet were removed from the 97 KG rankings for cutting down to 92. #6 (92) Isaac Trumble takes the number three spot for finishing runner-up to #2 J’den Cox at the U.S. Open. #8 (92) Timothy Dudley takes the #4 spot in the rankings for taking bronze at the U.S. Open. Silas Allred is at #5 in the rankings for taking fourth at the U.S. Open. Morgan Smith is at #6 in the rankings for taking fifth at the U.S. Open. #5 Ben Kueter beat #10 Malik McDonald in the round of 16 but injury defaulted out in the quarterfinals and dropped down two spots due to his lack of senior level matches, even given his junior world title. Samuel Mitchell is at #8 for taking sixth at the U.S. Open. Marco Retano is at #9 for taking seventh at the U.S. Open. Malik McDonald takes the number ten spot for taking eighth at the U.S. Open.

125 KG

Placers at the U.S. Open are as follows: 1. Gable Steveson 2. Nick Gwiazdowski 3. Mason Parris 4. Wyatt Hendrickson 5. Dominique Bradley 6. Demetrius Thomas 7. Ty Walz 8. Christian Lance

2020 Olympic champion Gable Steveson made a successful return to competition after almost two years away, taking gold in dominant fashion at the U.S. Open over two-time world bronze medalist #2 Nick Gwiazdowski. Steveson slots in at #1 after winning the U.S. Open. Gwiazdowski falls one spot to #3 behind Steveson and 2022 world team member #2 Hayden Zillmer.

Mason Parris takes the #4 spot in the rankings for taking third at the U.S. Open with wins over #5 Wyatt Hendrickson, #7 Demetrius Thomas, and #8 Ty Walz. Wyatt Hendrickson debuts in the rankings at #5 for taking fourth at the U.S. Open with victories #6 Dom Bradley and #7 Demetrius Thomas.

Pound for Pound

2020 125 KG Olympic champion Gable Steveson returns to the pound for pound rankings at #5 after winning the 125 KG U.S. Open. #11 Jordan Oliver is out of the pound for pound rankings due to retiring to compete in Bellator. Because #7 Seth Gross lost to #25 Austin DeSanto, the top half of the top fifteen changed. #12 Yianni Diakomihalis moved up five spots to take the #7 spot from Gross while Gross falls eight spots to #15 and #8 Daton Fix falls eight spots to #16 (due to his two losses to Gross in their three match series at Final X). Aaron Brooks debuts in the pound for pound rankings at #11 for beating #13 Zahid Valencia in the 86 KG U.S. Open Finals. Austin DeSanto moves up eleven spots in the rankings to #14 in the rankings after upsetting formerly seventh ranked Seth Gross in the semifinals of the 61 KG U.S. Open. 

Michael Macchiavello debuts in the pound for pound rankings at #18 for beating #19 Nathan Jackson and #20 Kollin Moore to win the 92 KG U.S. Open. Alex Dieringer returns to the pound for pound rankings at #23 for beating #20 Carter Starocci in the semifinals of the 79 KG U.S. Open.