Three members of the Ohio State University Wrestling team will wrestle Sunday for the right to represent Team USA at the Under-23 World Championships in Poland Nov. 21-26, and all three drew the top seed in their respective weight class. Senior Nathan Tomasello and juniors Myles Martin and Joey McKenna will kick off their quest for the world team at U23 World Team Trials in Rochester, Minn., at 9:00 a.m. CDT, with streaming available at Trackwrestling.
Tomasello, the 2015 NCAA champ at 125 pounds, is top seed at 57 kg (125.5 lbs). He was No. 3 on the Senior National Team in 2017 and spent the summer burnishing his international resume with solid performances at several tournaments.
Earning the No. 2 seed at the weight class is 2017 Junior World champion Daton Fix, a freshman at Oklahoma State. Tomasello will enjoy a bye in the preliminary round and will face freshman Gage Curry of American University in the quarterfinals.
Recent Stanford transfer Joey McKenna is the top seed at 65kg (143 pounds), and is in one of the more unpredictable brackets in the tourney. Jaydin Eierman of Missouri, the No. 2 seed, qualified for the 2017 Senior World Team Trials, and had a great All-American year as a freshman for Mizzou. McKenna will also enjoy a bye in the prelim, and faces Illinois freshman Dylan Thurston in the quarterfinal.
Martin has the tallest test of the three Buckeyes competing in Rochester. Though the 2016 NCAA champion drew the top seed at 86 kg (189 pounds), he'll have to topple former Iowa All-American Sammy Brooks, a wrestler who seemed to have Martin's number last season. Martin will start his day in the preliminary round wrestling Faris Karaborni of Minnesota.
You can read more about the U23 tournament and Eleven Warriors' preview here.
