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By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | April 26, 2023, 9 p.m. (ET)
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – It was a strong
semifinals round for past Olympians at the 2023 U.S. Senior Greco-Roman Open,
who went five-for-five on the raised mat in the South Point Arena.
Making the biggest noise was 43-year-old Aliaksandr Kikiniou of
Poway, a past Olympian and World medalist for Belarus, who reached the finals
in his first U.S. Open as a U.S. citizen. He scored an impressive 8-0 technical
fall over No. 2 seed Payton Jacobson of Sunkist at 77 kg. Kikiniou hit a
four-point throw, a two-point arm throw and a gut wrench for the first period
win. His opponent in the finals is two-time U.S. Senior World Team member and
past U20 World champion Kamal Bey of Army WCAP.
The four other past Olympians who made the semifinals are No. 1 Ildar
Hafizov of Army WCAP at 60 kg, No. 3 Jesse Thielke of
Army WCAP at 67 kg. No. 1 Ben Provisor of New York
Athletic Club at 87 kg and No. 3 John Stefanowicz of the Navy
Wrestling Club at 87 kg. All of these Olympians have competed for the USA,
although Hafizov was also an Olympian for Uzbekistan before emigrating to the
USA. Provisor has been on two U.S. Olympic teams.
Stefanowicz, a 2020 Olympian, returned to action after not competing last
season. He will face No. 1 seed and two-time U.S. World Team member Alan Vera of
the New York AC in the finals.
At 67 kg, No. 4 seed Robert Perez III of the
Sunkist Kids stopped the run of U17 World champion Joel Adams of The Best
Wrestler, with a 4-3 win in the semifinals. Unseeded Adams upset 2020 Olympian
and top seed Alejandro Sancho of Army WCAP in the quarterfinals. Perez will
face Thielke in Thursday’s finals.
At 72 kg, two-time World Team member and top seed Pat
Smith of the Minnesota Storm fell behind unseeded Jack
Ervien Jr of Viking Wrestling Club, IA, 6-0, but rallied to tie it up at 7-7
and won the match on a gut wrench, 9-7. He will face No. 6 seed and Nevada
native Justice Scott of Army WCAP, who beat his Army
teammate and returning U.S. Open champion Britton Holmes, 4-1.
2018 World medalist Adam
Coon of New York Athletic Club/Cliff Keen WC made his
return to the mat successful, earning a spot in the 130 kg finals against No. 1
seed and two-time Senior World Team member Cohlton Schultz of
the Sunkist Kids. Coon has not competed since the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team
Trials, where he defeated Schultz. Coon has been pursuing pro football, and
defeated No. 2 seed (and college football player) Tanner Farmer of the New York
AC in the finals.
In four weight classes, the top two seeds advanced into the finals. At 59 kg,
No. 1 Brady Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque WC) will battle
No. 2 Dalton Duffield (Army WCAP). At 60 kg, No. 1
Hafizov draws Army teammate and No. 2 Dalton Roberts.
At 82 kg, No. 1 Provisor will wrestle No. 2 and 2022 World Team member Spencer Woods of
Army WCAP. At 97 kg, No. 1 seed and past World Team member Josef
Rau of TMWC/Wildcat WC) will battle No. 2 Nicholas
Boykin of the Sunkist Kids.
The U.S. Open champion qualifies for Final X in Newark, New Jersey, May 10. The
top seven placewinners in each weight qualify for the World Team Trials
Challenge in Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 20-21.
The Senior Greco-Roman medal matches are set for 4:00 p.m. PT on
Thursday, live on FloWrestling.
U.S.
SENIOR GRECO-ROMAN OPEN
At
Las Vegas, Nev., April 26
Finals
pairings
55 kg: No. 1 Brady Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque WC) vs. No. 2 Dalton Duffield (Army
WCAP)
60 kg - No. 1 Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) vs. No. 2 Dalton Roberts (Army WCAP)
63 kg ¬ - No. 1 Sammy Jones (Sunkist Kids Wrestling) vs. No. 3 Hayden Tuma
(Suples WC)
67 kg -. No. 3 Jesse Thielke (Army WCAP) vs. No. 4 Robert Perez III (Sunkist
Kids)
72 kg - No. 1 Patrick Smith (New York AC) vs. No. 6 Justus Scott (Army WCAP)
77 kg - No. 1 Kamal Bey (Army WCAP) vs. No. 6 Aliaksandr Kikiniou (Poway)
82 kg - No. 1 Ben Provisor (New York AC) vs. No. 2 Spencer Woods (Army WCAP)
87 kg - No. 1 Alan Vera (New York AC) vs. No. 3 John Stefanowicz (Navy WC)
97 kg - No. 1 Josef Rau (TMWC/Wildcat WC) vs. No. 2 Nicholas Boykin (Sunkist
Kids)
130 kg - No. 1 Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist Kids) vs. No. 3 Adam Coon (New York AC)
Senior
Greco-Roman semifinal results
55 kg:
No. 1 Brady Koontz (Dubuque Wrestling Club/TMWC) tech. fall No. 5 Jacob Cochran
(Army WCAP), 9-0, 3:45
No. 2 Dalton Duffield (Army WCAP) tech. fall No. 6 Billy Sullivan (Army WCAP),
10-0, 3:51
60 kg
No. 1 Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) dec. No. 4 Mason Carzino-Hartshorn (West Coast
Greco RTC), 7-1
No. 2 Dalton Roberts (Army WCAP) tech fall No. 6 Dylan Koontz (TMWC/ Dubuque
WC/), 9-0, 1:52
63 kg ¬
No. 1 Sammy Jones (Sunkist Kids Wrestling) inj. dft No. 4 Xavier Johnson (Army
WCAP), 0:00
No. 3 Hayden Tuma (Suples WC) dec. No. 2 Leslie Fuenffinger (Army WCAP), 1-1
67 kg
No. 4 Robert Perez III (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) dec. Joel Adams (The Best
Wrestler), 4-3
No. 3 Jesse Thielke (Army WCAP) tech fall No. 2 Alston Nutter (Sunkist Kids),
11-2, 3:34
72 kg
No. 1 Patrick Smith (New York AC) dec. Jack Ervien Jr. (Viking WC, IA), 9-7
No. 6 Justus Scott (Army WCAP) dec. No. 2 Britton Holmes (Army WCAP), 4-1
77 kg
No. 1 Kamal Bey (Army WCAP) tech fall No. 5 Burke Paddock (New York AC), 9-0,
3:27
No. 6 Aliaksandr Kikiniou (Poway) tech. fall No. 2 Payton Jacobson (Sunkist
Kids), 8-0, 1:57
82 kg
No. 1 Ben Provisor (New York AC) dec. No. 5 Andrew Berreyesa (New York AC), 4-3
No. 2 Spencer Woods (Army WCAP) dec. No. 6 Kendrick Sanders (New York AC), 7-0
87 kg
No. 1 Alan Vera (New York AC) tech fall No. 5 Zachary Braunagel (Illinois
RTC/Illini WC), 9-0, 1:42
No. 3 John Stefanowicz (Navy WC) dec. No. 2 Timothy Young (Army WCAP), 6-2
97 kg
No. 1 Josef Rau (TMWC/Wildcat WC) tech fall No. 4 George Sikes (New York AC),
8-0, 4:14
No. 2 Nicholas Boykin (Sunkist Kids) dec. No. 3 Christian DuLaney (New York
AC), 7-5
130 kg
No. 1 Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist Kids) pin No. 5 Donny Longendyke (Minnesota
Storm), 2:18
No. 3 Adam Coon (New York
AC) dec. No. 2 Tanner Farmer (New York AC), 5-1
