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Sun Devil Wrestling to be Well Represented at USA Wrestling Olympic Team Trials

by thesundevils.com
Apr 17, 2024

TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil Wrestling will be well represented at this week's USA Olympic Team Trials, as four current or past Sun Devils will compete April 19-20 at Penn State University. An additional four who train under at the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club at Arizona State will be competing, as well.

2024 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials TV, live stream schedule | Brackets & mat assignments

On Friday, a single-elimination challenge tournament is held in each weight class, as advancing wrestlers will meet Saturday in the best-of-three finals series for each division.

CURRENT OR PAST SUN DEVILS COMPETING
Kaleb Larkin, 65 kg/Men's freestyle
Cohlton Schultz, 130 kg/Greco-Roman
Zahid Valencia, 86 kg/Men's freestyle
Kennedy Blades, 76 kg/Women's Freestyle
SaVannah Cosme, 62 kg/Women's Freestyle (Sunkist Kids WC)

SUNKIST KIDS WRESTLING CLUB ATHLETES COMPETING WHO TRAIN AT ASU
Helen Maroulis, 57 kg/Women's Freestyle
Kayla Miracle, 62 kg/Women's Freestyle
Forrest Molinari, 68 kg/Women's Freestyle

How to watch live U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling live on Peacock and USA Network (TheMat.Com)

WHAT'S AT STAKE
The U.S. Olympic Team is determined by placings at the U.S. Olympic Trials event every four years. Placings at this event determine not only the Olympic Team, but also the USA Wrestling Senior National Team for the year, per USA Wrestling.

HEAD COACH ZEKE JONES:
"We're ready to go. We're excited about the opportunity to compete. The work is done and we're recovering now. It's go time.  

"The USA Olympic Trials are a life-changing moment. When you become a USA Olympian, you are amongst a very small, special group of people who compete every four years with the opportunity to put the American flag on your chest and represent Team USA. It's an honor to represent your country.  Just like winning the World Series or the Super Bowl, winning an Olympic gold medal is the epitome of a wrestler's lifelong dream. The first step in those dreams will be realized this weekend."
 

READ IT AGAIN
Back in November, Kaleb Larkin became the youngest wrestler at the 2023 Bill Farrell Memorial International to win his bracket. At 20 years old, the Sun Devil freshman captured his first Senior-level international event and punched his ticket to the '24 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Wrestling Freshman Kaleb Larkin Qualifies for '24 Olympic Trials (Preston Fekkes/Nov. 20, 2023)

"At six feet tall and weighing 149 lbs, the freshman wrestler has unprecedented strength, stamina and flexibility for his size while managing to encompass a high wrestling IQ and unorthodox style unheard of for his age."

The future of ASU Wrestling: How Kaleb Larkin Became a Redshirt Olympian (Jack Kartsonis, State Press/Jan. 31, 2024)

 

COHLTON QUALIFIES WEIGHT FOR TEAM USA IN PARIS
Back at the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier in February, Cohlton Schultz was victorious in the Greco-Roman 130kg bracket. With his win, he qualified Team USA for the Paris Olympics in that weight class by reaching the finals. Now the one to beat at this week's Olympic Trials, Schultz will await the winner of the challenge tournament in a best-of-three finals series on Saturday.

FOLLOW ALONG
Keep up with the action all week in State College via the team's X (formerly Twitter) account, @ASUWrestling, which will be updated regularly with scores, results, news and more.

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