Nov. 5, 2015
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — USA Wrestling has released the events which will be part of the #Road2IowaCity Trials Qualifiers series.
Each of these 10 events, which will be held across the United States from November through April, serve as qualifiers for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling, which will be held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, April 9-10.
These events have been identified in the Athlete Selection Procedures for the 2016 Olympic Games. The qualifying procedures for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling for men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman differ.
The series begins with the Bill Farrell International, set for the New York Athletic Club in New York City, Nov. 6-7. The highest placed U.S. athlete winning a medal in each weight class in all three styles qualify for Iowa City. This event will only feature Olympic weight classes, and will qualify up to 18 athletes.
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Next up is the largest of the qualifying event, the U.S. Senior Nationals/Trials Qualifier, to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., Dec. 18-19. Only Olympic weight classes will be contested in this event. The top seven placewinners in each weight class in all three styles qualify for Iowa City. This event will qualify as many as 126 athletes for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
The first of the #Road2IowaCity Trials Qualifiers in 2016 will be the Dave Schultz Memorial International, set for Sports Center I at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Jan. 28-30. The highest placed USA athlete winning a medal in any weight category who has yet to qualify will earn a spot in the field in Iowa City. There will be only the Olympic weight classes at this event. As many as 18 athletes could qualify through this event.
The WCWA Women’s College Nationals, set for the Freede Center on the campus of Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, Okla., Feb. 12-13. This is a qualifier in women’s freestyle only. The top three U.S. athletes in each of the 10 weight categories qualify for Iowa City, with as many as 30 athletes joining the Olympic Trials field.
Next up is the Armed Forces Championships, set for Naval Base KITSAP in the Seattle, Wash. area, February 20-21. This is a qualifier in Greco-Roman only. The champion in each of the eight weight classes in Greco-Roman will advance to Iowa City, with as many as eight athletes added to the Olympic Trials field.
The next two events in the qualifying series are set for Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas, the Pan American Championships, Feb. 26-28 and the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier, March 4-6. These are events on the United World Wrestling international schedule.
At the Pan American Championships, any champion from the U.S. in all three styles will earn a spot in the field in Iowa City, with as many as 24 qualifiers possible for the Olympic Trials field.
At the Pan American Olympic Qualifier, any U.S. athlete who qualifies the Olympic weight for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games earns a spot in the Iowa City field. There is a potential for 13 Olympic Trials qualifiers from this event.
The 2016 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships, set for Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. is also an Olympic Team Trials qualifier in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. The NCAA Div. I champion will earn a spot in the Iowa City field, with as many as 10 athletes added.
The next #Road2Iowa City Trials Qualifiers event is the Women’s University Nationals, set for the Freede Center on the campus of Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, Okla., March 26. This event is a qualifier in women’s freestyle. The top two athletes in the Olympic categories qualify for Iowa City, with the addition of as many as 12 athletes possible.
The final event in the series is the Last Chance Trials Qualifier, set for the UNI-Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, April 2-3. This is a qualifier in all three styles, and athletes who have already qualified will not be allowed to compete in this event. In women’s freestyle, the top two finishers in each weight qualify, while the champions in each weight class in men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman qualify. There could be as many as 24 athletes who qualify at this event.
Note: Women freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers who win a medal on an international tour event within the year also may qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
All of the #Road2Iowa City Trials Qualifiers are expected to have a live stream provided, with a majority of the events broadcast by Flowrestling.
All-session tickets to the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials are available for purchase. All-session options include adult ($75), and youth (18 and younger, $50). VIP tickets are sold out. Fans can purchase tickets at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, over the phone at 1-800-IA-HAWKS, or online at iowacitytorio.com.
#Road2IowaCity Trials Qualifiers
November 6-7 – Bill Farrell International, New York, N.Y. (FS/GR/W)**
December 18-19- U.S. Senior Open, Las Vegas, Nev. (FS/GR/W)**
January 28-30 – Dave Schultz Memorial International, Colorado Springs, Colo. (FS/GR/W)**
February 12-13 – WCWA Women’s College Nationals, Oklahoma City, Okla. (W)**
February 20-21- Armed Forces Championships, Naval Base KITSAP, Seattle, Wash. (GR)
February 26-28 – Pan American Championships, Frisco, Texas (FS/GR/W)
March 4-6 – Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier, Frisco, Texas (FS/GR/W)
March 17-19 – NCAA Div. I Championships, New York, N.Y. (GR/FS)
March 26 – Women’s University Nationals, Oklahoma City, Okla. (W)**
April 2-3 – Last Chance Trials Qualifier, Cedar Falls, Iowa (FS/GR/W)**
** – #Road2IowaCity events currently scheduled for Flowrestling broadcasts
