Tomorrow, May 16, the 2025 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament kicks off in Louisville—and with four-time world champion Kyle Dake leading the 86 kg field as the top seed, the mat is set for a brutal dogfight as everyone battles for a shot at Final X. It’s all happening in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center, running through the 18th. The winners here get a shot at going to Final X to make the 2025 Senior World Championships team, so the stakes are through the roof! USA Wrestling has basically set the stage for some epic battles, and fans are totally ready for a weekend full of tough matches and incredible moments. So, what’s the latest addition to all this excitement?
Well, on May 14th, InterMat dropped the big news that X: the pre-seeds for the men’s freestyle at the Senior World Team Trials are locked in! They’ve ranked all 54 wrestlers who are registered to compete. USA Wrestling’s national team staff figured out the seeds using a bunch of factors like their PIN ratings, who’s beaten whom before, where they’ve placed in tournaments, and common opponents.
Seeds have been released for men’s freestyle at the 2025 World Team Trials:https://t.co/5nfhQ8SXdC
— InterMat (@InterMat) May 14, 2025
But here’s the deal: these seeds aren’t totally official until after the weigh-ins are done, because if someone drops out, everything gets shuffled around. Also, heads-up, the 57 kg and 61 kg weight classes aren’t part of this tournament because they already have their Final X matchups set. So, who’s leading the charge in this loaded field?
You’ve got Kyle Dake and Hayden Zillmer—these two beasts are who USA Wrestling named as the No. 1 seeds. Dake, you know him, the two-time Olympic bronze medalist and four-time Senior World Champion, is the top guy at 86 kg. He just came off being the runner-up at the U.S. Open. Then there’s Zillmer, who was on the Senior World Team in 2022. He made a pretty bold jump all the way down from 125 kg to 97 kg and snagged the No. 1 seed there! Get this—five of the top-seeded guys were runners-up at the U.S. Open too! So, can Dake and Zillmer actually hold their ground as the top seeds?
While the action kicks off at 10 a.m. ET tomorrow, Friday, with the early rounds and quarterfinals. Then the semifinals hit at 4 p.m. ET. The finals will be on Saturday, May 17th, starting at noon ET, and you can watch it all live on FloWrestling. Who else will be seen on the mat?
Big stars to watch other than Kyle Dake
Alright, let’s dive into the seedings for all categories. As The 2025 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament is just around the corner in Louisville, Kentucky, and the pre-seeds for the men’s freestyle dropped yesterday. They’ve ranked 54 wrestlers total, and the brackets are seriously stacked with both seasoned veterans and exciting young talents, which means we’re in for some epic clashes. So, who are the top guys looking like they have the edge?
Over at 92 kg, the U20 World silver medalist Joshua Barr is leading the way as the No. 1 seed there. It’s interesting too, because five of the eight No. 1 seeds—that’s Jesse Mendez at 65 kg, James Green at 70 kg, David Carr at 74 kg, Kyle Dake, and Demetrius Thomas at 125 kg—were actually runners-up at the U.S. Open. But were there any unexpected names popping up in the top spots?
When you dig into some of the specific weights, yeah, there are definitely surprises! At 65 kg, FloWrestling had predicted Nick Lee would be the top seed because he was on the 2023 World Team and got silver at the 2024 Olympic Trials. But Jesse Mendez’s performance at the U.S. Open is apparently what got him the official No. 1 seed. And the real shockers in that bracket? Seth Gross and Marcus Blaze, both moving up from 61 kg! Plus, you’ve got the young guy, Bo Bassett, who’s seeded lower but actually beat the fourth-seeded Aden Valencia four times just last year. Could these wild cards totally steal the show?
Over at 70 kg, the top-seeded James Green, who’s been on the World Team seven times, is looking at a tough potential match against the second seed, PJ Duke. Get this: Duke is only 18, but he’s got some serious momentum after winning gold at the Bill Farrell tournament in 2024, where he even pinned Bryce Andonian and beat Will Lewan 10-4. Meanwhile, that 86 kg bracket with Dake is looking like a total war zone! Chance Marsteller’s got wins over guys like Carter Starocci (a 5-4 win at the 2022 Trials) and also beat Trent Hidlay (who actually beat Starocci himself). That definitely makes Marsteller look like a real threat to Dake. So, with all this talent and these intriguing matchups, who’s actually going to come out on top this weekend? Here is the complete list of seedings from all categories:
Men’s freestyle pre-seeds
65 kg
Jesse Mendez (Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Brock Hardy (Nebraska RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Bo Bassett (Titan Mercury WC)
Aden Valencia (California RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Real Woods (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Beau Bartlett (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Seth Gross (MATPACK WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Marcus Blaze (Titan Mercury WC)
Carter Young (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
70 kg
James Green (Nebraska RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
PJ Duke (Titan Mercury WC)
Ian Parker (Cavalier WC)
Will Lewan (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Bryce Andonian (SERTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Ridge Lovett (Nebraska RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Antrell Taylor (Nebraska RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Caleb Henson (SERTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Brayton Lee (New York WC/Indiana RTC)
74 kg
David Carr (Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Quincy Monday (NJRTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Jarrett Jacques (Tiger Style WC)
Michael Caliendo (Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury Wrestling WC)
Terrell Barraclough (Brunson UVRTC)
Peyton Hall (New York WC/West Virginia RTC)
Joseph Blaze (Boilermaker RTC)
79 kg
Levi Haines (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Dean Hamiti (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Simon Ruiz (Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Carson Kharchla (Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Muhamed McBryde (New York AC)
Kennedy Monday (NJRTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Ethan Riddle (Minnesota RTC)
86 kg
Kyle Dake (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Chance Marsteller (NJRTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Carter Starocci (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Parker Keckeisen (Panther WC – RTC)
Marcus Coleman (Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
92 kg
Joshua Barr (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Aeoden Sinclair (Tiger Style WC)
Michael Macchiavello (Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Dustin Plott (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Patrick Brophy (Charleston RTC)
97 kg
Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC)
Jonathan Aiello (Penn RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Justin Rademacher (Beaver Dam Wrestling RTC)
Eric Schultz (Nebraska RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Gavin Hoffman (Pennsylvania)
Christian Knop (Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Ethan Laird (DMV RTC)
125 kg
Demetrius Thomas (New York AC)
Trent Hillger (Gopher WC)
Jordan Wood (New York AC)
Christian Lance (Nebraska RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
Lucas Stoddard (West Point WC)
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