Nick Gwiazdowski takes a shot on Gable Steveson at the RTC Cup (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)The first-ever RTC Cup this past weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio, brought many exciting matches, outstanding performances and even some unexpected results. The unexpected results can lead fans to overreact. Let's examine five overreactions from the RTC Cup.
Overreaction: Nick Gwiazdowski is now No. 3 on the freestyle heavyweight ladder
What happened: Gwiazdowski, who will turn 28 years old later this month, suffered two losses over the weekend, both to wrestlers under the age of 22. Three-time age-group world champion Gable Steveson (age 20) defeated Gwiazdowski 4-1. Gwiazdowski also split matches with junior world champion Mason Parris (age 21), losing the final meeting 10-7 on Saturday.
Reality: Gwiazdowski is still America's top freestyle heavyweight regardless of his losses at the RTC Cup. He has represented the United States at the World Championships in each of the last three years, winning world bronze medals in 2017 and 2018. He has claimed medals at several international wrestling events as well. Gwiazdowski defeated Steveson in two straight matches at Final X last year. It's unlikely Gwiazdowski was peaking for the RTC Cup. Give him credit for putting it on the line with very little to gain. Gwiazdowski is still the favorite to make the U.S. Olympic team and be in the hunt for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, with Steveson and Parris being his top challengers at the Olympic Team Trials in April.
Vito Arujau finished 4-0 at the RTC Cup (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)Overreaction: Vito Arujau is the favorite to make the Olympic team at 57 kilograms
What happened: Arujau, a junior world silver medalist and NCAA All-American, went undefeated at the RTC Cup. He defeated Nahshon Garrett twice, Seth Gross and Jack Mueller. Arujau outscored those opponents by a combined score of 44-18. He looked extremely sharp in all positions. Arujau scored with clean shots, showed his big-move potential and showcased his strong par terre game.
Reality: Arujau is among a group of five or six wrestlers who will contend for the U.S. Olympic team spot at 57 kilograms. The 57-kilogram weight class in the U.S. is filled with wrestlers who have had success on the world stage. In addition to Arujau, the group includes multiple-time age-group world champion Spencer Lee, world team member Daton Fix, world silver medalist Thomas Gilman, world bronze medalist Joe Colon, Gross and possibly Garrett. Arujau has always had a great feel for freestyle wrestling. His father Vugar is a two-time freestyle wrestling world champion and Olympic bronze medalist. While Arujau did win a Senior Nationals title this year and was impressive at the RTC Cup, he is not the favorite to make the team. Arujau faced Lee last December in the semifinals of the 2019 Senior Nationals and lost by technical superiority.
Carson Kharchla finished undefeated, which included a win over Mekhi Lewis (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)Overreaction: Carson Kharchla is the favorite to be NCAA champion in 2021
What happened: Kharchla, who is coming off a redshirt season at Ohio State, was completely dominant at the RTC Cup, going a perfect 4-0, which included wins over Mekhi Lewis, Jevon Balfour, Tommy Gantt and Elroy Perkin. He outscored his opposition 28-3.
Reality: Kharchla is a tremendous young wrestler with a lot of upside. He was the InterMat High School Wrestler in 2019. Kharchla has spent over a year in the Ohio State wrestling room getting high-level coaching and training. He posted a 16-0 record and four tournament titles as a redshirt. Kharchla, the son of former Soviet standout and NAIA national champion Miron Kharchilava, is a bit of a late bloomer. His father held him back from competition until he was in eighth grade. He didn't qualify for the Ohio state tournament until he was a junior, when he won his first of two state titles. Like Arujau, Kharchla has always favored freestyle and he has had his best results in the style. While he did go undefeated as a redshirt, his most notable win came over Buffalo's Troy Keller, a two-time NCAA qualifier. Kharchla has the ability to be a freshman NCAA champion, but it's too soon to peg him as the favorite.
Mekhi Lewis posted a 2-3 record at the RTC Cup (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)Overreaction: Mekhi Lewis is overrated
What happened: Lewis posted a record of 2-3 in five matches at the RTC Cup. The only wrestler he defeated in the event was Jevon Balfour, a veteran Canadian wrestler. Lewis had two wins against Balfour, one in pool competition and one the championship bracket. He took losses to Kharchla, Evan Wick and Logan Massa. In his three losses, Lewis was outscored 23-9.
Reality: Lewis, a New Jersey native who attends Virginia Tech, is still one of the nation's top 74-kilogram freestyle wrestlers. Prior to the RTC Cup, Lewis had not competed since December at the 2019 Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas, where he finished runner-up to Massa. After winning the NCAA title as a redshirt freshman in 2018-19, Lewis took an Olympic redshirt in 2019-20. His talent is undeniable. For all intents and purposes, Lewis was a freestyle novice when he won a gold medal at the 2018 Junior World Championships. It was only his third freestyle tournament ever. His results this past weekend were likely a combination of mat rust and freestyle inexperience. It's unlikely Lewis will pose a serious threat to Jordan Burroughs or Kyle Dake in 2021, but it's a fairly safe bet that he will be in the hunt to make world and Olympic teams after his college wrestling career.
James Green dropped two matches to Yianni Diakomihalis at the RTC Cup (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)Overreaction: James Green is not a threat to make the Olympic team at 65 kilograms
What happened: Green, a multiple-time world medalist at 70 kilograms, moved down to 65 kilograms (actually, 68 kilograms with the weight allowance) for the RTC Cup and went 2-2, with both losses coming to Yianni Diakomihalis. He notched wins over Anthony Echemendia and Brayton Lee.
Reality: Green is a world-class competitor regardless of the weight class. He has often been thought of as a tweener (in between weight classes) in the Olympic weight classes, with his best results coming at the non-Olympic weight class of 70 kilograms. In 2016, Green dropped to 65 kilograms for the Olympic Team Trials and went 0-2, losing to Zain Retherford and B.J. Futrell. Prior to the pandemic, Green was planning on making his Olympic run at 74 kilograms. However, in a recent blog post, Green announced that he's changing course and will compete at 65 kilograms. He says he feels "great" and that he's "ready to commit to this process." Both of Green's losses at the RTC Cup to Yianni came by criteria. He looked extremely impressive in his wins over Echemendia and Lee. While the United States still has not qualified the weight class for the Olympics, Green has the tools to make the team, qualify the weight class for Tokyo and contend for an Olympic medal.
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