Daton Fix wrestling at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)This is a special time for the sport of wrestling.
The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan are right around the corner.
And there are going to be some tremendous battles for the six men's freestyle spots on the United States Olympic team.
Along with the number of proven veterans in the U.S., there are a number of college stars looking to earn trips to Japan next year.
A large number of top American wrestlers are taking Olympic redshirts during the 2019-20 school year to focus full-time on their freestyle aspirations at the international level.
Two NCAA All-Americans -- Michigan's Stevan Micic and Myles Amine -- have already qualified for the Olympic Games. Micic qualified for Serbia and Amine for San Marino after both wrestlers finished in the top six in their respective weight classes at the 2019 World Championships in Kazakhstan. Micic placed fifth at 57 kilograms and Amine was fifth at 86 kilograms.
Feel free to agree or disagree, but here are my rankings for the Olympic redshirts most likely to make the 2020 U.S. team.
Daton Fix, Oklahoma State
What can you say about Fix? The guy has made U.S. world teams at every level, including 2019 when he landed a spot on the Senior world team in freestyle wrestling. Fix still has three years of college eligibility left, but his focus now is 100 percent on making the 2020 Olympic team. Fix fell short at the 2019 Senior World Championships, but he's not that far away. Fix continues to elevate his game and evolve as a wrestler. He will have his share of challengers at 57 kilograms, including 2017 world silver medalist Thomas Gilman, but he will definitely be in the mix to earn a trip to Tokyo.
Yianni Diakomihalis before wrestling India's Bajrang Punia at Beat the Streets (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell
Yianni is another guy we expected to see on this stage. He won a pair of Cadet world titles before winning NCAA titles his first two years at Cornell. Now he takes an Olympic redshirt to try and make the U.S. squad at 65 kilograms. He nearly made the 2019 World Team before falling to Zain Retherford in the Final X championship series. Yianni is tremendously gifted in freestyle -- the style suits him perfectly with his athleticism and ability to score points in bunches. He's a guy who is not only capable of making the Olympic team -- he is good enough to challenge for a medal in Tokyo.
Nick Suriano, Rutgers
Suriano had a memorable 2019, storming to his first NCAA title for the Scarlet Knights after bumping up a weight class to 133. He beat Fix in the finals. Shortly after NCAAs, Suriano earned a big win in freestyle when he defeated returning world bronze medalist Joe Colon at the Beat the Streets event in New York City. Suriano will definitely contend to make the U.S. team at 57 kilograms. He's big for the weight class and he is capable of beating anybody he faces. Suriano and Fix could meet again this season, possibly with an Olympic berth on the line.
Jaydin Eierman wrestling Frank Molinaro at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Jaydin Eierman, Missouri
Eierman is an excellent young wrestler who nearly beat Yianni in the 2019 NCAA semifinals before falling by a point. Eierman is an accomplished freestyler who was No. 3 on the U.S. Senior National ladder at 65 kilograms in 2018. He just competed at the U23 World Championships, where he went 1-1 and placed eighth. He is a tough matchup for anyone that he faces. Eierman is a dynamic wrestler who can put points on the board.
Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech
Lewis was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2019 NCAA Championships as a freshman after an incredible run through the strong 165-pound bracket. He knocked off No. 1 seed Alex Marinelli of Iowa before upsetting two-time defending champion Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State in the finals. Lewis hasn't wrestled much internationally, but he did win the 2018 Junior world title in freestyle. He is expected to jump into the loaded 74 kilograms bracket at the Senior level that is led by Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion Jordan Burroughs. Lewis is a gifted young wrestler with a huge upside. It will be interesting to see how he fares as he gains more freestyle experience in 2020.
Vito Arujau placed fourth at the NCAAs before winning a silver at the Junior World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Vito Arujau, Cornell
Arujau is another top young wrestler for Cornell who has excelled internationally at the age-group levels. He won a silver medal for the United States at the 2019 Junior World Championships at 57 kilograms. He placed fourth as a freshman in the loaded 125-pound bracket at the 2019 NCAAs. He was the No. 8 seed. Arujau won a Cadet world silver medal for the U.S. in 2016. He was also fourth at the 2019 U.S. Senior Open in freestyle.
Max Dean, Cornell
Dean is coming off a runner-up finish at the 2019 NCAA tournament where he knocked off No. 1 seed Myles Martin of Ohio State en route to the finals. He has continued to progress in his career and recently wrestled for the U.S. at the U23 World Championships in Budapest.
Logan Massa, Michigan
Massa is a three-time national qualifier for the Wolverines, finishing third nationally in 2017. He has an 85-19 record in college. He also has excelled in freestyle, winning a UWW Junior Nationals title during his career. He is one of four Michigan wrestlers taking an Olympic redshirt along with Micic, Amine and Kanen Storr.
Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.
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