19th Dave Schultz Memorial Set for Feb 1-3

BY KALA IBARRA, USA WRESTLING | JAN. 25, 2017

Top international wrestlers from a number of nations will travel to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. to compete in the 19th annual Dave Schultz Memorial International Wrestling Championships, February 1-3.

Top American wrestlers and international athletes will be showcasing their skills in three Olympic disciplines, men’s and women’s freestyle, along with Greco-Roman wrestling. The event is held in memory of the late Dave Schultz, an Olympic and World champion for the United States who was an international ambassador of goodwill through the sport.

This year’s competition will have eight weight classes in each style. The event starts Wednesday with Greco-Roman, followed by men’s freestyle on Thursday, and women’s freestyle on Saturday. This year, the tournament starts a day earlier in the week than in the past years, when Thursday was the first day.

Athletes from the following nations are expected to compete: Argentina, Bulgaria, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Past Olympians who are expected include men’s freestyle wrestlers Borislav Novachkov and Georgi Ivanov of Bulgaria, along with Greco-Roman wrestler Murat Ramonov from Kyrgyzstan.

U.S. athletes from the major Senior-level club programs traditionally sign up in large numbers for this event. Numerous wrestlers who train full-time at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. are expected to enter

The Dave Schultz Memorial International is included in the series of events which serve as qualifiers for the 2017 U.S. World Team Trials. Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle U.S. World Team Trials will take place April 27 -28 in Las Vegas, Nev., while the men’s freestyle U.S. World Team Trials will take place June 6-7 in Lincoln, Neb. There will be as many as 24 World Trials berths up for grabs in this competition.