PRTC Wrestling

Brandon Slay Moving On from Executive Director of the PRTC

2025-04-22

After more than eight years of transformative leadership, Olympic Gold Medalist Brandon Slay will step down as Executive Director and Head Coach of the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC). Slay and his family will relocate to Springdale, Arkansas this July, where he will take on a dual role as Executive Director of SportsLife Wrestling, a Christian-based leadership development organization, and Head Coach of the G1 Training Center, a new training facility focused on the development of youth, elite high school, and senior level wrestlers. Slay will immediately move on to the PRTC Board of Directors, continuing his service to the organization.

Prtc Finishes With Seven All-americans at U23/u20 World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio

2022-06-06

Geneva, Ohio – The PRTC finished with two top 6 team placings and seven All-Americans at the U23/U20 World Team Trials this past weekend. With 34 athletes making the trip from Philadelphia to Geneva, Ohio, a full effort was given by all.

“What impressed me the most was that we had 34 athletes who were passionate enough about Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling to dedicate part of their off-season training to compete at the World Team Trials,” said Coach Bryan Pearsall of the wrestlers who traveled west. “That is a huge commitment that shouldn’t go without praise.”

Starting on Friday, three athletes entered the U23 Greco-Roman division with all three attaining All-American status. Leading the way, Jake Hendricks placed 2nd at 82kg. Hendricks went 4-2 while dropping the best of three final series one match to two against Tyler Cunningham of MWC Wrestling Academy.

Jake Hendricks, 82kg Greco Silver Medalist

Jeremy Ridge had just one loss on the day as he placed third at 72kg. Ridge outscored his opponents 27-9 enroute to the bronze medal match where he won by medical forfeit over Brody Olson of the Minnesota Storm.

Jeremy Ridge, 72kg Greco Bronze Medalist

Completing a near marathon day in Greco, Jake Stefanowicz wrestled eight matches enroute to a 4th place finish at 77kg. Stefanowicz started the day with a 8-0 tech over Dayton Hill of O Town Wrestling Club. He lost his second match before winning through the wrestlebacks all the way to the consolation final. Dropping a 0-7 decision to Terrance Parks of New York, Stefanowicz certainly put in the work over the eight hour day.

Long time PRTC Developmental athlete and official UPenn commit, Martin Cosgrove wrestled his way through to the U20 Challenge Tournament Finals. Competing at 92kg, Cosgrove was 2-1 on the day losing to Silas Allred of the Nebraska RTC in the Finals.

Martin Cosgrove, U20 Freestyle Challenge Tournament Finalist

In U23 Freestyle, Mickey O’Malley had an impressive performance making it to the Finals for the second year in a row. Going 5-2 on the weekend at 79kg, O’Malley lost the best of three series to Dustin Plott of the Cowboy RTC in the Finals.

Coach Matt Azevedo was impressed with O’Malley. “Mickey had one of his best performances this weekend,” said Azevedo. “He was aggressive and dominant all the way to the finals. Even though he fell short in the final wrestle-off, Mickey competed hard and gave himself opportunities to win. Overall, I’m very proud of Mickey!”

Mickey O’Malley, 79kg U23 Freestyle Silver Medalist

O’Malley reached All-American status again this year, joining Ryan Miller who finished fourth at 57kg and Michael Colaiocco who finished fifth at 61kg. Miller was 4-2 while Colaiocco went 8-2 over the two day Freestyle competition.

Although the PRTC does not have a U23 World Team member this year, Pearsall is optimistic about the future. “There is no questioning the trajectory of the Philadelphia Wrestling ecosystem,” he said. “All of the organizations involved are collaborating and pushing each other to “believe in better” and constantly work toward improvement on and off the mat. The PRTC plays a pivotal role in providing the ecosystem with some of the best athletes, coaches, role models, and leaders our sport has to offer…we continue to strive for excellence in everything that we do.”

PRTC Coach and UPenn Associate Head Coach Bryan Pearsall

Next up for the PRTC is Final X on Wednesday June 8th in New York City. Jordan Burroughs will be competing for a spot on the 2022 World Team while Mark Hall will be competing to secure his third place at World Team Trials and a spot on the US National Team.

Below are the PRTC final results from this year’s U23/U20 World Team Trials:

U23 Greco-Roman

5th Place overall as a team

72kg Jeremy Ridge, 3rd Place

WIN Jonah Smith, Ohio 8-0

WIN Tanner Abbas, Viking WC 10-1

LOSS Dominic Damon, NMU National Training Center 0-8

WIN Noah Roulo, Cougar WC 9-0

WIN Brody Olson, Minnesota Storm MFF

77kg Jake Stefanowicz, 4th Place

WIN Dayton Hill, O Town WC 8-0

LOSS Jake Ervien, Jr Viking WC 0-9

WIN Cordell Hunt, O Town WC 9-0

WIN Nicholas Burgard, Compound Wrestling – Great Lakes 7-4

WIN Braden Anderson, O Town WC 6-1

WIN Weston Milnes, Greco-Roman Development 4-0

WIN Jack Ervien, Jr Viking WC 4-3

LOSS Terrance Parks, New York 0-7

82kg Jake Hendricks, 2nd Place

WIN Bryce Westmoreland, Beaver WC 8-0

WIN Thomas Sell, Regional Training Center South 6-0

WIN James Foy, Minnesota Storm 5-2

LOSS Tyler Cunningham, MWC Wrestling Academy 3-11

WIN Tyler Cunningham, MWC Wrestling Academy 6-3

LOSS Tyler Cunningham, MWC Wrestling Academy 6-13

U20 Freestyle

92kg Martin Cosgrove

WIN Gabe Nagel, Gopher WC 10-0

WIN Hayden Walters, Oregon 3-2

LOSS Silas Allred, Nebraska RTC 2-10

U23 Freestyle

6th Place overall as a team

57kg Ryan Miller, 4th Place

WIN Malik Hardy, Georgia 8-4

WIN Tanner Jordan, Jackrabbit WC 11-1

WIN Caleb Smith, Boone RTC 10-3

LOSS Trevor Mastrogiovanni, Cowboy RTC 6-10

WIN Dominic Chavez, Blue Chip WC 10-1

LOSS Greg Diakomihalis, Spartan Combat RTC 0-10

57kg Antonio Mininno

LOSS Eli Griffin, California Lance RTC 0-11

WIN Joseph McMillin, Iron WC 12-2

WIN Joseph Fischer, Clarion RTC MFF

LOSS Sean Spidle, Chippewa WC 7-14

57kg Desmond Pleasant

WIN Jacob Moon, Blue & Gold WC 10-6

WIN Tom Dineen, Illinois 10-0

LOSS Trevor Mastrogiovanni, Cowboy RTC 0-10

WIN Noah Cortez, Choker Wrestling Club 15-10

LOSS Benjamin Monn, George Mason 0-10

57kg Sean Seefeldt

LOSS Sean Spidle, Chippewa WC 4-7

WIN Austin Long, Cougar WC MFF

WIN Reid Nelson, Arkansas RTC 8-7

LOSS Tanner Jordan, Jackrabbit WC 0-11

61kg Kyle Waterman

LOSS Aaron Nagao, Gopher WC 0-10

WIN Jason Garay, Charleston RTC 10-0

LOSS Derrick Cardinal, Jackrabbit WC 2-13

61kg Michael Colaiocco, 5th Place

WIN Colton Camacho, Pittsburgh WC 12-2

LOSS Dylan Shawver, SKWC 6-7

WIN Lucas Schevikhoven, Wisconsin MFF

WIN Cameron Soda, Edinboro RTC MFF

WIN Gable Strickland, Mat Town USA 12-2

WIN Ethan Oakley, Boone RTC 14-4

WIN Connor McGonagle, Lehigh Valley RTC 10-0

WIN Jace Koelzer, Northern Colorado WC 10-0

Loss Julian Tagg, Ohio 8-15

WIN Dylan Shawver, SKWC 9-7

61kg Lukas Richie

WIN Nico Messina, SKWC 20-11

LOSS Jace Koelzer, Northern Colorado WC 1-11

WIN Caleb Svingala, Bulls WC 9-3

LOSS Julian Farber, Panther WC 2-13

61kg Nico Nardone

LOSS Isaac Crowell, Pennsylvania 11-12

WIN Nicholas Minnick, Bulls WC 15-4

WIN Kase Mauger, Brunson UVRTC FALL

LOSS Carson Taylor, Viking WC 6-11

65kg Deon Pleasant

LOSS Isaac Sales, California 0-10

WIN Spencer Murphy, Oliver WC 12-0

LOSS Drew Bennett, Hawkeye WC 2-14

65kg Kelly Dunnigan

LOSS Kyren Butler, Cavalier WC 4-6

LOSS Cayden Henschel, Askren Wrestling Academy 17-17

65kg Carmen Ferrante

WIN Braden Ledford, O Town WC 11-0

LOSS Joshua Saunders, Spartan Combat RTC 3-13

LOSS David Evans, Nittany Lion WC 7-8

65kg Kyle Hauserman

WIN Alec McDoulett, Oklahoma 11-0

WIN Patrick Schellpfeffer, George Mason 11-0

LOSS Shannon Hanna, Buies Creek WC 2-6

WIN Ryan Burgos, Edinboro RTC 10-0

LOSS Gabriel Tagg, Jackrabbit WC 2-12

70kg Gabe Onorato

LOSS Nicholas Stoltenberg, Nebraska Wrestling Training Center 2-5

LOSS Lincoln Heck, RTC South 0-10

70kg Vince Mannella

WIN Gavin Hale, Husky Elite WC 12-1

LOSS Jonathan Millner, Boone RTC 0-12

WIN Brayden Roberts, West Virginia RTC 12-2

LOSS Daniel Kimball, Jackrabbit WC 2-12

74kg Riley Onorato

LOSS Justin McCoy, Cavalier WC 0-6

LOSS Walker Heard, Mountaneer WC 1-6

74kg Tate Nichter

LOSS Alex Jacobs, Chippewa WC 0-10

WIN Stoney Buell, Boilermaker RTC 6-0

LOSS Terrell Barraclough, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club 5-15

74kg Tanner Updegraff

LOSS Mitchell Reynolds, Oliver WC 2-12

LOSS Jaden Hardick, Ohio 1-8

74kg Jeremy Ridge

WIN Jaziah Whaley, Northern Colorado WC 11-0

WIN Peter Pappas, Patriot Elite WC 12-1

WIN Marcus Robinson, Cleveland RTC 14-11

LOSS Bubba Wilson, Nebraska RTC 4-6

LOSS Matt Lee, Nittany Lion WC 0-8

74kg Cole Spencer

WIN Patrick Edmondson, Pennsylvania 14-7

LOSS Collin McCorkle, Pittsburg WC 6-6

WIN Raymond Costa, Cavalier WC 15-9

LOSS Daniel Snediker, Brunson UVRTC 2-6

74kg Cameron Connor

LOSS Sonny Santiago, Tar Heel WC 1-12

LOSS Keller Rock, Whammer Wrestling Academy 5-16

79kg Mickey O’Malley, 2nd Place

WIN Samuel Barnes, Buffalo Valley RTC FALL

WIN Najee Lockett, Golden Pride WC 9-0

WIN Troy Fisher, Illinois 10-0

WIN Tyler Stoltzfus, Mat Town USA 10-0

WIN Brennan Swafford, Hawkeye WC 5-2

LOSS Dustin Plott, Cowboy RTC 2-6

LOSS Dustin Plott, Cowboy RTC 0-8

79kg Cody Walsh

WIN Crosby Schlosser, Wisconsin FALL

LOSS Caden Ernd, Illinois 8-9

WIN Chandler Amaker, Chippewa WC FALL

WIN Matthew Kidwell, Buffalo Valley RTC 14-3

LOSS Will Miller, Boone RTC 0-10

79kg Jack Janda

WIN Luke Hooker, Wisconsin 11-0

LOSS Cael Valencia, Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club 0-10

WIN Aaron McDaniel, Edinboro RTC 15-4

LOSS Carson Babcock, Panther Wrestling Club RTC 0-7

79kg Nick Incontrera

WIN Albert Urias, Central Valley RTC 10-0

WIN Will Miller, Boone RTC 16-6

WIN Evan Canoyer, Spartan Combat RTC 10-0

LOSS Dustin Plott, Cowboy RTC 0-3

LOSS Edmond Ruth, Pennsylvania 10-10

79kg Jake Stefanowicz

WIN Ankhaa Enkhmandakh, Illinois 6-5

WIN Antonio Amello, Buffalo Valley RTC 10-0

WIN John Worthing, Clarion RTC MFF

LOSS Philip Conigliaro, New England RTC 0-12

LOSS Lucas Uliano, Boone RTC 2-10

86kg Josh Stillings

WIN James Conway, Diplomat WC 11-0

LOSS Trent Hidlay, Wolfpack WC 0-10

WIN Fabio Preka, Bulls WC 10-0

WIN Kahalil Mitchell, Cougar WC 7-2

LOSS Samuel Skillings, Gopher WC 2-12

86kg Neil Antrassian

WIN Micah Ervin, Southern Illinois RTC 13-2

LOSS Zachary Braunagel, Illinois RTC 5-8

WIN Michael Ferree, Golden Pride WC 18-8

WIN AJ Burkhart, Lehigh Valley WC 11-0

LOSS Krystian Kinsey, Cavalier WC 7-17

86kg Maximus Hale

WIN Malachi Duvall, George Mason 11-0

WIN Scott Jill, Mountaineer WC 10-0

LOSS Jared Krattinger, Gopher WC 8-10

WIN Cole Rees, Buies Creek WC 10-0

WIN Hadyn Danals, Cavalier WC 11-0

LOSS Jack Jessen, Wildcat WC 0-12

86kg Jake Hendricks

WIN Aidan Johnson, Greater Heights Wrestling 10-0

LOSS Samuel Skillings, Gopher WC 6-11

WIN Reece Woracheck, Wisconsin 11-1

LOSS Cole Rees, Buies Creek WC 6-8

86kg Jesse Martinez

WIN Michael Jacobs, Michigan 11-0

LOSS Garavous Kouekabakilaho, Viking WC 0-10

WIN Joseph Lyons, Ohio FALL

WIN Carson Berryhill, Oklahoma RTC 12-2

LOSS Joey Braunagel, Illinois RTC 4-9

92kg Cole Urbas

LOSS Evan Bockman, Brunson UVRTC 8-18

LOSS Jon List, George Mason 5-16

125kg Joe Timm

LOSS Ryan Higgins, Massachusetts 0-4

LOSS John Meyers, Pennsylvania 0-5

125kg Eli Anthony

LOSS Owen Trephan, Wolfpack WC 0-10

LOSS Jacob Slinger, Pittsburgh WC 0-4

Photos by Sam Janicki

Thirty Two Prtc U23 Athletes Ready to Compete for World Team Spots

2022-06-03

Geneva, Ohio – The PRTC has entered a record number of athletes into the 2022 U23 World Team Trials. Thirty two student-athletes from Penn and Drexel have traveled west along with six PRTC coaches in an effort to qualify for a World Team.

This national event, held at the Spire Institute located near Cleveland, is a competition to earn a spot on the 2022 USA U23 World Team. The U23 World Championships will be held in Pontevedra, Spain in October. The top placewinner at each weight class in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman will represent Team USA.

Coaches LaFragola and Parker with Mickey O’Malley.

Drexel University, led by Head Coach Matt Azevedo and Assistant Coaches Scotty Parker, and CJ LaFragola, have entered 14 athletes in the Freestyle division. Leading the way for the Dragons is 2021 U23 World Team Trials Finalist, Mickey O’Malley. In 2020, O’Malley won the Junior Freestyle Nationals. He’ll be competing at 79kg this weekend.

The University of Pennsylvania has also entered 14 athletes in this prestigious weekend long event. Penn’s Associate Head Coach Bryan Pearsall and Assistant Coach B.J. Futrell will have some extra work ahead of them as three of the Penn athletes have entered in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Ryan Miller, 2021 Pan American Silver Medalist.

Topping the list of talent for the Quakers, Michael Colaiocco(61kg) is a 2020 Finalist in U23 Freestyle, Ryan Miller(57kg) is a 2021 Junior Freestyle Finalist and Pan American Championship Silver Medalist, and Jake Hendricks(86kg/82kg) is a multiple time All-American in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman.

In addition to current local student-athletes, the PRTC will be represented by a few incoming freshman student-athletes. Sean Seefeldt(57kg), Nico Nardone(61kg), and Kyle Hauserman(65kg) have all made the trip to Geneva. Seefeldt, a native of Ohio and local fan favorite, is a 2021 USA Wrestling Central Regional Champion.

Senior Athlete and Former National Team Member Richard Perry will be coaching the PRTC this weekend.

Senior Athlete Richard Perry, a 2018 Senior World Team Trials Finalist, will be coaching this weekend alongside the Drexel and Penn coaches. Also, joining the PRTC coaching staff for the first time will be Doug Zapf. Zapf recently placed third at the 2022 Senior US Nationals. He’ll be coaching his teammates and training partners throughout the tournament as they seek to qualify for a trip to the World Championships.

All matches will be streamed live on FloWrestling. Wrestling begins at 10am EST on Friday June 3rd.

Below is the list of all PRTC participating athletes:

Freestyle:

57kg Antonio Mininno

57kg Desmond Pleasant

57kg Ryan Miller

57kg Sean Seefeldt

61kg Kyle Waterman

61kg Michael Colaiocco

61kg Lukas Richie

61kg Nico Nardone

65kg Deon Pleasant

65kg Kelly Dunnigan

65kg Carmen Ferrante

65kg Kyle Hauserman

70kg Gabe Onorato

70kg Vince Mannella

74kg Riley Onorato

74kg Tate Nichter

74kg Tanner Updegraff

74kg Jeremy Ridge

74kg Cole Spencer

79kg Mickey O’Malley

79kg Cody Walsh

79kg Jack Janda

79kg Nick Incontrera

79kg Jake Stefanowicz

86kg Josh Stillings

86kg Neil Antrassian

86kg Max Hale

86kg Jake Hendricks

86kg Jesse Martinez

92kg Cole Urbas

125kg Joe Timm

125kg Eli Anthony

Greco-Roman:

72kg Jeremy Ridge

77kg Jake Stefanowicz

82kg Jake Hendricks

Coaching Staff:

Matt Azevedo

Scotty Parker

CJ LaFragola

Bryan Pearsall

B.J. Futrell

Richard Perry

Doug Zapf

Futrell Heads Back to Upenn

2021-07-10

By Gina Perry for Intermat

The University of Pennsylvania announced their new Assistant Coach today, one who is familiar with the program and its principles—BJ Futrell, a former PRTC athlete and incredible asset to the Philadelphia wrestling community.

Futrell was most recently the Director of Mentoring for Beat the Streets Philadelphia where he worked very closely with Penn Wrestling, Drexel Wrestling, and the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center to deliver mentoring and academic enrichment to BTSP Student-athletes. Thus Futrell will prove to be a tremendous asset to Penn’s program both on and off the mat.

Futrell returns to coaching after serving as an Assistant Coach at the United States Naval Academy during the 2019-2020 season. Under his leadership, Navy qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament and crowned two EIWA champions. Additionally, Navy had three wrestlers become NWCA Scholar All-Americans.

Collegiately, Futrell was a 2x All-American for the University of Illinois. He was a 3x Academic All-Big Ten selection, and achieved NWCA Scholar All-American status twice. Futrell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology in 2012, and earned a Masters of Education in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership in 2013.

As a member of the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center from 2016-2019, Futrell was an essential member of the Philadelphia wrestling eco-system as he participated as a mentor for the BTS program, offered team clinics and spoke at various FCA events. Futrell was the first PRTC athlete to become a member of the U.S. National Team, which he accomplished in 2017. Throughout his career, Futrell placed at over 20 different Senior-level events and won titles at the Dave Schultz Memorial International, the Bill Farrell International and the Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial.

Despite facing various injuries over the course of his athletic career, BJ’s positive attitude, faith and solid understanding of discipline and hard work, continues to propel his career forward. “Beat the Streets Philadelphia is an amazing organization and I am super proud of the impactful work we were able to accomplish for our students during this extremely challenging academic year. BTS is positively altering life’s trajectory for students in under invested communities and I’m glad that in my new position at Penn, I will be able to strengthen the partnership between BTS and the University. At this time I feel a calling on my life to go back into coaching. The opportunity to learn from a Hall of Fame Coach like Coach Reina, who is CEO-minded and also understands the importance of community, I had to take it. The University of Pennsylvania athletic department as a whole, and the wrestling team, has a set of core values that I truly believe in. The University of Pennsylvania is a world class institution, and I am passionate about the holistic development of these students athletes; I am excited to not only help them become better wrestlers, but better men.”

Futrell was welcomed into the infamous wrestling room earlier this week by UPenn’s team, “BJ brings tremendous talent, and a broad experience set both nationally and internationally to Penn Wrestling at exactly the right time in our national climb,” said Reina. “Moreover, he embodies our program’s core values of Character First, Aiming Big, and Community Matters.”

The energy and experience Futrell has to offer, will prove to be valuable as UPenn once again takes the mat and enters the competitive scene after taking a season off due to Covid restrictions.

PRTC resident athlete B.J. Futrell retires

2019-08-16

fighting through an ACL tear he suffered in his opening match. While Futrell planned to compete through the 2020 Olympic cycle, the injury required surgery, his eighth in nine years.

“It came at a time that was unexpected and not according to my timetable. I made the most of the opportunities that I was given, and that’s all you can do. Some people think of success as what you do compared to other people, but I try to think of success as what I can do vs. what God called me to do. I did things the right way. I did things with integrity, and I can rest easy about that,” Futrell said.

Futrell has represented the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center for the past three years and made the 2017 U.S. National Team while training here. As he moves on in life, he’ll always remember his time at the PRTC fondly.

“It’s been amazing. I’ll always be grateful for Coach Brandon Slay, Roger Reina and all the people that support the PRTC including all the donors. This is a great community here in Philadelphia. Training at the University of Pennsylvania alongside Drexel University with Coach Azevedo and all those guys has been absolutely amazing. I’ve developed a lot as a wrestler, and I’ve grown as a man. I met my wife in Philadelphia too, so I’ll eternally be grateful for that. Penn and Drexel are doing something special here, and I’m excited to watch the future unfold for the PRTC.” he said.

View B.J.’s entire USA Wrestling retirement video below:

After a 25 year career competing in wrestling, B.J. Futrell announced he is retiring from the sport. His final tournament was the 2019 U.S. Open, where he placed 8th,

While many Regional Training Centers don’t have one full-time coach, the PRTC is fortunate to be able to bring an assistant on staff to help better train wrestlers.

If you’d like to support the Pennsylvania RTC in our mission to create an ecosystem for elite student-athletes to strive toward national and international success in wrestling and in life, while supporting the development of wrestling around the world, you can do so here.

BJ Futrell Wins Gold at 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial International. Dan Vallimont Takes Silver.

2019-02-14

The Pennsylvania RTC (PRTC) kicked off the new year in style at the prestigious Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs.

The highlight was BJ Futrell dominating the competition on his way to the 65kg freestyle title and being named outstanding wrestler of the tournament. BJ won all four of his matches by technical fall, outscoring his opponents 42-1.

Dan Vallimont also had a strong freestyle tournament with an impressive second place finish at 74kg. Dan won his first two matches by major and tech fall before dropping a hard-fought match in the finals.

“BJ and Dan have had an excellent period of training which showed in their performances. It was especially rewarding to see BJ win gold and earn outstanding wrestler considering he missed most of 2018 with an injury. When healthy, BJ is one of the best freestyle wrestlers in the world. This meet is the first step toward successful 2019 seasons for both BJ and Dan,” said Brandon Slay, Executive Director and Head Coach of the PRTC.

PRTC wrestlers Chase Pami and Dan Vallimont will next compete in Cuba Feb. 21-22, while BJ Futrell will compete in Bulgaria March 1-2.

B.J. Futrell: A Mentor on and off the Mat.

2017-09-15

The PRTC encourages our athletes to be give back to our local community through volunteering and our partnership with Beat the Streets Philadelphia. B.J. Futrell exemplifies what it means to be a mentor on and off the mat. You can read about his work with Beat the Streets wrestler, Quion Harris, on the Beat the Streets website here.

PRTC Has Strong Showing at World Team Trials, Futrell Makes National Team

2017-06-12

The Pennsylvania Regional Training Center compiled a solid 8-4 record this weekend at the World Team Trials in Lincoln, Nebraska. The highlight of the weekend was B.J. Futrell taking 2nd in the trials tournament (third overall at the weight class) and earning a spot on the National Team.

B.J. opened the tournament at 65 kg with two tight wins, 4-3 over Cowboy Wrestling Club’s Dean Heil, and a thrilling 6-5 victory over Titan Mercury’s Evan Henderson. In the trials tournament finals, B.J. fell to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club’s Zain Retherford, who went on to make the world team. B.J. closed out his tournament with an 8-2 win over Titan Mercury’s Nick Dardanes to secure true second and a spot on the national team.

At 70 kg Chase Pami won his first match over Titan Mercury’s Jason Chamberlain 3-2. He dropped his next match in the semifinals to Nazar Kulchytskyy also of Titan Mercury. In the consolations he dominated Dylan Ness of the Minnesota Storm 9-1. He lost his next bout in the consolation finals to Jason Nolf of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.

Richard Perry defeated Josh Asper of the Navy Marine Corps RTC in his opening bout at 86 kg. In the semifinals he lost to Nick Heflin out of the Princeton Wrestling Club. In the consolation rounds he defeated Cowboy Wrestling Club’s Kyle Crutchmer 9-3 and then pinned Titan Mercury Wrestling Club’s Austin Trotman in a beautiful cradle to take third place.

Overall, all 3 competing PRTC wrestlers left the trials ranked top 5 in the nation in their weight class.

World Team Trials' Brackets Released

2017-06-10

Pennsylvania Regional Training Center members, B.J. Futrell, Chase Pami, and Richard Perry will be competing to make their first World Team tomorrow in Lincoln, Nebraska. In order to do so, each wrestler will have to battle their way through a mini tournament and then face a well rested opponent in the finals in a best two out of three series. The wrestlers waiting in the finals earned their spots by winning Olympic medals in 2016 or winning the 2017 U.S. Open.

At 65 kg, B.J. Futrell is the second seed. In his opening match he will face 2x NCAA champion, Dean Heil, from Oklahoma State. If he makes it to the trial tournament finals he will most likely face 2x NCAA champion and last year’s Dan Hodge award winner, Zain Retherford from Penn State. Waiting in the finals is 2016 Olympian, Frank Molinaro, formerly of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and now training out of Virginia Tech. B.J. is currently ranked 10th in the world, and has not yet wrestled the unranked Retherford or the 11th ranked Molinaro.

At 70 kg, Chase Pami earned the 3rd seed and will face freestyle veteran, Jason Chamberlain in his opening bout. The top seed in the bracket, Jimmy Kennedy, is bumped up from 65 kg where he competed in the US Open. Chase took third at the open only losing to Tommy Gannt, who will have to beat second seed Nazar Kulchytskyy in order to force a rematch. Waiting in the finals is 2015 World bronze medalist, James Green from the Nebraska RTC who is currently ranked 4th in the world.

Richard Perry earned the 2nd seed at 86 kg. Waiting in the best 2 out of 3 series is 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, J’Den Cox. Cox, who wrapped up his third NCAA title this past season at Missouri, is ranked 5th in the world. In order to reach him, Richard will have to defeat Nittany Lion Wrestling Club’s two time NCAA Champion and Hodge Trophy winner, David Taylor. Taylor, who is ranked 5th in the world, will be a tough test, as he has beaten Richard at both the Paris Grand Prix and the U.S. Open. That being said Richard gave him his toughest match of the year, which includes Taylor’s wins over World and Olympic gold medalists.

The action will off on Flowresting at 11 AM eastern time and will conclude around 4. The best 2 out of 3 series will start at 6 pm. Be sure to follow along on twitter for updates @pennsylvaniartc.

PRTC Hosts Clinic at Conestoga High School April 1st

2017-03-21

The Pennsylvania RTC is hosting a clinic at Conestoga High School, Saturday, April 1st. Wrestlers will have the opportunity to learn technique from PRTC Head Coach Brandon Slay, as well as world ranked wrestlers, BJ Futrell and Richard Perry, and NCAA finalists, Chase Pami, and Dan Vallimont. Focus will be given to all three positions, as well as special attention to Freestyle fundamentals. You can sign up for the clinic here. Be sure to sign up soon because the clinic will be limited to the first 100 wrestlers.