Scouting the U.S. Open Championships wrestling tournament

By Tim Warsinskey, The Plain Dealer

April 22, 2010, 6:58AM

Associated PressJ Jaggers, from Northfield, won four state titles at Chanel.

121 pounds: All eyes will be on high school sensation Logan Stieber from Monroeville, 60 miles west of Cleveland. The high school senior placed third last year in the senior division. Veteran Danny Felix made his first world team in 2009 and is ranked No. 1.

132 pounds: No. 1 ranked Shawn Bunch, who trains in Columbus, ended 2008 Olympian Mike Zadick's three-year U.S. reign last year. Bunch's training partner, OSU's Reece Humphrey, has shown a lot of promise. Nate Galick, Coleman Scott and Matt Valenti are also contenders.

145.5 pounds: Jared Frayer is favored in a deep weight that includes 2008 Olympian Doug Schwab. There are numerous college stars, including two-time NCAA champs Teyon Ware and J Jaggers, who is from Northfield and won four state titles at Chanel.

163 pounds: Twins Trent and Travis Paulson could be finalists, though Mike Poeta beat Trent Paulson this season and they are in the same half-bracket. Trent made the World Team at 145.5 pounds last year.

185 pounds: Jake Herbert was a 2009 World silver medalist but could face a tough final against either 2009 World trials runner-up Bryce Hasseman or two-time NCAA champ Chris Pendleton. The latter pair is in the same half bracket.

211.5 pounds: Ohio's J.D. Bergman wrecked a knee at the 2008 U.S. Open, one of numerous career injuries, but made the recent U.S. World Cup team. He'll have to get by two-time NCAA champ Jake Varner.

264.5 pounds: Tervel Dlagnev, who won bronze at the 2009 World Championships, heads an exciting weight that includes training partner and two-time NCAA champ Tommy Rowlands, four-time NCAA Div. II champ Les Sigman and junior World champ Dom Bradley.

Women's freestyle

105.5 pounds: Clarissa Chun, the 2008 World champ, is out with an injury. Alyssa Lampe was the runner-up at the last two World team trials.

112.25 pounds: Jessica Medina won the World Team Trials last year and is by far the most experienced. Cleveland's India Walker is entered here.

121 pounds: Tatiana Padilla won bronze at the 2008 Worlds and is favored to make her third straight World team.

130 pounds: Deanna Rix and Kelsey Campbell have established a good rivalry. Campbell won the 2009 U.S. Open, but Rix won the World Team Trials and placed fifth at Worlds. They are 1-1 against each other this season.

138.75 pounds: Sara McMann, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist and two-time World medal winner, has toyed with a mixed martial arts career, but is back to challenge defending champ Elena Pirozhkova. She won the last two World Team Trials. Massillon's Lauren Louive is ranked seventh.

147.5 pounds: A wide-open weight because an injury prevented Adeline Gray from entering. Christen Paysee and Erin Clodgo placed fifth and seventh, respectively, last year.

158.5 pounds: No. 1-ranked Iris Smith was the 2005 World champion. Her primary challenger will be Stephany Lee, who won gold and silver on a recent European tour.

Greco-Roman

121 pounds: The bubbly Spenser Mango is part of the United States' new guard in Greco-Roman. He was on the 2008 Olympic and 2009 World teams. The opposite semifinal bracket includes 2006 World bronze medalist Lindsey Durlacher and defending U.S. Open champ Jermaine Hodge, as well as Mango's younger brother, Ryan.

132 pounds: Jeremiah Davis won the 2009 World Team trials and is favored here. Defending champ Joe Betterman is out with an injury.

145.5 pounds: U.S. Army teammates Faruk Sahin and Glenn Garrison are the favorites. Oscar Wood, a 2004 Olympian, could be a factor. Rising star Jacob Curby, who was ranked as high as No. 2, died unexpectedly in January.

163 pounds: Akron's Harry Lester might make an appearance -- as a coach for close friend Jake Fisher. Lester is taking time off from wresting, so Fisher is the favorite.

185 pounds: The final could be a rematch of last year's World Team Trials final between winner Chas Betts and Cheney Haight.

211.5 pounds: Justin Ruiz, a 2005 World bronze medalist, has ended a brief retirement and wrestled well this season. He shouldn't look past a second-round match against Justin Millard, a past U.S. Open runner-up.

264.5 pounds: Veteran Dremiel Byers won his third World medal last year, a silver to go with previous gold and bronze medals. Closing the gap recently has been last year's runner-up, Brandon Rupp.

Junior freestyle

The field is not yet set for this age group of 17- to 20-year-olds, but those expected include World bronze medalist Jordan Oliver (132 pounds) and Chris Perry (185), who placed fifth at Worlds. Others to watch for are 2009 Junior National champions Derek St. John (154), Alex Meade (163) and Reiland Geiger (211.5), and 2009 Junior World Team members Carson Kuhn (110), Tony Ramos (121) and Jason Chamberlain (145.5). David Taylor of St. Paris, Ohio, and Penn State could be a factor at 163.

Junior Greco-Roman

Registration closes today. Five 2009 national champs who also made the 2009 Junior World Team can return this year: Max Nowry (110), Jimmy Chase (132), Donald Vinson Jr. (145.5), Ben Provisor (163) and Tyrell Fortune (211.5).

-- Tim Warsinskey