U.S. Greco-Roman Team takes aim at winning title at 2008 World Cup

eco-Roman Team will be missing three key members of its squad for the 2008 World Cup.

But that doesn’t mean the powerful American team, which captured the team title at the 2007 World Championships, should be taken lightly.

The U.S. will still put a very strong team on the mat for the 2008 World Cup, set for Thursday, Feb. 28, and Friday, Feb. 29, in Szombathely, Hungary. Teams from Russia, Georgia, Iran, South Korea and Hungary also are scheduled to compete.

The event is a six-team, dual-meet format. Teams are split into a pair of three-team pools on the first day with the winner of each pool advancing to the finals on the second day. Second-place teams in each pool wrestle for third place on Day 2 with third-place teams in each pool battling for fifth place.

The U.S. team is led by past World champion Dremiel Byers, World silver medalist Brad Vering, and World bronze medalists Lindsey Durlacher and Harry Lester. The U.S. placed second in the 2007 World Cup. The U.S. is seeking its first World Cup title in Greco-Roman wrestling.

“The World Cup is always a very tough event that is very competitive,” U.S. National Coach Steve Fraser said. “Our squad is excited about the challenge as usual. Although this team is missing a few of our No. 1 guys, it is still a very strong team. We hope to better last year’s performance by winning it this year.”

The U.S. will be without three members of the 2007 World Team as Joe Betterman (60 kg/132 lbs.), T.C. Dantzler (74 kg/163 lbs.) and Justin Ruiz (96 kg/211.5 lbs.) stayed in the U.S. to compete in this weekend’s Pan American Championships in Colorado Springs. Betterman, Dantzler and Ruiz are trying to qualify their weight classes for the Olympics.

Byers, Vering, Durlacher and Lester each qualified their weight classes for the Olympics by finishing in the top eight at the 2007 World Championships.

Completing the U.S. World Cup lineup will be past World Team member Keith Sieracki along with National Team members Willie Madison and Adam Wheeler.

U.S. GRECO-ROMAN WORLD CUP ROSTER

55 kg/121 lbs. – Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
60 kg/132 lbs. – Willie Madison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Harry Lester, Marquette, Mich. (Gator WC)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Keith Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
84 kg/185 lbs. – Brad Vering, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Adam Wheeler, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
Coaches – Anatoly Petrosyan (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Andy Seras (Sandy Hook, Conn.), Dale

eco-Roman Team will be missing three key members of its squad for the 2008 World Cup.

But that doesn’t mean the powerful American team, which captured the team title at the 2007 World Championships, should be taken lightly.

The U.S. will still put a very strong team on the mat for the 2008 World Cup, set for Thursday, Feb. 28, and Friday, Feb. 29, in Szombathely, Hungary. Teams from Russia, Georgia, Iran, South Korea and Hungary also are scheduled to compete.

The event is a six-team, dual-meet format. Teams are split into a pair of three-team pools on the first day with the winner of each pool advancing to the finals on the second day. Second-place teams in each pool wrestle for third place on Day 2 with third-place teams in each pool battling for fifth place.

The U.S. team is led by past World champion Dremiel Byers, World silver medalist Brad Vering, and World bronze medalists Lindsey Durlacher and Harry Lester. The U.S. placed second in the 2007 World Cup. The U.S. is seeking its first World Cup title in Greco-Roman wrestling.

“The World Cup is always a very tough event that is very competitive,” U.S. National Coach Steve Fraser said. “Our squad is excited about the challenge as usual. Although this team is missing a few of our No. 1 guys, it is still a very strong team. We hope to better last year’s performance by winning it this year.”

The U.S. will be without three members of the 2007 World Team as Joe Betterman (60 kg/132 lbs.), T.C. Dantzler (74 kg/163 lbs.) and Justin Ruiz (96 kg/211.5 lbs.) stayed in the U.S. to compete in this weekend’s Pan American Championships in Colorado Springs. Betterman, Dantzler and Ruiz are trying to qualify their weight classes for the Olympics.

Byers, Vering, Durlacher and Lester each qualified their weight classes for the Olympics by finishing in the top eight at the 2007 World Championships.

Completing the U.S. World Cup lineup will be past World Team member Keith Sieracki along with National Team members Willie Madison and Adam Wheeler.

U.S. GRECO-ROMAN WORLD CUP ROSTER

55 kg/121 lbs. – Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
60 kg/132 lbs. – Willie Madison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Harry Lester, Marquette, Mich. (Gator WC)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Keith Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
84 kg/185 lbs. – Brad Vering, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Adam Wheeler, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
Coaches – Anatoly Petrosyan (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Andy Seras (Sandy Hook, Conn.), Dale