OSU Wrestling: Three Storylines for the Matteo Pellicone UWW Ranking Series

Three former Cowboys will compete at the Matteo Pellicone in Italy this Saturday. Here are three storylines to watch.

1. Does Daton Fix still have an edge over the other Americans?

In 2019 Daton Fix made the World Team at 57 KG. He knocked off Thomas Gilman two matches to one in a best of three series at Final-X to lock down the spot. The last time we saw Fix compete was at the World Championships. Here he’ll have some old and new faces to deal with.

Thomas Gilman will be in the field here and could match up with Daton along with World Bronze Medalist Joe Colon who is down from 61 KG. Both of these guys are in Daton’s way when it comes to making the Olympic team. There are other contenders as well, but this will certainly set the tone for the Olympic trials.

2. Can Alex Dieringer bounce back?

Alex Dieringer was absolutely dominant at 79 KG with the exception of a few losses to World Champion Kyle Dake. Up at 86 KG he didn’t quite have the same pop at Senior Nationals that we’ve typically seen. He finished third after falling in the semifinals to Myles Martin. Can he bounce back and win here? It will be interesting to see if he’s made some adjustments to the new weight and can reemerge as a contender to make the Olympic team.

3. Does JO maintain his dominance?

Jordan Oliver wrecked shop at Senior Nationals last month. He looked as dominant as we’ve seen him since college and like the best 65 KG in the United States, and possibly one of the best in the world. Did he just get hot for a couple of days or has JO jumped levels and set a course to an Olympic bid and a potential medal? This weekend will tell us a lot.

The 57, 65, and 86 KG groups all start on Saturday at 4:30 a.m.. It will be streamed on FloWrestling.