By David Gerhart
USA Wrestling

ZAGREB, Croatia – Team USA’s 23-man freestyle squad learned their draws for the first UWW Ranking Series event of 2026 at the Zagreb Open. Highlighting the American squad in Croatia are reigning World Champions, Zahid Valencia and Trent Hidlay.

Valencia opens the 86 kg bracket against India’s Sandeep Mann, who has made three Senior World Championship appearances. In the 92 kg weight class, Hidlay will be in Group B of the round robin. The bronze medalist at last year’s Zagreb Open goes up against two-time age-group World Champion Mohammadmobin Azimi of Iran and his fellow countryman Abolfazl Rahmani Firouzjaei, who is a three-time age-group World medalist.

2024 Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee highlights the 57 kg division for the U.S. Following an opening round bye, Lee will face the winner of Serbia’s Azamat Tuskaev and Georgia’s Nikoloz Botchorishvili.

Fellow 2025 World Team members David Carr and Wyatt Hendrickson are also in the field in Croatia. Carr begins his run at 74 kg against Aliakbar Fazlikhalili of Iran. At 125 kg, Hendrickson takes on the winner of Hungary’s Vladislav Bajcajev and Iran’s Mortaza Janmohammadzadehnamarvar. Joining Hendrickson at 125 kg for the Americans is Demetrius Thomas. Thomas starts his international season against 2025 Senior World bronze medalist, Shamil Sharipov of Bahrain.

Along with Carr at 74 kg, James Green and Jarrett Jacques will represent the U.S. Green’s opening round contest comes against the reigning Senior World Champion, Yushinosuke Aoyagi of Japan. Aoyagi has a pair of Senior World medals to his name, along with five age-Group World medals. Jacques takes on the lone competitor in the tournament from Sierra Leone, Daniel Alfred, to start the tournament.

In the five-man round robin at 61 kg, Austin DeSanto rounds out his four matches with a contest against 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Aman Aman of India. DeSanto also faces Iran’s Reza Momenijoujadeh, Palestine’s Ali Aburumaila and Georgia’s Giorgi Goniashvili.

The full list of opening round draws for the U.S. is listed below.

Men’s freestyle action takes place on Wednesday and Thursday. Competition both days begins at 10:30 a.m. local time/4:30 a.m. ET.

The 2026 Zagreb Open also features women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. The women’s freestyle draws will be announced on Wednesday, followed by Greco-Roman on Thursday.

The full schedule for the 2026 Zagreb Open is listed below.

Matches will be streamed live on FloWrestling. Live results and brackets are available on UWW Arena.

2026 Zagreb Open 

At Zagreb, Croatia, February 4-8 

Quick Links 

• Events Website

• Brackets

• Live Stream

Event Schedule 

Wednesday, February 4 

MFS 57-61-65-70-74-86 kg

10:30 a.m. – Qualification Rounds

12:30 p.m. – Semifinals

1:30 p.m. – Repechage

6 p.m. – Finals

Thursday, February 5 

MFS 79-92-97-125 kg, WFS 50-55 kg

10:30 a.m. – Qualification Rounds

12:30 p.m. – Semifinals

1:30 p.m. – Repechage

6 p.m. – Finals 

Friday, February 6 

WFS 59-62-65-68 kg, GR 63-67 kg

10:30 a.m. – Qualification Rounds

12:30 p.m. – Semifinals

1:30 p.m. – Repechage

6 p.m. – Finals

Saturday, February 7 

WFS 53-57-72-76 kg, GR 77-87 kg

10:30 a.m. – Qualification Rounds

1:30 p.m. – Semifinals

2:30 p.m. – Repechage

6 p.m. – Finals

Sunday, February 8 

GR 55-60-72-82-97-130 kg

10:30 a.m. – Qualification Rounds

1:30 p.m. – Semifinals

2:30 p.m. – Repechage

6 p.m. – Finals

*All times reference local time in Zagreb, Croatia, which is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

U.S Men’s Freestyle Draws 

57 kg – Liam Cronin (Lincoln, Neb./Nebraska Wrestling Training Center/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Roberti Dingashvili (Georgia) or Milad Valizadeh (Iran)

57 kg – Anthony Knox (Freehold, N.J.) 

VS Roman Bravo Young (Mexico) or Atish Todkar (India)

57 kg – Spencer Lee (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Azamat Tuskaev (Serbia) or Nikoloz Botchorishvili (Georgia)

61 kg – Austin DeSanto (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Reza Momenijoujadeh (Iran)

VS Ali Aburumaila (Palestine)

VS Giorgi Goniashvili (Georgia)

VS Aman Aman (India)

65 kg – Joey McKenna (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Takara Suda (Japan)

70 kg – Caleb Henson (Cartersville, Ga./Southeast RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Ebrahim Elahichouran (Iran)

70 kg – Ian Parker (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Panther Wrestling Club RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Sina Khalili (Iran) or Patryk Olenczyn (Poland)

70 kg – Tyler Kasak (Lemont, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Alexander Seiwald (Austria)

74 kg – Jarrett Jacques (Columbia, Mo./Tiger Style WC) 

VS Alfred Daniel (Sierra Leone)

74 kg – David Carr (Ames, Iowa/Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Aliakbar Fazlikhalili (Iran)

74 kg – James Green (Lincoln, Neb./Nebraska Wrestling Training Center/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Yoshinosuke Aoyagi (Japan)

79 kg – Evan Wick (Madison, Wis./Askren Wrestling Academy/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Krisztian Biro (Romania) or Amit Amit (India)

79 kg – Danny Braunagel (O’Fallon, Ill./Illinois RTC/New York AC) 

VS Sobhan Esmi (Iran)

79 kg – DJ Hamiti (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Danny Braunagel (USA) or Sobhan Esmi (Iran)

86 kg – Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Sandeep Mann (India)

86 kg – Parker Keckeisen (Glendale, Wis./Panther Wrestling Club RTC) 

VS Mukul Dahiya (India)

92 kg – Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Zaur Beradze (Georgia)

VS Michael Macciavello (USA)

VS Jointy Kumar (India)

92 kg – Michael Macchiavello (Northampton, Pa./Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Jointy Kumar (India)

VS Dustin Plott (USA)

VS Zaur Beradze (Georgia)

92 kg – Trent Hidlay (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Mohammadmobin Azimi (Iran)

VS Abolfazl Rahmani Firouzjaei (Iran)

97 kg – Stephen Buchanan (Coralville, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) 

VS Samuel Pereira (Canada)

97 kg – Zane Lanham (Hurricane, W. Va./Arkansas RTC) 

VS Musza Arsunkaev (Hungary)

125 kg – Demetrius Thomas (Providence, R.I./New York AC) 

VS Shamil Sharipov (Bahrain)

125 kg – Wyatt Hendrickson (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/U.S. Air Force WCAP) 

VS Vladislav Bajcajev (Hungary) or Mortaza Janmohammadzadehnamarvar (Iran)