OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla — Cael Sandeson a third seed? Believe it.
Sanderson, who hasn’t competed in a major tournament since winning an Olympic gold medal in 2004, received the third seed for today’s 185-pound freestyle challenge tournament at the World Team Trials.
Jake Herbert, a two-time NCAA champion at Northwestern, receives a bye into tonight’s finals for winning April’s U.S. Open in Cleveland.
Kevin Gavin is the No. 1 seed for the challenge tournament. Bryce Hasseman is seeded second.
Penn State junior and Bald Eagle Area graduate Quentin Wright is seeded ninth and opens the tournament against 2008 Olympian Andy Hrovat. Former Penn State All- American and Philipsburg-Osceola graduate James Yonushonis is seeded 11th. Yonushonis will face Sanderson if he defeats Raymond Jordan in the first round.
Former Bald Eagle Area wrestler Justin Millard is seeded sixth in today’s 211.5-pound Greco- Roman tournament. Millard, who trains in Colorado Springs, Colo., wrestlers for the U.S. Army.
Jake Varner gave the Nittany Wrestling Club a strong start to the weekend by winning the 211.5- pound title Friday. Varner, a former NCAA champion at Iowa State, won the U.S. Open to receive a bye into the finals. He then defeated Chad Hanke 3-0, 2-0 and 3-0, 2-0 in their best-of-three series to earn a spot in September’s World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.
Former Penn State All-American Aaron Anspach went 1-2 in his debut at 211.5 pounds. Anspach defeated Micah Burak 2-2, 3-3 to reach the challenge tournament semifinals, where he fell to Hanke 1-0, 4-1. Anspach, who cut more than 50 pounds in the past two months, was eliminated from the tournament by Luke Lofthouse 0-2, 4-1, 1-0.
Nick Fanthorpe went 1-2 at 132 pounds for the NLWC. Fanthorpe defeated Tyler Clark 5-1, 2-1 before losing to Coleman Scott 1-0, 1-0 and Derek Moore 1-0, 1-0.
Sanderson and Wright are two of four NLWC athletes competing today. Former Penn State All- American Mark McKnight is seeded seventh and wrestles former Lock Haven and Oklahoma State standout Obe Blanc at 121 pounds.
Teyon Ware won the U.S. Open and receives a bye into the 145.5-pound finals. Former Iowa star Brent Metcalf is the No. 1 seed in the challenge tournament.
Former Ohio State star Reece Humphrey (132 pounds) and 2011 NCAA champion Jordan Bur-roughs (163) joined Varner on the world team by winning titles Friday.
Today’s wrestling begins at 11 a.m. and the finals are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. A live webcast is available at www.themat.com. Follow the Centre Daily Times’ wrestling coverage @cdtguy on Twitter.
