Three from Wolfpack Wrestling Club to Compete at Olympic Team Trials

RALEIGH, N.C. – Three former All-Americans from the NC State wrestling team will be in action this weekend vying for a chance to represent the United States at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Nick Gwiazdowski, Michael Macchavello, and Tommy Gantt will all take part in the Olympic Team Trials in Fort Worth, Texas.

All three from the Wolfpack Wrestling Club will compete in freestyle. All six weight classes start with an 8-man Championship Tournament, and the U.S. Olympic team representative will be determined by a best 2-of-3 matches Championship Series.

Some weights (74 kg & 97 kg for NC State fans) do have former World Medalists receiving a bye into the semifinals and those two weights also have a former World Champion awaiting in the Championship Series.

Action starts with the Challenge Tournament, which all three from Wolfpack Wrestling Club will start in, Friday at 11 a.m. (ET) and streamed on Peakcock.

The Challenge Tournament finals will then be at 7:30 p.m., and the Championship Series finals at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. Both will be televised on NBCSN and streamed on Peacock.

NC State is the only school in the ACC with multiple grads competing this weekend. In fact, NC State's three are more than the rest of the ACC combined (2).

125 kg – Nick Gwiazdowski, No. 1 seed - (2014-16)
Former two-time NC State national champion Nick Gwiazdowski enters as the #1 seed at 125 kg. He earned the top spot by being the 2019 world team member who then qualified 125kg for Tokyo, which he accomplished by winning the Pan-Am Olympic Qualification Tournament.

Gwiazdowski will have a first round bye, before facing the winner of #8 seed Garrett Ryan and #9 seed Jordan Wood. In the semifinals on Gwiazdowski's half of the bracket will be either #4 seed Dom Bradley or #5 seed Tony Nelson.

125 kg does not have anybody with a bye to the semifinals or to the Championship Series.

97 kg – Michael Macchiavello, No. 3 seed - (2014-16, 2017-18)
A second former NC State national champion will be in action at 97 kg, as Michael Macchiavello received the #3 seed. The 2018 NCAA champ at 197 pounds will face off with the 2021 NCAA champion at the same weight in the first round, freshman A.J. Ferrari of Oklahoma State. The winner will see either #2 seed Hayden Zilmer or #7 seed Ben Honis in the quarterfinals.

J'Den Cox has a bye into the semifinals on Macchiavello's side of the bracket, while Kyle Snyder awaits the winner of Championship Bracket in the Championship Series.

74 kg – Tommy Gantt, No. 3 seed (2013-16)
A third former Wolfpack All-American, Tommy Gantt, will start as the #3 seed at 74 kg. Gantt will face off with #6 EvanWick in his first match. The winner will face #2 seed Chance Marsteller of #7 seed Vincenzo Joseph in the quarterfinals.

Kyle Dake has a bye into the semifinals on Gantt's side of the bracket, while Jordan Burroughs awaits the winner of Championship Bracket in the Championship Series.

Fans can watch all of this weekend's action on NBC and its platforms. Check out the broadcast schedule by CLICKING HERE.

Official brackets will be released Friday after weigh-ins.

North Carolina State University Athletics

Three from Wolfpack Wrestling Club to Compete at Olympic Team Trials

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Tommy Gantt

Nick Gwiazdowski

Michael Macchiavello

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