This weekend’s Junior and Senior Freestyle World Team Trials in Lincoln, NE will feature four wrestlers with ties to North Dakota State University.  In the senior division, former Bison Kallen Kleinschmidt and Hayden Zillmer are both entered in the 97 KG weight division.  Zillmer was a 2015 NCAA All American for the Bison at 184 pounds and is currently based out of the twin cities training Greco Roman full time for the Minnesota Storm.  After finishing second at the Greco Roman World Team Trials in April, Zillmer qualified for the Freestyle trials by entering in the last chance qualifier held in Rochester, MN last May.  Kleinschmidt, who graduated from NDSU in 2013 and is a Helena, MT native, currently trains at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO.

Current Bison Paul Bianchi, who had a strong redshirt season wrestling at 125 pounds and will likely fill the void of graduated senior Josh Rodriguez next season, will compete for a spot on the Junior World Team in the 55 KG weight bracket.  Bianchi had a fantastic run to the finals at the UWW Junior Nationals last May before falling to Oklahoma State super-recruit Daton Fox 10-0.  The field at 55 KG should be deep, but expect Bianchi to make a hard run at the best of three finals where Fix will be waiting.

The last wrestler with Bison ties competing in Lincoln is incoming freshman Brandon Metz.  Competing in the 120 KG weight group, Metz was fourth at UWW Junior Nationals last May.  The winner of the mini tournament at 120 KG will have their shot at 2X Cadet World Champion Gable Steveson.

Trials for the Junior division take place Friday, with the Seniors competing on Saturday.  All the action can be streamed live on Flowrestling with a Flopro account.