Kilgore Goes 4-1 at Olympic Trials
4/15/2016 3:23:00 PM | Wrestling
IOWA CITY - Dustin Kilgore, continued to prove why he is the most accomplished wrestler in Kent State's history, coming up just shy of clinching a 2016 Olympic Games appearance on Sunday, April 10. Kilgore went 4-1 at the U.S. Olympic Trials inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, competing at 97 kg (213 pounds) in the freestyle division.
Defending Olympic gold medal-winner Jake Varner, was Kilgore's only setback of the day. Kilgore earned a spot in the challenge tournament final against Varner, following three come-from-behind victories to start the day.
"It was the best I've seen Dustin wrestle in a long time," Jim Andrassy said. "I know he's disappointed, but his bracket had two of the best guys in the world. Aside from Jordan Burroughs, Varner and (Kyle) Snyder are among the most accomplished wrestlers the U.S. has had in the last 15 years."
In the challenge tournament's round of 16, Kilgore battled back to defeat Blaize Cabell 7-5. In the quarterfinals, Kilgore overcame another deficit to defeat Wynn Michalak, 12-9. A former runner-up at the NCAA Championships, Michalak recently won the U.S. Open in December.
The competition only got tougher in the semifinals as Kilgore topped J.D. Bergman 6-3 behind a pair of late takedowns. Bergman is a two-time U.S. World Team Trials champion and has placed in the top 10 at the World Championships.
After falling to Varner in the finals, Kilgore edged Micah Burak 3-2, to seal a top three finish and a spot on the U.S. Senior National Team.
"When you wrestle at that level, you get different coaches and different philosophies," Andrassy said. "And I think he finally understands what they want him to accomplish, but also what makes him successful. And he's done a good job of combining the two. In another era, he might be the No. 1 guy in our country. It's a tough timing thing."
