Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Tony Rotundo - Team USA
Cowboy Trio Ready for Olympic Team Trials
April 18, 2024 | Cowboy Wrestling
STILLWATER – Three Cowboys have eyes set on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this weekend, as Christian Carroll and alumni Daton Fix and Alex Dieringer head to State College, Pa., for the United States Olympic Team Trials.
The trio is set to compete in the freestyle division, with Carroll checking in at 97 kg, Fix at 57 kg and Dieringer registered in the 86 kg bracket.
With their weight classes already qualified for the Olympics by Team USA, victories by Carroll and Dieringer would secure their right to represent the United States in Paris this summer. The United States' 57 kg weight class has not yet qualified for the Olympics, however, meaning the champion will not automatically be an Olympian. For a spot in Paris, Fix must win this weekend's Trials and then quickly prepare for the World Olympic Games Qualifier in Istanbul on May 9-12, where a top-three finish would cement his Olympian status. If the 57 kg Trials champion does not place third or higher in Istanbul, the USA will not compete at the weight class at the Olympics.
Fix enters this weekend as Oklahoma State's highest-seeded wrestler at No. 3. Because the field consists of 11 athletes and his seeding, Fix was awarded a bye into the quarterfinal round, awaiting the winner of No. 6 Nick Suriano and No. 11 Marcus Blaze. Fix met Suriano twice in college, including in the 2019 NCAA finals, while Blaze claimed his ticket to the Trials by winning gold at the 2023 U17 World Championships.
The 57 kg field also includes No. 2 Thomas Gilman, who sits on the same side of the bracket as Fix, and top-seeded Zane Richards. Gilman is likely the weight's most credentialed competitor, winning a 2021 World gold, a 2020 Olympic bronze and two World silver medals. Not to be outdone, Fix also has plenty of experience on the international stage with a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships and another Worlds appearance in 2019. While competing at Oklahoma State, Fix became the first five-time champion in Big 12 history and first Cowboy to earn All-America honors five times.
Unlike the weights already qualified for Paris, nobody at 57 kg will sit out until the Championship Series, as both Challenge Tournament finalists will advance to the best-of-three finals on Saturday.
Tabbed as the No. 9 seed, Carroll travels to the Trials fresh off his victory at the Last Chance Qualifier earlier this month. There, Carroll outscored opponents 42-7 and posted three technical falls on his way to first place. The Cowboy freshman has competed at the past two U20 World Championships, wrestling in Greco-Roman in 2022 and freestyle in 2023.
In the first round, Carroll lines up against No. 8 Anthony Cassioppi, who was a four-time NCAA All-American at Iowa, with top-seeded and two-time World champion J'den Cox waiting for the winner in the quarterfinals. 2016 Olympic gold medalist and three-time World Champion Kyle Snyder sits in the Championship Series, awaiting the champion of the Challenge Tournament.
Dieringer received the No. 4 seed and will face No. 5 Mark Hall in the quarterfinals, a rematch of the 2023 Senior Nationals championship, which Dieringer won by a 6-0 decision. A three-time NCAA champion and 2017 Dan Hodge Trophy recipient for OSU, Dieringer has made the Senior National Team multiple times and been close to breaking through.
At 86 kg, the field also consists of 2023 World bronze medalist Zahid Valencia, four-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks and 2020 Olympic champion David Taylor, who already holds a spot in the Championship Series.
Coleman Scott was the last OSU wrestler to compete at the Olympic Games, capturing a bronze medal in 2012. Since 1924, 32 Cowboys have fought their way to Olympic Team membership a total of 41 times, with nine athletes combining for 11 gold medals.
Action at Bryce Jordan Center in State College begins Friday, April 19, at 9 a.m. CT. The Challenge Tournament finals will take place later that evening before the Championship Series on the following day.
Peacock will individually stream all four mats each morning, as well as a quad box option. Additionally, each evening session will be presented on USA Network and Peacock. All Olympic Trials coverage will also stream via NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports App. NBC Sports' Jason Knapp is slated to call the event and will be joined by Jim Scherr and Zora Stephenson on the broadcast. Complete brackets and live results can be found on Trackwrestling.com.
Friday, April 19
Session 1 - 9 a.m. CT on Peacock
Challenge Tournament Prelims, Quarterfinals and Consolations
Session 2 - 5:30 p.m. CT on USA Network and Peacock
Challenge Tournament Semifinals and Finals
Saturday, April 20
Session 3 - 9 a.m. CT on Peacock
Championship Series Round 1 (and Round 2 for weights not qualified for Olympics)
Challenge Tournament Consolations, Third Place Matches and True Third Matches
Session 4 - 5:30 p.m. CT on USA Network and Peacock
Championship Series Rounds 2 and 3
The trio is set to compete in the freestyle division, with Carroll checking in at 97 kg, Fix at 57 kg and Dieringer registered in the 86 kg bracket.
With their weight classes already qualified for the Olympics by Team USA, victories by Carroll and Dieringer would secure their right to represent the United States in Paris this summer. The United States' 57 kg weight class has not yet qualified for the Olympics, however, meaning the champion will not automatically be an Olympian. For a spot in Paris, Fix must win this weekend's Trials and then quickly prepare for the World Olympic Games Qualifier in Istanbul on May 9-12, where a top-three finish would cement his Olympian status. If the 57 kg Trials champion does not place third or higher in Istanbul, the USA will not compete at the weight class at the Olympics.
Fix enters this weekend as Oklahoma State's highest-seeded wrestler at No. 3. Because the field consists of 11 athletes and his seeding, Fix was awarded a bye into the quarterfinal round, awaiting the winner of No. 6 Nick Suriano and No. 11 Marcus Blaze. Fix met Suriano twice in college, including in the 2019 NCAA finals, while Blaze claimed his ticket to the Trials by winning gold at the 2023 U17 World Championships.
The 57 kg field also includes No. 2 Thomas Gilman, who sits on the same side of the bracket as Fix, and top-seeded Zane Richards. Gilman is likely the weight's most credentialed competitor, winning a 2021 World gold, a 2020 Olympic bronze and two World silver medals. Not to be outdone, Fix also has plenty of experience on the international stage with a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships and another Worlds appearance in 2019. While competing at Oklahoma State, Fix became the first five-time champion in Big 12 history and first Cowboy to earn All-America honors five times.
Unlike the weights already qualified for Paris, nobody at 57 kg will sit out until the Championship Series, as both Challenge Tournament finalists will advance to the best-of-three finals on Saturday.
Tabbed as the No. 9 seed, Carroll travels to the Trials fresh off his victory at the Last Chance Qualifier earlier this month. There, Carroll outscored opponents 42-7 and posted three technical falls on his way to first place. The Cowboy freshman has competed at the past two U20 World Championships, wrestling in Greco-Roman in 2022 and freestyle in 2023.
In the first round, Carroll lines up against No. 8 Anthony Cassioppi, who was a four-time NCAA All-American at Iowa, with top-seeded and two-time World champion J'den Cox waiting for the winner in the quarterfinals. 2016 Olympic gold medalist and three-time World Champion Kyle Snyder sits in the Championship Series, awaiting the champion of the Challenge Tournament.
Dieringer received the No. 4 seed and will face No. 5 Mark Hall in the quarterfinals, a rematch of the 2023 Senior Nationals championship, which Dieringer won by a 6-0 decision. A three-time NCAA champion and 2017 Dan Hodge Trophy recipient for OSU, Dieringer has made the Senior National Team multiple times and been close to breaking through.
At 86 kg, the field also consists of 2023 World bronze medalist Zahid Valencia, four-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks and 2020 Olympic champion David Taylor, who already holds a spot in the Championship Series.
Coleman Scott was the last OSU wrestler to compete at the Olympic Games, capturing a bronze medal in 2012. Since 1924, 32 Cowboys have fought their way to Olympic Team membership a total of 41 times, with nine athletes combining for 11 gold medals.
Action at Bryce Jordan Center in State College begins Friday, April 19, at 9 a.m. CT. The Challenge Tournament finals will take place later that evening before the Championship Series on the following day.
Peacock will individually stream all four mats each morning, as well as a quad box option. Additionally, each evening session will be presented on USA Network and Peacock. All Olympic Trials coverage will also stream via NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports App. NBC Sports' Jason Knapp is slated to call the event and will be joined by Jim Scherr and Zora Stephenson on the broadcast. Complete brackets and live results can be found on Trackwrestling.com.
Friday, April 19
Session 1 - 9 a.m. CT on Peacock
Challenge Tournament Prelims, Quarterfinals and Consolations
Session 2 - 5:30 p.m. CT on USA Network and Peacock
Challenge Tournament Semifinals and Finals
Saturday, April 20
Session 3 - 9 a.m. CT on Peacock
Championship Series Round 1 (and Round 2 for weights not qualified for Olympics)
Challenge Tournament Consolations, Third Place Matches and True Third Matches
Session 4 - 5:30 p.m. CT on USA Network and Peacock
Championship Series Rounds 2 and 3
Players Mentioned
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
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