Illinois Matmen
STATE COLLEGE, PA • Last year, everything came together for Zane Richards (Illini WC/TMWC). As an underdog coming into the World Team Trials, Richards would take down his opponents one by one, and do what many thought was impossible—and even more impossible for a man who had not had much success on the national scene compared to others at the weight. In the semifinals, he defied the odds and defeated Nick Suriano, and then, in the finals, he took down World Champion and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Gilman (Nittany Lion WC/TMWC) in the best-of-three championship series to become the United States World Team representative at 57kg.
