2025 UWW Senior World Championships: Meet Team USA (Men’s Greco)

The following is a closer look at the 2025 United States Greco-Roman team that will compete in the UWW World Championships this September 18-21 in Zagreb, Croatia. For each weight, first-round matches start daily at 10:30 am (Zagreb time), semis at 4:45 pm on Sept. 18 and 5 p.m. on Sept. 19-20 and finals (the next day) from 6-9 pm. There is a six-hour difference between Zagreb and New York City (EST).

55 k/121 lbs — Jayden Raney (Union County HS)

Competes Sept. 18-19

Age: 18 (born March 1, 2007; Hometown: Sturgis, Ky.

Won by forfeit over Brady Koontz at U.S. Open

International Experience: The decorated high schooler from the Bluegrass State won the 2024 U17 Greco World Championships in dominant fashion while adding a Senior Pan-Am gold medal to his trophy case in 2025.

Other: Jayden Raney, whose twin brother Jordyn won a Junior National freestyle title in Fargo this summer, was a back-to-back 16U double Fargo champ, winning both styles in 2022 and 2023.

60k/132 lbs — Max Black (NMU Training Center)

Competes Sept. 19-20

Age: 22 (born March 3, 2003); Hometown: Castle Rock, Colo.

Beat Zane Richards at U.S. Open

International Experience: In 2022, Black won a bronze medal at the U20 Pan-Am Championships and went on to represent Team USA at the U20 Greco World Championships. So far in 2025, after winning the U.S. Open, Black won a gold medal at the 2025 Senior Pan-Am Championships.

63k/138 lbs — Ellis Coleman (U.S. Army WCAP)

Competes Sept. 20-21

Age: 34 (born Aug. 16, 1991); Hometown: Oak Park, Ill.

Beat Ildar Hafizov at U.S. Open

International Experience: A two-time U20 World bronze medalist in 2010 and 2011, Ellis Coleman has represented Team USA at four past Senior World Championships (2013, 2017, 2018, 2019) as well as the 2012 Olympics. The decorated veteran also claimed silver medals at the Senior Pan-Am Championships in 2019 and 2025.

67k/147 lbs — Alston Nutter (U.S. Army WCAP)

Competes Sept. 20-21

Age: 26; Hometown: Soldiers Grove, Wis.

Beat Otto Black at U.S. Open

International Experience: The 2019 U20 World bronze medalist represented Team USA in back-to-back years at the 2021 and 2022 U23 World Championships.

Other: Nutter competed collegiately at Northern Michigan and joined the Army in July of 2023.

72k/158.5 lbs — Alejandro Sancho (U.S. Army WCAP)

Competes Sept. 19-20

Age: 31 (born March 18, 1994); Hometown: Miami, Fla.

Beat Aliaksandr Kikiniou at U.S. Open

International Experience: After he split two matches in the 2022 Worlds to finish 11th, Sancho again represented Team USA at the 2023 Worlds, where he placed 12th. He also competed in the 2020 Olympics, going 0-1. In 2024 and 2025, Sancho earned Pan-Am gold medals. Prior to the Senior level, Sancho also competed in the 2014 Junior Worlds and 2017 U23 Worlds but did not place.

Other: He started wrestling at age 15, and after wrestling for Miami South High School, he attended Northern Michigan University as part of the Greco-Roman program.

77k/169.5 lbs — Kamal Bey (U.S. Army WCAP)

Competes Sept. 18-19

Age: 27 (born Jan. 3, 1998); Hometown: Bellwood, Ill.

Beat Aliaksandr Kikiniou at Final X

International Experience: This marks Bey’s fourth Senior-level World tournament after he won two of three matches and finished seventh in the 2018 Senior Worlds before he went 0-1 in the 2022 Worlds. Bey finished 10th at the 2023 Worlds and also represented Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Before this, he won a U20 World championship in 2017 and competed in both the 2016 and 2018 U20 Worlds.

Other: After wrestling for Oak Park River Forest High School, he left his senior year to train full-time at the Olympic Training Center.

82k/180.5 lbs — Beka Melelashvili (NYAC)

Competes Sept. 18-19

Age: 23 (born Aug. 1, 2002); Hometown: Tbilisi, Georgia

Beat Jesse Porter at U.S. Open

International Experience: Prior to the Senior level, Melelashvili was a 2024 U23 World silver medalist and, while competing for Georgia, finished fifth at the 2022 U23 World Championships. He also claimed a silver medal at the 2024 U23 Pan-Am Championships. On the Senior level, he recently claimed a silver medal at the 2025 Pan-Am Championships.

Other: The son of a former World champion, Melelashvili became the first American to medal in Greco-Roman at the U23 Worlds in 2024.

87k/191.5 lbs — Payton Jacobson (NMU Training Center)

Competes Sept. 20-21

Age: 22 (born Sept. 12, 2002); Hometown: Elkhorn, Wis.

Beat Spencer Woods at U.S. Open

International Experience: Jacobson earned a silver medal at the 2021 U20 Pan-Am Championships before representing Team USA at the 2022 U20 Worlds as well as the 2023 and 2025 U23 World Championships. Jacobson also competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing in 15th place. Most recently, Jacobson won a gold medal at the 2025 Pan-Am Championships.

97k/213 lbs — Michial Foy (Army WCAP)

Competes Sept. 19-20

Age: 23 (born Oct. 29, 2001); Hometown: Crete, Ill.

Beat Josef Rau at U.S. Open

International Experience: Foy earned a bronze medal at the 2025 Pan-American Championships just months after winning a title at the U.S. Open and earning a spot on Team USA.

Other: Foy, who was an NCAA qualifier for Minnesota at 197 pounds in 2022, is the son of Michial Foy Sr., who was a two-time Olympian (1988 and 1992) and World silver medalist.

130k/286.5 lbs — Cohlton Schultz (Atreus WC)

Competes Sept. 18-19

Age: 24 (born Sept. 27, 2000, the same date that Rulon Gardner beat Alexander Karelin in the Olympics); Hometown: Parker, Colo.

Beat Adam Coon at U.S. Open

International Experience: This marks the fourth time that Schultz will compete in the Senior Worlds; he went 0-1 in 2021 and 1-1 in 2022 before placing 10th in 2023. He also has competed in two U17 Worlds, winning gold in 2017, before securing both a bronze and silver medal, respectively, in the 2018 and 2019 U20 Worlds.

Other: Schultz wrapped up a storied collegiate career with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2025, becoming a five-time NCAA All-American and national finalist in 2022. Schultz also won the NCAA’s Gorriaran Award for securing the most falls in the least time at the 2022 Nationals.