Szombathely, Hungary – Three members of the Minnesota Storm will compete this week in the prestigious Hungarian Grand Prix in Szombathely, Hungary. The United States Greco team has been in Tata, Hungary for the past several days, training with a number of European national teams. This trip has earned a regular place in the U.S. Greco Roman calendar. The quality of the training camp that precedes the competition adds a lot of value to the tour for our US athletes.
Rau (@Raustler84) tweeted a picture of the Storm teammates overlooking the city of Budapest earlier this week. (L-R, Stanghill, Allen, and Rau.)
Joe Rau leads the way for the Storm heading into the competition this weekend. The 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion is back on the mat competing for the first time after several months of rehabbing an injury that kept him sidelined for the beginning of the season. He earned a bronze medal finish in this event in 2015, competing at 80 kilograms. If it wasn’t for some confusion with the score in his semifinal match that year, he likely would’ve advanced to the finals. Memory of that moment may provide Rau with extra motivation this year to improve on his bronze medal performance from 2015.
Malcolm Allen will compete for the Storm at 130kg/285lbs. The Dave Schultz Memorial champion in February will enter the Grand Prix with some momentum from last month. Allen joined the Storm last year and has shown steady improvement ever since.
Barrett Stanghill will also represent the Storm this weekend in the Grand Prix event. Stanghill finished third in the 2016 U.S. Open National Championships in December.
United World Wrestling will broadcast the event LIVE online.
USA Wrestling published the United State’s full lineup and schedule for the event as follows:
HUNGARY GRAND PRIX
At Szombathely, Hungary, March 24-27
U.S. Greco-Roman Roster
66 kg/145 lbs.- Raymond Bunker, Villa Park, Ill. (U.S. Marines)
66 kg/145 lbs.- Rodolfo Guillen, Duluth, Ga. (Unattached)
75 kg/165 lbs.-Barrett Stanghill, Philipsburg, Mont. (Minnesota Storm)
80 kg/176 lbs. – Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets)
80 kg/176 lbs.-John Stefanowicz, Hubert, N.C. (U.S. Marines)
98 kg/215.5 lbs.- Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
98 kg/215.5 lbs.- Daniel Miller, Berlin, Md. (U.S. Marines)
130 kg/286 lbs.- Malcolm Allen, Mankato, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
Coach- Mohamed Abdelfatah, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Official- Drew Hayes, Tempe, Ariz.
Additional Wrestlers for Camp
75 kg- Kamal Bey, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
98 kg- Tracy Hancock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC/USOTC)
2017 Hungary Open Schedule
Saturday, March 25
Greco-Roman (66 kg, 75 kg, 85 kg, 130 kg)
Friday, March 26
Greco-Roman (59 kg, 71 kg, 80 kg, 98 kg