David Morris Taylor III (born December 5, 1990) is an American former

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Laboritories Media * '' FreeStyle'', ...

and folkstyle wrestler who competed in the 74, 86 and 92-kilogram categories. He is the current head coach of the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National ...

. With his most prestigious accolades coming at 86 kilograms, Taylor was most notably the 2020 Summer Olympic gold medalist, a

World champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

and

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, and held one of the biggest rivalries in the sport's history against

Hassan Yazdani Hassan Yazdani Charati (; born 26 December 1994) is an Iranian freestyle wrestler. Yazdani is an Olympic and World Champion in freestyle wrestling in two weight categories. He became Olympic champion in the 74kg category at the 2016 Summer Olymp ...

. One of the most accomplished

Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot ...

in the history of the

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

program, Taylor was twice the NCAA Division I National champion at 165 pounds, and earned the

Dan Hodge Trophy The Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded each year to the United States of America’s best college wrestler. The trophy is presented at the end of the season by '' WIN'' magazine and Culture House. It is the collegiate wrestling equivalent to the Heisman ...

two times during his collegiate years.

Folkstyle career

Early life and High School

Born in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, Taylor's family would move to

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

before he was five. His mother saw an ad in the newspaper for youth wresting at Evanston High School in

Evanston, Wyoming Evanston is a city in and the county seat of Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 11,747 at the 2020 census. It is located near the border with Utah. History Evanston was named after James A. Evans, a civil engineer for th ...

, where Taylor started wrestling. Although initially not having much success in the sport in his first year, Taylor developed a passion to keep improving and eventually started winning local and national tournaments as a youth wrestler. At the age of nine, he attended the Jeff Jordan State Champ Camp in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, and keep coming back to attend the camp each fall. By the time he was in sixth grade, his family moved to Ohio. Taylor attended Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio, where he wrestled for coach Jeff Jordan. As a high schooler, Taylor became a four-time

OHSAA The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of comp ...

state champion with an outstanding 180–2 record and graduated with a 4.0

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

. He received the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2009 as the nation's top high school wrestler.

College

During his time at

(2009–2014), Taylor went on to become a two-time NCAA Division I national champion (four-time finalist), a four-time

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

champion, and two-time

winner. After a perfect

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

year to that point, Taylor was pinned by Arizona State's

Bubba Jenkins Bubba Jenkins (born February 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist and former amateur wrestler. He currently competes in the featherweight division. He has also notably competed for Bellator MMA, Absolute Championship Berkut, Professiona ...

at the NCAA finals. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

, he moved up from to , winning the NCAA title and being named the best college wrestler in the US as the

winner with a 70–1 overall record. As a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

, he faced

Kyle Dake Kyle Douglas Dake (born February 25, 1991) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 74 kilograms. He is a four-time World Champion, winning back-to-back titles twice, at 79 kilos in 2018 and 2019 an ...

from

Cornell Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...

in the NCAA finals, who moved up to attempt to become the third four-time NCAA champion and the first to win titles at four different weight classes in the history of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

. After a back-and-forth battle, Taylor was defeated 5–4. As a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, he once again had an undefeated campaign, claimed his second NCAA title, helped clinch the team title for the

, and became the third multiple-time

winner in history. Taylor graduated with 134 wins and three losses, 50

pins A pin is a device, typically pointed, used for fastening objects or fabrics together. Pins can have the following sorts of body: *a shaft of a rigid inflexible material meant to be inserted in a slot, groove, or hole (as with pivots, hinges, an ...

, 42

technical fall In amateur wrestling, a technical fall, or technical superiority, is a victory condition satisfied by outscoring one's opponent by a specified number of points. It is a mercy rule. It is informally abbreviated to "tech" as both a noun and verb. Hi ...

s, and 29 major decisions.

Freestyle career

2010–2012

Taylor made his

debut in April 2010, when he claimed a University US National title. In 2012, he competed at the US Olympic Team Trials, where he went 3–2.

2013–2014

In 2013, Taylor claimed runner-up honors at the US Open in April, defeating Nick Marable to reach the finals and then being downed by the defending Olympic champion

Jordan Burroughs Jordan Ernest Burroughs (born July 8, 1988) is an American freestyle wrestler and former folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 74 kilograms. In freestyle, Burroughs was the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, and is a six-time world champion ...

. After pinning '12 Junior World Champion

Magomed Kurbanaliev Magomed Magomedvich Kurbanaliev ( ; born 6 August 1992) is a Russian former freestyle wrestler. He is 2016 World Freestyle Wrestling Champion in 70 kg. He competes in the 66 kg division and won the gold medal in the same division at the ...

from Russia at Beat the Streets, Taylor became a two-time US University National and made the US University World Team on May. At the '13 US World Team Trials Challenge of June, Taylor went 4–1 with a lone loss to four-time NCAA Division I National

to claim third-place. At the

2013 Summer Universiade The 2013 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XXVII Summer Universiade (; ), was held in the city of Kazan, Russia, the most northerly city ever to host a Summer Universiade. Over 10,400 university athletes from 162 countries participated ...

, he claimed a bronze medal for the United States. In 2014, last year's US Open results were repeated when Taylor fell to

, this rematch being much closer and forcing the now defending World Champion to come from behind to get the last minute comeback. After dominating the eventual '16 Olympic bronze medalist and at-the-time two-time

World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...

bronze medalist and two-time

European Champion A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers to a ...

Jabrayil Hasanov Jabrayil Hasanov (, born on 24 February 1990 in Suparibağ, Astara, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union) is a male freestyle wrestler from Azerbaijan who has competed in the 66, 74 and 79 kg categories. He is an Olympic bronze ...

at Beat the Streets, Taylor made the US World Team Trials finals, but was defeated twice in a row by Burroughs.

2015–2016

Now able to focus on freestyle full-time after graduating from college, Taylor opened up the 2015 year with a fifth-place finish at the

Yasar Dogu Yasar may refer to: People * Yaşar (name), a Turkish name, including a list of people with the name * Mehmet Yasar, 19th century Macedonian politician * Nedim Yasar (1987–2018), Danish former gangster and radio host of Turkish origin * Yasar Sha ...

, where he went 3–2. He then claimed his first US Open National title in May, followed up by a

over Cuba's

Liván López Liván López Azcuy (born January 24, 1982) is a male freestyle wrestler from Cuba who competes in the 66 kg category. In 2011, he won a gold medal at the Pan American Games and a bronze medal at the 2011 World Wrestling Championships. The next y ...

at Beat the Streets. In his fourth attempt to make the US World Team, Taylor was once again overpowered by

in the challenge tournament, but he came back and claimed the third place when he beat veteran Andrew Howe. Taylor then claimed Grand Prix of Spain and Stepan Sargsyan Cup gold medals in July, before making the decision to bulk up to the 86 kilogram division on September. Taylor took fifth-place at the Golden Grand Prix of November, and seemed overpowered in his first tournament at a new weight class. On December, Taylor competed at the US Senior Nationals, and after running through '14 US World Team member and teammate

Ed Ruth Edward Lee Ruth (born October 21, 1990) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. He competed in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a three-time NCAA ...

, Taylor was defeated by long-time rival

. In 2016, Taylor was unable to make the US Olympic Team, as he was defeated by Dake for the fifth time in the senior level, forcing Taylor to battle for the bronze medal, which he comfortably earned. He then claimed his second Spain Grand Prix title on July, and competed again at the World Clubs Cup of December, where he went 3-1 and helped TMWC reach the first-place, while also defeating the accomplished

Alireza Karimi Alireza Karimi Machiani (; born 21 March 1994) is an Iranian freestyle wrestler. He won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships in the 86 kg division. He was eliminated by J'den Cox of the United States in the third bout at the 2016 O ...

2017

In his first competition of the year, Taylor dominated the Grand Prix of Paris in January, and despite being initially banned by the

Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

, he competed at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

in February in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. At the World Cup, he defeated four top-level opponents: '12 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time

Dato Marsagishvili Dato Marsagishvili ( ka, დათო მარსაგიშვილი; born March 30, 1991) is a male wrestler from Georgia, born in Stepantsminda. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, despite losing the quarterfinals against Jaime Esp ...

in the first round (8-3), that year's World Championship bronze medalist

Vladislav Valiev Vladislav Valiev (born 25 April 1993) is a Russian freestyle wrestler. He won the gold medal in the men's freestyle 86 kg event at the 2019 European Wrestling Championships held in Bucharest, Romania. He also won one of the bronze medals at the ...

( TF 14–4), '12 Olympic Gold medalist

Sharif Sharifov Sharif Naidhajavovich Sharifov (, ; born 11 November 1988, in Gunukh, Charodinsky District, Dagestan) is a Russian-Azerbaijani former wrestler. Sharifov finished first in the World Championships and won a bronze in the European Championships. ...

(TF 12–2), and '16 Olympic Gold medalist

(fall). Taylor claimed his second US national title in April, with an overall score of 40–4 against five opponents. After a quick win at Beat the Streets, Taylor made the World Team Trials finals when he ran through '16 US OTT

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman world , also Greco-Roman civilization, Greco-Roman culture or Greco-Latin culture (spelled Græco-Roman or Graeco-Roman in British English), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and co ...

champion

Joe Rau Josef Patrick "Joe" Rau (; born March 17, 1991) is an American Greco-Roman wrestler. High school career Rau wrestled for St. Patrick High School in Chicago, Illinois, but never placed at the state tournament. He was an Illinois state qualifie ...

and '12 Junior World Championship runner-up Pat Downey, and defeated three-time

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

All-American Nick Heflin to make the

best-of-three There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

, where he faced returning Olympic Bronze medalist

J'den Cox J'den Michael Tbory Cox (Help:IPA/English, /ˈdʒeɪdən/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''JAY-dən'', born March 3, 1995) is an American retired Freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler and Folkstyle wrestling, folkstyle wrestler who compete ...

. In the first match, Taylor rallied comfortably with a 9–3 win, but was closely defeated in the second match 4–3, leading to a controversial third bout due to Cox's sweat and alleged passivity, which caused Taylor to kick the challenge cube and his cornerman

Cael Sanderson Cael Norman Sanderson ( ; born June 20, 1979) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an Olympic gold medal and was undefeated in four years of ...

to throw items at the official and a chair onto the mat after losing 5–3. He came back to competition at the World Clubs Cup on December, where he helped the TMWC to second place with notable victories over

and Pawan Kumar.

2018

To start off the year, Taylor became only the 12th

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

to claim a gold medal at the Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix, considered the toughest open tournament in the world. He opened with a win over two-time (and defending) Pan American champion

Yurieski Torreblanca Yurieski Torreblanca Queralta (born March 14, 1989) is a Cuban freestyle wrestler who competes at 86 kilograms. A four-time Pan American Champion, Torreblanca won gold medals at the 2019 Pan American Games and the 2018 Central American and Car ...

, followed by

Selim Yaşar Koloi Mikailovich Kartoev (; born 20 February 1990), also known as Selim Yaşar or Zelimkhan Kartoev, is a Russian-Turkish former freestyle wrestler, junior and cadet World Champion. He was a runner-up at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships a ...

on points and a fall over '17 Junior World Champion

Artur Naifonov Artur Edikovich Naifonov ( rus, Артур Эдикович Найфонов , , ɐrˈtur nɐɪ̯ˈfonəf, ; born 10 May 1997) is a Russian freestyle wrestler, who competes at 86 kilograms. Naifonov is an Olympic Games medalist, World Champion ...

to make the finals. In the finals, he got another fall, this time over

Fatih Erdin Fatih Erdin (born February 1, 1994) is a Turkish freestyle wrestler competing in the 86 kg division. He is a member of İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K. He qualified for the final match of 2018 World Wrestling Championships which was he ...

, to claim the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

. On April, he claimed his second consecutive World Cup championship, recording four technical falls to help secure the gold medal for the United States. He also clinched his third US National title, with four victories over fellow Americans. On May, he claimed his first Pan American title, with notable wins over

Pool Ambrocio Pool Edison Ambrocio Greifo (born 4 December 1990) is a Peruvian wrestler. In March 2020, he won the silver medal in the freestyle 86 kg event at the 2020 Pan American Wrestling Championships held in Ottawa, Canada. Career In 2011, Ambroci ...

and Eduardo Gajardo. On his seventh attempt to make the US World/Olympic Team, Taylor finally and dominantly was able to punch tickets to the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

, when he defeated '18 Bill Farrell Memorial medalist Nick Reenan twice via technical fall on May, at Final X: State College. He then warmed up at the

of July, with four dominant pins over foreigners. At the

, Taylor had a tough start, as he faced his biggest threat of the tournament in the first round, '16 Olympic Gold medalist and defending World champion

from Iran. After being down two points to six at the end of the first period, Taylor was able to overcome adversity and put on nine points on his side, finishing the legendary match 11–6. In the next round, he tech'd '18 Alexander Medved champion Hajy Rajabau from Belarus, to advance to the quarterfinals. Next, he picked apart the accomplished Cuban

, to pick up an 8–0 victory. In the semifinals, he had it harder, as he went to the distance against the '17 European Champion and Russia's best

Dauren Kurugliev Dauren Khalidovich Kurugliev (, ; born 12 July 1992) is a Russian-born Greek freestyle wrestler, naturalized as a Greek citizen before competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics. He is the 2019 European Games gold medalist, a 3x European champion a ...

, but was able to score the comeback win 7–5. During the match, Taylor got briefly

knocked out A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

after Kurugliev accidentally wheel kicked him on the chin when escaping a single leg attempt by Taylor. In the finals, he dismantled

from Turkey, overwhelming his opposition with 12 points to two, to claim the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

and help Team USA reach third place. After the year was over, Taylor was named the UWW International Freestyle wrestler of the Year, and was awarded the John Smith Award winner as USA's Freestyle wrestler of the Year.

2019–2020

After time off competition, the returning World Champion came back in April 2019, when he claimed his second straight Pan American title, tournament in where he scored 34 points to none against his four opponents and Team USA claimed all ten medals in freestyle. On May, he competed at the annual Beat the Streets for charity, against Drew Foster, where he suffered a severe knee injury which led him to forfeit out of the match, and ultimately, forced him to stay inactive during the whole year, missing the opportunity to make his second US World Team (forfeiting it to Pat Downey instead, whom he had tech'd twice), to represent the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games or to defend his

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

at the

. After almost a full year of no competition, Taylor came back to wrestle in March 2020, at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament. He comfortably got three wins to win the

bracket A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. They come in four main pairs of shapes, as given in the box to the right, which also gives their n ...

and internationally qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Taylor was then scheduled to compete at the US Olympic Team Trials on April 4 at

State College, Pennsylvania State College is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough and Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park ...

, where he was a heavy favorite. However, the event was postponed for 2021 along with the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, leaving all the qualifiers unable to compete. Taylor was unable to compete for a couple of months due to the

pandemic A pandemic ( ) is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic (epi ...

, but was scheduled to wrestle Pat Downey (whom he was unable to wrestle at the '19 US World Trials) on July 25, at FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo. After Downey pulled out of the bout due to problems with the organization, Taylor wrestled and tech'd the accomplished Myles Martin. After more months of inactiveness, Taylor defeated two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean by points on November 24, at the NLWC III.

2021

To start the year, Taylor was scheduled to face his former rival and five-time World and Olympic champion (at 74 kg)

, at 86 kilos, on January 9, while headlining FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor. However, it was announced on January 8 that Taylor was unable to travel to

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

due to

COVID-19 restrictions During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions), were implemented in numero ...

and the bout was subsequently postponed for four days later and changed its location for

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

, thus moving to a different card also named FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor. After a 4–0 lead for Taylor in the first period, Burroughs rallied late to score four points of his own, but was unable to secure the victory as Taylor had criteria, defeating Burroughs for the first time in five matches. Taylor was also scheduled to compete at the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane on January 16, but was not able to travel due to the postponement of his match against Burroughs. During April 2 to 3, Taylor competed at the rescheduled US Olympic Team Trials as the heavy favorite and top–seed. After cleaning out All–American Brett Pfarr in the quarterfinal round, Taylor flawlessly knocked off reigning US National champion Gabe Dean in a rematch from their match at the NLWC III, advancing to the best–of–three finals. In the finale, Taylor faced reigning U23 World Champion and

legend

Bo Nickal Bo Dean Nickal (born January 14, 1996) is an American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). ...

, whom he is close with as a friend and teammate at the

Nittany Lion Wrestling Club The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (NLWC) is a wrestling club and nonprofit organization. It was designated by USA Wrestling as a U.S. Olympic Regional Training Center. It hosts its practices at the Penn State wrestling room in State College, Pennsylv ...

. He defeated Nickal twice and did not allow him to score any points while scoring ten combined points of his own, becoming the US Olympic Team Member at 86 kilograms, and qualifying him to represent the

United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics The United States of America (USA), represented by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020, the Games were postponed to Jul ...

. In regards to his close relationship with Nickal, Taylor then stated: As a result, Taylor also competed at the Pan American Continental Championships on May 30. Taylor racked up 30 points against his three opponents while not getting scored on to claim the crown and help the USA reach all 10 freestyle medals. On August 4, Taylor competed in the first date of men's freestyle 86 kg of the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, where he looked dominant enough to score

s over all of his three opponents on his way to the finals; four-time

medalist

Ali Shabanau Ali Shabanau (, born 25 August 1989), also known as Ali Shabanov, is a Russian-born Belarussian freestyle wrestler who represents Belarus that competed at the 2012 Olympics at 66 kg. 2012 Olympics Shabanau won his first match (round of 16) agai ...

from

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

, '20 European Championship runner-up

Myles Amine Myles Nazem Amine (born 14 December 1996) is a freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 86 kilograms. Born in the United States, he represents San Marino internationally. He is a graduate of Detroit Catholic Central High School. C ...

from

San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...

and defending World silver medalist Deepak Punia from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. On the other side of the finale awaited rival and reigning Olympic and World Champion

from

, Taylor meeting him in a rubber match on August 5 after downing him twice earlier in his career. Down 0–2 to a step-out and a passivity point in the second period, Taylor scored the first takedown to tie it up, though Yazdani scored another step-out to make it 2–3 on his favor, before being blasted by Taylor for two points late in the match, resulting in the stunning upset comeback win, shocking the world as the underdog going into the match. This result gained Taylor the 2020 Summer Olympic Games gold medal and extended his win-streak to 54 matches. As an Olympic medalist, Taylor earned the right to automatically represent the United States at the 2021 World Championships without having to compete domestically to make the US World Team, and did do so in October 2–3. On the first date, Taylor once again ran through his competition, dominating the likes of World Championship runner-ups Boris Makojev and

Abubakr Abakarov Abubakr Abakarov (born 28 January 1999) is a Russian-Azerbaijani freestyle wrestler. Wrestling career He won one of the bronze medals in the men's 86kg event at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships held in Oslo, Norway. In 2019, he won the ...

to cruise to the finale. A fourth match with rival and reigning World Champion

took place in the finals, but this time the Iranian came up on top for the first time, nullifying Taylor and snapping his 57-match win streak, marking the series 3–1 in favor of Taylor and the latter leaving with a silver medal.

2022

In June, Taylor stopped two-time NCAA champion

Zahid Valencia Zahid Valencia (born May 11, 1997) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 86 kilograms. In freestyle, he was a 2023 World Championship medalist at 92 kilograms, and is a two-time US National and Pa ...

twice to make the US World Team once again, at Final X NYC. In September, after dominantly cruising to the finals, Taylor avenged his loss to

and claimed his second

World championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

2023

Repeating as Final X champion to become the US World Team member at the weight, Taylor defeated US National champion and teammate Aaron Brooks twice in a row in June. At the

, Taylor dominated once again, defeating everyone on his way either by

fall Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemispher ...

, including

, leading 5–1 in the series.

2024

Competing at the US Olympic Trials in April, Taylor sat in the best-of-three finals as a 2023 World medalist, where he was upset twice in a row by now U23 World and four-time NCAA champion, as well as teammate, Aaron Brooks, losing the series and staying out of the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. In May, after becoming the head coach at

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

, Taylor expressed at a press conference that he had retired from the sport as a competitor, at the age of 33. In September, Taylor, now the head coach of the

Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

, announced he would come out of retirement to compete at the US World Team Trials up at 92 kilograms. After notorious wins on the first day over NCAA champion Michael Macchiavello and All-Americans Trent Hidlay and Marcus Coleman, Taylor made the best-of-three finals, where he faced returning World medalist

. Then, after consecutive victories over Valencia, Taylor was back on the US World Team. In October, he competed at his last

, and in his first at 92 kilograms. In a battle of Tokyo Olympic champions, Taylor fell to seven–time World and Olympic champion

Abdulrashid Sadulaev Abdulrashid Bulachevich Sadulaev ( rus, Абдулрашид Булачевич Садулаев, , ɐbdʊɫrɐˈʂɨts sədʊˈɫa(ɪ̯)ɪf; born 9 May 1996) is a Russian freestyle wrestler who competes at 92 kilograms and formerly at 97 and 8 ...

from Russia, in the first round. After being pulled back into repechage, Taylor bounced back defeating World medalist

from Azerbaijan and Lars Schäfle from Germany to earn the right to contend for a bronze medal. In a battle of 2022 World champions, Taylor beat two-time World champion

Kamran Ghasempour Kamran Ghasempour (, born 16 Dec 1996) Kamran Ghasempour is an Iranian freestyle wrestler who competes at 92 kilograms, where he is the reigning World Champion. He is also a two-time Asian Continental champion and a two-time World U23 Champion ...

from Iran to earn the bronze medal, and subsequently retired from the sport as an athlete.

Coaching career

Oklahoma State University

In May, a month after a runner-up finish at the 2024 US Olympic Trials, it was announced that Taylor would become the head coach at

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

, following John Smith's retirement. During his first year the Cowboy Wrestlers secured a 13-1 dual meet record, clinched the Big 12 Conference title with one Big 12 individual champion, and finished 3rd in the National Championship with six All-Americans and two individual national champions - Dean Hamiti at 174 and Wyatt Hendrickson at 285.

Freestyle record

! colspan="7", Senior Freestyle Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 161–22 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 6–2 , style="font-size:88%", October 31, 2024 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2024 World Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Tirana, Albania Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the di ...

, - , Win , 160–22 , align=left, Lars Schäfle , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, October 30, 2024 , - , Win , 159–22 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–1 , - , Loss , 158–22 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 0–7 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 158–21 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, September 15, 2024 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, 2024 US World Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=6,

, - , Win , 157–21 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–3 , - , Win , 156–21 , align=left, Trent Hidlay , style="font-size:88%", 10–6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, September 14, 2024 , - , Win , 155–21 , align=left, Michael Macchiavello , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 154–21 , align=left, Marcus Coleman , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 153–21 , align=left, Aidan Brenot , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 152–21 , align=left, Aaron Brooks , style="font-size:88%", 1–3 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, April 20, 2024 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2024 US Olympic Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

, - , Loss , 152–20 , align=left, Aaron Brooks , style="font-size:88%", 1–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 152–19 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%", September 17, 2023 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2023 World Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

Belgrade, Serbia Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, - , Win , 151–19 , align=left,

Azamat Dauletbekov Azamat Dauletbekov is a Kazakh freestyle wrestler. He is a two-time bronze medalist in the men's 86kg event at the World Wrestling Championships (2022 and 2023). He is also a five-time medalist, including three gold medals, at the Asian Wrestling ...

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, September 16, 2023 , - , Win , 150–19 , align=left,

Magomed Sharipov Magomed Sharipov (; born 6 August 2002) is a Russian-born Bahraini wrestler. Career He is the younger brother of wrestler Shamil Sharipov. On 27 January 2021 in the final of the Dagestan Junior Championships he lost to Zagid Karimov. On March ...

, style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 149–19 , align=left, Benjamin Greil , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 148–19 , align=left, Sofiane Padiou Belmir , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 147–19 , align=left, Aaron Brooks , style="font-size:88%", 5–4 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, June 10, 2023 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2023 Final X Newark , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, - , Win , 146–19 , align=left, Aaron Brooks , style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 145–19 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 7-1 , style="font-size:88%", September 16, 2022 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2022 World Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

, - , Win , 144–19 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 12–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, September 15, 2022 , - , Win , 143–19 , align=left, Ethan Ramos , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - , Win , 142–19 , align=left, Aron Caneva , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 141–19 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, June 8, 2022 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2022 Final X NYC , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

, - , Win , 140–19 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 139–19 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 2–6 , style="font-size:88%", October 3, 2021 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2021 World Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Oslo, Norway Oslo ( or ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of towns and cities in Norway, most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a Counties of Norway, county and a Municipalities of Norway, municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a populat ...

, - , Win , 139–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, October 2, 2021 , - , Win , 138–18 , align=left, Akhmed Aibuev , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 137–18 , align=left, Boris Makojev , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 136–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–3 , style="font-size:88%", August 5, 2021 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4,

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, - , Win , 135–18 , align=left, Deepak Punia , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, August 4, 2021 , - , Win , 134–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 133–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 132–18 , align=left, Clayton Pye , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, May 30, 2021 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2021 Pan American Continental Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

Guatemala City, Guatemala Guatemala City (, also known colloquially by the nickname Guate), is the national capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala. It is also the municipal capital of the Guatemala Department and the most populous urban metropolitan are ...

, - , Win , 131–18 , align=left, Juan Sebastián Rivera , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 130–18 , align=left, Noel Alfonso Torres , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 129–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 2–3, 2021 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2020 US Olympic Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, - , Win , 128–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–0 , - , Win , 127–18 , align=left, Gabe Dean , style="font-size:88%", 4–0 , - , Win , 126–18 , align=left, Brett Pfarr , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - , Win , 125–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–4 , style="font-size:88%", January 13, 2021 , style="font-size:88%", FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

, - , Win , 124–18 , align=left, Gabe Dean , style="font-size:88%", 6–2 , style="font-size:88%", November 24, 2020 , style="font-size:88%", NLWC III , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;",

, - , Win , 123–18 , align=left, Myles Martin , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , style="font-size:88%", July 25, 2020 , style="font-size:88%", FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;",

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 122–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", FF , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, March 15, 2020 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

Ottawa, Canada Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau ...

, - , Win , 121–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8–0 , - , Win , 120–18 , align=left,

Pedro Ceballos Pedro Francisco Ceballos Fuentes (born September 8, 1990) is a Venezuelan freestyle wrestler. He competed in the men's freestyle 86 kg event at the 2016 Summer Olympics, in which he lost the bronze medal match to Sharif Sharifov. Ceballos won t ...

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 119–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 19–21, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2019 Pan American Continental Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, - , Win , 118–18 , align=left, Lazaro Hernandez , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 117–18 , align=left, Meruzhan Nikoyan , style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , - , Win , 116–18 , align=left, Rashji Mackey , style="font-size:88%", 8–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 115–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, October 20–21, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2018 World Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

Budapest, Hungary Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, - , Win , 114–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 7–5 , - , Win , 113–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8–0 , - , Win , 112–18 , align=left, Hajy Rajabau , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 111–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 11–6 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 110–18 , align=left, Murad Suleymanov , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, July 27–29, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2018 Yaşar Doğu International , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population over , it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is among the largest cities in Europe and in th ...

, - , Win , 109–18 , align=left, Ahmet Bilici , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 108–18 , align=left, Boris Makojev , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 107–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 106–18 , align=left, Nick Reenan , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, June 15–16, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2018 Final X: State College , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

, - , Win , 105–18 , align=left, Nick Reenan , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 104–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, May 3–6, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2018 Pan American Continental Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Lima, Peru Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, - , Win , 103–18 , align=left, Julio Rodriguez Romero , style="font-size:88%", 3–0 , - , Win , 102–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - , Win , 101–18 , align=left, Eduardo Gajardo , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 100–18 , align=left, Richard Perry , style="font-size:88%", 8–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, April 24–28, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2018 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, - , Win , 99–18 , align=left, T.J. Dudley , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 98–18 , align=left, Noe Garcia , style="font-size:88%", 2–0 , - , Win , 97–18 , align=left, Austin Coburn , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 96–18 , align=left, Evan Hansen , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 95–18 , align=left, Aleksandr Gostiyev , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 7, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4,

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in l ...

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...

, - , Win , 94–18 , align=left, David Khutsishvili , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–1 , - , Win , 93–18 , align=left, Masao Matsusaka , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 92–18 , align=left, Pawan Kumar , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 91–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, January 28, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4,

Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2018 The XXIX Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2018, also known as Ivan Yarygin (Yariguin) 2018 was a wrestling event held in Krasnoyarsk, Russia between 26 and 28 January 2018. It was held as the second of the ranking series of United World Wrestling,i ...

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Krasnoyarsk, Russia Krasnoyarsk is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yenisey River, and is the second-largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk, with a population of over 1.1 million. Krasnoyarsk is an i ...

, - , Win , 90–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 89–18 , align=left, Koloi Kartoev , style="font-size:88%", 4–1 , - , Win , 88–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 87–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, December 7–8, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2017 World Clubs Cup , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

Tehran, Iran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, - , Win , 86–18 , align=left, Gankhuyag Ganbaatar , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 85–18 , align=left, Petar Savakov , style="font-size:88%", 4–0 , - , Win , 84–18 , align=left, Pawan Kumar , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 83–18 , align=left, Alexander Moore , style="font-size:88%", TF 14–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 82–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–5 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, June 9–10, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2017 US World Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=6,

, - , Loss , 82–17 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–4 , - , Win , 82–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 9–3 , - , Win , 81–16 , align=left, Nick Heflin , style="font-size:88%", 13–9 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2017 US World Team Trials Challenge Tournament , - , Win , 80–16 , align=left, Pat Downey , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 79–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 13–0 , - , Win , 78–16 , align=left, Takahiro Murayama , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%", May 17, 2017 , style="font-size:88%", 2017 Beat The Streets: Times Square , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 77–16 , align=left, Richard Perry , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, April 26–29, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2017 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

, - , Win , 76–16 , align=left, Nick Heflin , style="font-size:88%", TF 15–4 , - , Win , 75–16 , align=left, Pat Downey , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 74–16 , align=left, Chance McClure , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 73–16 , align=left, Anthony Cress , style="font-size:88%", 5–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 72–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, February 16–17, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2017 World Cup , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Kermanshah, Iran Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...

, - , Win , 71–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 70–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 14–4 , - , Win , 69–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8–3 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 68–16 , align=left, Richard Perry , style="font-size:88%", 8–5 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, January 28–29, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2017 International Paris Grand Prix , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, - , Win , 67–16 , align=left, Akhmed Aibuev , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 66–16 , align=left,

István Veréb István Veréb (born 8 October 1987) is a Hungarian freestyle wrestler. He participated in Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 74 kg, Men's freestyle 74 kg at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He was eliminated from the competitio ...

, style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 65–16 , align=left, Mihaly Nagy , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 64–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 12–6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, November 30 – December 1, 2016 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2016 World Clubs Cup , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Kharkiv, Ukraine Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

, - , Win , 63–16 , align=left, Bohdan Hrytsay , style="font-size:88%", TF 19–6 , - , Loss , 62–16 , align=left, Dmytro Rochniak , style="font-size:88%", 2–6 , - , Win , 62–15 , align=left,

Nika Kentchadze Nika Kentchadze (born 17 April 1997) is a Georgian freestyle wrestler. He won one of the bronze medals in the men's 79 kg event at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships held in Oslo, Norway. He is also a two-time bronze medalist at the European ...

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 61–15 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8–6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, July 9–10, 2016 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2016 Grand Prix of Spain , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Madrid, Spain Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, - , Win , 60–15 , align=left,

Orgodolyn Üitümen Orgodolyn Üitümen (born 29 April 1989) is a Mongolian freestyle wrestler who won a bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games. He competed in the freestyle 84 kg event at the 2012 Summer Olympics and was eliminated by Dato Marsagishvili in the 1/8 ...

, style="font-size:88%", 14–7 , - , Win , 59–15 , align=left, Anthony Valencia , style="font-size:88%", 10–3 , - , Win , 58–15 , align=left, Vahid Shahmohammadiizad , style="font-size:88%", 6–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 57–15 , align=left, Andrew Howe , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, April 8–10, 2016 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2016 US Olympic Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

, - , Loss , 56–15 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–11 , - , Win , 56–14 , align=left, Austin Trotman , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 55–14 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–11 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, December 18–19, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2015 US Nationals – US Olympic Trials Qualifier , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

, - , Win , 55–13 , align=left, Richard Perry , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - , Win , 54–13 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 13–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 53–13 , align=left, Ehsan Lashgari , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, November 27–29, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2015 Golden Grand Prix , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

Baku, Azerbaijan Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, - , Loss , 53–12 , align=left, Gardiiyev Nurmagomed , style="font-size:88%", 0–6 , - , Win , 53–11 , align=left, Umidjon Ismanov , style="font-size:88%", 8–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 52–11 , align=left, Kakhaber Khubezhty , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, July 18–19, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2015 Stepan Sargsyan Tournament , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

Yerevan, Armenia Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

, - , Win , 51–11 , align=left, Giya Chikhladze , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 50–11 , align=left, Ruslan Rubaev , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 49–11 , align=left, Carmelo Lumia , style="font-size:88%", 12–6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, July 11, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2015 Grand Prix of Spain , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

, - , Win , 48–11 , align=left,

Zhang Chongyao Zhang Chongyao (born 26 November 1985) is a Chinese wrestler. He competed for China at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men's middleweight (-74 kg) freestyle wrestling competition. See also *China at the 2012 Summer Olympics The People's R ...

, style="font-size:88%", 9–1 , - , Win , 47–11 , align=left, Gong Byung Min , style="font-size:88%", 10–1 , - , Win , 46–11 , align=left, Rafael Mota , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 45–11 , align=left, Andrew Howe , style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, June 12–14, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2015 US World Team Trials Challenge , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3,

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, - , Loss , 44–11 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 2–8 , - , Win , 44–10 , align=left, Tyler Caldwell , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , - , Win , 43–10 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 18–7 , style="font-size:88%", May 12, 2015 , style="font-size:88%", 2015 Beat The Streets: Salsa in the Square , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 42–10 , align=left, Andre Howe , style="font-size:88%", 2–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, May 5–9, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2015 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

, - , Win , 41–10 , align=left, Tyler Caldwell , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 40–10 , align=left, Nestor Tafur , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 39–10 , align=left, Jacob Butenhoff , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 38–10 , align=left,

Khetag Tsabolov Khetag Nikolayevich Tsabolov (, ; born 17 November 1991), also known as Khetik Tsabolov (), is a Russian and Serbian freestyle wrestler who competes at 74 kilograms. After competing for Russia throughout his career, Tsabolov transferred to Serbia ...

, style="font-size:88%", 3–9 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 28–29, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2015 Grand Prix Yaşar Doğu , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

, - , Loss , 38–9 , align=left,

Denis Tsargush Denís Tsargúsh (, IPA /dɛˈnis t͡sʰɑrˈgʷɨʂ/, born 1 September 1987, also known as Dinislam Tsargush), is a Russian freestyle wrestler. He is a three-time European Champion, three-time World Champion and also won a bronze medal at the 2 ...

, style="font-size:88%", 3–6 , - , Win , 38–8 , align=left, Bahman Teymouri , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 37–8 , align=left, Abdullah Arslan , style="font-size:88%", 12–4 , - , Win , 36–8 , align=left, Marad Zoidze , style="font-size:88%", 6–5 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 35–8 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 5–6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, May 30–31, 2014 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2014 US World Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

, - , Loss , 35–7 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 2–6 , - , Win , 35–6 , align=left, Andre Howe , style="font-size:88%", 3–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2014 US World Team Trials Challenge Tournament , - , Win , 34–6 , align=left, Quinton Godley , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 33–6 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , style="font-size:88%", May 7, 2014 , style="font-size:88%", 2014 Beat The Streets: USA vs. The World , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 32–6 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 6–7 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 16–19, 2014 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2014 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

, - , Win , 32–5 , align=left, Tyler Caldwell , style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , - , Win , 31–5 , align=left, Paul Rademacher , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 30–5 , align=left, Marcus Bausaman , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 29–5 , align=left, Gombodorj Dorjvaanchig , style="font-size:88%", 10–3 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, July 11–16, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5,

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

Kazan, Russia Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

, - , Win , 28–5 , align=left, Reza Afzali Paemami , style="font-size:88%", 7–5 , - , Loss , 27–5 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–7 , - , Win , 27–4 , align=left, Apostolos Taskoudis , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 26–4 , align=left, Zurab Erbotsonashvili , style="font-size:88%", 8–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 25–4 , align=left, Andrew Howe , style="font-size:88%", TF 9-– , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, June 20–22, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2013 US World Team Trials Challenge , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

Stillwater, Oklahoma Stillwater is the tenth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, Payne County. It is located in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. Route 177#Oklahoma, U.S. Route 177 and Oklahoma S ...

, - , Win , 24–4 , align=left, Trent Paulson , style="font-size:88%", 4–0 , - , Win , 23–4 , align=left, Ryan Morningstar , style="font-size:88%", 4–2 , - , Loss , 22–4 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–7 , - , Win , 22–3 , align=left, Moza Fay , style="font-size:88%", TF 9–1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 21–3 , align=left, Quinton Godley , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=8, May 24–26, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=8, 2013 US University National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=8,

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

, - , Win , 20–3 , align=left, Quinton Godley , style="font-size:88%", 3–0 , - , Win , 19–3 , align=left, Ian Miller , style="font-size:88%", TF 14–4 , - , Win , 18–3 , align=left, Logan Molina , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 17–3 , align=left, Geno Morelli , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–3 , - , Win , 16–3 , align=left, Jesse Stafford , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 15–3 , align=left, Robert Schlitt , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 14–3 , align=left, Santonio Cathery , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - , Win , 13–3 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%", May 15, 2013 , style="font-size:88%", 2013 Beat The Streets: Rumble on the Rails , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 12–3 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 1–3, 0–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 17–20, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2013 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

, - , Win , 12–2 , align=left, Nick Marable , style="font-size:88%", 2–0, 4–0 , - , Win , 11–2 , align=left, Ryan Morningstar , style="font-size:88%", 1–0, 1–0 , - , Win , 10–2 , align=left, Holden Packard , style="font-size:88%", TF 9–0, 7–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 9–2 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, April 21, 2012 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2012 US Olympic Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

, - , Win , 9–1 , align=left, Colt Sponseller , style="font-size:88%", 2–0, 1–1, 4–2 , - , Win , 8–1 , align=left, Mike Poeta , style="font-size:88%", 4–3, 3–1 , - , Loss , 7–1 , align=left, Andrew Howe , style="font-size:88%", 0–1, 0–5 , - , Win , 7–0 , align=left, Moza Fay , style="font-size:88%", 0–4, 5–3, 3–1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Matt Lester , style="font-size:88%", 3–0, 5–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, April 8–11, 2010 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, 2010 US University National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=6,

, - , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Dean Pavlou , style="font-size:88%", TF 7–0, 6–0 , - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Seth Vernon , style="font-size:88%", 1–0, 4–3 , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Matt Ballweg , style="font-size:88%", 2–1, 1–1, 3–1 , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Timmy Boone , style="font-size:88%", 2–2, 3–0, 8–2 , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Nathan Millman , style="font-size:88%", TF 7–0, 6–0 , -

NCAA record

! colspan="8", NCAA Championships Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2014 NCAA Championships at 165 lbs , - , Win , 18-2 , align=left, Tyler Caldwell , style="font-size:88%", 6-0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 20–22, 2014 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 17-2 , align=left, Steve Monk , style="font-size:88%", MD 13-5 , - , Win , 16-2 , align=left, Michael Moreno , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 15-2 , align=left, Jim Wilson , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 14-2 , align=left, Joe Brewster , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2013 NCAA Championships at 165 lbs , - , Loss , 13-2 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4-5 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 21–23, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 13-1 , align=left, Peter Yates , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 12-1 , align=left, Conrad Polz , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 11-1 , align=left, Zachary Strickland , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 10-1 , align=left, John Staudenmayer , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2012 NCAA Championships at 165 lbs , - , Win , 9-1 , align=left, Brandon Hatchett , style="font-size:88%", TF 22-7 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 15–17, 2012 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 8-1 , align=left,

Bekzod Abdurakhmonov Bekzod Makhamadzhonovich Abdurakhmonov (; born 15 March 1990) is an Uzbekistani freestyle wrestler and mixed martial artist. He won the gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Men's 70 kg Freestyle wrestling. At the 2016 Olympics he beat for ...

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 7-1 , align=left, Robert Kokesh , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 6-1 , align=left, Brandon Wright , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 5-1 , align=left, Corey Lear , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2011 NCAA Championships at 157 lbs , - , Loss , 4-1 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 17–20, 2011 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 4-0 , align=left, Steven Fittery , style="font-size:88%", 7-1 , - , Win , 3-0 , align=left, Derek St. John , style="font-size:88%", 6-3 , - , Win , 2-0 , align=left, David Bonin , style="font-size:88%", TF 20-5 , - , Win , 1-0 , align=left, Neil Erisman , style="font-size:88%", MD 13-2 , -

Head coaching record

Awards and honors

;2021 * Olympic games * Pan American Championships ;2019 * Pan American Championships ;2018 * UWW Best Wrestler of the Year *John Smith Award as the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year *

World Wrestling Championships The World Wrestling Championships for Greco-Roman wrestling (men, since 1904) and freestyle wrestling (men since 1951, women since 1987) are organized by United World Wrestling (UWW). Unofficial editions Several World Greco-Roman Championships h ...

* World Cup Championships * Pan American Championships * Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix * Yasar Dogu ;2017 * World Cup Championships * Grand Prix of Paris ;2016 * Grand Prix of Spain ;2015 * Stepan Sargsyan Tournament * Grand Prix of Spain ;2014 *

winner * NCAA Division I Championships Outstanding Wrestler *

;2013 * World University Games *

;2012 *

winner * NCAA Division I Championships Outstanding Wrestler *

;2011 *

Endorsements

In 2015, Taylor and Adidas released a line of wrestling apparel labeled "M2" after Taylor's college nickname "Magic Man". Taylor received the nickname after a collegiate match in which he turned an unfavorable situation for himself into an advantage. The apparel line began with wrestling shoes and has since expanded to clothing, posters and Adidas sponsored events.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, David American male sport wrestlers 1990 births Living people Summer World University Games medalists in wrestling FISU World University Games bronze medalists for the United States World Wrestling Championships medalists Medalists at the 2013 Summer Universiade Big Ten Athlete of the Year winners Pan American Wrestling Championships medalists Wrestlers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling World Wrestling Champions Penn State Nittany Lions wrestlers 21st-century American sportsmen Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling coaches