US Olympic Wrestling Team: Breaking Down Entire USA Roster

Not every Olympic sport is going to get the same exposure as basketball or soccer, but wrestling is a discipline with a long and storied history in the Summer Games. Most of the wrestlers that will be competing in London aren't particularly well known, but all it takes is one moment of glory to change that.

The United States is sending its most promising team in quite some time across the pond as 17 American men and women will be competing in both freestyle and Greco-Roman events. The USA accrued three total medals in Beijing back in 2008, and many believe that it can improve upon that number in 2012.

There isn't a single house-hold name on the American roster currently, but as Rulon Gardner proved when he shocked the world and won a Greco-Roman gold medal back in 2000, all it takes is one victory to become a part of history.

Here is a breakdown of the entire United States men's and women's wrestling team that will be competing in London.

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Ali Bernard

Already a former Olympian, Ali Bernard didn't qualify for the London Games, but when Stephany Lee was suspended, she was added to the roster. Bernard fell just short of a medal in Beijing as she lost the bronze-medal bout, so she will be out for redemption this year.

Bernard will compete in the 158.5 lbs. freestyle event and is among the top contenders to medal thanks to her bronze at the 2011 World Championships.

Chas Betts

There may not be very high expectations for Chas Betts entering the London Olympics, but the 185 lbs. Greco-Roman competitor certainly won't be an easy out. Betts won a collegiate championship while at Northern Michigan, and he will look to put the skills he learned there to the test.

No American man has ever medaled at this weight, so Betts has an opportunity to make a little bit of history in London.

Jordan Burroughs

Of all the wrestlers on Team USA's roster, hopes may be highest for Jordan Burroughs. The 24-year-old star won the Hodge Trophy as the best collegiate wrestler in the country last year and he also won gold at the World Championships. Burroughs has accomplished a ton at a young age, but an Olympic medal may be next on the list.

Burroughs will compete in the 163 lbs. freestyle event and has to be considered the gold-medal favorite based on his dominance in 2011. Burroughs obviously has a lot of work to do before he actually wins it all, but he is undoubtedly the United States' marquee wrestler in London.

Dremiel Byers

As the heir apparent to Rulon Gardner, Dremiel Byers has long had big shoes to fill at the 264.5 lbs. weight class in Greco-Roman wrestling. Byers was Gardner's training partner in Athens when Gardner won bronze and retired in 2004. He made his Olympic debut in Beijing, however, and although Byers was a top candidate to win a medal, he fizzled and finished seventh.

Byers is now 37 years old, so this is likely his last chance at Olympic glory. History isn't on his side, but experience is, so Byers has a fighting chance.

Kelsey Campbell

A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Kelsey Campbell will be making her Olympic debut in London. Smith was a dominant force at Arizona State University, and will now have a chance to try her hand against the world's best women at the age of 26.

Campbell's event is the 121 lbs. freestyle, which an American has never medaled in since it debuted at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Clarissa Chun

Clarissa Chun may not have a well-known nickname, but Mighty Mouse would probably be an appropriate one. At just 4'11", she is by far the most diminutive member of the American team. Chun burst onto the scene in Beijing as she fell just short of a medal, finishing in fifth place. Now 31 years of age, Chun has the experience needed to be a contender.

Chun is set to take part in the 105.5 lbs. flyweight competition and would become the second American medalist in the event if she could pull off the feat, as Patricia Miranda won bronze in 2004.

Ellis Coleman

Ellis Coleman is just 20 years old and an Olympic rookie, but he is already known by many avid sports fans as the wrestler who pulled off the flying squirrel maneuver in competition. I'm not sure if Coleman will be able to do that against the world's best in London, but his athleticism matches anyone he steps onto the mat with.

Coleman has hopes of a medal in the 132 lbs. Greco-Roman event, but even if he doesn't come through on his first try, he should have many more opportunities down the road.

Tervel Dlagnev

Tervel Dlagnev's story is an interesting one as he and his family moved to America from Bulgaria when he is just four years old, and now he will be representing his adopted country in the Olympics. Dlagnev starred for the University of Nebraska-Kearney, which is fitting since he has all the bulk of a corn-fed Midwesterner.

Dlagnev dominated the 264.5 lbs. freestyle event in the U.S. Olympic trials, and although the competition will be stiffer in London, he could be a medal candidate. 

Jared Frayer

Jared Frayer is the perfect example of perseverance paying off. He is 33 years old and will be making his Olympic debut, despite the fact that most wrestlers break through long before that. Frayer was a star at the University of Oklahoma, and while that is quite some time in the past now, he figures to put what he learned there to work in London.

Frayer is considered more of a great story than a true medal contender, but you never know what a little hard work might accomplish.

Sam Hazewinkel

You might say that the Olympics are in Sam Hazewinkel's blood as his father, Dave, and uncle, Jim, took part in both the 1968 AND 1972 Games. It looked like Hazewinkel may never live up to the legacy that his family had set, but he took out the heavily-favored Nick Simmons in the trials to qualify for London.

Hazewinkel is somewhat unlike his father and uncle, though, since they were Greco-Roman wrestlers and Hazewinkel prefers freestyle. He will try to medal at 121 lbs.

Jake Herbert

Jake Herbert is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished collegiate wrestlers on the American roster. Not only does he hold a career mark of 149-4, but he is a former winner of the Hodge Trophy like teammate Jordan Burroughs. He also won a silver medal at the 2009 World Championships, so Herbert will be someone to watch for on the medal stand in London.

Herbert will be the Americans' star in the 185 lbs. freestyle event and is one of several newcomers with high hopes in 2012.

Justin Lester

Justin Lester was shockingly upended en route to the 2008 Olympic Games, but he will make his Olympic debut in London in the 145.5 lbs. Greco-Roman event. Lester won a bronze in 2007 at the World Championships, and while he hasn't medaled at a big event since, the 28-year-old has shown he can get the job done.

Lester isn't a favorite to win a medal by any means, but he is one in a large group of Americans who could surprise some people by making the podium.

Spenser Mango

Spenser Mango will be competing in his second Olympic Games after finishing eighth in Beijing. The tiny, 5'2" Mango is an absolute bulldog during competition and makes life very difficult for his opponents. Because of that, he is the type of guy who will embrace his underdog status and hope to knock off some of the top contenders.

Mango's event is the 121 lbs. Greco-Roman competition, and while bigger guys typically excel in Greco-Roman, Mango may reverse that trend in London.

Elena Pirozhkova

Born in Russia, Elena Pirozhkova is one of the United States' best chances to medal as far as the women go. She has finished in the top eight in each of the past four World Championships and is always in the running. She won a silver medal at the 2010 World Championships, so she has a taste for what it is like to be in a big moment.

This will be the 25-year-old's first Olympics and she has a great opportunity to win a medal in the 138.5 lbs. freestyle event.

Ben Provisor

Ben Provisor is one of the youngest athletes on the American team at 21 years of age, so while he may not be expected to excel, youthful exuberance can lead to some great things. Provisor shocked a lot of people when he qualified for the games in the 163 lbs. Greco-Roman event, but he would surprise even more with a good showing.

Provisor is another one of those American prospects with a great future, though, so falling flat in London wouldn't be the end of the world.

Coleman Scott

Coleman Scott had a tougher road than anyone to reach the Olympics as he defeated Sean Bunch in a best two-out-of-three event to nab the last spot in London. The 26-year-old star was an excellent collegiate wrestler at Oklahoma State, and while he may be the last man on the American team, he won't be a cakewalk for anyone.

Scott essentially had to conquer an Olympic moment just to make it into the Olympics, so he is surely battle tested and will do everything in his power to be competitive in London.

Jake Varner

Jake Varner is one of the most polished wrestlers on the team as he was dominant at Iowa State University and is a two-time NCAA Division I Champion. Varner went 121-10 during is illustrious career and was undefeated as a senior. Having done so much winning already, Varner may very well win a medal at the Summer Games.

Varner will take part in the 211.5 lbs. freestyle event and he has all the physical attributes and abilities necessary to possibly win gold.