American University will host USA Wrestling vs. Belarus in a freestyle wrestling showcase Thursday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. inside of Bender Arena, Department of Athletics and Recreation officials announced Thursday.

"We are very pleased to be hosting this international wrestling event on our campus," Director of Athletics and Recreation Keith Gill said. "Having Belarus and USA Wrestling compete at Bender Arena is a great opportunity for American University to help promote the sport of wrestling to our fans, alumni and the Washington, D.C., community. As the recent success of our program demonstrates, wrestling is a vibrant part of AU Athletics and working with the national program is an exciting development in building our tradition."

AU Head Coach Mark Cody will be at the helm of Team USA for the dual and will be joined by AU assistant coaches Joe Henson, Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov and Brad Vering, who is also a member of USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman team, on the bench.

"This will be the biggest wrestling event ever held in Washington, D.C.," Cody said. "It is a rare opportunity for local wrestling fans to watch some of the world's greatest wrestlers right here at home."

 

The roster for Team USA has not been finalized, but Coach Cody has announced that Abdurakhmanov and former Harvard great Jesse Jantzen will compete for the U.S. Abdurakhmanov came to American as a junior college transfer from Colby Community College where he was a two-time national champion. As a junior at AU, Abdurakhmanov became the program's first Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Champion and as a senior he earned All-America status with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Jantzen was a three-time All-American at Harvard and won an NCAA Championship in 2004 as a senior. Jantzen continued his wrestling career after graduation and in 2005 won a University World Championship.

Belarus has released a tentative roster for the world dual which includes 2007 Senior World Championship bronze medalist Risvan Gadshiev and 2006 Senior World Championship bronze medalist Rouslan Sheikov.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 202-885-TIXX, or by clicking here. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors, children under 18 and groups of 15 or more.

Please check back at AUEagles.com for more information on the Team USA vs. Belarus World Dual as it becomes available.