The red, white and blue of AU's student athletes will be replaced by the stars and stripes of Team USA wrestling when they takes on the Belarus national team Thursday inside Bender Arena.
AU head coach Mark Cody, along with his AU assistants, were chosen as the coaches for Team USA, whose squad includes two nationally No. 1 ranked members: Mike Zadick at the 60-kg weight class and Daniel Cormier in the 96-kg class. Zadick placed second at the 2007 Pan-American Games, while Cormier is the defending bronze medalist at the 2007 World Championships.
Another member of Team USA with ties to the school is current AU assistant coach and former all-American wrestler Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov. He will be the team's representative in the 74-kg weight class.
Belarus, coached by Valiantsin Murzinkou, also brings a decorated lineup to the match.
Rizvan Gadzhiev, of the 55-kg weight class, is the defending bronze medalist in his class in the 2007 Senior World Championships, while teammate Ruslan Sheikhov won the bronze medal in his 96-kg weight class the previous year.
Tickets are currently on sale through the AU ticket office, priced at $15 for adults and $12 for students with an AU ID.
