Here's what to know about the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials this weekend at Penn State

The best wrestlers in the country are converging on Penn State University this week for the U.S. Olympic Trials at the Bryce Jordan Center, aiming to qualify for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

There are three divisions — men's freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's freestyle — and six weight classes in each.

All told, there are 201 wrestlers set to compete. The action begins Friday at 10 a.m. and concludes with the championship finals Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

How to watch the Trials: TV, streaming, tickets

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

How many wrestlers will advance to the Olympics from the U.S. Trials?

Answer: The champions in 13 of the 18 weight classes will automatically qualify for Paris.

The winners of the five weight classes in which the U.S. yet to qualify for the Olympics — 57 and 65 kilograms in men's freestyle and 60, 67 and 77 kilograms in Greco-Roman — will go to the World Olympic Games Qualifier in Turkey next month, each needing a top-three finish to compete in Paris.

How does a country qualify a weight class for the Olympics?

A: To qualify, a country needs one of its wrestlers to either have placed in the top five at last year's world championships, placed in the top two at one of this year's four continental tournaments (Pan American, European, Asian, African/Oceania) or to place in the top three at next month's world qualifier in Turkey.

The wrestlers earn berths for their countries, not for themselves. Each country decides which wrestlers will take those spots. In the U.S., that's determined by the Trials.

Each weight class at the Olympics will have 16 wrestlers, with no country having more than one entrant.

Why do some wrestlers at the Trials receive byes all the way to Saturday's best-of-3 championship finals?

A: That's one of the perks of having won a medal at the 2023 world championships in an Olympic weight class.

Those earning the right to rest until the finals include Kyle Dake (74 kilograms), David Taylor (86 kg), Kyle Snyder (97 kg) and Mason Parris (125 kg) in men's freestyle, Spencer Woods (87 kg), Alan Vera (97 kg) and Cohlton Schultz (130 kg) in Greco-Roman and Sarah Hildenbrandt (50 kg), Dominique Parrish (53 kg), Helen Maroulis (57 kg), Kayla Miracle (62 kg), Amit Elor (68 kg) and Adeline Gray (76 kg) in women's freestyle.

What is the most intriguing weight class?

A: That certainly is up for debate, but with the Olympic Trials at Penn State, all eyes are sure to be on the 86-kilogram weight class in men's freestyle, which features five wrestlers who combined to win 12 NCAA titles for the Nittany Lions, including Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci, who both became four-time national champions last month.

Legends: How Aaron Brooks, Carter Starocci made NCAA history

The man to beat in that weight class is Taylor, who graduated from Penn State in 2014 as a two-time NCAA titlist and is a reigning world and Olympic champion.

Mark Hall and Max Dean also won NCAA titles for the Nittany Lions.

How many wrestlers at these Trials have won Olympic gold medals?

A: Four. Along with Taylor (2021), the short list includes Kyle Snyder (2016) and Jordan Burroughs (2012) in men's freestyle and Helen Maroulis (2016) in women's freestyle.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Paris 2024: U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials frequently asked questions