Storylines Aplenty as US Open Finals are Set in Greco and Women's Freestyle

The second session of Thursday’s competition at the US Open featured the semifinals in women’s freestyle and the first six Greco-Roman weights. Tomorrow’s upcoming finals will have plenty of interesting storylines based on the semifinal results. 

In the women’s tournament, we’ll have a meeting between former Iowa teammates Felicity Taylor and Brianna Gonzalez at 53 kg. The pair met in the 2024 NCWWC national finals and Taylor was victorious. 

55 kg has a high school junior, Everest Leydecker, in the finals. Leydecker got by 2024 World Team member Areana Villescusa in the semis 2-1 and handled two-time NCWWC national champion Amani Jones in the quarterfinals. Leydecker will have to contend with two-time NAIA national champ Cristelle Rodriguez. 

It’ll be a rematch of 2023 Final X at 62 kg as Kayla Miracle will look to get back to Final X this year against Adaugo Nwachukwo. In 2023, Miracle prevailed 6-1 and 10-3. 

At 72 kg, former Beaver Dam RTC teammates Skylar Grote and Alex Glaude will do battle. Each will be looking to lock up their second career Final X appearance. 

Closing out the women’s finals will be another chapter in the long rivalry between Kylie Welker and Yelena Makoyed. Welker has generally gotten the best of Makoyed; however, Makoyed does have two wins over Welker in the past two years. 

The Greco finals will be intense as they will serve as the World Team Trials championship bouts. Additionally, there are still some good storylines from the first six weights. 

55 kg will feature Greco prodigy Jayden Raney - a U17 world champion last year. Raney is now two wins over two-time world team member Brady Koontz away from making the 2025 Senior team. 

He’s already had world team experience; however, Zane Richards’ trip to the World Championships came in freestyle. He’s now in the Greco-Roman national finals. Max Black will try and prevent Richards from accomplishing the rare double feat. 

63 kg has Army WCAP teammates clashing in a bout that features two of the most decorated active Senior level Greco competitors. Ildar Hafizov and Ellis Coleman have combined to appear in the World Championships on 12 occasions and each has made an Olympic team. This will be their first official meeting as Hafizov has largely competed at 55-60 kg. 

At 72 and 77 kg, we’ll have a father-son combo in back-to-back matches. Aliaksandr Kikiniou will face rival Kamal Bey at 77 kg. The pair have met in the Olympic Trials finals and Final X in each of the last two years - with Bey taking each series. The younger Kikiniou, also Aliaksandr, will have two-time Olympian Alex Sancho in the 72 kg finals. 

50 kg

Audrey Jimenez (Lehigh Valley WC) over Heather Crull (Northeastern WC)  10-0

Erin Golston (NYAC) over Emily Shilson (TMWC)  Fall 1:33

53 kg

Felicity Taylor (TMWC) over  Sydney Petzinger (Cardinal WC)  5-2

Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa Women’s WC) over Sage Mortimer (TMWC)  13-2
 

55 kg

Everest Leydecker (Thorobred WC) over Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP)  2-1

Cristelle Rodriguez (Tiger WC) over Louisa Schwab (Menlo WC)  10-0

57 kg

Jacarra Winchester (USOPTC/TMWC) over Ashley Whetzal (The Valley WC)  10-0

Amanda Martinez (Cardinal WC/TMWC) over Lorianna Piestewa (Colorado Mesa WC)  6-0
 

59 kg

Michaela Beck (TMWC) over Alexis Janiak (TMWC)  6-5

Abby Nette (Army WCAP) over Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise RTC)  10-0
 

62 kg 

Kayla Miracle (Valiant WC) over SaVannah Cosme (Atreus WC)  10-0

Adaugo Nwachukwu (Army WCAP) over Alara Boyd (Cardinal WC)  12-11

65 kg

Isabella Mir (Cardinal WC) vs. Katerina Lange (Laker WC)  Fall 5:52

Aine Drury (NYAC) over Jennifer Page (TMWC)  Fall 2:14

68 kg

Kennedy Blades (Hawkeye WC/TMWC) over  Noelle Gaffney (New Jersey)  10-0

Solin Piearcy (USOPTC/TMWC) over Brooklyn Hays (USOPTC/TMWC)  3-2
 

72 kg

Skylar Grote (USOPTC/TMWC) over Tiffany Baublitz (Team Pennsylvania)  10-0

Alex Glaude (Beaver Dam RTC/TMWC) over Joye Levendusky (TMWC)  7-0
 

76 kg

Kylie Welker (Iowa Women’s WC) over Marlynne Deede (Laker WC)  10-0

Yelena Makoyed (Cardinal WC/TMWC) over Dymond Guilford (USOPTC/TMWC)  8-2

 

Greco-Roman 

55 kg

Brady Koontz (Dubuque RTC/TMWC) over Billy Sullivan (Army WCAP)  9-1

Jayden Raney (NYAC) over Peter Del Gallo (South Side WC)  8-0

60 kg

Zane Richards (Illinois RTC/TMWC) over Isaiah Cortez (Daniel Cormier WC)  6-2

Max Black (NYAC/NMU) over Randon Miranda (NYAC)  4-1
 

63 kg

Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) over Kaden Ercanbrack (NMU)  Fall 1:21

Ellis Coleman (Army WCAP) over Riley Lomenick (OTC)  9-0
 

67 kg

Otto Black (NYAC/Colorado Top Team) over Richard Fedalan (NYC RTC)  10-0

Alston Nutter (Army WCAP) over David Stepanian (NYAC)  7-1

72 kg

Alex Sancho (Army WCAP) over Noah Wachsmuth (NYAC)  8-0

Aliaksandr Kikiniou (NYAC) over Peyton Robb (Nebraska/NYAC)  11-3

77 kg

Kamal Bey (Army WCAP) over Ayden Rix McElhinney (NYAC/NMU)  10-0

Aliaksandr Kikiniou (NYAC) over Britton Holmes (Army WCAP)  9-0