2026 Final X Preview: 76 kg WFS Kylie Welker vs. Dymond Guilford

The final Final X matches are finally here! After long last, our 2026 Senior World Team will be finalized as two Final X series’ take place on Friday afternoon in Ohio’s Hilliard Davidson High School. These series have been delayed after injuries to returning world medalists. Initially, three series were supposed to take place on Friday; however, Bella Mir will not wrestle Kennedy Blades at 68 kg in women’s freestyle, giving Blades the Senior team spot.

That means there will only be two series’ - one in men’s and one in women’s freestyle. Today, we’ll discuss the women’s freestyle series between returning world bronze medalist Kylie Welker and 2022 world team member Dymond Guilford. Yesterday, we looked at the series between Real Woods and Bo Bassett.

76 kg Women’s Freestyle - Kylie Welker vs. Dymond Guilford

This will be the latest matchup in the rivalry between a pair of past Senior World Team members. Kylie Welker got to skip the US Open/World Team Trials process after earning a bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships. It was Welker’s second straight year with a bronze medal at the Senior level. 2024’s medal came at the non-Olympic weight of 72 kg, while last year’s hardware came at 76 kg.

Welker also has been dominant on the age group circuit, winning back-to-back U23 world titles in each of the last two years. She has three U23 medals altogether. Welker also won a U20 world championship in 2021.

When she isn’t competing on the world stage, Welker is getting ready to wrap up her collegiate career at the University of Iowa. Over three years, she amassed a 73-1 record for the Hawkeyes and claimed three national titles.

Guilford also has had success at the age group level. In 2022, she made both the U23 and Senior World Teams. At U23’s, Guilford came away with a silver medal. Back in 2018, Guilford was a member of the U20 World Team.

At the collegiate level, Guilford is also a multiple-time national champion. She won a pair of NAIA titles for the University of the Cumberlands in 2022 and 2023.

These women have met on four prior occasions, with Welker holding a 5-1 advantage on Guilford. Guilford got a win via fall at the 2023 US Open; however, Welker has won the four matches that followed that loss. Their most recent meeting occurred at Final X 2025, when Welker swept the series (2-1, 9-1) to make the 2025 world team.

As you might expect in a delayed series, you have to wonder about Welker’s injury status. Since she is the returning world medalist, she was the one able to request the delay. Since the pair has had some close matches in the past, Guilford could take advantage of a less-than-100 % Welker.

How they got here:

Welker: At the 2025 World Championships, Welker advanced to the quarterfinals before getting stopped by Kyrgyzstan's Aiperi Medet Kyzy, 8-3. After the loss, Welker rolled through a Turkish opponent in repechage before downing Ukraine’s Anastasiya Alpyeyeva, 6-2, for a bronze medal. That medal allowed her to move directly to Final X.

Guilford: Guilford clinched her spot in Final X with her tournament win at the US Open. In the semifinals, Guilford defeated Welker’s Iowa teammate Naomi Simon, 8-1. In the finals, she pulled out a close win over the Army WCAP’s Tristan Kelly, 3-1.