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Jefferson

Voyageur Prep

The 2025 World Team Trials are only mere days away. Friday and Saturday, some of our nation's best will head to Louisville, Kentucky in search of a spot in Final X. There is at least one wrestler per weight in Final X currently, as all US Open champions advanced. Additionally, returning world/Olympic medalists competing at their 2024 weight also automatically advanced to Final X. That means there are two weights in men’s (57/61 kg) and women’s freestyle (57/65 kg) that will not be contested in Louisville. We’ve already seen some usual results at the US Open and that’s to be expected in the first year of a new Olympic cycle. Those years typically feature a handful of retirements and weight changes. With that in mind, I’d expect some unpredictability in Louisville. The first of our two previews will focus on the women’s freestyle tournament. There will be plenty of talented women who haven’t secured a spot in Final X, but are still seeking a berth on the 2025 world team. Among them, an Olympic champion and a world champion - plus plenty of others with age-group credentials. 50 kg Entries: Heather Crull Anaya Falcon Erin Golston Kendra Ryan Emily Shilson Veteran Erin Golston leads the way in the 50 kg women’s freestyle weight class. Golston, a three-time Junior world medalist, is still seeking to make her first team on the Senior level despite a dozen years on the scene. She was the Open runner-up to young star Audrey Jimenez. Also with a highly decorated age-group career, but looking to make her Senior World debut is Emily Shilson. Shilson has won titles in the U23, Junior, and Cadet age groups. Shilson was pinned in the semis of the Open by Golston. Likely getting the second seed in this small bracket is North Central’s multi-time All-American Kendra Ryan. Ryan took third at the Open by downing Shilson, 10-4. McKendree’s incoming freshman Heather Crull was fifth at the Open after pinning Life’s national finalist Anaya Falcon. It was her second win of the tournament over Falcon. They’ll likely assume the fifth and sixth seeds. Waiting in Final X: Audrey Jimenez Prediction: Erin Golston over Kendra Ryan 53 kg Entries Jaslynn Gallegos Katie Gomez Sage Mortimer Sydney Petzinger Salyna Shotwell Felicity Taylor The Open finals produced a bit of a surprising result as Felicity Taylor was upset by her former Iowa teammate Brianna Gonzalez. Taylor will be considered the favorite in Louisville and is presumably the top seed. She’s been a part of two U23 World Teams, but is seeking looking to make her first Senior team. Taylor, along with Katie Gomez, have both appeared in Final X’s opposite Dom Parrish. Gomez was third at the Open, but didn’t face Taylor. The last time they met Gomez had the upperhand in the 2023 US Open semifinals. Gomez was third at the Open, but had to escape in a 14-12 barnburner against Sage Mortimer in her final match of the tournament. Mortimer was an NCWWC national champion for the first-year program Grand Valley State in 2025. She’s likely the third seed and could be headed for a semifinal rematch with Gomez. There’s definitely some North Central flavor in this weight as the fourth and fifth seeds could be Cardinal national champions Jaslyn Gallegos and Sydney Petzinger. The pair met in the fifth place match at the Open and Petzinger got the 9-3 win. The weight class will be rounded out by Life’s national runner-up Salyna Shotwell. Waiting in Final X: Brianna Gonzalez Prediction: Katie Gomez over Felicity Taylor 55 kg Entries Ronna Gross Amani Jones Everest Leydecker Mateah Roehl Julia Vidallon Areana Villaescusa Thalia Vogelsang Jacarra Winchester This weight class has a great mix of experience and youth! 2020 Olympian and world champion Jacarra Winchester leads the way. She has the most credentials and as much international experience as anyone in this tournament. She dominated her way to the 57 kg US Open finals, but did not compete in the championship bout. Perhaps it was in order to avoid a Final X match with Helen Maroulis had she won the Open. Whatever the reasoning, Winchester is entered here and will be difficult to beat. The other veteran in this crew is Areana Villaescusa who made the world team in 2024 and wrestled for a bronze medal. She lost in the Open semifinals to high school phenom Everest Leydecker. Before beating Villaescusa, Leydecker posted back-to-back wins over collegiate national champions Julia Vidallon and Amani Jones. This means that the two will probably have to square off again as Winchester likely gets the top seed and Leydecker and Villaescusa are the two and three, respectively. Finishing fourth to Villescusa at the Open was Jones. She has plenty of international experience of her own with a bronze medal at the U20 and U23 levels. Thalia Vogelsang (6th) and Vidallon (7th) are the other two 55 kg Open placers in this bracket. Ronna Gross, who also has a long track record of age group success, was third at the Open at 57 kg and will drop down for the Trials. A third-place finish at the 2024 Bill Farrell helped Mateah Roehl punch her ticket to the Trials. Waiting in Final X: Cristelle Rodriguez Prediction: Jacarra Winchester over Everest Leydecker 59 kg Entries Michaela Beck Belle Foard Emily Frost Alexis Janiak Xochitl Mota-Pettis Lorianna Piestewa Brenda Reyna Ashley Whetzal With 57 kg being contested at the Trials, you have some of the Open placers from that weight mixed in with those who competed at 59. Since she was a finalist at the Open, at this weight, I’d imagine Michaela Beck gets the #1 seed. Beck has participated in Final X the last time it was held in Newark. There she fell in two straight bouts to Jennifer Page. During that same year, Xochitl Mota-Pettis also qualified for Final X; however, her series with Maroulis was delayed due to an injury. Mota-Pettis finished fifth at the Open but remains as dangerous as anyone in this field. The 57 kg Open placers moving up for this tournament are Lorianna Piestewa (5th), Ashley Whetzal (6th), and Belle Foard (7th). Alexis Janiak (4th), Emily Frost (6th), and Brenda Reyna (7th) were Open placers at 59 kg. Of this group, Janiak has the best international credentials with two U20 world medals. Waiting in Final X: Abby Nette Prediction: Michaela Beck over Alexis Janiak 62 kg Entries Samantha Barragan Alara Boyd SaVannah Cosme Bridgette Duty Marilyn Garcia Katerina Lange Ana Luciano Adaugo Nwachukwu It was no shock to see a Final X 2023 rematch in the Open finals with Kayla Miracle taking on Adaugo Nwachukwu and that could be the most likely outcome for Final X 2025. That being said, Nwachukwu had to come back from a 5-3 deficit at the break to defeat Alara Boyd in the Open semifinals and that was only after she held off Boyd during an attempt at a late-match comeback bid. After her narrow loss to Nwachukwu, Boyd lost two more matches and finished sixth. She was beaten by Bridgette Duty and Hannah Errthum (who is not in this field). Duty finished fourth with a one-point loss to SaVannah Cosme in the third-place bout. This should make seeding difficult and potentially make some interesting matchups in the opening round or quarterfinals. Since 65 kg is not being contested at the Trials, we have some of those Open placers as well. Katerina Lange leads the way in that group as she was fourth at the Open. Fifth-place finisher Ana Luciano and seventh-place placer Marilyn Garcia are also in the bracket. Wayland Baptist’s Samantha Barragan gets in after making the NAIA finals in 2025. Waiting in Final X: Kayla Miracle Prediction: Adaugo Nwachukwu over Bridgette Duty 68 kg Entries Gretchen Donally Brooklyn Hays Destiny Lyng Latifah McBryde Solin Piearcy We’ve got a very small but talented weight class here at 68 kg. The winner will go on to face Kennedy Blades, who won the Open without surrendering a point in three matches. Blades’ finals opponent was Solin Piearcy. Piearcy is your likely one-seed in Louisville. She made the Open finals after a razor-thin, 3-2 win over Brooklyn Hays in the semifinals. Both are resident athletes at the USOPTC, so I’d imagine there’s lots of familiarity between the two. The fifth and sixth-place finishers from the Open were Destiny Lyng and Gretchen Donally. Lyng prevailed with an 11-0 tech. NAIA national champion Latifah McBryde should present a formidable contender and could challenge for a finals berth. Waiting in Final X: Kennedy Blades Prediction: Brooklyn Hays over Solin Piearcy 72 kg Entries Kaylynn Albrecht Amit Elor Skylar Grote Elleni Johnson Joye Levendusky This bracket is also small and filled with experienced competitors, but the heavy, heavy favorite is 2024 Olympic gold medalist Amir Elor. Since Elor’s Olympic gold medal came at 68 kg, she didn't automatically advance to Final X at 72 kg. With Elor on the cusp of a six-year winning streak, any result without her advancing to Final X would be a monumental shock. In the field are Elor’s two most recent opponents at Final X - Joye Levendusky (2023) and Skylar Grote (2022). Both were soundly defeated 10-0 in two straight matches. Grote comes in fresh off a US Open finals appearance against former Beaver Dam RTC teammate Alex Glaude. Glaude used a score in the final :10 to down Grote and advance to Final X. I’d assume Grote gets the second seed. Either way, we’re probably looking at a semifinal matchup that involves Grote and Levendusky. That would put Kaylynn Albrecht and Elleni Johnson in the fourth and fifth seeds. The two met in the fifth-place match at the Open and Albrecht prevailed in an 11-9 shootout. Waiting in Final X: Alex Glaude Prediction: Amit Elor over Joey Levendusky 76 kg Entries Marlynne Deede Dymond Guilford Shenita Lawson Ashley Lekas Yelena Makoyed Naomi Simon Lilian Vergara In a 76 kg weight class without Adeline Gray, this has annually been one of the deepest and most exciting women’s weights to follow. Dymond Guilford is the only wrestler in this bracket who has made a Senior team already. She did that in 2022 and also picked up U23 world silver that same year. To make the 2022 team, Guilford got by frequent rival Yelena Makoyed. Makoyed was a 2024 U23 world champion and, since then, has won the Bill Farrell and the Zagreb Ranking Series Event. At the 2025 Open, Makoyed downed Guilford in the semifinals, but lost to Kylie Welker for the title. A pair of Iowa teammates are in the mix with 2024 national champion Marlynne Deede and Naomi Simon. Deede was fourth at the Open. The other two 2025 Open placers in this group are Shenita Lawson (6th) and Lilian Vergara (7th). Texas Wesleyan’s Ashley Lekas gets in after winning a national title in 2025. In the semifinals of that tournament, she teched Vergara. Waiting in Final X: Kylie Welker Prediction: Yelena Makoyed over Dymond Guilford