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It’s about that time! In the past couple of weeks, we’ve spent time loosely discussing Final X; however, it’s time to start talking about the individual matches themselves. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll break down all 20 Final X matchups - leading into the event itself on June 14th, from Newark, New Jersey. Our next preview is in women’s freestyle at 57 kg - Helen Maroulis against Amanda Martinez. In the Final X Quick Thoughts article, we wondered when Maroulis would finally slow down. She’s nearly 34 years old and has been competing on the Senior level since 2008, so you’d think maybe sometime soon. Maybe? Martinez isn’t worried about the status of Maroulis’ historic career, she’s looking to establish herself as a first-time Senior World team member - after making a U23 team four years ago. Prior Previews 57 kg men’s freestyle 61 kg men's freestyle 65 kg men's freestyle 70 kg men's freestyle 50 kg women’s freestyle 53 kg women's freestyle 55 kg women's freestyle 57 kg women’s freestyle Helen Maroulis vs. Amanda Martinez We’ve got one woman who is attempting to make her first Senior world team and in her Final X debut, while another is attempting to make her 15th(!!) world/Olympic squad and in her fourth Final X. Of course, the 14-time World/Olympic team member is Helen Maroulis - American wrestling royalty. At the 2024 Olympic Games, Maroulis claimed her third Olympic medal and her tenth at the Senior level. Maroulis made history in the 2016 Rio Games by becoming the first American woman to win gold in wrestling. Since then, she’s added a pair of bronze medals. Maroulis’ place in American wrestling history is already secure; however, she continues to try and write history. Maroulis has been untouchable thus far in her Final X career (or wrestle-off’s after Final X). In six total matches, she’s posted five 10-0 techs and a first-period fall. Amanda Martinez was a two-time finalist for North Central who has gone on to have a very strong international career. In 2021, Martinez made the U23 World Team and finished in seventh place. A year later, Martinez was a member of the World Cup team. Earlier this year, she claimed a bronze medal at the Pan-American Championships. How they got here: Maroulis: Maroulis’ bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games, and her desire to return at the same weight, allowed her to claim a spot in Final X without having to go through any qualifying tournaments. Martinez: In April, Martinez won her first US Open though it came under unusual circumstances. She was set to square off with Jacarra Winchester, who forfeited the bout. It was possibly because Winchester would have been locked into the 57 kg Final X match, had she won. Her forfeit gave Martinez a push into Final X. Martinez got to the finals of the Open by outscoring the opposition 26-0 in her three matches prior to the finals. In the semis, she tallied three takedowns to get by Colorado Mesa’s All-American Lorianna Piestewa, 6-0. Recent Form Maroulis: Frankly, we haven’t seen Maroulis in action since the Paris Olympic Games. She has fed the competitive juices with grappling competitions in the interim. With the amount of mileage on Maroulis’ body at this point, she’d probably rather be a little rusty for Final X - as opposed to being banged up for this or the World Championships. Martinez: After winning the Open, Martinez continued to compete and took a bronze medal at the Pan-Am Championships. It was her second medal of the year. In February, Martinez claimed a bronze medal at the Albanian Ranking Series tournament. Past History Despite both wrestlers being active on the Senior level for much of the last three years, they only have one prior match against each other. It came in 2022 at the Tunisian Ranking Series event. There Maroulis prevailed via fall. While it’s hard to make much of a match from three years ago, as Martinez has improved significantly since then, it does reconfirm Maroulis’ standing as a strong favorite. Keys to Victory For each wrestler, you could say winning the positional battles. Martinez does a great job at keeping her stance and using her head to make her opponents uncomfortable. Maroulis is excellent there, as well. Whoever, can control this part of the game will be a step ahead. I’m eager to see if Martinez gets to Maroulis’ legs. Martinez tends to find another gear and really turns it up a notch when she’s close to scoring. But, will Maroulis even let her get to those positions? As always with Maroulis, you have to be aware of the foot sweep! It’s one of those moves that everyone knows is coming, but still difficult to anticipate.

It’s about that time! In the past couple of weeks, we’ve spent time loosely discussing Final X; however, it’s time to start talking about the individual matches themselves. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll break down all 20 Final X matchups - leading into the event itself on June 14th, from Newark, New Jersey. Our next preview is in men’s freestyle at 70 kg - Yianni Diakomihalis against PJ Duke. It seems a bit odd looking at Diakomihalis as the grizzled veteran against the young, up-and-comer, but that’s what’s going on here. The Penn State signee, Duke, looks like the latest superstar heading to State College. He’s already locked up a second trip to the U20 World Championships and has a medal from the 2024 event. With two Senior world appearances and a world silver medal under his belt, you have to look at Diakomihalis as the favorite; however, Duke has passed every test presented to him thus far. This should make for a very compelling series. With both wrestlers from New York and this event being held in Newark, I’d expect a robust cheering section for both wrestlers. Prior Previews 57 kg men’s freestyle 61 kg men's freestyle 65 kg men's freestyle 50 kg women’s freestyle 53 kg women's freestyle 55 kg women's freestyle 70 kg men’s freestyle Yianni Diakomihalis vs. PJ Duke This is a match-up of two of the best and most decorated wrestlers to come out of New York in recent years. It’s the kind of match that hardcore NY high school fans might dream up in a fantasy scenario. Both won four New York state titles and are among only 11 New York wrestlers to achieve the feat. When Diakomihalis wrapped up his collegiate career at Cornell in 2023, he became only the fifth wrestler to win four NCAA titles. In the middle of that decorated college career, Diakomihalis also made two Senior world teams. In the second of those two appearances, Diakomihalis snapped the long US medal-less streak at 65/66 kg and made the world finals at 65 kg. Prior to his silver medal, the US hadn’t won a medal in that range since Bill Zadick struck gold in 2006. At the 2024 Olympic Trials, Diakomihalis lost his second match and did not participate in the wrestlebacks. He also forgo an attempt to compete at the non-Olympic World Team Trials because he was rehabbing an injury. Since his return, Diakomihalis has claimed his second career US Open title. Duke just wrapped up his incredible high school career earlier this year and was tabbed the #1 recruit in the Class of 2025. He’ll attend Penn State - like a handful of Diakomihalis’ rivals have done. Last summer, Duke was a member of the U20 world team and came away with a bronze medal after a controversial loss in the semifinals. Since then, Duke went to the Bill Farrell and won a weight class that featured multiple collegiate All-Americans. How they got here Diakomihalis: The 70 kg weight class at the 2025 US Open was billed as one of the tournament’s deepest brackets. It ended up living up to the hype and Diakomihalis conquered the talented group. In the quarters, he teched All-American Daniel Cardenas 18-7. A match later, he earned a finals berth after pinning two-time All-American Bryce Andonian in just over a minute. In the finals, Diakomihalis downed two-time world medalist James Green, 8-2. Down on criteria in the second period, Diakomihalis wowed the crowd with a high-amplitude takedown finish for four points. Duke: The Bill Farrell win likely contributed to Duke getting the second seed at the World Team Trials. There he ran through an impressive cast of contenders that included two NCAA champions (Antrell Taylor, Ridge Lovett) just to make the finals. With a chance to make Final X hanging in the balance, Duke kept the dangerous Bryce Andonian at bay during a 4-1 victory. Recent Form Diakomihalis: It had been about a year in between competitions for Diakomihalis when he returned to the Open. With a fall over Andonian and a convincing win against Green, Diakomihalis seems to be healthy and as good as ever. Duke: In addition to his win at the World Team Trials, Duke has been very busy. He didn’t participate at the Senior level in Vegas, because he was focusing on the U20 Open (which he won). That gave him a chance to sit in the finals at the U20 Trials over the weekend. There he won a pair of matches over Oklahoma State signee Landon Robideau. Hopefully, Duke is still in peak physical condition for his Final X series. Prior History These two have not met each other in competition. I would assume that they might have worked out together - both being from New York, at clubs, camps, or perhaps in the recruiting process. Keys to Victory Diakomihalis: Wrestle like the favorite. Duke will be no easy task, judging by the list of recent wins he’s posted. If Diakomihalis can get to his offense and decisively take the first match, it will set the tone for the second. Should Duke win or even lose a close bout, it would give him hope for the second one. A crowd tends to get behind the young underdog, so you don’t want to give Duke any momentum. He’s been on a heater lately and doesn’t need any extra help. Duke: Finishing his shots. Getting to Diakomihalis’ legs is difficult enough. Finishing is a whole different story. With years of Penn State/NLWC wrestlers opposing Diakomihalis, the Nittany Lion WC staff should have a plan for Duke to compete his takedown attempts.

U23 National freestyle All-American 57 kg Championship: Mason Ziegler over Daniel Guanajuato 6-4, 5-3 3rd Place: Brendan McCrone over Charlie Farmer 10-0 5th Place: Koda Holeman over Carson Wagner 8-6 7th Place: Alan Koehler over Drew Davis Fall 1:36 61 kg Championship: Nic Bouzakis over Jett Strickenberger 16-5, 15-4 3rd Place: Anthony Noto over Sam Smith 10-0 5th Place: Evan Tallmadge over Logan Frazier FFT 7th Place: Drew Heethuis over Troy Hohman Fall 1:16 65 kg Championship: Vince Cornella over Evan Mougalian 16-5, Fall :49 3rd Place: Haiden Drury over Nash Singleton 8-6 5th Place: Connor Thorpe over Tahir Parkins 16-5 7th Place: Noah Tolentino over Jarvis Little 5-4 70 kg Championship: Josh Edmond over Drew Roberts 8-4, 8-6 3rd Place: CJ Hamblin over EJ Parco 11-0 5th Place: Sam Ewing over Kael Voinovich FFT 7th Place: Cade Wirnsberger over Connor Pierce 4-2 74 kg Championship: Michael Caliendo over Daniel Cardenas 8-15, 7-2, 14-6 3rd Place: Brandon Cannon over Tyler Lillard 16-6 5th Place: Ethan Birden over Stoney Buell 16-5 7th Place: Max Brignola over Matty Bianchi FFT 79 kg Championship: Beau Mantanona over Nicco Ruiz 13-2, 2-8, 11-0 3rd Place: Myles Takats over Ethan Riddle 10-6 5th Place: Moses Espinoza-Owens over Hudson Rogers 7-3 7th Place: Logan Messer over Ryan Ford FFT 86 kg Championship: Rocco Welsh over Jaxon Smith 4-2, 6-3 3rd Place: Dylan Fishback over Simon Ruiz 9-9 5th Place: Jersey Robb over Rylan Rogers FFT 7th Place: James Conway over Brayden Thompson 5-5 92 kg Championship: Gavin Nelson over Luke Geog 4-7, 14-3, 4-2 3rd Place: Hayden Walters over Kael Wisler 11-0 5th Place: Jesse Perez over Jack Wehmeyer FFT 7th Place: Wolfgang Frable over Conor Maslanek 11-0 97 kg Championship:Garavous Kouekabakilaho over Thomas Dineen 10-0, 10-0 3rd Place: Massoma Endene over Mason Christian 10-0 5th Place: Dan Rella Jr. over Christian Carroll FFT 7th Place: Steven Burrell Jr. over Max Ramberg 10-0 125 kg Championship: Daniel Herrera over Crew Howard 6-3, 10-0 3rd Place:Lucas Stoddard over Connor Barket 12-0 5th Place: Jarrett Stoner over Ryan Catka FFT 7th Place: Aden Attao over Brentan Simmerman 10-0

U20 Freestyle World Team Trials Final Results 57 kg - Anthony Knox (New Jersey) over Ignacio Villasenor (Oklahoma) 2-3, 13-5, 10-0 61 kg - Marcus Blaze (Ohio) over Kyler Larkin (Arizona) 10-0, 4-1 65 kg - Luke Stanich (New Jersey) over Bo Bassett (Pennsylvania) 3-2, 2-3, 10-0 70 kg - PJ Duke (New York) over Landon Robideau (Minnesota) 7-0, 9-4 74 kg - Ladarion Lockett (Oklahoma) over Jayden James (New Jersey) 6-1, 15-2 79 kg - Will Henckel (Connecticut) over Brock Mantanona (California) 10-0, 10-0 86 kg - Max McEnelly (Minnesota) over Aeoden Sinclair (Wisconsin) 2-10, 6-5, 3-2 92 kg - Connor Mirasola (Wisconsin) over Dillon Bechtold (Pennsylvania) 10-0, 4-1 97 kg - Justin Rademacher (Oregon) over Camden McDanel (Ohio) 10-5, 7-1 125 kg - Cole Mirasola (Wisconsin) over Dreshaun Ross (Iowa) 4-1, 5-2

It’s about that time! In the past couple of weeks, we’ve spent time loosely discussing Final X; however, it’s time to start talking about the individual matches themselves. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll break down all 20 Final X matchups - leading into the event itself on June 14th, from Newark, New Jersey. Our next preview is in women’s freestyle - 55 kg to be exact. 2025 world team member Areana Villaescusa fell in the World Team Trials so there will be a new face from last year’s squad and a first-time Senior World Team member regardless of who wins. This weight will follow a pattern from the first two women’s freestyle weights we’ve previewed. Each contains a US Open finals rematch and this one is no different. Though Cristelle Rodriguez and Everest Leydecker do not have a long history against each other, they did tangle in Vegas. The result was a close 4-1 match, so anything can happen in Newark. Prior Previews 57 kg men’s freestyle 61 kg men's freestyle 65 kg men's freestyle 50 kg women’s freestyle 53 kg women's freestyle 55 kg women’s freestyle Cristelle Rodriguez vs. Everest Leydecker While neither of these young women has made a Senior world team yet, both are promising young prospects, where a world team berth would represent a logical next step in their already impressive careers. Rodriguez wrapped up her junior year at Doane with her second NAIA national title. In each instance, Rodriguez was named the NAIA Women’s Wrestler of the Year. Her most recent championship came over Katie Gomez, who was in the most recent edition of Final X. Rodriguez has also excelled internationally. She is a two-time U20 World Team member and won the gold at that age group last year. In 2019, she captured a silver medal at the Cadet World Championships. Leydecker is likely the top high school girl in the Class of 2026. Last year, she earned a spot on the U17 World Team and was second in the Trials at the U20 age group. During the high school season, Leydecker won the Super 32 and then picked up a win at FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 event. How they got here: Rodriguez: Rodriguez was the third seed at the US Open, but ran through the field with three consecutive 10-0 techs to make the finals. Only one of those three matches went to the second period. In the Open finals, Rodriguez squared off with Leydecker. She took control early after getting exposure after a low attack. She added another in the first period and ended up with the 4-1 victory. Leydecker: To make the Open finals, Leydecker downed multi-time U20 world medalist Amani Jones and pulled out a 2-1 win against 2024 world teamer Areana Villaescusa. With Rodriguez waiting in Final X, Leydecker had to win the World Team Trials to book a rematch - which she did in impressive fashion. Villaescusa fell in the semifinals to Ronna Gross, so there was a new opponent for the young star. Gross was never able to get anything going and Leydecker cruised to an 11-0 tech. Recent Form Rodriguez: After the collegiate season concluded, Rodriguez went to Women’s Nationals and posted two wins over Jones to clinch a spot on the U23 World Team. While she could make the Senior team, Rodriguez is guaranteed to be on one world team for a third consecutive year. Leydecker: Like Rodriguez, Leydecker already has a 2025 world team under her belt. She had a pair of dominating wins over Clare Booe to lock up a spot on the U20 team. Prior History The only prior meeting between these two is the finals match at the US Open. Rodriguez won by a 4-1 score, but in both of her takedown attempts, Leydecker could make minor adjustments to prevent a score - should those situations arise again. Keys to Victory Rodriguez: Rodriguez does her best offensive work from a distance. She has quick low attacks and will even play cat-and-mouse with her opponents - taking a quick, half-shot from space and backing out and catching them out of position. When Rodriguez is able to keep that separation from neutral, she’s also able to react quickly and is able to stuff attacks from her opponent. Leydecker: Though she’s tall and has good size, Leydecker seems to prefer closing the gap and working from her underhook. She’ll need to control the ties against Rodriguez and keep her uncomfortable. Though she gave up exposure in a scramble to Rodriguez at the Open, Leydecker is well-versed in scrambling and does well in 50/50 flurries.

U20 World Team Trials Finals 55 kg: Caleb Noble (Illinois) over Nico Enzminger (North Dakota) 5-3, 8-5 60 kg: Isaiah Cortez (California) over Treygen Morin (Idaho) 10-2, 9-0 63 kg: Landon Drury (Colorado) over Carter Nogle (Maryland) 5-2, 4-3 67 kg: Otto Black (Colorado) over Pierson Manville (Pennsylvania) 10-1, 7-5 72 kg: Joel Adams (Nebraska) over Jude Randall (Oklahoma) 5-1, 11-0 77 kg: Leister Bowling (Colorado) over Julian Slaastad (Illinois) Fall 1:59, Fall 6:00 82 kg: Arvin Khosravy (California) over Gavin Ricketts (Kentucky) 8-1, 9-0 87 kg: Nick Nosler (Illinois) over Aidan Squier (Connecticut) 1-6, 8-0, 2-1 97 kg: Soren Herzog (Minnesota) over Quin Morgan (Minnesota) 9-0, 10-1 130 kg: Shilo Jones (Idaho) over Travyn Boger (Utah) 8-0, 4-3 U23 World Team Trials Finals 55 kg: Kenneth Crosby (Colorado) over William Jakeway (South Carolina) 8-0, 8-0 60 kg: Rhett Peak (Oklahoma) over Jakason Burks (Nebraska) 5-1, 4-3 63 kg: Joseph Couch (Maryland) over James Joplin (North Carolina) 10-2, 8-0 67 kg: Brennan Van Hoecke (Florida) over Gunnar Hamre (Wisconsin) 8-0, 8-0 72 kg: Colton Parduhn (Alaska) over Dylan Whitt (Iowa) 3-2, 8-0 77 kg: Aydin Rix McElhinney (Colorado) over Ethan Barr (Missouri) 8-0, 16-8 82 kg: Adrian Artsisheuski (New York) over Ethan Wilson (New Jersey) 15-6, 9-0 87 kg: Keenan Wyatt (Alabama) over Kennedy Wyatt (Alabama) Fall 3:31, 10-0 97 kg: Max Ramberg (Wisconsin) over Jesse Perez (New Mexico) 12-6, 8-0 130 kg: Aden Attao (Idaho) over KJ Miley (Missouri) 9-1, 13-4

It’s about that time! In the past couple of weeks, we’ve spent time loosely discussing Final X; however, it’s time to start talking about the individual matches themselves. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll break down all 20 Final X matchups - leading into the event itself on June 14th, from Newark, New Jersey. In our next men’s freestyle preview, we’ll look at a matchup that seems like we should have seen before but never have - Joey McKenna versus Real Woods. Both are three-time NCAA All-Americans, former national finalists for Big Ten power programs, who started off at Stanford. McKenna might have a healthy home-field advantage as he is from only about 20 miles away from Newark. Prior Previews 57 kg men’s freestyle 61 kg men's freestyle 50 kg women’s freestyle 53 kg women's freestyle 65 kg men’s freestyle Joey McKenna vs. Real Woods We are guaranteed to have a first-time Senior World team member at 65 kg as Joey McKenna takes on Real Woods. It’ll be a battle of wrestlers who initially started their careers at Stanford. The two never overlapped though. Both Woods and McKenna earned All-American honors at Stanford before transferring to the Big Ten and making a national final. McKenna is no stranger to Final X; however, it’s been a few years since he’s participated in one. He took on fellow Ohio State Buckeye Logan Stieber in the 2018 version of the event. Since then, he’s moved to the Penn RTC and now he’s in his first year training at Oklahoma State’s Cowboy RTC. McKenna was a runner-up at the 2021(1) Olympic Trials and third at the 2024 Trials - is it his time to finally break through? Although he hasn’t made a Senior Team, McKenna has plenty of international experience, highlighted by a Junior World silver medal and U23 bronze. Woods moved from Stanford to Iowa and finished second and fourth for the Hawkeyes. He took a step forward at the Trials and elevated himself into world team contender status. Prior to that tournament, he hasn’t been too close (results-wise) to making a team. Woods also made a recent adjustment to his training, moving to Michigan’s Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. A new setting might be responsible for his recent uptick in results. Almost a decade ago, Woods was a part of the Cadet World Team in Greco-Roman and in 2019 he captured a Junior World silver medal. How they got here McKenna: A title at the US Open locked up McKenna’s berth in Final X. He was the top seed at the tournament; however, that bracket was seen as wide-open, so him prevailing wasn’t a given. In the semifinals, McKenna got pushed by another wrestler with a Stanford connection, Aden Valencia. In that contest, McKenna trailed by criteria in the waning seconds. With just under two seconds left on the clock, he snapped Valencia and then head-pinched him for two exposure points. In the final, McKenna used a second-period takedown to edge another wrestler from one of his former school’s, Ohio State’s two-time national champion Jesse Mendez. Woods: Woods qualified for the World Team Trials by finishing fourth at the Open. Both losses came to Valencia. Right off the bat at the Trials, Woods had Valencia and used a last-second low attack to get the winning takedown. In the semis, he used a first-period barrage to jump way ahead of Mendez, then held on for an 11-9 win. It was more of the same in the WTT finals. Woods got up on Brock Hardy 6-0 at the break and coasted to a 10-6 win and a trip to Final X. Recent Form McKenna: By Senior level standards, McKenna has been rather busy this calendar year. In February, he traveled to Croatia and earned a silver medal at the Zagreb Open. After the Open, McKenna went to the Pan-American Championships and also left with a silver medal. Woods: Woods also hit a Rankings Series event earlier this year when he claimed a bronze medal at the Muhamet Malo Tournament in Albania. Then was fourth at the Open before winning the Trials. Woods has been in a bunch of close matches, of late, so those experiences might end up benefitting him in Newark. Prior History Even though these are two veterans who have been relatively active on the Senior level, they have not met before. Keys to Victory: Both wrestlers are very creative offensively and have a variety of ways to score points. Both have recently shown late-match heroics, so neither is ever really out of a match. Each has been in high-scoring shootouts or low-scoring tactical affairs - it just depends on the matchup. Of the men’s freestyle series' I think this one has the best potential to go three matches.

Rolesville

Crestview

Valiant Prep via Fort Hays State

FJ Reitz

Bear River

Bunn

Pinecrest

Millington Central