InterMat Staff

Big Sprin

Pennridge

Penn Manor

Soldotna

Mountain View

Calhan via SW Oregon CC

Mullen

Grand Meadow via Sioux Falls

Rickover Academy

Pleasant Valley

Western Dubuque

Wahlert Catholic

Richmond Foster

Euless Trinity

Holy Spirit

Walton-Verona

Bellevue

Racoon River-Northwest

Solon

Knob Noster

Clinton

El Paso Eastwood

Azle

Blythewood

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.