InterMat Staff

Farmington

2024 World bronze medalist Vito Arujau (Ithaca, N.Y./Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC) has requested and received a delay for his 2025 Final X best-of-three championship series against Jax Forrest (Johnstown, Pa./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) at 61 kg in men’s freestyle. Arujau was scheduled to face Forrest at Final X at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Saturday, June 14. The date and location for their delayed Final X championship series is not yet determined. The winner of the delayed Final X series between Arujau and Forrest will represent the United States at the 2025 Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia in September at 61 kg. According to the approved 2025 World Team Trials Qualification & Procedures - Men’s Freestyle, “only a 2024 Senior World Medalist or 2024 Olympic Medalist, who earned an automatic berth into the Final X, may request a medical delay for competing in the Final X Wrestle-Off.” Arujau has complied with the timing requirement for the delay, in which “the request for delay must occur at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled weigh-in time.” As is also required, Arujau’s delay request was “submitted in writing to the respective Sport Committee Chair for review, to include a written certification of the injury or illness from a USA Wrestling-approved medical doctor.” At this time, the date, time and place for their Final X series has not been set. According to the procedures, “the National Coach and athletes involved shall determine the date, time, and place for the Final Wrestle-Off. If consensus cannot be reached, the Men’s Freestyle Sport Committee shall make this determination.” Arujau qualified for Final X by earning a bronze medal at the 2024 Senior World Championships. He accepted his berth in Final X on April 14. Arujau also won a 2023 Senior World gold medal at 61 kg. He is a two-time age-group World silver medalist and two-time Senior Pan American champion. Forrest qualified for Final X winning the 61 kg Senior Men’s Freestyle title at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas in April. Forrest, who is still in high school, won a silver medal at the 2022 U17 World Championships. With the delay at 61 kg, there will be nine men’s freestyle weight classes and 10 women’s freestyle weight classes contested at Final X in Newark. Final X will serve as the Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit, the 15th BTSNY Annual Benefit to date. These unique electrifying events help BTSNY raise more than $1 million each year to support local youth wrestling programs which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after-party will follow the conclusion of Final X. Final X will be held in two sessions on Saturday, June 14. Session I, which starts at 2 p.m. (ET), will feature round one in each best-of-three series. Session II, which starts at 5 p.m. (ET), will continue with round two and if-necessary round three matches. Match order for each session will be provided at a later date.

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 59 kg. Most of our previews thus far have focused on a veteran versus a younger wrestler or two opponents trying to make their mark on the Senior level for the first time. This one is different as both Abby Nette and Jacarra Winchester are both veterans and each has appeared on the world team at the Senior level. Though Nette is the US Open champion, Winchester is the incumbent at this weight. She represented the USA at the non-Olympic World Championships at 59 kg. When she made the 2024 team, it was the third time that Winchester had wrestled at the World or Olympic level at a different weight class. Nette held down the 59 kg weight class at the 2022 World Championships. Prior Previews 57 kg men’s freestyle 61 kg men's freestyle 65 kg men's freestyle 70 kg men's freestyle 74 kg men's freestyle 50 kg women’s freestyle 53 kg women's freestyle 55 kg women's freestyle 57 kg women's freestyle 59 kg women’s freestyle Abby Nette vs. Jacarra Winchester Of the nine weight classes we’ve previewed thus far, this will be the first matchup where both wrestlers have previous Senior World experience. Abby Nette made the 2022 World Team, while Jacarra Winchester has been a Final X mainstay. Winchester, a 2019 world champion, has made five Senior world teams and the 2020 Olympic squad. In addition to her world gold medal, she also brought home silver from the 2023 World Championships. Winchester will be one of only five wrestlers who has been a part of every single Final X event. She’s 4-0 at the event and has only lost one individual match along the way. Of the wrestlers with four Final X’s under their belts, Winchester is the only one who will face five different opponents now that Nette will be across the mat from her on the 14th. Nette made the 2022 team after two straight wins over Lexie Bashman at Final X Stillwater. Unfortunately, she was not able to medal at the 2022 World Championships. Nette also has a pair of U23 World Championship appearances on her resume and plenty of international experience. How They Got Here Nette: At the 2025 US Open, Nette was given the third seed; however, she generally made short work of everyone who came within her path. In the semifinals, Nette posted an impressive 10-0 tech on previous Final X participant Xochitl Mota-Pettis. Another former Final X’er was waiting in the championship match, Michaela Beck. Nette trailed at the break, but got on the offensive and pinned Beck amid a flurry while finishing a takedown. Winchester: Winchester advanced to the 57 kg US Open finals but did not compete. Since she did not wrestle, she did not lock up a spot in Final X and was free to move up to 59 kg for the World Team Trials. That might have seemed like a risky strategy; however, Winchester got a fall and a tech to make the championship match. There she came back from an early deficit to down two-time collegiate champion Alexis Janiak and confirm her place in Final X. Recent Form Nette: After claiming her spot in Final X, Nette went to Monterrey to compete at the Pan-American Championships. It was the first time in her decorated career that Nette was selected for the tournament. She responded with a silver medal. Earlier in the year, Nette traveled to Albania for the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series event, but came away empty-handed. Winchester: Aside from the Open/Trials, Winchester’s only other competition in 2025 was the Ranking Series event in Zagreb. It was a good one though. Winchester got the gold after downing 2024 U23 world champion Zhala Aliyeva (Azerbaijan) in the finals. Prior History These two have squared off on two separate occasions with both going Winchester’s way. Most recently was in the challenge tournament semifinals at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials. In State College, Winchester posted an 11-0 tech. A couple months earlier, at Senior Nationals in 2023, Nette kept it close in a 6-4 loss. Keys to Victory Nette: Get physical. This shouldn’t be a difficult ask of Nette as she is generally pretty physical and tough with her handfighting. The only individual Final X match that Winchester lost was in 2022 to Nette’s former Army WCAP teammate Jenna Burkert. Burkert was extremely physical herself. Maybe try to replicate a game plan from Burkert’s win. Winchester: Stay within yourself. Winchester is well-rounded and can win in a variety of different ways. If she’s aggressive, but not reckless, things should go her way in Newark.

Fishers

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 74 kg. This will be a transition year for the men’s freestyle team at this weight. For the first time since 2010, a wrestler not named Burroughs or Dake will represent us at the Senior World Championships. Just because it’s a changing of the guard, doesn’t mean that we won’t have a medal contender in Zagreb. Both Final X participants have U20/Junior world gold medals to their respective names. While not regular contenders at the Senior level (yet!), I like our chances at the World Championships with either. Those wrestlers are Mitchell Mesenbrink and David Carr. There will be plenty of familiarity between the two as they’ve met twice in the last 15 months. Each has a win. What better way to tilt the balance in one wrestler's favor than a best-of-three series with a trip to their first Senior World Championships on the line? 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 74 kg men’s freestyle Mitchell Mesenbrink vs. David Carr The overlying question in this series is “Was their US Open finals match an aberration?” A year ago, Mesenbrink and Carr wrestled an extremely tight match in the NCAA finals. Some think that Mesenbrink could have even earned another stalling call, which would have changed the complexion of the match. Then came the ambush at the Open. We know that there are some differences between freestyle and folkstyle; however, not necessarily to the tune of 16-6 which was the final score in Mesenbrink’s favor in Vegas. Mesenbrink is fresh off of a sophomore year at Penn State where he captured his first NCAA title and went unbeaten in the process. With Wyatt Hendrickson and teammate Carter Starocci out of the picture, Mesenbrink might be the preseason Hodge Trophy favorite. Even so, Mesenbrink made a compelling case for the award with bonus points in almost 89% of his matches. 18 of his 27 wins came via technical fall - including his first eight of the year. Mesenbrink’s lopsided win over Carr was all the more surprising because Carr appeared to be next in line to take over at 74 kg. He has appeared to be on a level of his own. Carr didn’t surrender a point himself during his four pre-finals matches at the Open. He made the finals by cooling off a red-hot Jarrett Jacques, 11-0 in the semis. How they got here Mesenbrink: That same level of dominance carried over to the freestyle world. Mesenbrink outscored the competition 42-1 on his way to the Open finals. That includes a 12-1 tech over former national runner-up Quincy Monday in the semifinals. That Open title locked up a place in Final X for Mesenbrink. Carr: To advance to Final X, Carr had to head to Kentucky and win the World Team Trials. This event was not like the Open - Carr had to grind his way to wins in both the semifinals and finals. He earned a spot in the championship match after outlasting 2025 All-American Terrell Barraclough, 6-3. For the berth in Final X, it was another meeting with Jacques. This was a much more tactical, methodically paced match, but Carr got the 2-0 victory and a rematch in Final X. Recent Form Mesenbrink: Mesenbrink was kept busy during the collegiate season; however, right before that kicked off he traveled to Albania for the U23 World Championships. The Penn State star ended up taking home a bronze medal after losing to Japan’s Kota Takahashi in the quarterfinals. Carr: Coming into the Open, Carr had medaled at a pair of international tournaments in late-2024 and early-2025. Last December, Carr captured gold at the Kunaev Tournament in Kazakhstan. Two months later, he was a silver medalist at the Zagreb Open Rankings Series event. Past History As mentioned above, these two are now 1-1 career against each other. Carr got the 2024 NCAA finals victory during his last collegiate match. Mesenbrink responded with a 16-6 win in the finals of the 2025 Open. Keys to Victory Sometimes the answers are very complicated, other times they are relatively easy. I think this match comes down to “who can control the pace.” If it’s an uptempo affair and Mesenbrink is able to move at will, he’ll be difficult to beat. If Carr can tie Mesenbrink up for their feet and control ties, he has a much better chance of winning. That being said, should Carr get an early takedown or an early lead, he can’t look to sit on it and play defense, he’ll have to keep scoring. As many wrestlers have figured out, it’s easy to say “Slow down Mesenbrink,” but much harder to actually do it.

One of the biggest remaining names in the transfer portal announced his future plans this afternoon as Rafael Hipolito announced that he will transfer to the University of Oklahoma. As a redshirt freshman at Virginia Tech in 2024-25, Hipolito amassed an 18-5 record at 157 lbs and captured an ACC title. To win his ACC crown, Hipolito posted a 7-3 win over former All-American Ed Scott of NC State - his second victory of the year over Scott. Unfortunately, in his NCAA Tournament debut, Hipolito went 1-2 and missed the NCAA podium - despite starting with the #4 seed. Over the course of the year, Hipolito downed three wrestlers who were previous or future All-Americans. Scott, Caleb Fish (Oklahoma State), and Peyten Kellar (Ohio). Speaking of Kellar, he also transferred to Oklahoma in the offseason. Since both wrestlers have used redshirts, Hipolito might be the logical choice to move up. Oklahoma has gotten a serious facelift over the last couple of months through the transfer portal. In addition to Hipolito and Kellar, they’ve also picked up NCAA qualifiers Jack Gioffre (Virginia), Brian Soldano (Rutgers), and Tyler Wells (Minnesota). Hipolito came to Virginia Tech as the #47 recruit in the Class of 2023. He also is a multiple-time world champion in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu.

Crown Point

Idaho Falls

Bixby

Cheyenne East

Racoon River-Northwest

Bellevue

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