On Friday, the Prudential Center hosted Final X, where USA Wrestling held meets to determine who would be part of the U.S. Senior National Team in freestyle wrestling for the 2026 Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The format featured a best-of-three series between two wrestlers in a specific weight class. The first match took place during the first session, which began at 12:30 p.m., with the second and third matches (if necessary) at 5 p.m. The winner of the first match would obviously have a mental edge. However, the possibility of a third match looms, adding pressure to both competitors.
Before we got the main card, the day began with men’s and women’s true-third matches to determine the No. 3 ranking for USA Wrestling. Hometown athlete Beau Bartlett of Hoboken won his match against Joey McKenna by forfeit, becoming No. 3 in the 65kg (143 pounds) division. While most of the true-third matches went to a decision, Samara Chavez and Dustin Plott ran through their opponents 10-0 in quick fashion, dominating from the start.
All eyes locally were on Willingboro’s James Green, who was competing for a chance to advance to the World Championships. A former four-time All-American at Nebraska, Green was seeking to complete his mission after returning to competitive wrestling in 2022. He faced David Carr, a member of the legendary Carr wrestling family, whose dad, Nate, is a three-time NCAA Champion at Iowa State and a bronze medalist at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.
Green won the first match of the best-of-three 6-3 after a furious rally in the second half. Heading into the second match, the pressure was on Carr to force a deciding third match, but Green never let him get into a rhythm, holding a 5-0 lead. A problem Green faced throughout the bout was a bloody nose sustained during the first half of the second bout. The third match saw both men play cautiously throughout, as neither wanted to make a mistake. In the end, Green beat Carr 4-1 in the third and deciding set to advance to his eighth appearance on the National Team in a World competition.
After what may have been the sixth stoppage, with trainers cleaning Green’s bloody nose, Carr ran off six straight points in rapid succession to go up 6-5 with 45 seconds left in the bout. Carr played keep-away for the remainder of the bout to force a third match later in the night.
The main events on both the men’s and women’s sides were rematches from last year’s Final X. At 86 kg, Zahid Valencia faced Kyle Dake, who sought to avenge two straight losses to Valencia last year. Also seeking redemption was Amanda Martinez at 57 kg, who was pinned twice by Helen Maroulis last year.
Maroulis wore down Martinez in the second bout after taking the first 8-1. Martinez put in a better effort but could not take down Maroulis, who will represent the United States in a world competition for the 20th time in her career. Dake forced a third bout after falling 3-2 in the first bout and then taking down Valencia 4-1. In the third and final bout, Dake dominated as Valencia could not mount a proper attack against the veteran. Dake scored early and shut out Valencia 4-0 to advance to the World Championships.
Six of the matchups at Final X went to a third bout, underscoring the skill and depth of USA Wrestling. With wins by young wrestlers such as 18-year-olds Everest Leydecker and Morgan Turner, USA Wrestling is also preparing for a new generation of competitors to take center stage, especially with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles on the horizon.
Final X Results
Men’s Freestyle Best-of-Three Series Results
125 kg – Wyatt Hendrickson defeats Mason Parris, two matches to none
Round one – Hendrickson dec. Parris, 9-5
Round two – Hendrickson dec. Parris, 7-1
70 kg – Zain Retherford defeats Ridge Lovett, two matches to none
Round one – Retherford dec. Lovett, 2-1
Round two – Retherford dec. Lovett, 8-2
79 kg – Levi Haines defeats Chance Marsteller, two matches to none
Round one – Haines dec. Marsteller, 6-1
Round two – Haines dec. Marsteller, 6-3
74 kg – James Green defeats David Carr, two matches to one
Round one – Green dec. Carr, 6-3
Round two – Carr dec. Green, 6-5
Round three – Green dec. Carr, 4-1
97 kg – Kyle Snyder defeats Stephen Buchanan, two matches to one
Round one – Snyder dec. Buchanan, 5-2
Round two – Buchanan dec. Snyder, 5-5
Round three – Snyder dec. Buchanan, 9-3
61 kg – Marcus Blaze defeats Jax Forrest, two matches to one
Round one – Blaze dec. Forrest, 2-2
Round two – Forrest dec. Blaze, 6-1
Round three – Blaze dec. Forrest, 5-2
57 kg – Spencer Lee defeats Luke Lilledahl, two matches to none
Round one – Lee dec. Lilledahl, 7-1
Round two – Lee dec. Lilledahl, 8-4
86 kg – Kyle Dake defeats Zahid Valencia, two matches to one
Round one – Valencia dec. Dake, 3-2
Round two – Dake dec. Valencia, 4-1
Round three – Dake dec. Valencia, 4-0
Women’s Freestyle Best-of-Three Series Results
65 kg – Kayla Miracle defeats Jennifer Page, two matches to none
Round one – Miracle dec. Page, 7-2
Round two – Miracle dec. Page, 5-1
55 kg – Everest Leydecker defeats Areana Villaescusa, two matches to none
Round one – Leydecker dec. Villaescusa, 2-1
Round two – Leydecker dec. Villaescusa, 3-1
59 kg – Abigail Nette defeats Alexis Janiak, two matches to none
Round one – Nette fall Janiak, 1:41
Round two – Nette tech. fall Janiak, 10-0
53 kg – Cristelle Rodriguez defeats Elena Ivaldi, two matches to none
Round one – Rodriguez tech. fall Ivaldi, 10-0
Round two – Rodriguez dec. Ivaldi, 9-0
72 kg – Amit Elor defeats Alexandria Glaude, two matches to none
Round one – Elor forfeit Glaude
Round two – Elor forfeit Glaude
50 kg – Morgan Turner defeats Katie Gomez, two matches to one
Round one – Turner dec. Gomez, 7-2
Round two – Gomez dec. Turner, 3-2
Round three – Turner dec. Gomez, 8-2
62 kg – Adaugo Nwachukwu defeats Macey Kilty, two matches to one
Round one – Nwachukwu fall Kilty, 2:59
Round two – Kilty dec. Nwachukwu, 4-0
Round three – Nwachukwu dec. Kilty, 4-3
57 kg – Helen Maroulis defeats Amanda Martinez, two matches to none
Round one – Maroulis dec. Martinez, 8-1
Round two – Maroulis dec. Martinez, 6-0
Men’s Freestyle True-Third Results
70 kg – Landon Robideau forfeit Caleb Henson
79 kg – Evan Wick dec. Patrick Kennedy, 8-4
86 kg – Parker Keckeisen dec. Aeoden Sinclair, 5-5
92 kg – Dustin Plott tech. fall Seth Shumate, 10-0
61 kg – Austin DeSanto forfeit Benjamin Davino
65 kg – Beau Bartlett forfeit Joey McKenna
Women’s Freestyle True-Third Results
65 kg – Reese Larramendy forfeit Emma Bruntil
50 kg – Samara Chavez tech. fall Felicity Taylor, 10-0
57 kg – Alex Hedrick dec. Amani Jones, 5-3
68 kg – Latifah McBryde dec. Jasmine Robinson, 8-2
