Mensah defends U.S. Senior Nationals title against Olympian Pirozhkova tonight in Las Vegas

Olympic Trials champion Tamyra Mensah advances to the 69 kg finals with 11-0 win over Rachel Watters. Photo: Robbert Wijtman.

VIDEO: U.S. Senior Nationals Interviews


LAS VEGAS – Elena Pirozhkova is coming off her second appearance at the Olympic Games. Tamyra Mensah won the Olympic Trials but wound up one win shy of qualifying to compete in Rio. The two will wrestle for a U.S. Senior Nationals championship tonight in Las Vegas.


The 69 kg/152 lbs. bout between Pirozhkova and Mensah headlines a top-notch set of women’s freestyle finals set for 6 p.m. (PT) at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino.


Pirozhkova secured her place in the 69-kg championship match with an 8-0 decision over 2015 Junior World Team member Forrest Molinari. The highly-accomplished Pirozhkova finished in fifth place at the Olympic Games last August while competing at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.


Mensah, the defending U.S. Senior Nationals champion at 69 kg, defeated two-time Junior World Team member Rachel Watters 11-0 in her semifinal. Mensah has posted a landmark 2016 campaign by winning six international medals on top of taking the top spot at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.


“I’m excited to get a rematch against Elena,” Mensah said following her semifinal victory. “This is going to be exciting. Win or lose I’m just happy to be able to be in the ring with her, and not as a practice partner. I was her training partner for Rio. We know how our styles work. I’m excited to just be back.”


Pirozhkova and Mensah last wrestled in the finals of the 2015 U.S. World Team Trials at 69 kg with Pirozhkova taking the best-of-three championship series two matches to none. Both Pirozhkova victories came by way of technical fall.


Another premier finals bout will feature two past Junior World medalists, Jennifer Page and Maya Nelson, battling for the top spot at 63 kg. Both women won gritty semifinals matches to advance to tonight’s championship bout.


Page downed rising prospect Mallory Velte 6-1 in her semifinal match. Velte entered as the No. 1 seed at 63 kg coming off a second-place finish at the 60 kg World Team Trials last month. She was also a third-place finisher at the Olympic Trials.


Nelson won a battle of 2016 Junior World bronze medalists in her semifinal against Alexis Porter, 3-0.


“[Porter] is a very tough opponent and I knew that going into this. It’s always a hard matchup between us two, and I knew I had to get her out of position, and she has great position, so I knew that was going to be my toughest challenge in the match,” Nelson said after the win.


Neither Page nor Nelson have won a U.S. Senior Nationals title. Page finished as the 63-kg runner-up last year while Nelson ended up in third place at 58 kg.


“I’ve never wrestled [Page], so it’s going to be fun,” Nelson added. “I’ve been having fun all day, and I just love this tournament, so I’m ready to go out there, have some fun, and do what I can on the mat.”


Perennial contenders Erin Clodgo and Julia Salata both dominated their morning matches to find themselves in the 75 kg/165 lbs. finals.


Clodgo, who typically competes at 63 kg, was a World Team member in 2015 and finished in second place at the Olympic Trials earlier this year. Salata won a University World bronze medal in 2014 and came in fourth place at the Olympic Trials at 69 kg.


2014 World Team member Jenna Burkert has returned to top form and will wrestle Bill Farrell International bronze medalist Carla Ponce in the 60 kg/132 lbs. finals this evening.


The four women’s freestyle finals will be held in conjunction with four Greco-Roman finals tonight.


Complete brackets, match-by-match results and a live stream of the U.S. Senior Nationals can be found at Flowrestling.com.

2017 U.S. SENIOR WOMEN’S FREESTYLE NATIONALS

Dec. 17-18 at Las Vegas, Nev.

Finals Matchups

60 kg/132 lbs. 

Jenna Burkert (U.S. Army WCAP) vs. Carla Ponce (Aries WC)

63 kg/138.75 lbs.

Jennifer Page (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Maya Nelson (Sunkist Kids)

69 kg/152 lbs.

Elena Pirozhkova (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Tamyra Mensah (Titan Mercury WC)

75 kg/165 lbs.

Erin Clodgo (Sunkist Kids) vs. Julia Salata (New York AC)

Semifinal Results

60 kg/132 lbs. 

Jenna Burkert (U.S. Army WCAP) tech. fall Nicole Joseph (King), 10-0

Carla Ponce (Aries WC) dec. Arian Carpio (Sunkist Kids), 6-0

63 kg/138.75 lbs.

Jennifer Page (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Mallory Velte (Titan Mercury WC), 6-1

Maya Nelson (Sunkist Kids) dec. Alexis Porter (New York AC), 3-0

69 kg/152 lbs.

Elena Pirozhkova (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Forrest Molinari (Titan Mercury WC), 8-0

Tamyra Mensah (Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Rachel Watters (Aries WC), 11-0

75 kg/165 lbs.

Erin Clodgo (Sunkist Kids) dec. Brandy Lowe (Bearcat WC), 12-4

Julia Salata (New York AC) tech. fall Brandy Marshall (Wayland Baptist), 10-0