Maroulis is new No. 1 at 53 kg as Team USA is well represented in UWW rankings
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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
| Maroulis became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in wrestling. Photo: Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com |
The United States boasts eight women in the most recent edition of the United World Wrestling women’s freestyle rankings, which were released today as a post-Olympic ranking.
Olympic champion Helen Maroulis (Huntington Beach, Calif./Sunkist Kids) takes the No. 1-spot at 53 kg, after beating out the most decorated wrestler in history, three-time Olympic champion and 13-time World Champion Saori Yoshida of Japan in the Olympic finals. With the victory, Maroulis became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold in wrestling. Maroulis was previously ranked No. 1 at 55 kg, where she won the 2015 World title.
2012 World champion and four-time World medalist Elena Pirozhkova (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC) finished fifth in her second Olympic Games and finds herself at No. 6 at 63 kg. She wrestled her way to the semifinals, where she was edged out and eventually fell just short in the bronze-medal match.
Three-time World champion and five-time World medalist Adeline Gray (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC/OTC) went into Rio as the top-ranked wrestler at 75 kg. She was upset in the quarterfinals by Vasillisa Marzaliuk of Belarus and was not pulled back into the repechage, placing seventh. This month, Gray checks in at No. 7 in the rankings.
Haley Augello (Lockport, Ill./New York AC/OTC) breaks into the top-10 after a strong performance in Rio, sitting at No. 9 at 48 kg. Augello, who entered the Rio Games ranked No. 17, made a run for the bronze medal but was stopped short in a 3-2 loss to two-time World medalist Zhuidyz Eshimova of Kazakhstan in the repechage to finish ninth in the standings.
Victoria Anthony (Huntington Beach, Calif./Sunkist Kids) is also ranked at 48 kg, staying put at No. 15, while 2016 Olympic Team Trials champion Tamyra Mensah (Katy, Texas/Titan Mercury WC/OTC) holds the No. 14 spot at 69 kg.
Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC/OTC) and Leigh Jaynes (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP/OTC) represent Team USA at the non-Olympic weights, with Hildebrandt at No. 12 at 55 kg and Jaynes at No. 14 at 60 kg.
There will be a non-Olympic weights World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Dec. 10-11.
Click here to read full UWW Story on women’s freestyle World rankings
U.S. women's freestyle wrestlers ranked in the UWW September rankings
No. 1 at 53 kg – Helen Maroulis, Rockville, Md. (Sunkist Kids)
No. 6 at 63 kg – Elena Pirozhkova, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC)
No. 7 at 75 kg – Adeline Gray, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC/OTC)
No. 9 at 48 kg – Haley Augello, Lockport, Ill. (New York AC/OTC)
No. 12 at 55 kg – Sarah Hildebrandt, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC/OTC)
No. 14 at 69 kg – Tamyra Mensah, Katy, Texas (Titan Mercury WC/OTC)
No. 14 at 60 kg – Leigh Jaynes, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP/OTC)
No. 15 at 48 kg – Victoria Anthony, Huntington Beach Calif. (Sunkist Kids)
