Final X Preview: Becka Leathers vs. Jacarra Winchester, 55 kg women
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Photo of Becka Leathers by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors. Jaccara Winchester photo by John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com
Who: Becka Leathers vs. Jacarra Winchester
What: Final X
Where: Lincoln, Neb.
When: June 9
Why: Women’s freestyle World Team spot at 55 kg
Tickets: FinalX.tv
Becka Leathers
How she got to Final X:
Competing in her first Senior World Championships in Paris in 2017, Leathers won a World bronze medal, a result which automatically qualified her for Final X.
Background:
Coming out of Oklahoma, Leathers learned the sport competing against the boys and wrestling mostly in folkstyle. She made her USA Wrestling debut in the Girls Folkstyle Nationals in her native Oklahoma, winning a gold medal in the Schoolgirl division. Two years later, she returned to the event, won titles as both a Cadet and a Junior. She started doing the freestyle circuit after that, and quickly became one of the nation’s best at her age-group level.
She started making U.S. World Teams as a Cadet in 2013, and competed in two Junior World Championships after that. She claimed a bronze medal at the Junior Worlds in Brazil in 2015. She was Haley Augello’s training partner at the 2016 Olympics, and qualified for the 2016 Junior World Team, but could not attend due to illness. When she made her first Senior World Team in 2017, Leathers had a wealth of international experience, and cashed it in by winning a Senior World bronze medal in Paris.
Leathers was out a bit this fall, recovering from injury, but has been active this winter. She went 1-1 at the Women’s World Cup in Japan in March, won the U23 World Team Trials up at 57 kg, then claimed the gold medal at the Pan American Championships in Peru in May. Although still young at age 21 (not 22 until November), Leathers has extensive experience, strong self-confidence and the ability to compete with anybody in the world.
Leathers’ World Championship experience:
2013 Cadet World Championships in Zrenjanin, Serbia – SEVENTH
2014 Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia – EIGHTH
2015 Junior World Championships in Salvador, Brazil - BRONZE
2017 Senior World Championships in Paris, France – BRONZE
Jacarra Winchester
How she got to Final X:
Winchester claimed the Final X spot with a victory at the Freestyle World Team Trials in Rochester, beating another National Team member, Dominique Parrish, with two straight technical falls in the final series.
Background:
Jacarra Winchester has been competitive on the Senior level for a long time, but truly seems to be putting it all together in the last few years. A California state high school champion in 2010, Winchester went to Missouri Valley, where she was a 2015 WCWA nationals champion, and also placed second in the 2013 WCWA Nationals.
Winchester made her first Women’s National Team in 2014-15, after placing third in the World Team Trials in 2014. She reached her first U.S. Open final in 2015, taking the silver medal. She has been on the National Team the last two years after third place finishes in World Team Trials events in 2016 and 2017. In her only U.S. age-group World Team appearance, Winchester won a bronze in the 2014 World University Championships.
At times, Winchester has competed at higher weight classes, but really seems to be finding her groove down at 55 kg this time. She has won the last two major domestic events she entered, the U.S. Open and the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Internationally, she won the gold at the respected Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial, took a bronze at the Russia Cup and also had two competitive bouts at the Women’s World Cup. Training full-time at the U.S. Olympic Training Center has been helpful for her development, and she is adding consistency to her strong athletic abilities and effective technical skills.
Winchester’s World Championship experience
2014 University World Championships in Pecs, Hungary - BRONZE
Notes
• Both athletes are past WCWA national champions, Leathers for Oklahoma City in 2016 and Winchester for Missouri Valley in 2015.
• Leathers and Winchester split duties at 55 kg at the 2018 Women’s World Cup in Japan, each taking two matches. Both went 1-1 in their bouts for Team USA.
• Their most recent meeting came at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in February 2017, when Leathers beat Winchester 10-2 as part of a four-athlete roundrobin at 55 kg. Leathers won the gold there and Winchester was third.
• Winchester scored a 12-2 technical fall over Leathers in the challenge tournament semifinals at 55 kg at the 2015 World Team Trials in Madison, Wis.
• You can follow Becka Leathers on Twitter @TeamBA4Life and on Instagram @BeckaLeathers
• Check out Jacarra Winchester on her Twitter handle @Jacarra016
55 kg/121 lbs. WOMEN
Becka Leathers, Choctaw, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
College: Grays Harbor CC, Oklahoma City High School: Choctaw, Okla. Born: November 19, 1996
• 2017 World bronze medalist
• 2017 World Team Trials champion
• 2015 Junior World bronze medalist
• 2017 Pan American Championships champion
• 2017 Dave Schultz Memorial International champion
• 2017 University Nationals champion
• Second in 2017 U.S. Open
• Three-time UWW Junior Nationals champion (2014-16)
• 2016 WCWA national champion for Oklahoma City
• Four-time USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle National champion
Jacarra Winchester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OTC)
College: Missouri Valley High School: Arroyo, Calif. Born: Oct. 19, 1992
• 2018 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion
• 2018 U.S. Open champion
• Third in 2014 University World Championships
• 2018 Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial champion
• Second in 2015 and 2017 U.S. Open
• Third 2017 in Russia Cup
• Third in 2014 and 2017 U.S. World Team Trials
• Third in 2016 Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials
• 2016 Canada Cup champion
• 2014 University Nationals champion
• 2015 WCWA Nationals champion for Missouri Valley
Who: Becka Leathers vs. Jacarra Winchester
What: Final X
Where: Lincoln, Neb.
When: June 9
Why: Women’s freestyle World Team spot at 55 kg
Tickets: FinalX.tv
Becka Leathers
How she got to Final X:
Competing in her first Senior World Championships in Paris in 2017, Leathers won a World bronze medal, a result which automatically qualified her for Final X.
Background:
Coming out of Oklahoma, Leathers learned the sport competing against the boys and wrestling mostly in folkstyle. She made her USA Wrestling debut in the Girls Folkstyle Nationals in her native Oklahoma, winning a gold medal in the Schoolgirl division. Two years later, she returned to the event, won titles as both a Cadet and a Junior. She started doing the freestyle circuit after that, and quickly became one of the nation’s best at her age-group level.
She started making U.S. World Teams as a Cadet in 2013, and competed in two Junior World Championships after that. She claimed a bronze medal at the Junior Worlds in Brazil in 2015. She was Haley Augello’s training partner at the 2016 Olympics, and qualified for the 2016 Junior World Team, but could not attend due to illness. When she made her first Senior World Team in 2017, Leathers had a wealth of international experience, and cashed it in by winning a Senior World bronze medal in Paris.
Leathers was out a bit this fall, recovering from injury, but has been active this winter. She went 1-1 at the Women’s World Cup in Japan in March, won the U23 World Team Trials up at 57 kg, then claimed the gold medal at the Pan American Championships in Peru in May. Although still young at age 21 (not 22 until November), Leathers has extensive experience, strong self-confidence and the ability to compete with anybody in the world.
Leathers’ World Championship experience:
2013 Cadet World Championships in Zrenjanin, Serbia – SEVENTH
2014 Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia – EIGHTH
2015 Junior World Championships in Salvador, Brazil - BRONZE
2017 Senior World Championships in Paris, France – BRONZE
Jacarra Winchester
How she got to Final X:
Winchester claimed the Final X spot with a victory at the Freestyle World Team Trials in Rochester, beating another National Team member, Dominique Parrish, with two straight technical falls in the final series.
Background:
Jacarra Winchester has been competitive on the Senior level for a long time, but truly seems to be putting it all together in the last few years. A California state high school champion in 2010, Winchester went to Missouri Valley, where she was a 2015 WCWA nationals champion, and also placed second in the 2013 WCWA Nationals.
Winchester made her first Women’s National Team in 2014-15, after placing third in the World Team Trials in 2014. She reached her first U.S. Open final in 2015, taking the silver medal. She has been on the National Team the last two years after third place finishes in World Team Trials events in 2016 and 2017. In her only U.S. age-group World Team appearance, Winchester won a bronze in the 2014 World University Championships.
At times, Winchester has competed at higher weight classes, but really seems to be finding her groove down at 55 kg this time. She has won the last two major domestic events she entered, the U.S. Open and the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Internationally, she won the gold at the respected Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial, took a bronze at the Russia Cup and also had two competitive bouts at the Women’s World Cup. Training full-time at the U.S. Olympic Training Center has been helpful for her development, and she is adding consistency to her strong athletic abilities and effective technical skills.
Winchester’s World Championship experience
2014 University World Championships in Pecs, Hungary - BRONZE
Notes
• Both athletes are past WCWA national champions, Leathers for Oklahoma City in 2016 and Winchester for Missouri Valley in 2015.
• Leathers and Winchester split duties at 55 kg at the 2018 Women’s World Cup in Japan, each taking two matches. Both went 1-1 in their bouts for Team USA.
• Their most recent meeting came at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in February 2017, when Leathers beat Winchester 10-2 as part of a four-athlete roundrobin at 55 kg. Leathers won the gold there and Winchester was third.
• Winchester scored a 12-2 technical fall over Leathers in the challenge tournament semifinals at 55 kg at the 2015 World Team Trials in Madison, Wis.
• You can follow Becka Leathers on Twitter @TeamBA4Life and on Instagram @BeckaLeathers
• Check out Jacarra Winchester on her Twitter handle @Jacarra016
55 kg/121 lbs. WOMEN
Becka Leathers, Choctaw, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
College: Grays Harbor CC, Oklahoma City High School: Choctaw, Okla. Born: November 19, 1996
• 2017 World bronze medalist
• 2017 World Team Trials champion
• 2015 Junior World bronze medalist
• 2017 Pan American Championships champion
• 2017 Dave Schultz Memorial International champion
• 2017 University Nationals champion
• Second in 2017 U.S. Open
• Three-time UWW Junior Nationals champion (2014-16)
• 2016 WCWA national champion for Oklahoma City
• Four-time USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle National champion
Jacarra Winchester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OTC)
College: Missouri Valley High School: Arroyo, Calif. Born: Oct. 19, 1992
• 2018 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion
• 2018 U.S. Open champion
• Third in 2014 University World Championships
• 2018 Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial champion
• Second in 2015 and 2017 U.S. Open
• Third 2017 in Russia Cup
• Third in 2014 and 2017 U.S. World Team Trials
• Third in 2016 Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials
• 2016 Canada Cup champion
• 2014 University Nationals champion
• 2015 WCWA Nationals champion for Missouri Valley
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