Final X: Rutgers women’s freestyle championship series preview
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Becka Leathers shoots low on Jenna Burkert in the 2019 U.S. Open finals at 57 kg. They battle again this weekend at Final X: Rutgers. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
Final X: Rutgers will feature five women’s freestyle championship series, two in the 12:00 noon session and three in the 6:00 p.m. session. Seven of the 10 women wrestlers competing in Rutgers on Saturday are past Senior World Team members, including two Senior World medalists. All 10 of the women have competed on at least one U.S. age-group World Team, with a combined nine age-group World medals from this group.
There is a rematch from Final X last year, the 50 kg battle between Whitney Conder and Victoria Anthony. Conder won the 2018 Final X series, needing three matches to get past Anthony.
Four of these pairings feature a rematch from the 2019 U.S. Open, which means most of these wrestlers have competed against each other recently. All of them have wrestled against each other during the past year.
We provide a preview for each of the women’s freestyle matchups below for Final X: Rutgers.
Session One – 12:00 noon
Bout 2: Women’s FS 72 kg – U.S. Olympic champion Alyvia Fiske (Napa, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Victoria Francis (Litchfield, Ill./Titan Mercury WC)
This battle features one of the fastest rising young stars in women’s wrestling, Alyvia Fiske, against a veteran talent and past Senior World team member Victoria Francis, who did not compete last year and has been rounding into top form this season. This is a rematch of the U.S. Open finals, won by Fiske, 5-4.
Fiske, a California native who goes to college in Canada at Simon Fraser, has won a number of major events this year, including the U.S. Senior Open, which qualified her for Final X for the first time. Fiske also won the 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial, the 2019 UWW Junior World Team Trials and the 2019 U23 World Team Trials. The only major event she has not recent won was the 2019 WCWA college nationals, where she was third at 155 pounds.
Francis was a member of the 2017 Senior World Team, a 2014 Junior World bronze medalist and a 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up. She served a USADA suspension last year, which kept her out of the Final X process. In her return to action, Francis lost to Fiske at the U.S. Open finals, then came back to earn a rematch by winning the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh a few weeks ago.
With a 5-4 final in Vegas, it would not be surprising to see this series go the full three matches at Final X: Rutgers.
Past Senior World Teams
Francis – 2017 Senior Worlds (13th at 75kg)
Fiske - None
Past Age-Group World Teams
Francis – 2014 Junior Worlds (bronze at 72 kg)
Fiske – 2018 Junior Worlds (14th at 72 kg)
Recent head-to-head matches
April 2019 – U.S. Open finals – Fiske, 5-4
Bout 6: Women’s FS 57 kg – U.S. Open champion Becka Leathers (Chapel Hill, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Tarheel RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Jenna Burkert (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP)
This is one of the more intriguing women’s freestyle matchups for Final X, as both Becka Leathers and Jenna Burkert have extensive World Championships experience at both the Senior and age-group levels. Leathers boasts the only Senior World medal from this pairing, a World bronze medal in 2017 in Paris at 55 kg. They were teammates on the 2013 Junior World Team at different weight classes.
Last year, both athletes were defeated in Final X, with Leathers losing to Jacarra Winchester at 55 kg and Burkert falling to Alli Ragan at 59 kg. Burkert was able to compete in the 2018 Senior Worlds in Budapest as an injury replacement for Ragan, which was her second Senior World Championships appearance.
Leathers beat Burkert, 7-5 in the U.S. Open finals in Las Vegas in April to advance to Final X. Burkert came through with a win at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh to earn a rematch with Leathers. Their battle in Las Vegas was close, which should mean some close matches at Rutgers as well. A big key will be the first match of their series on Saturday; in most cases, the wrestler who wins round one will end up winning the series.
Past Senior World Teams
Leathers – 2017 Senior Worlds (bronze at 55kg)
Burkert – 2018 Senior Worlds (15th at 59kg), 2018 World Military (4th at 63kg), 2014 Senior Worlds (15th at 60kg)
Past Age-Group World Teams
Leathers – 2018 U23 Worlds (8th at 57kg), 2015 Junior Worlds (bronze at 55kg), 2014 Junior Worlds (8th at 55kg), 2013 Cadet Worlds (7th at 60kg)
Burkert – 2013 Junior Worlds (8th at 59kg), 2012 Junior Worlds (18th at 59kg), 2011 Junior Worlds (8th at 59kg)
Recent head-to-head matches
April 2019 – U.S. Open finals – Leathers, 7-5
Session Two – 6:00 p.m.
Bout 1: Women’s FS 65 kg – U.S. Open champion Forrest Molinari (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Maya Nelson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids/OTC)
Fans are looking forward to this battle, as two tough and talented women will battle it out for the 2019 World Team berth. Forrest Molinari is the returning U.S. Senior World Team member at this weight class, and defeated Maya Nelson in the 2019 U.S. Open finals. Nelson, who missed a chunk of action last year with an injury, was a 2017 Junior World champion who made the decision to compete up at 65 kg this year instead of going down to the Olympic weight class.
Molinari just missing a World medal last year, and has two wins over Nelson this year, scoring a 5-1 victory in the U.S. Open finals and a 6-3 win at the Dan Kolov International during the winter tour season. Since last year, Molinari has moved to Iowa City to train with the Hawkeye WC, which now has a stable of talented women wrestlers. She has established a reputation for competing hard and battling for every point, something she may need against Nelson to earn a return trip to the Senior Worlds.
Nelson has also looked very sharp in her competitions this season. She won a gold medal in her first big test at 65 kg, claiming the title at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. After falling to Molinari in the U.S. Open finals, Nelson earned a spot on the 2019 U23 World Team, then won the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh for another shot at Molinari. Go back to April 2017, and Nelson has a win over Molinari on the back side at the U.S. Open. Nelson will have confidence going into this weekend that she is capable of taking this series.
Past Senior World Teams
Molinari – 2018 Senior Worlds (5th at 65kg)
Nelson - None
Past Age-Group World Teams
Molinari – 2018 U23 Worlds (7th at 65kg), 2017 U23 Worlds (16th at 69kg), 2015 Junior Worlds (7th at 67kg)
Nelson – 2017 U23 Worlds (13th at 63kg), 2017 Junior Worlds (gold at 63kg), 2016 Junior Worlds (bronze at 63kg)
Recent head-to-head matches
April 2019 – U.S. Open finals – Molinari, 5-1
February 2019 – Dan Kolov International (Bulgaria) – Molinari 6-3
April 2017 - U.S. Open consolation semifinals – Nelson, 4-0
Bout 3: Women’s FS 68 kg – World bronze medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Alexandria Glaude (W. Sacramento, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/McKendree Bearcat WC)
Of the Final X: Rutgers women’s series, there is only one strong favorite to win from the five matchups on the card. 2018 World bronze medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock is one of the most successful women wrestlers in the world this season, and comes into Final X on an impressive winning streak. Her opponent, 2018 U23 World bronze medalist Alexandria Glaude is also wrestling very well, but does not have the same kind of experience or resume that Mensah-Stock brings to New Jersey.
Mensah-Stock has won gold medals in all three UWW Ranking Tournaments held in 2019, including a win at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix up a weight class at 72 kg. She followed that with UWW Ranking Tournament wins at the Dan Kolov in Bulgaria and at the Sassari City in Italy. Mensah-Stock scored a 10-0 technical fall over Glaude at the Kolov in February. Add in a Pan American Championships gold medal, which scores UWW Ranking Points, and Mensah-Stock sits at No. 2 in the world.
Glaude comes off a bronze medal at the 2018 U23 Worlds, then she captured a title for McKendree University at the 2019 WCWA women’s college nationals. Glaude was a little banged up and did not compete in the U.S. Open, but came back strong with a victory at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament to secure a chance to make the Senior World Team. Glaude was third on the Senior National Team last year, so she has proven her ability at the Senior level and shows continued improvement.
Past Senior World Teams
Mensah-Stock: 2018 Senior Worlds (bronze at 68kg), 2017 Senior Worlds (9th at 69kg)
Glaude - None
Past Age-Group World Teams
Mensah-Stock: 2014 University Worlds (silver at 67kg)
Glaude: 2018 U23 Worlds (bronze at 68kg), 2017 Junior Worlds (9th at 67kg)
Recent head-to-head matches
2019 Dan Kolov International (Bulgaria) – Mensah-Stock, 10-0
Bout 4: Women’s FS 50 kg –U.S. Open champion Whitney Conder (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Victoria Anthony (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids)
Who ya got, Conder or Anthony? Of the excellent women’s pairings on the card for Final X: Rutgers, the Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony could be one of the most exciting. Both have made multiple Senior World Teams. Both have been Junior World champions. Both are wrestling at a high level heading into their Rutgers showdown. This is a rematch from Final X in 2018, won by Conder in three matches.
Conder has held the edge over Anthony in five of their six matches in the past year, with two wins at Final X in Lehigh last June, and victories at the Dan Kolov in Bulgaria and German Grand Prix in February, as well as the U.S. Open semifinals in April. Conder has made four previous U.S. Senior World Teams and seems to compete well at 50 kg, after spending much of her career up at either 53 kg or 51 kg.
Anthony has been fifth in the Senior World Championships twice, and is a two-time Junior World champion. She has beaten many of the best women in the world at 48 kg, and now the new 50 kg weight class. Earlier this year, Anthony may not have been competing at her best level, but she looked extremely sharp in her World Team Trials Challenge Tournament two-match sweep over Erin Golston in Raleigh.
When you combine experience and talent, this is clearly a great pairing. It would not be surprising to see another three-match series here, and we can expect both competitors to be ready to roll and confident in their abilities.
Past Senior World Teams
Conder – 2018 Senior Worlds (14th at 50 kg), 2015 Senior Worlds (16th at 53kg), 2014 Military Worlds (silver at 53kg), 2014 Senior Worlds (9th at 53kg), 2011 Senior Worlds (13th at 51kg)
Anthony – 2017 Senior Worlds (5th at 48kg), 2013 Senior Worlds (5th at 51kg)
Past Age-Group World Teams
Conder – 2007 Junior Worlds (gold at 51kg)
Anthony – 2013 World University Games (7th at 48kg), 2012 University Worlds (9th at 48kg), 2011 Junior Worlds (5th at 48kg), 2010 Junior Worlds (gold at 48kg), 2009 Junior Worlds (gold at 44kg), 2008 Junior Worlds (5th at 44kg),
Recent head-to-head matches
April 2019 - U.S. Open semifinals – Conder, 4-4
February 2019 – German Grand Prix – Conder 7-3
February 2019 – Dan Kolov International (Bulgaria) – Conder 4-0
June 2018 – Final X: Lehigh – Bout 3 - Conder 11-0
June 2018 – Final X: Lehigh – Bout 2 – Anthony 4-2
June 2018 – Final X: Lehigh – Bout 1 – Conder 10-4
Final X: Rutgers will feature five women’s freestyle championship series, two in the 12:00 noon session and three in the 6:00 p.m. session. Seven of the 10 women wrestlers competing in Rutgers on Saturday are past Senior World Team members, including two Senior World medalists. All 10 of the women have competed on at least one U.S. age-group World Team, with a combined nine age-group World medals from this group.
There is a rematch from Final X last year, the 50 kg battle between Whitney Conder and Victoria Anthony. Conder won the 2018 Final X series, needing three matches to get past Anthony.
Four of these pairings feature a rematch from the 2019 U.S. Open, which means most of these wrestlers have competed against each other recently. All of them have wrestled against each other during the past year.
We provide a preview for each of the women’s freestyle matchups below for Final X: Rutgers.
Session One – 12:00 noon
Bout 2: Women’s FS 72 kg – U.S. Olympic champion Alyvia Fiske (Napa, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Victoria Francis (Litchfield, Ill./Titan Mercury WC)
This battle features one of the fastest rising young stars in women’s wrestling, Alyvia Fiske, against a veteran talent and past Senior World team member Victoria Francis, who did not compete last year and has been rounding into top form this season. This is a rematch of the U.S. Open finals, won by Fiske, 5-4.
Fiske, a California native who goes to college in Canada at Simon Fraser, has won a number of major events this year, including the U.S. Senior Open, which qualified her for Final X for the first time. Fiske also won the 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial, the 2019 UWW Junior World Team Trials and the 2019 U23 World Team Trials. The only major event she has not recent won was the 2019 WCWA college nationals, where she was third at 155 pounds.
Francis was a member of the 2017 Senior World Team, a 2014 Junior World bronze medalist and a 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up. She served a USADA suspension last year, which kept her out of the Final X process. In her return to action, Francis lost to Fiske at the U.S. Open finals, then came back to earn a rematch by winning the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh a few weeks ago.
With a 5-4 final in Vegas, it would not be surprising to see this series go the full three matches at Final X: Rutgers.
Past Senior World Teams
Francis – 2017 Senior Worlds (13th at 75kg)
Fiske - None
Past Age-Group World Teams
Francis – 2014 Junior Worlds (bronze at 72 kg)
Fiske – 2018 Junior Worlds (14th at 72 kg)
Recent head-to-head matches
April 2019 – U.S. Open finals – Fiske, 5-4
Bout 6: Women’s FS 57 kg – U.S. Open champion Becka Leathers (Chapel Hill, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Tarheel RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Jenna Burkert (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP)
This is one of the more intriguing women’s freestyle matchups for Final X, as both Becka Leathers and Jenna Burkert have extensive World Championships experience at both the Senior and age-group levels. Leathers boasts the only Senior World medal from this pairing, a World bronze medal in 2017 in Paris at 55 kg. They were teammates on the 2013 Junior World Team at different weight classes.
Last year, both athletes were defeated in Final X, with Leathers losing to Jacarra Winchester at 55 kg and Burkert falling to Alli Ragan at 59 kg. Burkert was able to compete in the 2018 Senior Worlds in Budapest as an injury replacement for Ragan, which was her second Senior World Championships appearance.
Leathers beat Burkert, 7-5 in the U.S. Open finals in Las Vegas in April to advance to Final X. Burkert came through with a win at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh to earn a rematch with Leathers. Their battle in Las Vegas was close, which should mean some close matches at Rutgers as well. A big key will be the first match of their series on Saturday; in most cases, the wrestler who wins round one will end up winning the series.
Past Senior World Teams
Leathers – 2017 Senior Worlds (bronze at 55kg)
Burkert – 2018 Senior Worlds (15th at 59kg), 2018 World Military (4th at 63kg), 2014 Senior Worlds (15th at 60kg)
Past Age-Group World Teams
Leathers – 2018 U23 Worlds (8th at 57kg), 2015 Junior Worlds (bronze at 55kg), 2014 Junior Worlds (8th at 55kg), 2013 Cadet Worlds (7th at 60kg)
Burkert – 2013 Junior Worlds (8th at 59kg), 2012 Junior Worlds (18th at 59kg), 2011 Junior Worlds (8th at 59kg)
Recent head-to-head matches
April 2019 – U.S. Open finals – Leathers, 7-5
Session Two – 6:00 p.m.
Bout 1: Women’s FS 65 kg – U.S. Open champion Forrest Molinari (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Maya Nelson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids/OTC)
Fans are looking forward to this battle, as two tough and talented women will battle it out for the 2019 World Team berth. Forrest Molinari is the returning U.S. Senior World Team member at this weight class, and defeated Maya Nelson in the 2019 U.S. Open finals. Nelson, who missed a chunk of action last year with an injury, was a 2017 Junior World champion who made the decision to compete up at 65 kg this year instead of going down to the Olympic weight class.
Molinari just missing a World medal last year, and has two wins over Nelson this year, scoring a 5-1 victory in the U.S. Open finals and a 6-3 win at the Dan Kolov International during the winter tour season. Since last year, Molinari has moved to Iowa City to train with the Hawkeye WC, which now has a stable of talented women wrestlers. She has established a reputation for competing hard and battling for every point, something she may need against Nelson to earn a return trip to the Senior Worlds.
Nelson has also looked very sharp in her competitions this season. She won a gold medal in her first big test at 65 kg, claiming the title at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. After falling to Molinari in the U.S. Open finals, Nelson earned a spot on the 2019 U23 World Team, then won the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh for another shot at Molinari. Go back to April 2017, and Nelson has a win over Molinari on the back side at the U.S. Open. Nelson will have confidence going into this weekend that she is capable of taking this series.
Past Senior World Teams
Molinari – 2018 Senior Worlds (5th at 65kg)
Nelson - None
Past Age-Group World Teams
Molinari – 2018 U23 Worlds (7th at 65kg), 2017 U23 Worlds (16th at 69kg), 2015 Junior Worlds (7th at 67kg)
Nelson – 2017 U23 Worlds (13th at 63kg), 2017 Junior Worlds (gold at 63kg), 2016 Junior Worlds (bronze at 63kg)
Recent head-to-head matches
April 2019 – U.S. Open finals – Molinari, 5-1
February 2019 – Dan Kolov International (Bulgaria) – Molinari 6-3
April 2017 - U.S. Open consolation semifinals – Nelson, 4-0
Bout 3: Women’s FS 68 kg – World bronze medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Alexandria Glaude (W. Sacramento, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/McKendree Bearcat WC)
Of the Final X: Rutgers women’s series, there is only one strong favorite to win from the five matchups on the card. 2018 World bronze medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock is one of the most successful women wrestlers in the world this season, and comes into Final X on an impressive winning streak. Her opponent, 2018 U23 World bronze medalist Alexandria Glaude is also wrestling very well, but does not have the same kind of experience or resume that Mensah-Stock brings to New Jersey.
Mensah-Stock has won gold medals in all three UWW Ranking Tournaments held in 2019, including a win at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix up a weight class at 72 kg. She followed that with UWW Ranking Tournament wins at the Dan Kolov in Bulgaria and at the Sassari City in Italy. Mensah-Stock scored a 10-0 technical fall over Glaude at the Kolov in February. Add in a Pan American Championships gold medal, which scores UWW Ranking Points, and Mensah-Stock sits at No. 2 in the world.
Glaude comes off a bronze medal at the 2018 U23 Worlds, then she captured a title for McKendree University at the 2019 WCWA women’s college nationals. Glaude was a little banged up and did not compete in the U.S. Open, but came back strong with a victory at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament to secure a chance to make the Senior World Team. Glaude was third on the Senior National Team last year, so she has proven her ability at the Senior level and shows continued improvement.
Past Senior World Teams
Mensah-Stock: 2018 Senior Worlds (bronze at 68kg), 2017 Senior Worlds (9th at 69kg)
Glaude - None
Past Age-Group World Teams
Mensah-Stock: 2014 University Worlds (silver at 67kg)
Glaude: 2018 U23 Worlds (bronze at 68kg), 2017 Junior Worlds (9th at 67kg)
Recent head-to-head matches
2019 Dan Kolov International (Bulgaria) – Mensah-Stock, 10-0
Bout 4: Women’s FS 50 kg –U.S. Open champion Whitney Conder (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Victoria Anthony (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids)
Who ya got, Conder or Anthony? Of the excellent women’s pairings on the card for Final X: Rutgers, the Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony could be one of the most exciting. Both have made multiple Senior World Teams. Both have been Junior World champions. Both are wrestling at a high level heading into their Rutgers showdown. This is a rematch from Final X in 2018, won by Conder in three matches.
Conder has held the edge over Anthony in five of their six matches in the past year, with two wins at Final X in Lehigh last June, and victories at the Dan Kolov in Bulgaria and German Grand Prix in February, as well as the U.S. Open semifinals in April. Conder has made four previous U.S. Senior World Teams and seems to compete well at 50 kg, after spending much of her career up at either 53 kg or 51 kg.
Anthony has been fifth in the Senior World Championships twice, and is a two-time Junior World champion. She has beaten many of the best women in the world at 48 kg, and now the new 50 kg weight class. Earlier this year, Anthony may not have been competing at her best level, but she looked extremely sharp in her World Team Trials Challenge Tournament two-match sweep over Erin Golston in Raleigh.
When you combine experience and talent, this is clearly a great pairing. It would not be surprising to see another three-match series here, and we can expect both competitors to be ready to roll and confident in their abilities.
Past Senior World Teams
Conder – 2018 Senior Worlds (14th at 50 kg), 2015 Senior Worlds (16th at 53kg), 2014 Military Worlds (silver at 53kg), 2014 Senior Worlds (9th at 53kg), 2011 Senior Worlds (13th at 51kg)
Anthony – 2017 Senior Worlds (5th at 48kg), 2013 Senior Worlds (5th at 51kg)
Past Age-Group World Teams
Conder – 2007 Junior Worlds (gold at 51kg)
Anthony – 2013 World University Games (7th at 48kg), 2012 University Worlds (9th at 48kg), 2011 Junior Worlds (5th at 48kg), 2010 Junior Worlds (gold at 48kg), 2009 Junior Worlds (gold at 44kg), 2008 Junior Worlds (5th at 44kg),
Recent head-to-head matches
April 2019 - U.S. Open semifinals – Conder, 4-4
February 2019 – German Grand Prix – Conder 7-3
February 2019 – Dan Kolov International (Bulgaria) – Conder 4-0
June 2018 – Final X: Lehigh – Bout 3 - Conder 11-0
June 2018 – Final X: Lehigh – Bout 2 – Anthony 4-2
June 2018 – Final X: Lehigh – Bout 1 – Conder 10-4
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