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Jimenez, Robinson, Simon among standouts on U.S. women’s freestyle team at U20 World Championships

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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling

Audrey Jimenez takes the mat at the 2025 Senior Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico.

Audrey Jimenez takes the mat at the 2025 Senior Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico.

The U.S. will send a talented women’s freestyle group to the 2025 U20 World Championships being held August 17-24 in Samokov, Bulgaria. It’s a mashup of high-expectations and youth for this group, with six athletes already owning World Championships experience, and the other four competing on the World stage for the first time.


Four American entrants have earned at least one medal at a prior age-group World Championships, with two possessing multiple World medals.


Four-time age-group World medalist Audrey Jimenez will make her third appearance at the U20 World Championships at 50 kg. She was runner-up in her previous two trips to the event in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, Jimenez was a silver medalist at the 2023 U23 World Championships and a bronze medalist at the 2021 U17 World Championships.


It has been a breakout year for the Arizona native Jimenez. She qualified to represent Team USA at the Senior, U23 and U20 World Championships, was a Final X and U.S. Open champion on the Senior level and earned a Senior Pan American Championships gold medal. She has been No. 2 on the U.S. Senior ladder the past two years behind 2024 Olympic champion Sarah Hildebrandt and is primed to take over this weight class.


Texas product Jasmine Robinson wears the badge of returning U20 World champion at 72 kg. She took top prize last year’s event in Pontevedra, Spain, and also owns a U17 World bronze medal from 2023. Bulgaria will mark her fourth age-group U.S. World Team. Robinson is a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, holding the rank of Private First Class.


Also returning as a medalist for the U.S. women is 76 kg entrant Naomi Simon, who collected bronze at the same weight last year.


2023 U17 World bronze medalist Haylie Jaffe of Pennsylvania slots in at 62 kg in the U.S. lineup.


It’s a relatively fresh group for the U.S. women with only three athletes returning from last year’s U20 World Team—Robinson, Simon and Carissa Quereshi at 57 kg. Quereshi missed out on a medal last year but has seen success on the international circuit. She was a silver medalist at this year’s U20 Pan American Championships and holds Senior-level medals from the Klippan Lady Open and Grand Prix of Spain.


2023 U17 World Team member Everest Leydecker has seen tremendous gains this season and has cemented herself at the No. 1 pound-for-pound high school wrestler in the country. Leydecker excelled on the Senior level domestic circuit with runner-up finishes at Final X and the U.S. Open, plus finishing as World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion. She was a U20 and U17 Pan American champion last year.


World Championships newcomers for Team USA include Abbi Cooper at 53 kg, Aubre Krazer at 59 kg, Daniella Nugent at 65 kg and Jordyn Fouse at 68 kg. Krazer, Nugent and Fouse were all medalists at this year’s Grand Prix of Spain. Krazer won a U20 Pan American title last summer.


The U.S. women’s freestyle team for the U20 World Championships was determined at the U.S. Marine Corps Women’s Nationals held in Spokane, Washington last April. Each champion from the event earned a berth on the U20 World Team.


Eight-of-ten team members are tied to NCAA programs. Lehigh, which enters its first season as a varsity sport, leads the way with three athletes on the women’s roster—Jimenez, Cooper and Krazer. Two athletes were NCWWC All-Americans last season—Jaffee at McKendree and Simon at Iowa. Nugent will attend Oklahoma State, while Fouse will go to Grand Valley State, this fall. Quereshi announced her commitment to North Central College this week.


The U.S. finished in third place as a team in the women’s freestyle division at the 2024 U20 World Championships with 101 total team points and four medalists. The team is expected to be in contention for a spot on the World podium once again.


Women’s freestyle is the second style to take the mats at Arena Samakov. Athletes will compete in three waves over the course of the event—group one (57-59-68 kg) starting August 19, group two (55-62-65-76 kg) on August 20 and group three (50-53-72 kg) on August 21. Each bracket will be contested over a two-day stretch, running through semifinals on day one, followed by repechage and medal matches on day two.


Those seeking to follow along in real time can reference the event schedule below. Samokov, Bulgaria, is in the GMT +3 time zone, which is seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. USA Wrestling will provide regular updates on TheMat.com and its social media platforms throughout the event.


The U20 World Championships will be live streamed on FloWrestling.com to the U.S. market. Brackets and updated results will be provided by United World Wrestling on UWW Arena.



10 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (WFS 57-59-68 kg)

4:45 p.m. – Semifinals (WFS 57-59-68 kg)


10 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (WFS 55-62-65-76 kg), Repechage (WFS 57-59-68 kg)

5 p.m. – Semifinals (WFS 55-62-65-76 kg)

6 p.m. – Medal Matches (WFS 57-59-68 kg)


10 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (WFS 50-53-72 kg), Repechage (WFS 55-62-65-76 kg)

4:45 p.m. – Semifinals (WFS 50-53-72 kg)

6 p.m. – Medal Matches (WFS 55-62-65-76 kg)


10 a.m. – Repechage (WFS 50-53-72 kg)

6 p.m. – Medal Matches (WFS 50-53-72 kg)


*Listed times reflect local time in Samokov, Bulgaria, which is seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time


50 kg – Audrey Jimenez (Tucson, Ariz./Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

53 kg – Abbi Cooper (Clayton, Calif./CYC – Concord)

55 kg – Everest Leydecker (Phoenix, Ariz./Thorobred WC/Valiant WC)

57 kg – Carissa Qureshi (Irvine, Calif./USOPTC)

59 kg – Aubre Krazer (Easton, Pa./Gold Medal WC)

62 kg – Haylie Jaffe (Kennett Square, Pa./Bearcat WC)

65 kg – Daniella Nugent (Boxford, Mass./Massachusetts Wrestling Association)

68 kg – Jordyn Fouse (Roaring Spring, Pa./Bishop McCort)

72 kg – Jasmine Robinson (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP)

76 kg – Naomi Simon (Decorah, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC)

 

National Developmental Coach – J’den Cox

USA Wrestling Assigned Coach – Randi Miller

USA Wrestling Assigned Coach – Jeffrey McGinness

Personal Coach – Brazel Marquez

Personal Coach – Robby Smith

Personal Coach – Randy Leydecker

Personal Coach – Pete Escandon

Personal Coach – Ryan Pomrinca

Personal Coach – Izzak Olejnik

Personal Coach – Jake Short

Personal Coach – Bruce Robinson 

Personal Coach – Clarissa Chun

ATC – Judi Tekautz

ATC – Randi Boswell 

MD – Matthew Weirath

Official – Nick Mancini

Official – Cody Goessl 

Official – Jason Salley

Team Leader – Kelli Shuffler 

USA Wrestling President – Bruce Baumgartner

NF Official – Kerry McCoy

NF Media – Richard Immel

NF Media – Jason Bryant