Elor edges Grote, Nwachukwu pins in women’s freestyle finals at Senior World Team Trials

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – The eight remaining women’s freestyle slots at 2025 Final X were determined on Saturday afternoon at Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center, with a gutsy performance from Olympic champion Amit Elor headlining the Senior World Team Trials finals.

It was a nip-and-tuck 2-1 decision for Elor over U.S. Open runner-up Skylar Grote in the 72 kg championship contest. All points were awarded from the shot clock—Grote scoring once in the first period and Elor returning serve with two in the second frame. The win pushes Elor back to Final X where she will see Alexandria Glaude best two-of-three for her third Senior World Team berth.

Elor hadn’t competed since earning a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, last August. She earned the title of youngest Olympic wrestling champion in U.S. history at the Paris Games. Elor is a two-time Senior World champion, six-time age-group World champion and among the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the world.  

Securing her second Final X appearance, this time in emphatic fashion, was 2022 U20 World bronze medalist Adaugo Nwachukwu. The four-time age-group World Team member struck with an over-under toss early in the 62 kg finals, pinning two-time age-group World Team member SaVannah Cosme in 1:19.

Nwachukwu’s Final X opponent is two-time World medalist and Olympian Kayla Miracle. The series lead sits four wins to none in favor of Miracle, including a recent 4-0 decision in the U.S. Open finals. Expect another tight set of matches between these two in Newark, next month.

Scoring impressive technical fall wins in the finals were U.S. Open runners-up Felicity Taylor at 53 kg and Everest Leydecker at 55 kg. Taylor picked apart 2024 U23 World champion Sage Mortimer, 13-1. Leydecker sailed past six-time age-group World Team member Ronna Gross, 11-0. Both will look to avenge losses from the U.S. Open finals at Final X—Taylor against Brianna Gonzalez and Leydecker against Cristelle Rodriguez.

Olympian and 2019 World champion Jacarra Winchester battled to a 7-3 win over two-time U20 World medalist Alexis Janiak at 59 kg. Winchester, a five-time U.S. World Team member and two-time World medalist, is the reigning World Team member in the weight class.

2022 U.S. World Team member Dymond Guilford edged 2024 U23 World champion Yelena Makoyed in the 76 kg finals. Guilford reversed an 8-2 loss at the hands of Makoyed from the U.S. Open semifinals.

Also booking trips to Final X were 50 kg champion Erin Golston and 68 kg champion Brooklyn Hays. Both women won on Saturday with close decisions—Golston 2-1 over Kendra Ryan and Hays 4-0 over Solin Piearcy.

Additionally, third place matches were held alongside the championship finals with U.S. National Team implications at stake. A complete list of medal match results in the Senior women’s freestyle division can be found below.

Each Senior World Team Trials champion is paired against the U.S. Open champion in a best-of-three series at Final X to determine the Team USA representative at the 2025 Senior World Championships. Final X will take place on June 14 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Prior to this weekend, two Final X matchups were already determined in women’s freestyle, 57 kg and 65 kg, which removed those weight classes from the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament field.

All the action from the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament is available to watch on-demand on FloWrestling. Online results and final brackets for the event can be viewed on USA Bracketing.