Helen Maroulis accepts 57 kg women’s freestyle berth at 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Reigning World champion Helen Maroulis (Scottsdale, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC) has accepted her automatic bid to 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management, and will battle for the women’s freestyle 57 kg spot on the 2026 U.S. World Team. Final X is set for Friday, June 19 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
One of the most decorated U.S. wrestlers of all-time, Maroulis added to her legacy last September in Zagreb, Croatia, by standing atop the podium at the 2025 Senior World Championships, earning her fourth World title and eighth overall World medal. She became the seventh American across all Olympic wrestling styles to win a fourth World title. This gold medal automatically qualified Maroulis for Final X.
At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Maroulis won a bronze medal to become the first three-time Olympic medalist in U.S. women’s wrestling history. She previously won Olympic bronze in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan, and gold in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her 2016 gold was the all-important first women’s wrestling gold for Team USA.
Maroulis is a 12-time U.S. Senior World Team member, three-time Pan American champion, three-time U20 World medalist and six-time U.S. Open champion. She is one of only four women to claim four WCWA college national championships. She won three for Simon Fraser University and one for Missouri Baptist University from 2010 to 2014.
Final X will determine the 2026 U.S. Senior World Team in two-of-three international disciplines—men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle. In total, 20 weight classes will be contested, 10 in each discipline. The top two U.S. athletes in each weight class will wrestle a best-of-three series at Final X to determine the U.S. representative for the 2026 Senior World Championships in Manama, Bahrain.
The Final X opponent for Maroulis will be determined on April 24 at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nevada. The women’s freestyle 57 kg champion from the U.S. Open will advance to face Maroulis in a best-of-three series at Final X.
Final X will serve as the 2026 Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit, its 16th to date. These unique electrifying events help BTSNY raise critical funds each year to support local youth wrestling programs, which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after-party takes place at the conclusion of Final X.
Maroulis holds a 10-0 record from previous BTSNY Annual Benefit events since 2012. Her record is highlighted by a 4-1 victory in 2018 against Odunayo Adekuoroye, a four-time Senior World medalist and three-time Olympian for Nigeria. Maroulis last competed in a BTSNY Annual Benefit event in 2025, when she defeated Amanda Martinez in two-straight matches at Final X by fall in both rounds.
BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages, which include access to premier seating at Final X, plus the exclusive after-party, are currently available at btsny.org. For more information on ticket packages, email BTSNY Executive Director Bob Seidel at bseidel@btsny.org. Donations and BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages directly help BTSNY make a lifelong impact on New York City youth in need.
Event-only tickets for Final X without access to the BTSNY after-party celebration are available on Ticketmaster.
12:30 p.m. (ET) – U.S. National Team true-third matches
2 p.m. (ET) – Session one (Round one)
5 p.m. (ET) – Session two (Rounds two and three, if necessary)
Match order for each session will be provided at a later date
FloWrestling will serve as the host broadcast partner for Final X. Fans can watch the event live or on-demand at FloWrestling.com. Online results for Final X will be available on USA Bracketing.
For more information about Final X, please visit TheMat.com.
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57 kg – Helen Maroulis (Scottsdale, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC)
68 kg – Kennedy Blades (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)
76 kg – Kylie Welker (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)
