Big names bring the heat during opening session of Senior Women’s Freestyle competition at the 2026 U.S. Open Championships
Share:
by Tanner Lafever, USA Wrestling
Adaugo Nwachukwu in preliminary action at the 2026 U.S. Open Championships.
LAS VEGAS – Senior Women’s Freestyle action flowed fast and furiously during Session III of the 2026 U.S. Open Championships – and the biggest names in the field all came to play.
World/Olympic medalists Sarah Hildebrandt (53kg), Macey Kilty (62) and Kayla Miracle (65kg) all cruised to the semifinals in their respective brackets – never reaching intermission in any given match.
Hildebrant – the 2024 Olympic gold medalist – looked particularly sharp in her first senior-level tournament since winning gold in Paris. And she did so at a brand-new weight class, too, up from 50 to 53kg.
Meanwhile, two-time World medalists (and two-time Olympic Trials finals competitors) Kilty and Miracle have swapped their old weight classes to seemingly no adverse effects.
2025 Senior World team members Felicity Taylor (50kg), Cristelle Rodriguez (53kg), Adaugo Nwachukwu (62kg) and Alexandria Glaude (72kg) also advanced to the semifinals with little issue.
So too did past World team veterans Areana Villaescusa (55kg), Abigail Nette (59kg), Emma Bruntil (65kg) and Dymond Guilford (76kg).
Plenty of young talent made its name during Session III as well, headlined by 18-year-old Everest Leydecker. The #1 seed at 55kg won by 10-0 tech. fall and first period fall to reach the semis – where she’ll face unseeded Marissa Gallegos.
Gallegos upset the #4 and #5 seeds for the right to face the U20 World champion (and Final X runner up) from a year ago.
Fellow unseeded 55kg’er Karissa Turnwall – a recent U23 national champion – also advanced on the bottom half of the bracket.
No weight produced a more entertaining quarterfinal round than 50kg.
First, an early match-of-the-week contender took place between #4 Sage Mortimer and #5 Kendra Ryan.
In an absolute firefight, Ryan led on criteria 14-14 with short time to go before hitting a four-point throw for the fall with just 0:03 left on the clock.
And on the opposite half of the bracket, #6 Katie Gomez edged #3 Morgan Turner via 4-3 decision in a matchup featuring three U17 World titles between them.
Ryan will face #1 seed Erin Golston while Gomez will battle with #2 Felicity Taylor in a pair of compelling semis.
Meanwhile, youth was served at 68kg – where collegians Latifah McBryde (Life University), Isabella Mir (North Central) and Jasmine Robinson (McKendree/WCAP) will be joined by Minnesota high school senior Nora Akpan in tonight’s semifinal round.
The U.S. Open Championships are broadcast live on FloWrestling.
Brackets, mat assignments and other information are available through USA Bracketing.
Tonight’s semifinal round begins at 4:00 p.m. PT – featuring the 40 high-powered athletes you’ll find listed below.
Erin Golston (New York AC) vs. Kendra Ryan (Cardinal WC)
Katie Gomez (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Felicity Taylor (Titan Mercury WC)
Sarah Hildebrandt (New York AC) vs. Clare Booe (West Point WC)
Sydney Petzinger (Pennsylvania) vs. Cristelle Rodriguez (Tiger WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Everest Leydecker (New York AC) vs. Marissa Gallegos (Titan Mercury WC)
Karissa Turnwall (Emmanuel Training Center) vs. Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP)
Amanda Martinez (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Amani Jones (Titan Mercury WC)
Carolina Moreno (Matador WC) vs. Alexandra Hedrick (Titan Mercury WC)
Abigail Nette (Army WCAP) vs. Alexis Janiak (Titan Mercury WC)
Cameron Guerin (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Michaela Beck (Titan Mercury WC)
Macey Kilty (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Katerina Lange (New York AC)
Alara Boyd (Titan Mercury WC/Bears RTC/Cardinal WC) vs. Adaugo Nwachukwu (Army WCAP)
Kayla Miracle (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Reese Larramendy (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Nina Makem (New York AC/Minnesota Storm) vs. Emma Bruntil (Titan Mercury WC)
Latifah McBryde (Life) vs. Isabella Mir (Cardinal WC)
Jasmine Robinson (Army WCAP) vs. Nora Akpan (Pinnacle WC)
Alexandria Glaude (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Skylar Grote (Titan Mercury WC)
Alexandria Alli (USOPTC) vs. Precious Wieser (Titan Mercury WC)
Dymond Guilford (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Naomi Simon (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Shenita Lawson (New York AC) vs. Tristan Kelly (Army WCAP)
Erin Golston (New York AC) tech. fall Alejandra Corral (Menlo WC), 10-0
Felicity Taylor (Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Samara Chavez (Army WCAP), 14-4
Kendra Ryan (Cardinal WC) fall Sage Mortimer (Titan Mercury WC), 5:57
Katie Gomez (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Morgan Turner (Titan Mercury WC), 4-3
Sarah Hildebrandt (New York AC) tech. fall Isabella Marie Gonzales (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC), 10-0
Sydney Petzinger (Pennsylvania) dec. Tiare Ikei (Titan Mercury WC), 11-6
Cristelle Rodriguez (Tiger WC/ Titan Mercury WC) dec. Alisha Paradise (New York AC), 6-0
Clare Booe (West Point WC) dec. Taylor Whiting (Wisconsin), 8-2
Marissa Gallegos (Titan Mercury WC) fall Montana DeLawder (Haines Trained Wrestling), 3:35
Karissa Turnwall (Emmanuel Training Center)) tech. fall Mateah Roehl (Askren Wrestling Academy), 18-7
Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP) tech. fall Shea Reisel (Dubuque RTC), 11-0
Everest Leydecker (New York AC) fall Annesley Day (Dragon WC), 2:57
Amanda Martinez (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC) fall Anna DiCugno (Tarleton WC), 0:55
Amani Jones (Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Sara Sterner (Cardinal WC), 10-0
Carolina Moreno (Matador WC) tech. fall Tonya Flournory (Pembroke RTC), 10-0
Alexandra Hedrick (Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Morgan Maschmann (Tiger Den WC), 10-0
Abigail Nette (Army WCAP) tech. fall Samantha Barragan (Cowtown Training Center), 10-0
Alexis Janiak (Titan Mercury WC) fall Alexandra Szkotnicki (Bearcat WC), 4:30
Cameron Guerin (Titan Mercury WC) inj. def. Brenda Reyna (Army WCAP), 0:47
Michaela Beck (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Sarah Savidge (Army WCAP), 8-3
Macey Kilty (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Hanna Errthum (USOPTC), 10-0
Katerina Lange (New York AC) dec. SaVannah Cosme (Wouthwest WC), 5-3
Alara Boyd (Titan Mercury WC/Bears RTC/Cardinal WC) dec. Claire DiCugno (Cardinal WC/New York AC), 7-3
Adaugo Nwachukwu (Army WCAP) tech. fall Bella Williams (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC), 10-0
Kayla Miracle (Titan Mercury WC) fall Makynna Loepp (Lehigh/New York AC), 1:32
Emma Bruntil (Titan Mercury WC) fall London Houston (Mat Demon WC), 0:56
Reese Larramendy (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) fall Aine Drury (New York AC), 3:16
Nina Makem (New York AC/Minnesota Storm) fall Riley Hanrahan (Team Nazar Training Center), 3:39
Isabella Mir (Cardinal WC) fall Zoey Lints (Curby 3 Style WC), 4:04
Jasmine Robinson (Army WCAP) tech. fall Annelise Obermark (Storm RTC), 13-2
Latifah McBryde (Life) dec. Liv Wieber (The Factory WC), 8-6
Nora Akpan (Pinnacle WC) tech. fall Solin Piearcy (Titan Mercury WC), 11-1
Alexandria Alli (USOPTC) forfeit Tiffani Baublitz (Penn/New York AC),
Alexandria Glaude (Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Taylor Graveman (Cardinal WC), 11-0
Precious Wieser (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Kaylynn Albrecht (Titan Mercury WC), 7-2
Skylar Grote (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Joye Levendusky (Titan Mercury WC), 8-0
Dymond Guilford (Titan Mercury WC) fall Kiley Dillow (Chanute WC), 2:53
Tristan Kelly (Army WCAP) tech. fall Isabella Phillips (Gannon Golden Knights), 10-0
Naomi Simon (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Madison Sandquist (Rise RTC), 8-6
Shenita Lawson (New York AC) tech. fall Keeley Kehrli (Storm RTC), 11-0 (5:09)
Elor and Kilty Pin To Women’s Freestyle Senior World Team Trials Titles
Defending Champs Elor and Taylor Return to Women’s Freestyle Finals at Senior World Team Trials
Gonzales, Gallegos, Errthum, Wieser Pin in Quarterfinals at Senior World Team Trials
Final X Spots On The Line at Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament Next Week in Louisville, Ky.
