Five Things We Learned At 2023 Final X
Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com
by Derek Levendusky
Twitter: @AWWderek
A few weeks removed from Final X, the Super Bowl of women’s wrestling, and all the conversations surrounding it, we learned a few things at the Senior world-team-determining event.
1. The youth movement is not-quite-yet.
There was a lot of talk heading into Final X about the youth movement of young athletes already making their mark on the Senior level and whether they could overtake some of the perennial stars on the world team. Could high school junior Audrey Jimenez actually do the unthinkable and overtake 2x world silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt at 50 kg? Could 2021 U17 world champion Katie Gomez compete against returning Senior world champion Dominique Parrish at 53 kg? Could college sophomore breakout star Adaugo Nwachukwu get through 2x world silver medalist Kayla Miracle at 62 kg? And one of the biggest questions: Could the darling of the youth movement—Kennedy Blades—actually end the reign of 6x world champion Adeline Gray at 76 kg? The answer on all counts is a resounding no, they could not. But their accomplishments are noted. To make Final X shows us that the future is very bright for Team USA women. But the headline is that Hildebrandt, Parrish, Miracle, and Gray are all still the best we have in the country. You’ve got to feel good about Team USA’s chances at Worlds in Belgrade this year with our hopes on their shoulders.
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2. Amit Elor is a generational talent.
This point may be a footnote to #1, as Amit Elor is the single exception to the youth movement emergence this year, earning her second straight world team spot after making history last season as the youngest to ever win a UWW Senior world title. Levendusky put up a fight, but Elor’s offense proved too much, scoring with underhooks and pressure toward the line as she’s done to every opponent over the last year, domestically or internationally. With the win, Elor earned the opportunity to continue her historic run with another chance to win U20, U23, and Senior world titles like she did in 2022. And there’s a good chance she’ll do it. Would anyone bet against her?
3. Macey Kilty finally did what we knew she could do.
After two years of heartbreak, suffering injuries in the Olympic Trials finals in 2021 and then again at World Team Trials Challenge tournament last year, Kilty finally broke through to earn her first Senior world team spot. And she beat a tough field to do it, including returning 2x world bronze medalist Mallory Velte.
4. Perseverance pays off and things happen for a reason.
I think a lot of people were happy for Jennifer Page, as she defeated Michaela Beck to make a U.S. Senior World Team for the first time in her career. The 30-year-old has been close for years, even making the finals last year and losing to Kayla Miracle. This year, different story. It was a blessing in disguise when she fell to Nwanchukwu at the U.S. Open, forcing a weight cut to 59 kg, where she looks amazing.
5. Emma Bruntil proved she’s now for Team USA.
It’s not easy taking out a world bronze medalist, especially in a best-of-three, but that’s exactly what Bruntil did to earn her spot. The Velte-Molinari-Bruntil rivalry has been playing out over the last few years, one of the best rivalries in women’s wrestling. Velte stayed down at 65 kg, but with Mensah-Stock announcing her retirement, that opened up 68 kg for Molinari and Bruntil. This time it was Bruntil, winning the best-of-three 2-1, and making her first world team.
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Results of Final X women’s matches:
50 kg: Sarah Hildebrandt CO (USOPTC / New York Athletic Club (NYAC)) VPO Audrey Jimenez AZ (Sunkist Kids WC), 8-0
Sarah Hildebrandt CO (USOPTC / New York Athletic Club (NYAC)) VSU Audrey Jimenez AZ (Sunkist Kids WC), 11-0 5:01
53 kg: Dominique Parrish CA (Sunkist Kids WC) VFA Katie Gomez CA (Sunkist Kids WC), 6-0 1:54
Dominique Parrish CA (Sunkist Kids WC) VPO Katie Gomez CA (Sunkist Kids WC), 5-0
55 kg: Jacarra Winchester CO (USOPTC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) VSU Alisha Howk WI (Sunkist Kids WC), 10-0 1:53
Jacarra Winchester CO (USOPTC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) VSU Alisha Howk WI (Sunkist Kids WC), 11-0 3:00
59 kg: Jennifer Page PA (Nittany Lion WC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) VSU Michaela Beck NY (Sunkist Kids WC), 11-0 2:22
Jennifer Page PA (Nittany Lion WC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) VSU Michaela Beck NY (Sunkist Kids WC), 11-0 4:08
62 kg: Kayla Miracle AZ (Sunkist Kids WC) VPO1 Adaugo Nwachukwu CA (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club), 6-1
Kayla Miracle AZ (Sunkist Kids WC) VPO1 Adaugo Nwachukwu CA (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club), 10-3
65 kg: Macey Kilty WI (Sunkist Kids WC) VFA Mallory Velte OR (Beaver Dam RTC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club), 2-2 5:50
Macey Kilty WI (Sunkist Kids WC) VPO1 Mallory Velte OR (Beaver Dam RTC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club), 6-5
68 kg: Emma Bruntil WA (USOPTC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) VPO1 Forrest Molinari AZ (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club), 6-3
Forrest Molinari AZ (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) VPO1 Emma Bruntil WA (USOPTC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club), 3-2
Emma Bruntil WA (USOPTC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) VPO1 Forrest Molinari AZ (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club), 3-2
72 kg: Amit Elor CA (New York City RTC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) VSU Joye Levendusky NY (Southern Oregon RTC), 10-0 2:46
Amit Elor CA (New York City RTC / Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) VSU Joye Levendusky NY (Southern Oregon RTC), 10-0 4:55
76 kg: Adeline Gray CO (New York Athletic Club (NYAC) / Beaver Dam RTC) VPO1 Kennedy Blades IL (Sunkist Kids WC), 7-5
Adeline Gray CO (New York Athletic Club (NYAC) / Beaver Dam RTC) VFA Kennedy Blades IL (Sunkist Kids WC), 5-5 4:38