By Richard Immel
USA Wrestling

Coveted spots on the U.S. National Team will be decided with 10 true-third matches—six in men’s freestyle and four in women’s freestyle—to open 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management, on Friday, June 19 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

True-third matches determine the No. 3 athlete on the U.S. National Team for the 2026-27 season. These matches are specifically held in weight classes where the second- and third-place finishers from the last Final X qualifying event—either the U.S. Open or Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament—did not wrestle against one another in said qualifying event.

The winner of each true-third match is eligible for U.S. National Team support that includes funding, plus training and competition opportunities.

The men's freestyle true-third matches are headlined by the 65 kg bout between two-time Senior Pan American champion and Towaco, N.J. native Joey McKenna and 2021 U20 World bronze medalist Beau Bartlett, a Beat the Streets New York coach. Additional notable names in action include past Senior Pan American champions Austin DeSanto at 61 kg and Evan Wick at 79 kg, NCAA champions Landon Robideau and Caleb Henson at 70 kg, and 2026 Zagreb Open Ranking Series champions Parker Keckeisen at 86 kg and Dustin Plott at 92 kg.

The women's freestyle true-third field is highlighted by past Senior World Team members Felicity Taylor at 50 kg and Emma Bruntil at 65 kg, as well as age-group World medalists Alex Hedrick and Amani Jones at 57 kg, plus Jasmine Robinson at 68 kg.

True-third matches will be held at 12:30 p.m. (ET), leading into the Final X best-of-three championship series.

Men’s Freestyle True-Third Matches 

61 kg – Austin DeSanto (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Benjamin Davino (South Elgin, Ill./Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Joey McKenna (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Beau Bartlett (Hoboken, N.J./New York City RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

70 kg – Landon Robideau (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Caleb Henson (Cartersville, Ga./Southeast RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

79 kg – Evan Wick (Madison, Wis./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Patrick Kennedy (West Concord, Minn./Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)

86 kg – Parker Keckeisen (Glendale, Wis./Panther WC-RTC) vs. Aeoden Sinclair (Columbia, Mo./Tiger Style RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

92 kg – Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Seth Shumate (Dublin, Ohio/Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

Women’s Freestyle True-Third Matches 

50 kg – Felicity Taylor (Coralville, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Samara Chavez (Arlington, Texas/Army WCAP)

57 kg – Alex Hedrick (Pollock Pines, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Amani Jones (Jonesboro, Ga./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Emma Bruntil (Vernon, Ill./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Reese Larramendy (Reno, Nev./Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)

68 kg – Latifah McBryde (Buffalo, N.Y./Cobra Wrestling Academy) vs. Jasmine Robinson (Allen, Texas/Army WCAP)

What’s at Stake?

Final X will determine the 2026 U.S. World Team in two 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 at the 2026 Senior World Championships.

Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit

Final X will serve as the 2026 Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit, the 16th BTSNY Annual Benefit to date. These unique electrifying events help BTSNY raise more than $1 million each year to support local youth wrestling programs, which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after-party will follow the conclusion of Final X.

This will be the second Final X and Beat the Streets event appearance for both Lilledahl and Lee, following their head-to-head matchup at Final X last June. Lee won that series two matches to none.

Get Tickets

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.

Follow Final X

FloWrestling will serve as the host broadcast partner for Final X. Fans can watch the event live or on-demand at FloWrestling.org. Online results for Final X will be available on USA Bracketing.

For more information about Final X, please visit TheMat.com.

Event Schedule

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

2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management

June 19 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey

Men’s Freestyle Best-of-Three Series

57 kg – Luke Lilledahl (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Spencer Lee (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)

61 kg – Marcus Blaze (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Jax Forrest (Johnstown, Pa./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Real Woods (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Bo Bassett (Windber, Pa./Titan Mercury WC)

70 kg – Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, Idaho/Nebraska WTC/Training Mercury WC) vs. Zain Retherford (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

74 kg – James Green (Lincoln, Neb./Nebraska WTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. David Carr (Ames, Iowa/Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

79 kg – Levi Haines (Bellefonte, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Chance Marsteller (Reading, Pa./New Jersey RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

86 kg – Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Kyle Dake (Port Matilda, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

92 kg – Trent Hidlay (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Michael Macchiavello (Northampton, Pa./Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

97 kg – Kyle Snyder (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Stephen Buchanan (Coralville, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)

125 kg – Wyatt Hendrickson (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Air Force WCAP) vs. Mason Parris (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC)

Women’s Freestyle Best-of-Three Series

50 kg – Katie Gomez (Van Nuys, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Morgan Turner (Chicago, Ill./All I See Is Gold Academy/Titan Mercury WC)

53 kg – Cristelle Rodriguez (Crete, Neb./Tiger WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Elena Ivaldi (Rocklin, Calif.)

55 kg – Everest Leydecker (Phoenix, Ariz./Thorobred WC/New York AC) vs. Areana Villaescusa (Fountain, Colo./Army WCAP)

57 kg – Helen Maroulis (Scottsdale, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Amanda Martinez (Riverside, Ill./Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC)

59 kg – Abigail Nette (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) vs. Alexis Janiak (Plainfield, Ill./Titan Mercury WC)

62 kg – Adaugo Nwachukwu (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) vs. Macey Kilty (North Liberty, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Kayla Miracle (Phoenix, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Jennifer Page (Bellefonte, Pa./Titan Mercury WC)

68 kg – Kennedy Blades (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Isabella Mir (Naperville, Ill./Cardinal WC)

72 kg – Alexandria Glaude (Menlo Park, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Amit Elor (Walnut Creek, Calif./New York City RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

76 kg – Kylie Welker (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Dymond Guilford (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)

*Alexandria Glaude has withdrawn from Final X due to injury. Amit Elor must complete the Final X process by making weight and receiving a forfeit on the mat in Newark.