By David Gerhart
USA Wrestling

Over 40 Senior women’s freestyle wrestlers have entered the field at the 2026 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament on May 14-15 at Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center in Louisville, Ky., including several winners of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award.

TSHSEA winners entered are Vayle Baker, Alara Boyd, Claire DiCugno, Jaslynn Gallegos, Marissa Gallegos, Cameron Geurin, Taylor Graveman, Alexis Janiak, Rose Kaplan, Macey Kilty, Katerina Lange, Sage Mortimer, Kendra Ryan, Sarah Savidge, Emily Shilson, Alexandra Szkotnicki, and Felicity Taylor.

In a who’s-who field of Olympians, World medalists, Senior World Team members and international age-group standouts, each is focused on securing one of the remaining seven spots at Final X next month.

Online registration is open until May 13, allowing more individuals to enter.

What’s At Stake

Seven brackets will be contested in women’s freestyle at the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Each champion from this week’s event in Louisville takes on the 2026 U.S. Open champion in a best-of-three series at 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management, to determine the Team USA representative at the 2026 Senior World Championships. Final X takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 19.

Three Final X matchups are already determined in women’s freestyle at 57 kg, 68 kg, and 76 kg, which removes those weight classes from the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament.

Eligible Athletes

Athletes must qualify to enter the field for the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. To review the Senior World Team selection process in each discipline, including Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament qualification criteria, visit the Team Selection Criteria page.

A list of qualified athletes for Louisville post-U.S. Open is available on themat.com.

A complete list of entries as of May 11 is available below.

Wrestlers To Watch

After being away from competition for nearly a year, 2024 Olympic champion Amit Elor returns to the mat this week at 72 kg for the first time since 2025 World Team Trials. Elor has two Senior World titles and six age-group World titles to go along with the Olympic gold medal.

2020 Olympian and 2019 World champion Jacarra Winchester is also slated to return at 59 kg. Winchester last competed for the U.S. at the 2025 World Championships.

Two-time World medalist Macey Kilty headlines the 62 kg field after advancing to the finals at the U.S. Open. She dropped a tight 10-8 decision to fellow 2025 World Team member Adaugo Nwachukwu, with a spot at Final X on the line.

2025 World Team member Felicity Taylor moved down a weight class this year to 50 kg after competing at the 2025 World Championships at 53 kg. Taylor placed third at the U.S. Open after dropping a narrow 3-1 decision to eventual champion Katie Gomez.

The 65 kg weight class features a pair of former Senior World Team members in 2023 World bronze medalist Jennifer Page and her 2023 World Team teammate Emma Bruntil. Bruntil finished as the runner-up at the U.S. Open last month and Page is set to make her season debut in Louisville.

Areana Villaescusa (55 kg) is the final wrestler in the field with Senior World Team experience after competing at the 2024 Senior World Championships. Like Kilty and Bruntil, Villaescusa comes into the Senior World Team Trials after a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open.

Four additional runner-up finishers from Las Vegas are also in the field in Louisville. Three-time age-group World medalist Erin Golston at 50 kg, two-time age-group World Team member Michaela Beck at 59 kg and 2019 age-group World Team member Precious Wieser at 72 kg look to set up rematches with their U.S. Open finals foes at Final X. Three-time age-group World medalist Jasmine Robinson moved up to 72 kg for World Team Trials. Robinson finished second at 68 kg at the U.S. Open, but the Final X matchup at 68 kg is already set.

Age-group World champions Sage Mortimer, Emily Shilson and Morgan Turner are also set to compete this week and are all entered at 50 kg.

Three Weights to Watch

50 kg

Stars are littered throughout the 50 kg weight class. 2025 World Team member Felicity Taylor moved down to the weight class for the 2026 season. Age-group World champions Sage Mortimer, Emily Shilson and Morgan Turner also enter the Senior division this season.

While many eyes may be on some of the newcomers to the division, current U.S. National Team members Erin Golston and Kendra Ryan are still flexing their muscles in the division. Golston finished as the runner-up at the U.S. Open and Ryan was edged out by Taylor for third place at the U.S. Open last month.

59 kg

A lot of firepower and intriguing matchups are on tap at 59 kg this week. Olympian Jacarra Winchester looks to keep hold of the weight class she won at Final X in 2025. However, age-group and collegiate standouts Michaela Beck, Cameron Geurin, Alexis Janiak, Amani Jones, Sarah Savidge and Alexandra Szkotnicki look to make their presence known in the weight class.

Beck finished as the runner-up at the U.S. Open in April, with Janiak placing third. Beck beat Guerin, 7-3, in the semifinals in Las Vegas. Janiak and Szkotnicki have started a rivalry as of late. Szkotnicki swept Janiak at Women’s Nationals in U23 action, then Janiak rebounded with two wins over Szkotnicki at the U.S. Open (quarterfinals and third place match). Beck won 8-3 over Savidge at the U.S. Open. Guerin captured her fifth collegiate national title after holding off Janiak at the NCAA Women’s National Championships in March, 5-5.

Jones placed third at 57 kg in Las Vegas but moves up to 59 kg with the Final X matchup set at 57 kg.

72 kg

The largest field at the Senior World Team Trials could be one of the most captivating. Olympic champion Amit Elor returns to action after being away from competition for nearly a year. Awaiting Elor in the division that she claimed two World titles at is age-group World champion Jasmine Robinson and current U.S. National Team members Kaylynn Albrecht and Latifah McBryde. U.S. Open runner-up Precious Wieser and third-place finisher Alexandria Alli are also in the mix at 72 kg.

Robinson and McBryde finished second and third, respectively, at the U.S. Open at 68 kg. With the 68 kg Final X contest squared away, the pair moved up to 72 kg.

How to Follow

The Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament begins Thursday, May 14, at 10 a.m. ET with preliminaries and quarterfinal matches. Semifinal contests are slated for Thursday at 4 p.m. ET. Women’s freestyle championship bouts are scheduled to begin at noon ET on Friday, May 15.

The 2026 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament will be broadcast live on FloWrestling. Brackets and match-by-match results will be available through USA Bracketing.

2026 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament

At Louisville, Ky., May 14-15

Quick Links

• Event Website

• Event Hub

• Brackets and Results

• Live Stream
  

Event Schedule

Thursday, May 14

10 a.m. – Preliminaries, quarterfinals, consolations

4 p.m. – Semifinals, consolation semifinals

Friday, May 15

Noon – Senior women’s freestyle finals, third place matches

1:30 pm. – Senior men’s freestyle finals, third place matches

*All times listed are U.S. Eastern Time, local time in Louisville, Ky.

Entry List (As of May 11)

50 kg (Eight Entries)

Samara Chavez (Army WCAP)

Erin Golston (New York AC)

Sage Mortimer (Titan Mercury WC)

Kendra Ryan (Cardinal WC)

Emily Shilson (Titan Mercury WC)

Kaelani Shufeldt (Cardinal WC)

Felicity Taylor (Titan Mercury WC)

Morgan Turner (Titan Mercury WC)

53 kg (Four Entries)

Vayle Baker (Army WCAP)

Jaslynn Gallegos (Cardinal WC)

Isabella Marie Gonzales (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)

Sydney Petzinger (Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/New York AC)

55 kg (Six Entries)

Marissa Gallegos (Titan Mercury WC)

Alexandra Hedrick (Titan Mercury WC)

Rose Kaplan (Warrior RTC)

Mateah Roehl (Askren Wrestling Academy)

Sara Sterner (Cardinal WC)

Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP)

59 kg (Seven Entries)

Michaela Beck (Titan Mercury WC)

Cameron Guerin (Titan Mercury WC)

Alexis Janiak (Titan Mercury WC)

Amani Jones (Titan Mercury WC)

Sarah Savidge (Army WCAP)

Alexandra Szkotnicki (Bearcat WC)

Jacarra Winchester (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)

62 kg (Six Entries)

Alara Boyd (Titan Mercury WC)

SaVannah Cosme (Southwest WC)

Claire DiCugno (Cardinal WC/New York AC)

Aine Drury (New York AC)

Hanna Errthum (USOPTC)

Macey Kilty (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg (Seven Entries)

Nora Akpan (Pinnacle WC)

Emma Bruntil (Titan Mercury WC)

Alissa Caltagirone (NMU-National Training Center)

Katerina Lange (Laker WC)

Reese Larramendy (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)

Jamilah McBryde (Cobra Wrestling Academy)

Jennifer Page (Titan Mercury WC)

72 kg (Nine Entries)

Kaylynn Albrecht (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)

Alexandria Alli (USOPTC)

Amit Elor (Titan Mercury WC)

Taylor Graveman (Cardinal WC)

Skylar Grote (Titan Mercury WC)

Joye Levendusky (Titan Mercury WC)

Latifah McBryde (Cobra Wrestling Academy)

Jasmine Robinson (Army WCAP)

Precious Wieser (Titan Mercury WC)