USA Women's U20 Team Loaded With Title Contenders

Several of the top rising stars in the American women's freestyle program will take the mat this week in Jordan at the U20 World Championships.

Aug 15, 2023 by Derek Levendusky

USA Women's U20 Team Loaded With Title Contenders

Team USA is sending a rock star lineup to the U20 World Championships in Amman, Jordan, August 14-20. The squad features returning U20, U23 and Senior World Champ Amit Elor — who seeks a second straight trifecta as she’s qualified for all three divisions again this year — and four other Final X participants: three-time age-level World medalist Audrey Jimenez (50 kg), 2021 U17 World champion Katie Gomez (53 kg), two-time age-level bronze medalist Adaugo Nwachukwu (62 kg), and 2021 Junior World champion Kennedy Blades (76 kg).

This year’s team looks to improve upon last year’s bronze medal finish in the team race, where the U.S. women scored 124 points to finish behind first-place Japan (230) and second-place India (160).

Here’s a weight-by-weight look at this year’s U.S. U20 women’s freestyle team:

50 kg – Audrey Jimenez (Tucson, Arizona/Sunkist Kids WC)

Jimenez showed her mettle in the U.S. Open, when she defeated two-time World medalist Alyssa Lampe in the finals, earning a spot in Final X, where she fell to Sarah Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt said in her-post match interview that she expected Jimenez to make Final X, recognizing the high school star’s remarkable talent. With three age-level medals on her resume — a U15 gold in 2019, a U17 bronze in 2021, and a U20 silver in 2022 — she seems due for gold. Last year, Jimenez fell to Japan’s Umi Ito in the finals. This year Jimenez will go in as the favorite, as Japan is sending a new face, Miruko Sakane, a first-time World teamer for the juggernaut program. China’s 17-year-old Yu Zhang, winner of the U17 and U20 Asian Championships, will also be in the field, but all eyes are on Jimenez as the one to beat.

53 kg – Katie Gomez (Van Nuys, California/Sunkist Kids WC)

Gomez has already amassed an impressive international resume, earning a U17 World title in 2021 and a U20 bronze in 2022. Her experience and skill set make her a contender in Amman, though she’ll have to get through a very talented field, including Ukraine’s Mariia Yefremova, who’s unbeaten at the international level in seven competitions. Yefremova’s wins included a victory last year over Japan’s Sakura Onishi in the finals. Onishi just won the U17 World title a few weeks ago in Istanbul. Even so, Gomez has the firepower to bring home a gold medal.

55 kg – Amani Jones (Jonesboro, Georgia/Cardinal WC)

Jones followed up an NCWWC runner-up finish in March for team national champion North Central by winning a U20 national title and earned the 55 kg Team USA spot, her first World team. She was the gold medalist at Junior Pan Ams in 2021 and took 4th at the same event in 2022, so she’s had some success in international wrestling and heads to Jordan as a medal threat. In her way will be returning champion Moe Kiyooka of Japan, the heavy favorite to repeat. She won four of her bouts last year by technical superiority and added a U23 World gold last November. Look for Jones to go in as a wild card who can beat anyone and contend for the podium.

57 kg – Cristelle Rodriguez (Fresno, California/Titan Mercury WC)

The 2019 Cadet World silver medalist is back on the world stage, this time seeking a U20 medal. Placing third in the NAIA this year as a freshman for Doane, she’s a physically bigger and more mature version of her 15-year-old self that won a medal at 49 kg four years ago. Since that time, she took a season off from the sport during high school and returned to the mat in college. Getting a fresh start at Doane, her renewed love of the sport is translating to more success in the circle, as she now has an opportunity to represent her country at U20 Worlds. Like all her teammates, she’s a medal threat in a loaded weight class that includes 2021 gold medalist Nilufar Raimova of Kazakhstan and European champ Alina Filipovych of Ukraine.

59 kg – Alexis Janiak (Plainfield, Illinois/SPAR Wrestling Academy)

After a stellar college freshman campaign at Aurora University, where she was runner-up among NCAA programs at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships, Janiak earned the U20 World team spot by defeating another young college star in Life’s Sarah Savidge. She’ll face a field in Jordan that includes all four continental champions, including 2021 U20 World champ Alesia Hetmanava (AIN), who won her title as a 17-year-old. Though Janiak lacks international experience as a first-timer on a World team, she will most certainly be a medal contender.

62 kg – Adaugo Nwachukwu (San Jose, California/Titan Mercury WC)

Nwachukwu has very quickly become one of the bright young talents in the United States, winning two NAIA college titles and making Final X this year on the Senior circuit, where she fell to veteran Kayla Miracle. As the #2 on the Senior National Team, Nwachukwu heads into U20 Worlds with an impressive resume already, earning U23 bronze and a U20 bronze medal last year. Standing in her way is Japan’s Suzu Sasaki, the U17 World silver medalist last year, and two-time U17 World champion Savita of India. No one will be surprised if Nwachukwu brings home gold this year as she’s certainly a contender to win her first World title.

65 kg – Maddie Kubicki (Kansas City, Missouri/Victory Wrestling)

Kubicki dominated the U20 Trials. Her closest win was a 13-4 victory over Iowa’s Ella Schmit in the best-of-three finals. Kubicki brings her gritty style to the World stage where she is an immediate medal threat as a first-time World participant. She has the ability to be in every match and take down some big names, perhaps making a name for herself internationally. U20 European champ Eniko Elekes of Hungary looks like the favorite, a young woman who won a U17 World title in 2021.

68 kg – Isabella Mir (Las Vegas, Nevada/Iowa Women’s WC)

Making her first World team, Mir leveled up this year in the Iowa program, winning the U20 spot with two straight falls over London Houston in the best-of-three finals. She had to beat college national champion Katie Lange and 2-time college All-American Nina Makem to make the finals, both impressive victories. With such a domestic resume, she’ll head to U20 Worlds as a medal contender, though she’ll have to get through a field that includes returning bronze medalist and senior African champ Khadija Jlassi of Tunisia.

72 kg – Amit Elor (Walnut Creek, California/Titan Mercury WC)

It’s not only that Elor made history last year in winning the U20, U23, and Senior World titles, it’s how she did it, dominating her way to gold medals with nothing but falls and technical falls, with the one single exception of edging Japan’s Furuichi 3-2 in the semis at Senior Worlds. At U20 Worlds last year, she scored three tech falls, only giving up one point en route to the World title. She heads to Jordan as the heavy favorite to repeat.

76 kg – Kennedy Blades (Chicago, Illinois/Sunkist Kids WC)

Kennedy Blades is no secret to anyone, domestically or internationally. The 2021 Junior World champion, she’ll head to Jordan as the heavy favorite to win it all again. She sat out last year recovering from injury, but is back this year and looking like the athlete that won the World title in 2021 and reached the finals of the Olympic Trials. Blades also owns a win this year over six-time World champion Adeline Gray, and everyone heading to Amman knows she’s the one to beat.