Nick Lee defeated Joey McKenna in one of the biggest and most anticipated matches at the 2023 U.S. Open in Las Vegas in April. 

The two were Big Ten rivals (McKenna attended Ohio State, after transferring from Stanford, Lee was a Penn State standout). 

They met four times in college, with each match being decided by one point and McKenna winning three times, but Lee got the job done this year to earn his spot at Final X presented by Tezos, despite being down 5-0 after the first period. He went on to win 10-5.

Subscribe to FloWrestling and the FloSports app to watch Final X Wrestling 

Yianni Diakomihalis vs Nick Lee - Final X Preview & Prediction

2023 Final X Wrestling Matchups

Lee was a member of the USA Wrestling national team in 2021 after finishing third at the 2021 Olympic Team Trials Challenge Tournament.

His Final X opponent will be Yianni Diakomihalis, who was the 65kg silver medalist at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships.

This year’s edition of Final X will take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 10. The event will feature the top two wrestlers at every weight class in a best-of-three series, with the winners making the 2023 United States World Team. 

The world team will travel to Belgrade, Serbia, to compete at the 2023 Senior World Championships from Sept. 16-24. 

Check below for the current matchups for Final X and a brief explanation of how each wrestler qualified for the 2023 event.

Here’s what to know about Nick Lee:

Nick Lee Made Penn State Wrestling History In 2022

A fifth-year senior in 2022, Lee made history by becoming Penn State Wrestling’s first five-time All-American. The same year, he was named Penn State’s Male Athlete of the Year.

He also found success in the classroom and was a four-time NWCA first-team National All-Academic honoree.

Lee left Penn State with a 118-13 record, two NCAA national titles (141 pounds), a Big Ten championship and a plethora of additional academic honors from the Big Ten Conference and CoSIDA.

Nick Lee’s High School Years Were A Little Different

An Indiana state champion for Mater Dei High School in 2015, Lee capped off his high school career training freestyle, while going through homeschooling. He later became the first former Mater Dei wrestler to win an individual collegiate title.

While in high school, Lee also was a Cadet and Junior Freestyle national champion.

Nick Lee On The Move

Lee was on USA Wrestling’s national team in 2021, a spot he earned with a third-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. 

Nick Lee Wrestling Ranking 

In the most recent Domestic Men’s Freestyle rankings on FloWrestling, Lee ranked second in the 65kg weight class. 

Here are the top 5: 

1. Yianni Diakomihalis 
2. Nick Lee
3. Joey McKenna
4. Matthew Kolodzik
5. Beau Bartlett

Here are the complete rankings. 

How Wrestlers Qualify For Final X Wrestling 2023

A wrestler can qualify for Final X in one of three ways.

First, all 2022 senior world medalists automatically qualified for Final X. There were seven wrestlers in men’s freestyle, six in women’s freestyle and zero in Greco-Roman who met this criterion.

Next, all champions from the 2023 US Open (held April 26-30) automatically qualified for Final X.

Finally, for the weights that didn’t have a returning world medalist, the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament (May 20-21) champion will earn a spot in Final X. 

Men’s Freestyle Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

• 57 kg: *Thomas Gilman vs Zane Richards
• 61 kg: Vito Arujau vs Nahshon Garrett
• 65 kg: *Yianni Diakomihalis vs Nick Lee
• 70 kg: *Zain Retherford vs Tyler Berger
• 74 kg: *Kyle Dake vs Jason Nolf
• 79 kg: *Jordan Burroughs vs Chance Marsteller
• 86 kg: *David Taylor vs Aaron Brooks
• 92 kg: Michael Macchiavello vs Zahid Valencia
• 97kg: *Kyle Snyder vs J’den Cox
• 125 kg: Gable Steveson vs Mason Parris

*Denotes 2022 World Medalist

Women’s Freestyle Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

• 50 kg: *Sarah Hildebrandt vs Audrey Jimenez
• 53 kg: *Dominique Parrish vs Katie Gomez
• 55 kg: Alisha Howk vs Jacarra Winchester
• 57 kg: *Helen Maroulis vs Xochitl Mota-Pettis 
• 59 kg: Michaela Beck vs Jennifer Page
• 62 kg: *Kayla Miracle vs Adaugo Nwachukwu
• 65 kg: Mallory Velte vs Macey Kilty
• 68 kg: Forrest Molinari vs Emma Bruntil
• 72 kg: *Amit Elor vs Joye Levendusky
• 76 kg: Kennedy Blades vs Adeline Gray

*Denotes 2022 World Medalist

Men’s Greco-Roman Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

• 55 kg: Brady Koontz vs Dalton Duffield
• 60 kg: Dalton Roberts vs Ildar Hafizov
• 63 kg: Hayden Tuma vs Xavier Johnson
• 67 kg: Robert Perez III vs Alejandro Sancho
• 72 kg: Justus Scott vs Patrick Smith
• 77 kg: Kamal Bey vs Aliaksandr Kikiniou
• 82 kg: Spencer Woods vs Ryan Epps
• 87 kg: Alan Vera vs Zachary Braunagel
• 97 kg: Josef Rau vs Christian Dulaney
• 130 kg: Cohlton Schultz vs Adam Coon

How To Watch Final X Wrestling 2023 

Final X will stream live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app. 

FloWresting will also serve as home of match archives and provide the latest news from Final X.