Women's Open previews provided by Austin Keal, Evan Knaff, and Jeff Johnson.

50 Kilograms

Last year in Budapest, Whitney Conder represented the United States at 50kg. Due to her not winning a medal, two spots in Final X are up for grabs. This weight features many seasoned veterans along with  some of the brightest up-and-comers this sport has to offer. What makes this weight very interesting is that last year's world team member, Whitney Conder, has not registered for the Open yet. Although she may still register, Conder may be waiting to qualify for Final X at the World Team Trials in Raleigh, North Carolina. Regardless, expect 50kg to be one of the most interesting weights as the ladies battle it out for the first spot in Final X: Rutgers.

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April 25-28 | 12:00 PM ET

Contenders

• Victoria Anthony (Sunkist Kids WC)

• Haley Augello (Sunkist Kids WC)

• Erin Golston (NYAC)

• Amy Fearnside (TMWC)

• Alleida Martinez (TMWC)

• Emily Shilson (TMWC)

Bringing the excitement to Vegas will be Haley Augello as she is dropping back down to 50kg after losing to Sarah Hildebrandt in Final X last year at 53kg. This creates a very exciting potential matchup between Augello and Victoria Anthony, who also lost at Final X last year. This would be a rematch from the 2016 Olympic Team Trials final where Augello was the victor. Augello went on the qualify the weight for the Olympics and took ninth. Victoria Anthony has started 2019 very strong, as she brought back a bronze medal from the prestigious Ivan Yarygin in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. 

Erin Golston will look to keep her momentum rolling after a good performance at Pan Am Championships last weekend where she finished with the silver medal. Golston was runner-up at the World Team Trials last year, where she lost the best-of-three series to Victoria Anthony in the finals. However, Golston got revenge when she defeated Anthony at the Dan Kolov back in March of this year. 

Another veteran in this field is Amy Fearnside. The four-time WCWA All American proved she has what it takes to make the team after finishing third at the World Team Trials last year. Fearnside also finished fifth at the U23 World Championships in 2017. 

Along with these veterans, some of women's wrestling’s best young talent will try to make some noise this week in the 50kg bracket. Alleida Martinez and Emily Shilson have both won just about everything you can at their age. Martinez, a four-time California state champion, took a shot at the senior stage last year. However, she was defeated in the consolation semis of the World Team Trials last year by Amy Fearnside by fall, as previously mentioned. The two-time cadet world medalist and three-time Fargo champ will be looking to make some noise this weekend. 

The other young star, Emily Shilson, is fresh off a cadet world title in 2018 and will be taking her first stab at the senior stage. Other notable achievements for Shilson include two Cadet Pan Am titles and five Fargo championships.

Watch Shilson win her latest Fargo title below:

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Dark Horses

• Jessica Dehart (Unattached)
• Mckayla Campbell (Campbellsville University)

Dehart, a four-time state champion in Oregon, is looking to put her face on the senior landscape at 50kg. Expect this two-time WCWA All-American to cause some problems in Vegas. Expect Mckayla Campbell, a two-time junior world team member, to also turn some heads.

Predictions

1) Anthony  

2) Augello  

3) Golston  

4) Fearnside

53 Kilograms

Due to Sarah Hildebrandt winning the silver medal at last year’s World Championships, she will sit until Final X. She will await the winner of the World Team Trials tournament held in Raleigh on May 17. Although winning that weekend will not automatically qualify one for Final X, it is still very important as the winner will earn a spot in the finals of the World Team Team Trials tournament. This year’s 53kg open field features many highly credentialed women looking to get their shot at knocking of Hildenbrandt at Final X Lincoln. 

Contenders

• Cody Pfau (TMWC)

• Gracie Figueroa (TMWC)

• Katherine Shai (TMWC)

• Tiare Ikei (Elite Accelerator Program) 

The clear frontrunner at this weight is 2016 US Open Champion Cody Pfau. Although Pfau is yet to crack the senior world team, she has been right there every year. Last year she was the runner-up at the World Team Trials tournament to Haley Augello. She has also been on the U23 world team the past two years, taking seventh last year. Along with a good international career, Pfau had a very good collegiate career at Oklahoma City University where she won three WCWA National Championships. 

Watch Pfau win a college title below:

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At 53kg we see another young star, Gracie Figueroa. Figueroa is a four-time state champion from California and has been on four age-level world teams (three cadet, one junior). She also brought back the bronze medal from the 2016 Cadet World Championships. Figueroa dominated domestically as well, winning five Fargo titles. Aside from the Grand Prix of Spain last July, this weekend will be Figueroa’s first go at the senior stage. 

Katherine Shai made her return to the mat this year at the Dave Schultz Memorial Tournament in January. In 2016 Shai won the Dave Schultz Memorial and took third place at the Olympic Team Trials. In 2014 she placed second at the World Team Trials. Shai also brought home a gold medal from the University World Championships in 2008. This two-time WCWA national champion will be looking to make a strong return to the mat this weekend in Vegas. 

After bringing home the bronze medal from the Cadet World Championships last year, Tiare Ikei will be looking to make some noise on the senior level. She made her senior level debut at the Dave Schultz Memorial in January. Unfortunately, she fell short of the medal stand after losing to Cody Pfau by fall in the consolation semis. Ikei was also a Cadet Pan Am gold medalist and a member of the Youth Olympic Games last year. Ikei is also a two-time Fargo All-American.

Dark Horse

• Stefana Jelacic (Sunkist Kids WC)

Stefana Jelacic was a Cadet Pan Am gold medalist back in 2016 and a Fargo champ in 2017. Jelacic could make for an interesting quarterfinal match, depending on how the bracket is drawn.

Predictions

1) Pfau  

2) Figueroa  

3) Shai  

4) Ikei

55 Kilograms

With many of the sports' top stars heading to Vegas at 55kg, the bracket is looking to be one of the best in the tournament. Last year in Budapest, Jacarra Winchester was the representative for the United States at 55kg. Although Winchester had a very good World Championships, she fell short in the bronze-medal match, meaning a spot in the 55kg match at Final X Rutgers is on the line this weekend. Winchester will be looking to take her spot back in Final X this weekend, but she will have to get through a very tough field to do so.

Contenders

• Jacarra Winchester ( TMWC)

• Becka Leathers (TMWC)

• Alexandra Hedrick (TMWC)

• Alisha Howk (Sunkist Kids WC)

• Dominique Parrish (Sunkist Kids WC)

• Ronna Heaton (Sunkist Kids WC)

After taking fifth at the World Championships last year, Jacarra Winchester is looking to repeat as an Open Champ and earn a spot in Final X. However, it will be anything but easy to do so. Winchester is coming off a bronze-medal finish at the Pan Am Championships, but it was up at 57kg. Winchester's biggest threat is 2017 world silver medalist, Becka Leathers. If these two were to meet, it would be a rematch of last years Final X, where Winchester won the series 2-0. Leathers has everything it takes to knock off Winchester and take her spot back in Final X. 

Coming down to 55kg this year will be Alexandra Hedrick. Last year Hedrick won the U.S. Open and World Team Trials tournament to set up a match with Olympic champion Helen Maroulis at Final X. She fell to Maroulis two matches to none, but she was still able to represent the United States at the Junior World Championships last year. Hedrick is fresh off a Pan Am gold medal last weekend in Argentina and will be looking to carry that momentum into Vegas. 

Dominique Parrish is another highly credentialed wrestler in this bracket. She finished runner-up to Jacarra Winchester at the Open and World Team Trials last year. Parrish has represented the United States the past two years at the U23 World Championships. Parrish has started 2019 off well, taking second at the Dave Schultz Memorial back in January. 

After being on an age-level world team the past two years, Alisha Howk made a smooth transition to the senior stage when she won the Dave Schultz Memorial back in January. Howk defeated Dominique Parrish in the finals by forfeit. Howk was fifth at the Junior World Championships last year and seventh at Cadet Worlds in 2017. She is also a two-time Fargo champion. She will be wrestling up at 55kg this year after taking sixth at the Open down at 53kg last year.

Ronna Heaton started her international career off strong, winning a gold medal at the Cadet World Championships in 2015 and a silver medal in 2016. She has also been on the junior world team the past three years. Last year Heaton wrestled on the senior circuit as well, taking seventh at the U.S. Open down at 53kg. Heaton was defeated by Alisha Howk 6-0 in the consolation round of four. Heaton was fourth in the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament last year at 55kg and has won Fargo three times. 

Watch Howk wrestle Heaton in the video below:

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Dark Horse

• Shauna Isbell-Kemp

The University of Jamestown head women’s wrestling coach and 2012 WCWA champion will be making a return to the mat.

Predictions

1) Leathers 

2) Winchester 

3) Hedrick 

4) Parrish

57 Kilograms

At 57 kilos in 2018, Alex Hedrick won the title over stud high-schooler Michaela Beck. Hedrick went on to place second to Olympic champion Helen Maroulis at Final X. Michaela Beck, who at the time was a senior in high school, currently trains with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. Unfortunately, neither wrestler is registered for the 2019 Open. Instead, we have a different crop of wrestlers ready to vie for the title, and its accompanying auto-berth to Final X.

Contenders:

Kelsey Campbell

Cameron Guerin

Koral Sugiyama

Dajan Treder

The top contender at 57kg would have to be Kelsey Campbell. Campbell, a 2012 Olympian, is looking to repeat as U.S. Open champ, this year down a weight from 59kg. Last year, Campbell defeated Lauren Louive in the 59kg Open finals, and then again at Final X Lehigh in the true third match, in order to make the national team. Campbell’s long list of accomplishments on the international circuit, dating back to 2004, makes her the presumptive favorite. An Open title for Campbell would put her in Final X, since last year’s World Team member, Helen Maroulis, was unable to medal at Worlds.

Cameron Guerin is a top challenger for Campbell. Guerin, a four-time Washington state champ, was the third-place finisher at 55kg at the 2018 Open. Guerin is a former Junior World Team member, a former Pan Am champ, and a current OTC resident athlete. Guerin has also already qualified for the World Team Trials in Raleigh at 55kg, as a result of her finalist status at the 2019 Grand Prix of Germany.

Dajan Treder is moving up a weight class this year, after taking fifth and fourth the last two seasons at 53kg at the Open. Treder placed fifth at 123 pounds at this years WCWAs and third at the NAIA Invitational.

A potential dark horse pick is the only returning wrestler from the 2018 Open at 57kg, Koral Sugiyama of Campbellsville University, who went 1-2 and took seventh. Sugiyama was a finalist at the 2017 Dave Schultz at 59kg, and placed fourth at the 2019 WCWAs, her fourth All-American honor. Sugiyama defeated Treder 5-2 in the semifinals of this year’s NAIA Invitational. With not many of last year’s 57kg competitors returning, Sugiyama could be poised to make a nice run.

Sierra Brown Ton, a freshman at Colorado Mesa, also competed at 123lbs at WCWA Nationals. She took eighth place at the tournament, and now looks to add to her resume. 

Brown Ton’s CMU teammate Marissa Gallegos is also registered at 57. Gallegos was a two-time Colorado state champion in high school. 

Other registered competitors include Abby Chufar and Alayna Swilley. 

Prediction:

1) Campbell 

2) Guerin 

3) Sugiyama 

4) Treder

59 Kilograms

At 59 kilos in 2018, Kelsey Campbell narrowly won the Open over Lauren Louive by a 4-2 score. This year, Campbell is down to 57, but Louive is back to claim the title she was denied a year ago. However, there is one major obstacle standing in her way. That obstacle is 2018 Final X winner Alli Ragan.

Contenders: 

Alli Ragan

Lauren Louive

Lauren Mason

Megan Black

Alli Ragan is the clear favorite here, as she won Final X last year. If not for an injury, Ragan would have been the American representative in Budapest, but unfortunately, she withdrew prior to competition. In terms of major international experience, Ragan has two world silver medals, one from 2016 and one from 2017, both at 60kg; her 2017 medal gave her the automatic berth to last year’s Final X. Alli won two Junior World bronze medals, as well as being a four-time WCWA finalist for King University, winning titles in 2013 and 2014. While Ragan has already qualified for the WTT as the returning WTT champion, a win here at the Open would secure her a spot in Final X. 

Lauren Louive is Ragan’s top competition for the title, given she was a finalist at this weight last year. Louive is Ragan’s teammate at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. Her list of accomplishments is long, including a fourth-place Open finish in 2017 to go along with her runner-up finish last year. She won the 2017 Dave Schultz, and placed third at the same tournament this year. Lauren narrowly missed out on making the national team last year, as she was defeated by Campbell in the true third match. 

A pair of wrestlers are bumping up from 57kg this year. The first is my dark horse pick, Lauren Mason. Mason, competing collegiately for Simon Fraser, took fourth place at last year’s Open one weight down. She went on to take fourth at UWW Junior Women’s Nationals the next month, that time at 55kg. Mason also took third at the 2019 WCWA Nationals. But a fun fact about Mason is that in the quarters of last years Open, Lauren, unseeded, took down the No. 1 seed Megan Black, who also happens to be the other wrestler moving up from 57kg. 

Black made history in 2012 when she became the first female to ever earn a medal at the Iowa State Tournament. She has since had a very successful wrestling career, including two WCWA finals appearances as well as a University Nationals title and a spot on the 2017 USA U-23 team at 58kg. She took fifth at last year’s Open, as well as third at last year’s Bill Farrell. 

The two final entrants at 59kg are Kaylee Lacy, a wrestler for Colorado Mesa University, and Maya Porter, a current high school senior who competed last year at the 2018 UWW Cadet Women’s Nationals. 

Prediction:

1) Ragan 

2) Louive 

3) Mason 

4) Black 

62 Kilograms

The champ is back. Kayla Miracle returns to 62kg this year to defend her crown in a full weight class. Her top competition from last year is gone as well, as Jenna Burkert is down at 59kg and has qualified for the WTT already, and Mallory Velte, who Miracle beat in last year’s Open finals, is already qualified for Final X at 62kg by virtue of her 2018 World bronze medal. So the pool is wide open for a new challenger for Miracle.

Contenders:

Kayla Miracle

Brenda Reyna

Alexis Porter

Solin Piearcy

Miracle is the reigning Open champion at 62kg, but that is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of her accomplishments. A four-time WCWA champion for Campbellsville, Miracle was the 2017 runner-up at the Open at 58 kilos. Kayla also won both the 2016 and 2017 Dave Schultz Memorial Invitational. Last summer, she came up just short of making the World Team, losing in the third match to Mallory Velte at Final X State College, so one can be sure that Kayla is coming in hot ready to make it back to Final X and make her first Senior World Team. 

Watch Kayla Miracle defeat Solin Piearcy 10-0 in the 2017 WCWA semifinals:

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One tough contender is Brenda Reyna. Reyna is a two-time Junior World Team member for Team USA, and last year placed fourth at the Open at 59kg. She is a sophomore at McKendree, and recently won her second All-American honor in as many attempts, finishing as the national runner-up after a fourth-place finish a year ago. 

Alexis Porter is another solid contender for the title. Porter is the older sister of Maya, competing at 59kg. Alexis was a four-time All-American for McKendree, with her highest placement being a runner-up finish in 2018. She placed fifth at last year’s Open at 65kg, and third at least year’s WTT challenge tournament, as well as finishing sixth at 63kg at the 2017 Open. In 2016, Porter won a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships. Alexis looks to be a tough challenge for Miracle.

My dark horse pick is Solin Piearcy, who just wrapped up her junior year at Menlo College by earning her third All-American honor, improving on two fifth-place finishes by winning the WCWA title at 136 pounds.

Other competitors include Desiree Zavala, a two time All American for Grays Harbor, finishing runner-up at 136 in 2018. Also competing is Bridgette Duty, a sophomore and two-time WCWA All-American for the University of the Cumberlands. Brianna Csontos, the 2018 Junior Pan Am champ at 62kg, is also registered, along with Gabrielle Garcia, Melissa Jacobs, and Amber Strong.

Eve Berrington is also registered at this weight. Berrington is planning to compete in the 18th season of American Idol, and that’s absolutely something worth noting.

Prediction: 

1) Miracle 

2) Piearcy 

3) Porter 

4) Reyna

65 Kilograms

This weight can make a case as one of the best weights at this year's open. Although there are only six wrestlers registered at this time, the quality far outweighs the quantity. The top three finishers in last year's event are all slated to be in Vegas, and are the same top three from last years World Team Trials.

The defending champion is Julia Salata. The 2018 Open champ was kept off the world team by being upset in Final X, but she was dominant at the Open, controlling eventual world team member Forrest Molinari 5-0. She is fresh off a gold-medal performance at the Pan Ams this past weekend and looking sharp heading into Vegas.

The aforementioned Molinari is a recent addition to the Hawkeye Wrestling Club and will be looking to maintain control of this weight domestically in 2019. She’ll be looking to build off her appearance at the World Championships last fall with hopes of capturing her first U.S. Open title.

Finishing third behind Salata and Molinari last year was Jaydin Laurent. In addition to her third-place finish at the Open, Laurent went on to represent Team USA at the Junior World Championships in 2018 as well.

A pair of accomplished age-level wrestlers will be looking to prevent the same top three finishers this year and start making names for themselves at the senior level. Maya Nelson, a 2017 Junior World champ captured a title at the Schultz earlier this year. Macey Kilty boasts three world-level medals including a cadet title in 2017 and a junior silver last year.

Prediction:

1) Salata 

2) Molinari 

3) Kilty 

4) Nelson

68 Kilograms

There will be some new faces at the top of the podium this year at 68 kilos. As of now, none of the top five finishers from 2018 have registered. One of America’s best and most exciting wrestlers competes at this weight, but returning champ and world bronze medalist Tamara Stock has already accepted her spot in Final X and will not be in Vegas to defend her title. 

The 10-athlete field includes a pair of returning place winners from last year's Open, the highest of whom is Anna Naylor who wrestles for the powerhouse NWCA program Cumberlands University. She finished sixth last year after reaching the semis. She knocked off the No. 2 seed who went on to finish third, so we know she has it in her to improve on that placement.

New Jersey’s Skylar Grote is the other top finisher from 2018, as she took home seventh place. Her 10-0 tech for seventh can be seen here.

Return entries from 2018 include Lena Flanagan and Chloe Rogers. Neither were able to win a match last year. The rest of the field includes Adrianna Orozco, Alma Mendoza, Anatil Smalley, Marilyn Garcia, and Rachel Allar.

Prediction: 

1) Naylor 

2) Grote 

3) Allar 

4) Rogers

72 Kilograms

The championship match in 2018 was a razor-thin 6-5 battle between eventual World Team member Erin Clodgo and Iowa native Rachel Waters.

Clodgo is not entered this year, but Waters is and will be looking to move up one more step to the top of the podium in 2019. Waters was also the runner-up to Clodgo at Final X last year.

Half of the 2018 Open place-winners return to Vegas. In addition to Waters, fourth-place finisher and 2018 Junior World teamer Alyvia Fiske comes back as a top contender. Fifth-place finisher Jerzie Estrada, and eighth-place finisher Alexis Gomez add depth and experience to the weight class.

Perhaps the biggest story here is the return to competition of Victoria Francis. Francis just completed a one-year suspension for anti-doping violations dating back to 2017. Prior to the suspension, Francis was one of the top upperweights America had to offer. She has a Junior World bronze, a runner-up finish at the Olympic Trials in 2016, and a spot on the senior World Team, among other accolades. She could be the favorite here.

Prediction: 

1) Francis 

2) Waters 

3) Fiske 

4) Estrada

76 Kilograms

This weight class was dominated in 2018 by the return of one of the all-time greats, Adeline Gray. She dominated the Open, along with everything else she entered, on her route to her fourth world title. 

Like Stock at 68, Gray has accepted her spot in Final X and will not be entertaining fans in Vegas this coming weekend. Her Final X opponent from last year, Korianahe Bullock, will be the favorite in 2019. She is the highest returning placer from 2018, having finished fourth at last year's event.

Nobody else from the 2018 field is expected in 2019, opening the door for some fresh talent to emerge. Among the favorites to do so is Peyton Rigert, who finished third at the Schultz this season. The field is rounded out with Dave Hart, Emily Cue, Kenya-Lee Sloan, and Paige Baynes.

Prediction: 

1) Bullock 

2) Rigert 

3) Sloan 

4) Baynes