After the pandemic delayed the suspense for a year, the much anticipated, long-awaited weekend is here as the Olympic Team Trials for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games goes down this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, at the Dickies Arena, April 2-3.

There are big storylines that will be playing out in Fort Worth. Will Helen Maroulis complete her comeback from the devastating concussion she suffered in 2018? Will Kennedy Blades pose a real threat to perhaps the best pound-for-pound women’s wrestler on the planet, Tamyra Mensah-Stock? Will five-time world champion Adeline Gray, likely in the twilight of her career, have her shot at winning her first Olympic medal? These stories will all play out on the mat this weekend in Texas.

“That’s what we’re striving for every single day is to win Olympic and world titles,” said Gray. “I have half of that recipe pretty nailed down. I’ve made a number of world teams and been successful there…There is some pressure on it, for sure. I would love to have that title of Olympic champion…I need to put it together on that one day that happens every four years.”

Here’s a weight-by-weight preview.

50 Kilogram

Sarah Hildebrandt is the clear favorite to win this spot, and has the decided advantage by sitting in the best-of-three finals awaiting the winner of the challenge tournament. Hildebrandt has done nothing in the past year to make anyone think she isn’t the one to beat, dominating domestic competition at Senior Nationals and at the Captain’s Cup, and winning gold at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix in Nice, France, in January. That being said, the field is loaded with talent who have no intention of handing the spot over to the 2018 world silver medalist. The #1 seed in the challenge tournament and #3 seed at this weight, Whitney Conder and Victoria Anthony, respectively, seem to be the biggest threats. Conder lost twice to Hildebrandt last year in the best-of-three wrestle-off for the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier, but one of those matches was only 2-0.

Meanwhile, Anthony has been active and successful on the international scene, taking bronze in late February at the Outstanding Ukraine Memorial and then following that up with gold at the Matteo Pellicone in Rome in early March. The last time Anthony and Hildebrandt met, it was a year ago at the same event in Rome, where Hildebrandt won a 7-5 match. But Anthony would have to get through #2 seed Alyssa Lampe—who pinned her in the finals of the 2019 Senior Nationals—and Conder first, who has had the edge in recent matches, beating Anthony in the first two matches at Final X in the best-of-three in 2019. And don’t sleep on the rest of the field, a group that includes #4 seed Amy Fearnside, who has beaten Lampe in their last two bouts; rising young star Emily Shilson, who defeated Fearnside 9-4 at the Captain’s Cup; and #5 seed Erin Golston, who has wins in recent years over Shilson and Fearnside. High school star Sage Mortimer, who won the Last Chance Qualifier last weekend, is seeded #11.

50 kg seeds

Sarah Hildebrandt (New York AC) - sitting to the best-of-three finals

1. Whitney Conder (U.S. Army WCAP)

2. Alyssa Lampe (Sunkist Kids)

3. Victoria Anthony (Sunkist Kids)

4. Amy Fearnside (Titan Mercury WC)

5. Erin Golston (NYAC)

6. Emily Shilson (Titan Mercury WC)

7. Alleida Martinez (Titan Mercury WC)

8. Aleeah Gould (Tornado WC)

9. McKayla Campbell (Campbellsville)

10. Nina Pham (Wayland Baptist)

11. Sage Mortimer (Champions WC)

12. Angelina Gomez (Emmanuel)

13. Esthela Trevino (Umpqua CC)

14. Charlotte Fowler (River Valley WC)

53 Kilogram

Like Hildebrandt, 2019 world champion Jacarra Winchester gets to wait for her opponent to get through the challenge tournament. She won her world title at 55 kg, a non-Olympic weight, and dropped down to 53 kg for the Olympic “year” (more like two years at this point). In the field, she’ll have #1 challenge tournament seed Dominique Parrish, #2 seed Areana Villaescusa, and #3 seed Katherine Shai, all of whom she has wins over.

Most recently, Winchester defeated Shai 6-2 at the Captain’s Cup. It has been difficult for any domestic opponent to score points against Winchester’s lockdown defense, let alone stop her explosive offense. Can one of these wrestlers crack the code and find a way to take down an athlete that’s proven she can beat anyone in the world? It’s believable that it could happen once, but it’s hard to see anyone beating the world champ two out of three matches. The field also includes a plethora of young talent, including #5 seed Ronna Heaton, NCAA champ Felicity Taylor, and NAIA champs Peyton Prussin and Jasmine Hernandez.

53 kg seeds

Jacarra Winchester (Titan Mercury WC) - sitting to the best-of-three finals

1. Dominique Parrish (Sunkist Kids)

2. Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP)

3. Katherine Shai (Titan Mercury WC)

4. Alex Hedrick (Titan Mercury WC)

5. Ronna Heaton (Sunkist Kids)

6. Alisha Howk (Sunkist Kids)

7. Felicity Taylor (McKendree Bearcat WC)

8. Peyton Prussin (Life)

9. Jaslynn Gallegos (Presbyterian College)

10. Melanie Mendoza (Tornado WC)

11. Marissa Gallegos (Colorado Mesa)

12. Jasmine Hernandez (Lyon)

57 Kilogram

Helen, a woman so beloved by the wrestling community that most people call her by her first name. Her story is fascinating, heartbreaking, and inspiring, all wrapped in one. After becoming the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal in 2016, and that by defeating the larger-than-life Japanese legend Yoshida, Maroulis sustained a concussion while competing in India, a severe brain injury that put her on a long road to recovery—a road that seems to point toward Tokyo. We’ve all been watching her slow return to the mat and it all seems to culminate this weekend, the next step toward a return to Olympic glory. “Honestly, I feel amazing coming into these Trials,” said Maroulis. “I fought tooth and nail to get back to this point. I trust the process. I love where I’m at. I love the training, the preparation, so I’m ready to go.” 

Maroulis has the benefit of already sitting in the championship final, awaiting the winner of the challenge tournament. While her story has captured the hearts of so many, there are other stories playing out this weekend in Fort Worth. #1 challenge tournament seed Jenna Burkert, #2 seed Alli Ragan, #3 seed XMP, #4 seed Abby Nette, and #5 seed Cameron Guerin all have their journeys of hard work, adversity, and pursuing dreams. Whether they can take down the legend remains to be seen. Ragan has come the closest in the last few years. At the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier wrestle-off last year, it was 2-2 Maroulis, winning by criteria. But that seems like a long time ago, and was at the beginning of Maroulis’ return to the mat after a year and a half off. Since then, Maroulis dominated the 2020 Olympic qualifier in Ottawa, as well as winning gold at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix in France in January of this year.

57 kg seeds

Helen Maroulis (Sunkist Kids) - sitting to the best-of-three finals

1. Jenna Burkert (Army WCAP)

2. Alli Ragan (Sunkist Kids)

3. Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise RTC)

4. Abby Nette (Sunkist Kids)

5. Cameron Guerin (Titan Mercury WC)

6. Tiana Jackson (Menlo WC)

7. Shauna Kemp (Titan Mercury WC)

8. Brenda Reyna (McKendree Bearcat WC)

9. Cheyenne Sisenstein (Tornado WC)

10. Lauren Louive (NYAC)

11. Bridgette Duty (Patriot WC)

12. Amanda Martinez (Cardinal WC)

62 Kilogram

“Kayla 2.0” has been on a tear since graduating from Campbellsville as a four-time WCWA national champion, moving on for a season to the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, then finally landing at Arizona State, where she followed her coach, Mark Perry. It’s all seemed to work out so far, as Miracle has been a level above her domestic opponents, winning a U23 silver medal at the 2019 U23 World Championships. But the field at 62 kg includes some worthy challengers. Among them are 2017 Junior world champion Maya Nelson, 2019 U23 world silver medalist Macey Kilty, 2018 world bronze medalist Mallory Velte, the 2019 Senior Nationals winner Emma Bruntil, and 2020 Senior Nationals champ Jennifer Page, among others.

We got to see recently what Miracle-Kilty looks like, as they met in January in the finals of the Henri Deglane in France with Miracle getting the better of her younger opponent 8-2. But Kilty would have to get through the deep field with many opponents capable of advancing to the championship final against Miracle. In 2019, it was Nelson getting the best of Kilty in the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, winning the first two matches in the best-of-three 5-0 and 11-3. Senior level veteran Julia Salata is also at this weight along with 2020 NAIA champions Desiree Zavala and Waipuilani Estrella-Beauchamp

62 kg seeds

Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids) - sitting to the best-of-three finals

1. Maya Nelson (Sunkist Kids)

2. Macey Kilty (Tarheel WC/Sunkist Kids)

3. Mallory Velte (Titan Mercury WC)

4. Emma Bruntil (McKendree Bearcat WC)

5. Jennifer Page (Titan Mercury WC)

6. Julia Salata (NYAC)

7. Desiree Zavala (Wayland Baptist)

8. Michaela Beck (Wisconsin RTC/Sunkist Kids)

9. Ana Luciano (Tornado WC)

10. Waipuilani Estrella-Beauchamp (Midland)

11. Zoe Nowicki (Adrian College)

68 Kilogram

After 2019 world champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock defeated five-time world champion Adeline Gray as the headliner of the FloWrestling event in January, many in the wrestling community have suggested that Mensah-Stock may be the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world. While that may be true, anyone who watched Kennedy Blades completely dominate the field last week at Last Chance—including a shocking 12-1 tech fall over #4 ranked Skylar Grote—knows that this weight class has lots of intrigue. Can the 17-year-old high school junior continue her high-paced attack style offense against the likes of Senior level powerhouses like Forrest Molinari, Alex Glaude, and if she gets that far, Tamyra Mensah-Stock? No one at the Senior level has figured out yet how to slow Blades down, but she hasn’t faced the top three yet.

If this bracket goes chalk, it would be Blades vs. #2 seed Glaude in the semis. Who are you betting on? As good as Glaude is, Kennedy Blades is a tough draw for anyone right now. Molinari was 5th at both 2018 & 2019 Worlds, and recently gave Mensah-Stock a tough match in France as they faced each other in the finals. Mensah-Stock won it 6-1. Just like last week at Last Chance, I’m sure wrestling fans are going to grab the popcorn for this weight class.

68 kg seeds

Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Titan Mercury WC) - sitting to the best-of-three finals

1. Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids)

2. Alex Glaude (Titan Mercury WC)

3. Kennedy Blades (Sunkist Kids)

4. Ashlynn Ortega (NYAC)

5. Alara Boyd (McKendree Bearcat WC)

6. Nahiela Magee (U.S. Army WCAP)

7. Rachel Watters (Oklahoma City)

8. Sienna Ramirez (Southern Oregon)

9. Felicity Bryant (Emmanuel)

10. Morgan Norris (Presbyterian College)

76 Kilogram

There’s not many who would dispute that five-time world champ Adeline Gray is the favorite here, but Guilford is wrestling well enough recently to plant some doubt. After beating two-time world teamer Victoria Francis—5th at Worlds in 2019—by a 4-2 score on the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club card in January, Guilford followed that up with a dominant 10-0 tech fall over Francis at the Captain’s Cup. Precious Bell is also a threat, shutting out Guilford 7-0 in the finals of the 2019 Senior Nationals qualifying event, though she’s lost the last three, two by fall. Even so, at the Captain’s Cup, it was only 2-1.

There’s plenty of young talent in the field, including #5 seed Yelena Makoyed and #6 seed Joye Levendusky, who met in the finals of the NCAA women’s national event earlier this month, the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships, with Makoyed winning the title. The field also includes 2021 NAIA champs Nkechinyere “Chi Chi” Nwankwo (#7 seed) and Jordan Nelson (#9 seed), and NCAA/NCWWC champ Sydnee Kimber. And don’t sleep on #12 seed Jackie Cataline, who was impressive at the Last Chance Qualifier, along with high school phenom Kylie Welker, the #14 seed.

76 kg seeds

Adeline Gray (New York AC) - sitting to the best-of-three finals

1. Dymond Guilford (Titan Mercury WC)

2. Victoria Francis (Titan Mercury WC)

3. Precious Bell (Titan Mercury WC)

4. Randi Beltz (U.S. Army WCAP)

5. Yelena Makoyed (Cardinal WC)

6. Joye Levendusky (McKendree Bearcat WC)

7. Nkechinyere Nwankwo (Oklahoma City)

8. Sydnee Kimber (McKendree Bearcat WC)

9. Jordan Nelson (Life)

10. Mariah Harris (Campbellsville)

11. Alexandra Castillo (Campbellsville)

12. Jackie Cataline (Titan Mercury WC)

13. Marlynne Deede (Twin Cities RTC)

14. Kylie Welker (Titan Mercury WC)

Derek Levendusky is a freelance writer for American Women’s Wrestling and FloWrestling. You can find him on Twitter @awwnewsfeed and @AWWderek.