By Richard Immel
USA Wrestling

NEWARK, N.J. – Two-time Olympic medalist and four-time World champion Kyle Dake will represent the U.S. for a sixth time at the Senior World Championships. Dake overcame a round one loss to take two straight matches from 2025 World champion Zahid Valencia on Friday night at 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management.  

Dake came out strong, was excellent in his defensive positioning, and pounced at the opportune moments in the second session at Prudential Center. He defeated Valencia 4-1 and 4-0 in the men’s freestyle main event to make his first World Team up at 86 kg.   

Three more best-of-three series involving returning World Team members went three matches, with two defending champions being dethroned.

Budding rivals Marcus Blaze and Jax Forrest went the distance at 61 kg, with Blaze earning a 5-2 decision in the rubber match. Both men were age-group World champions last year, Blaze at the U20 level and Forrest at the U23 level. Forrest was the Senior World Team member in 2025, finishing in fifth place at the World Championships.

The lace man James Green qualified for his eighth Senior World Team, and first at 74 kg, with a 4-1 win over 2025 World Team member David Carr in the decisive round three match. Green is a two-time World medalist for the U.S., with a bronze in 2015 and silver in 2017 to his credit.

Olympic champion and four-time World champion Kyle Snyder was pushed to a third match by Stephen Buchanan at 97 kg. Buchanan snuck in a 5-5 criteria win in round two, before Snyder rebounded with a controlled 9-3 decision in round three.

Four athletes ended their series in two bouts and will return to the World Championships—2024 Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee at 57 kg, 2023 World champion Zain Retherford at 70 kg, 2025 World silver medalist Levi Haines at 79 kg and 2025 World Team member Wyatt Hendrickson at 125 kg.

The eight Final X champions from Friday join 2025 World champion Trent Hidlay, who won the 92 kg spot last week with a series win over Michael Macchiavello, on the Senior World Team that will compete in Astana, Kazakhstan, this October.

The 65 kg Final X series between 2025 World bronze medalist Real Woods and 2026 U.S. Open champion Bo Bassett has been delayed and will be contested at a date and location to be determined.

Archived matches of 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management, are available at FloWrestling.com. Results can be found on USA Bracketing.

2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management 

At Prudential Center, Newark, N.J., June 19 

Men’s Freestyle Best-of-Three Series Results  

125 kg – Wyatt Hendrickson (Cowboy RTC/Air Force WCAP) defeats Mason Parris (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC), two matches to none

Round one – Hendrickson dec. Parris, 9-5

Round two – Hendrickson dec. Parris, 7-1

70 kg – Zain Retherford (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Ridge Lovett (Nebraska WTC/Training Mercury WC), two matches to none

Round one – Retherford dec. Lovett, 2-1

Round two – Retherford dec. Lovett, 8-2

79 kg – Levi Haines (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Chance Marsteller (New Jersey RTC/Titan Mercury WC), two matches to none

Round one – Haines dec. Marsteller, 6-1

Round two – Haines dec. Marsteller, 6-3

74 kg – James Green (Nebraska WTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats David Carr (Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC), two matches to one

Round one – Green dec. Carr, 6-3

Round two – Carr dec. Green, 6-5

Round three – Green dec. Carr, 4-1

97 kg – Kyle Snyder (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Stephen Buchanan (Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC), two matches to one

Round one – Snyder dec. Buchanan, 5-2

Round two – Buchanan dec. Snyder, 5-5

Round three – Snyder dec. Buchanan, 9-3

61 kg – Marcus Blaze (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Jax Forrest (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC), two matches to one

Round one – Blaze dec. Forrest, 2-2

Round two – Forrest dec. Blaze, 6-1

Round three – Blaze dec. Forrest, 5-2

57 kg – Spencer Lee (Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Luke Lilledahl (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC), two matches to none

Round one – Lee dec. Lilledahl, 7-1

Round two – Lee dec. Lilledahl, 8-4

86 kg – Kyle Dake (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Zahid Valencia (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC), two matches to one

Round one – Valencia dec. Dake, 3-2

Round two – Dake dec. Valencia, 4-1

Round three – Dake dec. Valencia, 4-0

Men’s Freestyle True-Third Results  

70 kg – Landon Robideau (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) forfeit Caleb Henson (Southeast RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

79 kg – Evan Wick (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Patrick Kennedy (Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC), 8-4

86 kg – Parker Keckeisen (Panther WC-RTC) dec. Aeoden Sinclair (Tiger Style RTC/Titan Mercury WC), 5-5

92 kg – Dustin Plott (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Seth Shumate (Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC), 10-0

61 kg – Austin DeSanto (Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) forfeit Benjamin Davino (Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Beau Bartlett (New York City RTC/Titan Mercury WC) forfeit Joey McKenna (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)