By David Gerhart
USA Wrestling

Two-time World bronze medalist Kylie Welker and 2022 World Team member Dymond Guilford renew their rivalry at 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management, with a spot on the 2026 U.S. Senior World Team on the line. The 76 kg women's freestyle matchup will be on June 19 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Welker locked up her spot at Final X after she accepted her bid following a bronze-medal performance at the 2025 World Championships. After an 8-3 setback to World silver medalist Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan, Welker stormed through the repechage with a 10-0 win over three-time age-group World medalist Elmira Yasin of Türkiye. Welker then defeated five-time age-group World medalist Anastasiya Alpyeyeva of Ukraine, 6-2, to claim World bronze for a second-straight year. Along with a pair of Senior World medals, Welker has five age-group World medals, highlighted by back-to-back U23 World titles (2024 and 2025) and the 2021 U20 World title.

Welker enters Final X following a standout gold-medal performance to win her second-straight Pan American title in May. She had 11-0 wins over World bronze medalists and 2024 Olympic bronze medalists Tatiana Renteria of Colombia and Milaimys Marin of Cuba. Welker then claimed gold with a fall against 2025 World champion Genesis Reasco of Ecuador. In March, Welker also collected her third-straight collegiate national title for Iowa at the inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships.

Guilford locked in the rematch of last year’s Final X series after going 4-0 at the U.S. Open Championships for her second career U.S. Open title. For the spot at Final X, Guilford took down NCAA champion Tristan Kelly of McKendree, 3-1.

Guilford, who won two collegiate national titles at the University of the Cumberlands, was a 2022 World Team member. That same year, she also claimed silver at the U23 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. She started this season strong with a bronze medal at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series event in February before winning the U.S. Open title.

Welker holds a 5-1 series lead against Guilford in a rivalry that began at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. After splitting their first two meetings - an 8-0 Welker win and a Guilford pin in the 2023 U.S. Open quarterfinals - Welker has won the last four matchups. Those victories include third-place bouts with an 8-5 win at 2023 Final X and 5-4 decision at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Welker then swept their best-of-three series at 2025 Final X, 2-1 and 9-1.

What’s at Stake?

Final X will determine the 2026 U.S. World Team in two international disciplines—men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle. In total, 20 weight classes will be contested, 10 in each discipline. The top two U.S. athletes in each weight class will wrestle a best-of-three series at Final X to determine the U.S. representative at the 2026 Senior World Championships.

Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit

Final X will serve as the 2026 Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit, the 16th BTSNY Annual Benefit to date. These unique electrifying events help BTSNY raise more than $1 million each year to support local youth wrestling programs, which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after-party will follow the conclusion of Final X.

This will be the second Final X and Beat the Streets event appearance for both Lilledahl and Lee, following their head-to-head matchup at Final X last June. Lee won that series two matches to none.

Get Tickets

BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages, which include access to premier seating at Final X, plus the exclusive after-party, are currently available at btsny.org. For more information on ticket packages, email BTSNY Executive Director Bob Seidel at bseidel@btsny.org. Donations and BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages directly help BTSNY make a lifelong impact on New York City youth in need.

Event-only tickets for Final X without access to the BTSNY after-party celebration are available on Ticketmaster.

Follow Final X

FloWrestling will serve as the host broadcast partner for Final X. Fans can watch the event live or on-demand at FloWrestling.org. Online results for Final X will be available on USA Bracketing.

For more information about Final X, please visit TheMat.com.

Event Schedule

12:30 p.m. ET – U.S. National Team true-third matches

2 p.m. ET – Session one (Round one)

5 p.m. ET – Session two (Rounds two and three, if necessary)

Match order for each session will be provided at a later date

2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management

June 19 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey

Men’s Freestyle Best-of-Three Series

57 kg – Luke Lilledahl (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Spencer Lee (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)

61 kg – Marcus Blaze (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Jax Forrest (Johnstown, Pa./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Real Woods (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Bo Bassett (Windber, Pa./Titan Mercury WC)

70 kg – Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, Idaho/Nebraska WTC/Training Mercury WC) vs. Zain Retherford (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

74 kg – James Green (Lincoln, Neb./Nebraska WTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. David Carr (Ames, Iowa/Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

79 kg – Levi Haines (Bellefonte, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Chance Marsteller (Reading, Pa./New Jersey RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

86 kg – Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Kyle Dake (Port Matilda, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

92 kg – Trent Hidlay (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Michael Macchiavello (Northampton, Pa./Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

97 kg – Kyle Snyder (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Stephen Buchanan (Coralville, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)

125 kg – Wyatt Hendrickson (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Air Force WCAP) vs. Mason Parris (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC)

** The 92 kg men’s freestyle series between Trent Hidlay and Michael Macchiavello has been moved to Friday, June 13, in Chantilly, Va., and will not be contested in Newark.

Women’s Freestyle Best-of-Three Series

50 kg – Katie Gomez (Van Nuys, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Morgan Turner (Chicago, Ill./All I See Is Gold Academy/Titan Mercury WC)

53 kg – Cristelle Rodriguez (Crete, Neb./Tiger WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Elena Ivaldi (Rocklin, Calif.)

55 kg – Everest Leydecker (Phoenix, Ariz./Thorobred WC/New York AC) vs. Areana Villaescusa (Fountain, Colo./Army WCAP)

57 kg – Helen Maroulis (Scottsdale, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Amanda Martinez (Riverside, Ill./Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC)

59 kg – Abigail Nette (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) vs. Alexis Janiak (Plainfield, Ill./Titan Mercury WC)

62 kg – Adaugo Nwachukwu (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) vs. Macey Kilty (North Liberty, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Kayla Miracle (Phoenix, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Jennifer Page (Bellefonte, Pa./Titan Mercury WC)

68 kg – Kennedy Blades (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Isabella Mir (Naperville, Ill./Cardinal WC)

72 kg – Alexandria Glaude (Menlo Park, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Amit Elor (Walnut Creek, Calif./New York City RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

76 kg – Kylie Welker (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Dymond Guilford (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)

*Alexandria Glaude has withdrawn from Final X due to injury. Amit Elor must complete the Final X process by making weight and receiving a forfeit on the mat in Newark.