Four-time World Champion Adeline Gray made it clear that she’s the best in the U.S. and will be hard to beat at the 2019 UWW World Championships after an impressive sweep at the second set of Final X matches, held in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Gray faced off against U.S. Open winner Precious Bell, but the issue was decided quickly. Gray scored a pinfall in 1:57, then won the second match by technical fall at 10-0 to earn her seventh U.S. team berth. She has four Worlds golds and two bronzes in her brilliant career.
The only other wrestler to score two technical falls or better was Alli Ragan, a two-time Worlds silver medalist, at 59 kg. Ragan won the U.S. Open title in 2019 with a 10-0 technical fall over Abigail Nette and dispatched Lauren Louive by 10-0 and 10-0 scores to sweep her way to another U.S. Worlds team.
The men’s Freestyle saw three of the four 2018 Worlds medalists qualify for the 2019 U.S. team. Rio Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder won straight matches against Kyven Gadson by 4-0 and 12-1, and 2017 Worlds silver winner James Green swept Ryan Deakin, 11-0 and 4-3. But the final match of the evening was a titanic struggle between former Nebraska star Jordan Burroughs – the 2012 London gold medalist – and Isaiah Martinez, the U.S. Open winner. Burroughs won the opener, 5-4, but then Martinez evened the score at 6-5, forcing a decisive third bout. Burroughs managed to win comfortably, by 7-1 and head to his seventh World Championships.
In Greco-Roman, the lone 2018 Worlds medal winner, Adam Coon, swept Cohlton Schultz by 8-0 and 5-1 to earn his return trip to the World Championships.
In the other women’s matches, 2018 Worlds silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt easily overcame Katherine Shai in straight matches at 53 kg; two-time U.S. Open winner Jacarra Winchester swept Dominique Parrish by 10-0 and 8-3, and three-time U.. Open champ Kayla Miracle reversed last year’s Final X result and defeated 2018 Worlds bronze medalist Mallory Velte by 12-2 and 5-4.
More on what promises to be a formidable U.S. team at the 2019 Worlds, which will start on 14 September in Kazakhstan. Summaries from Lincoln:
USA Wrestling Final X II
Lincoln, Nebraska (USA) ~ 15 June 2019
(Full results here)
Men/Freestyle
● 57 kg: Daton Fix d. Tom Gilman, 2-1 (9-1, 2-3, 6-3)
● 61 kg: Tyler Graff d, Joe Colon, 2-1 (4-6, 9-2, 12-2)
● 70 kg: James Green d. Ryan Deakin, 2-0 (11-0, 4-3).
● 74 kg: Jordan Burroughs d. Isaiah Martinez, 2-1 (5-4, 5-6, 7-1).
● 97 kg: Kyle Snyder d. Kyven Gadson, 2-0 (4-0, 12-1).
Men/Greco-Roman
● 60 kg: Ildar Hafizov d. Mike Fuenffinger, 2-0 (7-5, 9-0).
● 63 kg: Ryan Mango d. Xavier Johnson, 2-0 (13-2, 6-5).
● 72 kg. Raymond Bunker d. Alex Mossing, 2-0 (3-1, 7-0).
● 97 kg: G’Angelo Hancock d. Lucas Sheridan, 2-0 (8-0, 5-3).
● 130 kg: Adam Coon d. Cohlton Schultz, 2-0 (8-0, 5-1).
Women/Freestyle
● 53 kg: Sarah Hildebrandt d. Katherine Shai, 2-0 (3-0, 8-0).
● 55 kg: Jacarra Winchester d. Dominique Parrish, 2-0 (10-0, 8-3).
● 59 kg: Alli Ragan d. Lauren Louive, 2-0 (10-0, 10-0).
● 62 kg: Kayla Miracle d. Mallory Velte, 2-0 (12-2, 5-4).
● 76 kg: Adeline Gray d. Precious Bell, 2-0 (fall 1:57, 10-0).
