Senior women’s freestyle semifinals set at 2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades goes big at the 2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships.
LAS VEGAS – Session one of Senior women’s freestyle competition wrapped on Thursday morning at The Expo at World Market Center with a relatively stable set of quarterfinal results at the 2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships.
2024 Olympians Kennedy Blades and Kayla Miracle were as advertised as they cruised to the semifinal round. Blades, a silver medalist at the Paris Olympics, wowed the Las Vegas crowd with her signature suplex in a 13-0 technical fall over Alexandra Lopez of Menlo WC in the 68 kg quarterfinals. Miracle, a two-time World silver medalist, posted a pair of quick technical falls during her morning run at 62 kg. Both are heavy favorites in the next round.
Returning World bronze medalist and two-time age-group World champion Kylie Welker won both of her bouts at 76 kg by 10-0 technical fall. The 76 kg weight class features one of the more anticipated set of semis with Welker facing her former Iowa teammate Marlynne Deede on the top side and 2022 U.S. World Team member Dymond Guilford squaring off against reigning U23 World champion Yelena Makoyed on the bottom side.
Other notable semifinalists include Olympian and 2019 World champion Jacarra Winchester at 57 kg, 2023 World bronze medalist Jennifer Page at 65 kg, 2024 U.S. World Team member Areana Villaescusa at 55 kg, 2022 U.S. World Team member Abigail Nette at 59 kg and four-time age-group World medalist Audrey Jimenez at 50 kg.
The 55 kg bracket saw the most notable turmoil with 2023 U.S. Open champion and Final X runner-up Alisha Howk dropping a 3-2 decision to NAIA All-American Louisa Schwab, and two-time age-group World medalist Amani Jones falling by 10-0 technical fall to recent U20 Women’s Nationals champion and 2023 U17 World Team member Everest Leydecker. Schwab is up against reigning U20 World champion Cristelle Rodriguez in the semifinals, while Leydecker is paired against Villaescusa.
Another mild upset came at 53 kg with 2023 U.S. Open champion and two-time age-group World medalist Katie Gomez dropping a 3-0 match to 2024 U20 World Team member Brianna Gonzalez. Up next for Gonzalez is 2024 U23 World champion Sage Mortimer.
Expect the action to heat up on Thursday evening with the Senior women’s freestyle semifinals starting at approximately 6 p.m. (PT). A detailed schedule of events for the 2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships is available at usawrestlingevents.com.
All the action from Las Vegas will be broadcast live on FloWrestling. Brackets and match-by-match results are available through USA Bracketing, USA Wrestling’s new best-in-class event management software.
A complete list of quarterfinal results and semifinal pairings in the Senior women’s freestyle division can be found below.
2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships #
April 24, The Expo at World Market Center, Las Vegas, Nevada #
Senior Women’s Freestyle #
Semifinal Matchups #
50 kg #
Audrey Jimenez (Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Heather Crull (Northeastern WC)
Emily Shilson (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Erin Golston (New York AC)
53 kg #
Felicity Taylor (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Sydney Petzinger (Cardinal WC)
Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Sage Mortimer (Titan Mercury WC)
55 kg #
Areana Villaescusa (U.S. Army WCAP) vs. Everest Leydecker (Thorobred WC)
Cristelle Rodriguez (Tiger WC) vs. Louisa Schwab (Menlo WC)
57 kg #
Jacarra Winchester (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Ashley Whetzal (The Valley WC)
Lorianna Piestewa (Colorado Mesa WC) vs. Amanda Martinez (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC)
59 kg #
Michaela Beck (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Alexis Janiak (Titan Mercury WC)
Abigail Nette (U.S. Army WCAP) vs. Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise RTC)
62 kg #
Kayla Miracle (Valiant WC) vs. SaVannah Cosme (Atreus WC)
Alara Boyd (Cardinal WC) vs. Adaugo Nwachukwu (U.S. Army WCAP)
65 kg #
Isabella Mir (Cardinal WC) vs. Katerina Lange (Laker WC)
Jennifer Page (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Aine Drury (New York AC)
68 kg #
Kennedy Blades (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Noelle Gaffney (New Jersey)
Solin Piearcy (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Brooklyn Hays (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)
72 kg #
Skylar Grote (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Tiffani Baublitz (Team Pennsylvania)
Joye Levendusky (Titan Mercury WC) vs. Alexandria Glaude (Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
76 kg #
Kylie Welker (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Marlynne Deede (Laker WC)
Dymond Guilford (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Yelena Makoyed (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC)
Quarterfinal Results #
50 kg #
Audrey Jimenez (Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Emilie Gonzalez, (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC), 10-0
Heather Crull (Northeastern WC) fall Anaya Falcon (Titan Mercury WC), 1:43
Emily Shilson (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Mia Palumbo (Illinois), 5-2
Erin Golston (New York AC) fall Ava Bayless (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC), 1:17
53 kg #
Felicity Taylor (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Gracie Figueroa (Titan Mercury WC), 8-2
Sydney Petzinger (Cardinal WC) dec. Elena Ivaldi (California), 7-4
Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Katie Gomez (Titan Mercury WC), 3-0
Sage Mortimer (Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Melanie Mendoza (Team Tornado WC), 13-2
55 kg #
Areana Villaescusa (U.S. Army WCAP) inj. def. Leilah Castro (Southeast Ohio WC), 3:17
Everest Leydecker (Thorobred WC) tech. fall Amani Jones (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC), 10-0
Cristelle Rodriguez (Tiger WC) tech. fall Sydney Stifter (MO West Championship WC), 10-0
Louisa Schwab (Menlo WC) dec. Alisha Howk (New York AC), 3-2
57 kg #
Jacarra Winchester (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Ronna Gross (MATPAC/Titan Mercury WC), 10-0
Ashley Whetzal (The Valley WC) dec. Haley Narahara (Menlo WC), 9-4
Lorianna Piestewa (Colorado Mesa WC) tech. fall Virginia Foard (Team Tornado WC), 14-4
Amanda Martinez (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Carolina Moreno (Southern Oregon RTC), 9-0
59 kg #
Michaela Beck (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Brenda Reyna (U.S. Army WCAP), 6-0
Alexis Janiak (Titan Mercury WC) fall Sofia Macaluso (West Point WC), 2:27
Abigail Nette (U.S. Army WCAP) fall Emily Frost (Iowa Women’s WC/Curby 3-Style WC), 0:49
Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise RTC) dec. Anna DiCugno (Team Tornado WC), 7-0
62 kg #
Kayla Miracle (Valiant WC) tech. fall Samantha Barragan (California), 12-1
SaVannah Cosme (Atreus WC) dec. Bridgette Duty (U.S. Army WCAP), 8-5
Alara Boyd (Cardinal WC) dec. Nanea Estrella (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC), 9-3
Adaugo Nwachukwu (U.S. Army WCAP) tech. fall Hanna Errthum (USOPTC), 13-2
65 kg #
Isabella Mir (Cardinal WC) dec. Marilyn Garcia (Beat the Streets LA/Titan Mercury WC), 3-0
Katerina Lange (Laker WC) dec. Ana Luciano (Team Tornado WC), 6-6
Jennifer Page (Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Niya Gaines (Tiger Den WC), 11-0
Aine Drury (New York AC) fall Gabriella Perez (Florida), 0:17
68 kg #
Kennedy Blades (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Alexandra Lopez (Menlo WC), 13-0
Noelle Gaffney (New Jersey) dec. Destiny Lyng (Pennsylvania), 7-2
Solin Piearcy (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Gretchen Donally (Colorado Mesa WC), 8-0
Brooklyn Hays (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Kori Campbell (LWC Women’s WC), 12-2
72 kg #
Skylar Grote (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Katherine Stewart (Florida), 10-0
Tiffani Baublitz (Team Pennsylvania) dec. Elleni Johnson (Laker WC), 8-3
Joye Levendusky (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Kaylynn Albrecht (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC), 4-2
Alexandria Glaude (Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Olivia Pizano (Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC), 11-1
76 kg #
Kylie Welker (Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Shenita Lawson (New York AC), 10-0
Marlynne Deede (Laker WC) tech. fall Kathryn Hingano (Southern Oregon RTC), 10-0
Dymond Guilford (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Cheyenne Bowman (New York AC), 2-1
Yelena Makoyed (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Ashley Lekas (Texas Wesleyan), 10-0
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