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Blades, Jimenez, Nette shine in finals, Welker named women’s freestyle OW at 2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships

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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling

Kylie Welker turns Yelena Makoyed for neutral exposure in the 76 kg finals at the 2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships.

Kylie Welker turns Yelena Makoyed for neutral exposure in the 76 kg finals at the 2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships.

LAS VEGAS – 10 champions were determined in the Senior women’s freestyle division on Friday evening at the 2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships. Four athletes earned impressive bonus-point wins, including 76 kg champion Kylie Welker, who was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.


Welker, a 2024 World bronze medalist at 72 kg, powered through several shot attempts, worked sound defense and iced things with a trapped-arm gutwrench to bring home an 11-0 technical fall in the finals over familiar foe Yelena Makoyed at The Expo at World Market Center. Both Welker and Makoyed were U23 World champions last year and have competed against one another on many occasions in recent memory.


2024 Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades and four-time age-group World medalist Audrey Jimenez earned shutout technical falls in the finals—Blades 10-0 over Solin Piearcy at 68 kg and Jimenez 11-0 against Erin Golston at 50 kg. Both women were U.S. Open champions in 2023. Blades was presented the CLAW Most Exciting Wrestler Award at the conclusion of the event.


2022 U.S. World Team member Abigail Nette utilized a clean arm turk finish to pin No. 1 seed Michaela Beck in the 59 kg finals. Nette trailed 4-2 early in the second period before the crucial takedown-to-pin combination.


Two-time Olympian and two-time World silver medalist Kayla Miracle earned a sound 4-0 win over four-time age-group World Team member Adaugo Nwachukwu at 62 kg. Miracle pushed her Senior level series lead to 4-0 against Nwachukwu, who has emerged as the clear No. 2 in the weight. The win gave Miracle her fifth U.S. Open title.


At 57 kg, 2021 U23 World Team member Amanda Martinez received a forfeit from Tokyo Olympian and 2019 World champion Jacarra Winchester.


Additional champions in the Senior women’s freestyle division included Brianna Gonzalez at 53 kg, Cristelle Rodriguez at 55 kg, Aine Drury at 65 kg and Alexandria Glaude at 72 kg. All four were underdogs entering the festivities this week, proving the oddsmakers wrong in Las Vegas.


Medal match results and the top eight placers in each weight class are listed below.


All 10 champions in the Senior women’s freestyle division qualify for 2025 Final X, which is set for June 14 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.


Two Final X matchups are set in women’s freestyle—Martinez against three-time Olympic champion Helen Maroulis at 57 kg and Drury against two-time World medalist Macey Kilty at 65 kg. The remaining eight pairings for Final X will be decided at next month’s World Team Trials Challenge Tournament.


Titan Mercury WC was named team champions with 350 team points, including six individual champions. U.S. Army WCAP came in second place with 60 team points.


The 2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships resumes at 10 a.m. (PT) on Saturday with Senior Greco-Roman, Senior men’s freestyle, U20 men’s freestyle and U17 men’s freestyle competition. A detailed schedule 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.

2025 CLAW U.S. Open Championships #

April 25, The Expo at World Market Center, Las Vegas, Nevada #


Senior Women’s Freestyle #

Medal Match Results #
50 kg #

1st - Audrey Jimenez (Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Erin Golston (New York Athletic Club), 11-0

3rd - Kendra Ryan (Cardinal WC) dec. Emily Shilson (Titan Mercury WC), 10-4

5th - Heather Crull (Northeastern WC) fall Anaya Falcon (Titan Mercury WC), 1:23

7th - Ava Bayless (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Charlotte Fowler (Boilermaker RTC), 4-1


53 kg #

1st - Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Felicity Taylor (Titan Mercury WC), 6-5

3rd - Katie Gomez (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Sage Mortimer (Titan Mercury WC), 14-12

5th - Sydney Petzinger (Cardinal WC) dec. Jaslynn Gallegos (Cardinal WC), 9-3

7th - Melanie Mendoza (Team Tornado WC) forfeit Elena Ivaldi (California)


55 kg #

1st - Cristelle Rodriguez (Tiger WC) dec. Everest Leydecker (Thorobred WC), 4-1

3rd - Areana Villaescusa (U.S. Army WCAP) tech. fall Amani Jones (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC), 11-0

5th - Louisa Schwab (Menlo WC) tech. fall Thalia Vogelsang (Colorado Mesa WC), 15-2

7th - Julia Vidallon (Valley WC) tech. fall Cailin Campbell (Grand View WC), 12-1


57 kg #

1st - Amanda Martinez (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC) forfeit Jacarra Winchester (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)

3rd - Ronna Gross (MATPAC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Carolina Moreno (Southern Oregon RTC), 11-0

5th - Lorianna Piestewa (Colorado Mesa WC) dec. Ashley Whetzal (The Valley WC), 14-11

7th - Virginia Foard (Team Tornado WC) tech. fall Gabrielle Weyhrich (MWC Wrestling Academy), 13-3


59 kg #

1st - Abigail Nette (U.S. Army WCAP) fall Michaela Beck (Titan Mercury WC), 4:06

3rd - Sofia Macaluso (West Point WC) dec. Alexis Janiak (Titan Mercury WC), 12-6

5th - Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise RTC) tech. fall Emily Frost (Iowa Women's WC/Curby 3-Style WC), 10-0

7th - Brenda Reyna (U.S. Army WCAP) dec. Anna DiCugno (Team Tornado WC), 3-2


62 kg #

1st - Kayla Miracle (Valiant WC) dec. Adaugo Nwachukwu (U.S. Army WCAP), 4-0

3rd - SaVannah Cosme (Atreus WC) dec. Bridgette Duty (U.S. Army WCAP), 7-6

5th - Hanna Errthum (USOPTC) dec. Alara Boyd (Cardinal WC), 6-5

7th - Samantha Barragan (California) dec. Nichole Moore (Tiger Den WC), 9-4


65 kg #

1st - Aine Drury (New York AC) dec. Isabella Mir (Cardinal WC), 8-7

3rd - Jennifer Page (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Katerina Lange (Laker WC), 9-4

5th - Ana Luciano (Team Tornado WC) F. Niya Gaines (Tiger Den WC),

7th - Marilyn Garcia (Beat the Streets LA/Titan Mercury WC) fall Jessica Mendez (Lady Devils Women's WC), 1:34


68 kg #

1st - Kennedy Blades (Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Solin Piearcy (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC), 10-0

3rd - Brooklyn Hays (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) inj. def. Noelle Gaffney (New Jersey), 0:45

5th - Destiny Lyng (Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC) tech. fall Gretchen Donally (Colorado Mesa WC), 11-0

7th - Alexandra Lopez (Menlo WC) fall Kori Campbell (LWC Women’s WC), 2:31


72 kg #

1st - Alexandria Glaude (Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC) dec. Skylar Grote (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC), 4-3

3rd - Joye Levendusky (Titan Mercury WC) dec. Tiffani Baublitz (Team Pennsylvania), 3-2

5th - Kaylynn Albrecht (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)) dec. Elleni Johnson (Laker WC), 11-9

7th - Katherine Stewart (Florida) fall Olivia Pizano (Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC), 5:55


76 kg #

1st - Kylie Welker (Iowa Women's WC/Titan Mercury WC) tech. fall Yelena Makoyed (Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC), 11-0

3rd - Dymond Guilford (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) fall Marlynne Deede (Laker WC), 4:28

5th - Tristan Kelly (U.S. Army WCAP) dec. Shenita Lawson (New York AC), 2-1

7th - Liliana Vergara (California) forfeit Cheyenne Bowman (New York AC)

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