McKenna, Hildebrandt to wrestle for gold, four others from USA go for bronze at Budapest Ranking Series event
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by Joe Wedra, Special to TheMat.com
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Joey McKenna and Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA with arm raised in victory at the UWW Ranking Series event in Budapest. Photos by Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling.
BUDAPEST, Hungary — It was a big morning for Team USA in the second day of the Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial. The event is the fourth and final UWW Ranking Series event of the year. Men’s and women’s freestyle competed in Friday’s first session, with 13 American athletes hitting the mat. Of that group, six will wrestle for medals this afternoon.
Two American wrestlers will compete for gold in the day’s second session, one in men’s freestyle, Joey McKenna (70 kg), and one in women’s freestyle, Sarah Hildebrandt (50kg)
McKenna, a National Team member, wrestled hard-fought battles throughout the session to earn his place in the finals. After winning his first two bouts of the day, he faced Amir Mohammad Babak Yazdanicherati of Iran in the semifinals and won, 9-8. McKenna trailed by four points with less than 40 seconds to go, but fought back and scored two points on exposure late to solidify the win. Yazdanicherati won silver at the 2021 World Championships. McKenna will wrestle Ihor Nykyforuk of Ukraine in the finals.
Hildebrandt, the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and multiple World medalist, was dominant on Friday. She opened up the tournament with a statement 10-0 win against 2022 World bronze medalist Otgonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia. In total, she won four matches and outscored her opponents, 39-1. Her semifinal win came against Nadezhda Sokolova (AIN), an 8-1 victory in which she controlled the match throughout. Sokolova is a 2021 World bronze medalist. In the finals, Hildebrandt will wrestle Ziqi Feng of China.
Four wrestlers will compete for bronze, two in each style. In men’s freestyle, both 2023 World Team members Vitali Arujau (61 kg) and Chance Marsteller (79 kg) will look to win a bronze medal, while 2022 World champion Dominique Parrish (53kg) and 2021 World medalist Forrest Molinari (68 kg) will battle for bronze in women’s freestyle action.
Arujau and Marsteller lost matches early in Friday’s competition — Arujau to 2022 World champion Zelimkhan Abakarov of Albania and Marsteller to Mohammad Ashghar Nokhodilarimi of Iran, a two-time World silver medalist — but both bounced back with wins in repechage bouts.
Parrish and Molinari both made the semifinals but dropped their matches. Molinari’s loss was to 2020 Tokyo Olympic runner-up Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria. Parrish dropped her bout to Mongolia’s Bolortuya Bat Ochir, a 2019 World bronze medalist.
At 62 kg, 2020 Olympian and two-time World silver medalist Kayla Miracle won a first-round match against her opponent from Turkey before being pinned in the first period of her second match by Viktoria Vesso of Estonia. Vesso lost in the quarterfinals, ending Miracle’s tournament.
Erin Golston (50kg), Xochitl Mota-Pettis (57kg), Alex Hedrick (57kg), Amanda Martinez (57kg) and Alexandria Glaude (68kg) all won matches on Friday but failed to advance into the finals or a medal match.
Finals for today’s group will begin at 5 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET).
On day one of men’s freestyle action, Team USA won five medals. Zahid Valencia (92kg), Kyle Snyder (97kg) and Mason Parris (125) all won gold, while Nick Lee (65kg) took silver and Zane Richards (57kg) earned a bronze medal.
The finals will be streamed live on FloWrestling.com for the U.S. audience where match replays will be available. Complete brackets can be found at uww.org.
UWW Senior Ranking Series: Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial
At Budapest, Hungary, July 13, 2023
U.S. men’s freestyle results
61 kg – Vitali Arujau (Ithaca, N.Y./Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
LOSS Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania), 2-0
WIN Narankhuu Narmandakh (Mongolia), 10-0
BRONZE Vladimir Kudrin (Kazakhstan)
70 kg – Joseph McKenna (Towaco, N.J./Pennsylvania RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Sanzhar Doszhanov (Kazakhstan), 8-4
WIN Syrbaz Talgat (Kazakhstan), 10-6
WIN Amir Mohammad Babak Yazdanicherati (Iran), 9-8
GOLD Ihor Nykyforuk (Ukraine)
79 kg – Chance Marsteller (Hoboken, N.J./New York City RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Ramazan Sari (Turkey), 4-0
LOSS Mohammad Ashghar Nokhodilarimi (IRI), 10-0
WIN Simon Marchl (AUT), 11-0
BRONZE Avtandil Kentchadze (Georgia)
U.S. women’s freestyle results
50 kg – Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/New York AC)
WIN Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia), 10-0
WIN Agata Marta Walerzak (Poland), 10-0
WIN Julie Sabatie (France), 11-0
WIN Nadezhda Sokolova (AIN), 8-1
GOLD Ziqi Feng (China)
50 kg – Erin Golston (Lake In The Hills, Ill./New York AC)
WIN Gabija Dilyte (Lithuania), 5-1
LOSS Jiang Zhu (China), 10-0
53 kg – Dominique Parrish (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC)
WIN Thalia Mallqui Peche (Peru), 10-0
WIN Meiying Jiang (China), 11-4
WIN Annika Wendle (Germany), 5-1
LOSS Bolortuya Bat Ochir (Mongolia), 13-2
BRONZE Diana Weicker (Canada)
57 kg – Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Humble, Texas/Rise RTC)
WIN Ramona Galambos (Hungary), 10-0
LOSS Davaachimeg Erkhembayar (Mongolia), fall 2:51
57 kg – Alex Hedrick (Fair Oaks, Calif./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Betzabeth Sarco Colmenarez (Venezuela), 4-2
LOSS Hannah Taylor (Canada), 4-3
57 kg – Amanda Martinez (Riverside, Ill./Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Elena Brugger (Germany), 8-5
LOSS Giullia Oliveira (Brazil), fall 3:47
62 kg – Kayla Miracle (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC)
WIN Selvi Ilyasoglu (Turkey), 7-2
LOSS Viktoria Vesso (Estonia), fall 1:47
62 kg – Bridgette Duty (Needville, Texas/Army WCAP)
LOSS Alina Kasabieva (AIN), fall 1:30
68 kg – Forrest Molinari (Mesa, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC)
WIN Buse Cavusoglu Tosun (Turkey), 5-4
WIN Adela Hanzlickova (CZE), 6-0
WIN Koumba Larroque (France), 8-4
LOSS Blessing Oborududu (NGR), 7-2
BRONZE Olivia Di Bacco (Canada)
68 kg – Alexandria Glaude (Philomath/Ore./Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Nesrin Bas (Turkey), 3-0
WIN Hyeonyeong Park (Korea), 8-5
LOSS Xinru Zhao (China), 14-1
Joey McKenna and Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA with arm raised in victory at the UWW Ranking Series event in Budapest. Photos by Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling.
BUDAPEST, Hungary — It was a big morning for Team USA in the second day of the Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial. The event is the fourth and final UWW Ranking Series event of the year. Men’s and women’s freestyle competed in Friday’s first session, with 13 American athletes hitting the mat. Of that group, six will wrestle for medals this afternoon.
Two American wrestlers will compete for gold in the day’s second session, one in men’s freestyle, Joey McKenna (70 kg), and one in women’s freestyle, Sarah Hildebrandt (50kg)
McKenna, a National Team member, wrestled hard-fought battles throughout the session to earn his place in the finals. After winning his first two bouts of the day, he faced Amir Mohammad Babak Yazdanicherati of Iran in the semifinals and won, 9-8. McKenna trailed by four points with less than 40 seconds to go, but fought back and scored two points on exposure late to solidify the win. Yazdanicherati won silver at the 2021 World Championships. McKenna will wrestle Ihor Nykyforuk of Ukraine in the finals.
Hildebrandt, the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and multiple World medalist, was dominant on Friday. She opened up the tournament with a statement 10-0 win against 2022 World bronze medalist Otgonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia. In total, she won four matches and outscored her opponents, 39-1. Her semifinal win came against Nadezhda Sokolova (AIN), an 8-1 victory in which she controlled the match throughout. Sokolova is a 2021 World bronze medalist. In the finals, Hildebrandt will wrestle Ziqi Feng of China.
Four wrestlers will compete for bronze, two in each style. In men’s freestyle, both 2023 World Team members Vitali Arujau (61 kg) and Chance Marsteller (79 kg) will look to win a bronze medal, while 2022 World champion Dominique Parrish (53kg) and 2021 World medalist Forrest Molinari (68 kg) will battle for bronze in women’s freestyle action.
Arujau and Marsteller lost matches early in Friday’s competition — Arujau to 2022 World champion Zelimkhan Abakarov of Albania and Marsteller to Mohammad Ashghar Nokhodilarimi of Iran, a two-time World silver medalist — but both bounced back with wins in repechage bouts.
Parrish and Molinari both made the semifinals but dropped their matches. Molinari’s loss was to 2020 Tokyo Olympic runner-up Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria. Parrish dropped her bout to Mongolia’s Bolortuya Bat Ochir, a 2019 World bronze medalist.
At 62 kg, 2020 Olympian and two-time World silver medalist Kayla Miracle won a first-round match against her opponent from Turkey before being pinned in the first period of her second match by Viktoria Vesso of Estonia. Vesso lost in the quarterfinals, ending Miracle’s tournament.
Erin Golston (50kg), Xochitl Mota-Pettis (57kg), Alex Hedrick (57kg), Amanda Martinez (57kg) and Alexandria Glaude (68kg) all won matches on Friday but failed to advance into the finals or a medal match.
Finals for today’s group will begin at 5 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET).
On day one of men’s freestyle action, Team USA won five medals. Zahid Valencia (92kg), Kyle Snyder (97kg) and Mason Parris (125) all won gold, while Nick Lee (65kg) took silver and Zane Richards (57kg) earned a bronze medal.
The finals will be streamed live on FloWrestling.com for the U.S. audience where match replays will be available. Complete brackets can be found at uww.org.
UWW Senior Ranking Series: Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial
At Budapest, Hungary, July 13, 2023
U.S. men’s freestyle results
61 kg – Vitali Arujau (Ithaca, N.Y./Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
LOSS Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania), 2-0
WIN Narankhuu Narmandakh (Mongolia), 10-0
BRONZE Vladimir Kudrin (Kazakhstan)
70 kg – Joseph McKenna (Towaco, N.J./Pennsylvania RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Sanzhar Doszhanov (Kazakhstan), 8-4
WIN Syrbaz Talgat (Kazakhstan), 10-6
WIN Amir Mohammad Babak Yazdanicherati (Iran), 9-8
GOLD Ihor Nykyforuk (Ukraine)
79 kg – Chance Marsteller (Hoboken, N.J./New York City RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Ramazan Sari (Turkey), 4-0
LOSS Mohammad Ashghar Nokhodilarimi (IRI), 10-0
WIN Simon Marchl (AUT), 11-0
BRONZE Avtandil Kentchadze (Georgia)
U.S. women’s freestyle results
50 kg – Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/New York AC)
WIN Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia), 10-0
WIN Agata Marta Walerzak (Poland), 10-0
WIN Julie Sabatie (France), 11-0
WIN Nadezhda Sokolova (AIN), 8-1
GOLD Ziqi Feng (China)
50 kg – Erin Golston (Lake In The Hills, Ill./New York AC)
WIN Gabija Dilyte (Lithuania), 5-1
LOSS Jiang Zhu (China), 10-0
53 kg – Dominique Parrish (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC)
WIN Thalia Mallqui Peche (Peru), 10-0
WIN Meiying Jiang (China), 11-4
WIN Annika Wendle (Germany), 5-1
LOSS Bolortuya Bat Ochir (Mongolia), 13-2
BRONZE Diana Weicker (Canada)
57 kg – Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Humble, Texas/Rise RTC)
WIN Ramona Galambos (Hungary), 10-0
LOSS Davaachimeg Erkhembayar (Mongolia), fall 2:51
57 kg – Alex Hedrick (Fair Oaks, Calif./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Betzabeth Sarco Colmenarez (Venezuela), 4-2
LOSS Hannah Taylor (Canada), 4-3
57 kg – Amanda Martinez (Riverside, Ill./Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Elena Brugger (Germany), 8-5
LOSS Giullia Oliveira (Brazil), fall 3:47
62 kg – Kayla Miracle (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC)
WIN Selvi Ilyasoglu (Turkey), 7-2
LOSS Viktoria Vesso (Estonia), fall 1:47
62 kg – Bridgette Duty (Needville, Texas/Army WCAP)
LOSS Alina Kasabieva (AIN), fall 1:30
68 kg – Forrest Molinari (Mesa, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC)
WIN Buse Cavusoglu Tosun (Turkey), 5-4
WIN Adela Hanzlickova (CZE), 6-0
WIN Koumba Larroque (France), 8-4
LOSS Blessing Oborududu (NGR), 7-2
BRONZE Olivia Di Bacco (Canada)
68 kg – Alexandria Glaude (Philomath/Ore./Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Nesrin Bas (Turkey), 3-0
WIN Hyeonyeong Park (Korea), 8-5
LOSS Xinru Zhao (China), 14-1
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