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Final X Preview: Seven Hawkeyes look to earn spot on Team USA

by: Tanner Lafever06/13/25TannerLafever
Spencer Lee
For the first time in his career Spencer Lee has the chance to make a Senior World team for the United States. (Photo Credit: Justin Hoch - JHoch Photography)

The last time a Final X event was held to decide USA Wrestling’s Senior World Championships team (2023) only one athlete with current/previous ties to the University of Iowa participated.

And that athlete – three-time Hawkeye All-American Thomas Gilman – didn’t make the team either.

(Iowa women’s wrestlers Macey Kilty and Kylie Welker did make the non-Olympic World team in 2024 – both medaling in Albania – but went through a different process to earn those spots.)

Fast forward to this Saturday (June 14) and the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey will host a whopping seven current/former Hawkeyes competing for a berth on Team USA. All that stands between them is a best-of-three series against another one of the top wrestlers in America.

How times have changed…

Five of those Hawkeyes – Kennedy Blades, Brianna Gonzalez, Macey Kilty, Felicity Taylor and Kylie Welker – represent the powerhouse women’s program:

Two others – Spencer Lee and Real Woods – are alums (and former stars) for the Iowa men:

Welcome to your 2025 Final X preview.

I’ve got everything you need know to ahead of Saturday’s proceedings – which feature an all-around incredible day of wrestling.

Brianna Gonzalez vs. Felicity Taylor (Women’s Freestyle – 53 kilograms)

As we run through each Hawkeye on the Final X docket, I’ve elected to do so in descending order of most-to-least likely matchup to produce a World team member (at least in this writer’s opinion).

Having said that, it’d be mathematically impossible to select any other bout before this all-Iowa women’s final at 53 kilograms.

Enter one-time teammates Brianna Gonzalez and Felicity Taylor.

All-time series (tied 2-2)

These two women have evenly split four previous meetings over the past 16 months. Whoever regains the advantage after Saturday’s best-of-three series will earn their first-ever spot on a Senior World Championship team.

Their most recent matchup at the US Open proved to be their closest yet on the scoreboard – and it also illustrated what I believe have consistently been key to their respective successes in the series.

For Gonzalez, the theme is shot quality. Between the two, she has initiated and/or scored the overwhelming majority of leg attacks.

Conversely, most of Taylor’s points have come from short offense after Gonzalez shoots – and then from the par terre position thereafter.

If Gonzalez takes good shots, she’s an excellent finisher. But if Taylor can counter for scores of her own, she becomes extremely dangerous on top – where she can blow a match wide open with a leg lace or gut wrench.

These two wrestlers know each other so well. But also consider that their college coaches will be in Gonzalez’s corner – just as they were at the US Open.

(Taylor now trains at Big Game Wrestling Club in the Iowa City Area.)

Could that familiarity make a difference, especially with small match-to-match adjustments in this best-of-three series?

On the other hand, Taylor has competed at Final X once before – back in 2022. There, she was swept by veteran Dom Parrish (7-2, 8-2) – who’d go on to win a World title later that year.

Regardless of the outcome, a Hawkeye is going to the World Championships at 53 kilograms. And that’s pretty damn cool.

Kennedy Blades vs. Brooklyn Hays (Women’s Freestyle – 68 kilograms)

Iowa may be guaranteed a women’s freestyle representative at 53 kilograms, but a few other Hawkeyes feel like mortal locks to add to the tally.

Chief among them is 2024 Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades.

It was nearly 11 months ago that the young superstar announced she’d be joining the Iowa women’s program. Since then, she’s only lost once – 3-1 in the Olympic final at just 20 years old.

Now down at a new and perhaps even more devastating weight class (68kg), she’s looking to make her first-ever Senior World team. And it’s safe to say that one has to like her chances against this Saturday’s opponent – Brooklyn Hays.

All-time series (Blades leads, 1-0)

These two 21-year-olds met once previously, at the 2023 U20 World Team Trials. That bout lasted all of 27 seconds:

It may take a little longer this go around, but I’d expect Blades to dominate once again. Hays – a recent U23 Pan-American champ and 2023 NCWWC All-American – is a good young wrestler. But Blades is simply on another level.

In truth, while she may not be, many of us are already looking ahead to the World Championships for the Chicago native.

Why? Because she can absolutely win the whole dang thing if/when she gets there.

Macey Kilty vs. Aine Drury (Women’s Freestyle – 65 kilograms)

Most of these Final X matchups are familiar ones for the Hawkeyes involved – especially on the women’s side. And to that end, Macey Kilty is no stranger to seeing (and beating) her opponent this Saturday – Aine Drury.

All-time series (Kilty leads, 4-0)

Four matches, four technical falls – none of which went beyond the first period.

This series has been ALL Macey Kilty from the very beginning, and it’d be a shock to see anything different on Saturday.

Last fall, Kilty swept Drury in a best-of-three series to earn the 65-kilogram spot on Team USA’s 2024 non-Olympic World team.

Drury – who has wrestled collegiately for King University the past two years – is a game opponent. She competes with real physicality and is dangerous from several upper body ties.

But Kilty is more physical, more technical and far more proven/experienced at the highest levels of the sport. Their series to date certainly reflects that, and so too does Kilty’s incredible young international career.

The Wisconsin native had won back-to-back Senior World medals, plus six other age-level medals before ever stepping onto the mat in an Iowa singlet last season. She’s familiar with and ready for the challenge this weekend (and beyond).

Spencer Lee vs. Luke Lilledahl (Men’s Freestyle – 57 kilograms)

Next up on our list of likeliest World teamers is our first competitor from the Iowa men’s program. And I guess you could say he’s a pretty familiar one, too.

Saturday marks the long-awaited Final X debut of Spencer Lee.

The Hawkeye hero – and 2024 Olympic silver medalist – has been robbed of this opportunity for years due to injuries. Now he finally gets his first chance to make a Senior World team for the United States – and you’d be a fool to bet against him.

Standing in the way is Penn State freshman Luke Lilledahl, a wrestler to whom many like to draw parallels with Lee.

All-time series (Lee leads, 1-0)

Both are multi-time age-level World champions – Lee thrice (U17, U20, U20), Lilledahl twice (U17, U20). Both entered college at powerhouse programs expected to immediately contend for an individual NCAA title.

The difference is, Lee won his World titles in almost exclusively dominant fashion, bonus’ing 13/14 opponents. Lilledahl did so in just 3/8 matches.

Meanwhile, as a college freshman Lee won NCAA’s – again in dominant fashion. Lilledahl took third for the Nittany Lions.

None of this is a slight toward Lilledahl, mind you, whom FloWrestling has ranked as the fifth-best wrestler in the world at 57 kilograms.

But there are levels to this game – which Lee showed in their lone previous meeting back in December of 2023:

Lilledahl has undoubtedly improved since then, especially after spending a full year at Penn State. But you could argue Lee is in a much better place as well – having experienced his longest clean bill of health in ages while committing to the freestyle discipline full time.

As such, the Hawkeye is justifiably the heavy favorite heading into Saturday’s series.

Kylie Welker vs. Dymond Guilford (Women’s Freestyle – 76 kilograms)

The margins narrow somewhat as we move to our fifth matchup on this list. And once again, familiarity is the theme.

In the Iowa corner it’s Kylie Welker. And standing opposite her will be Dymond Guilford – arguably one of the top 10 wrestlers in the world at 76 kilograms.

All-time series (Welker leads, 3-2)

  • 2021 Olympic Trials Semifinal = Welker via 8-0 dec.
  • 2023 US Open Quarterfinal = Guilford via fall *Welker led 8-0 at the time*
  • 2023 Final X true third-place match = Welker via 8-5 dec.
  • 2023 Missouri Valley Open Final = Guilford via 4-2 dec.
  • 2024 Olympic Trials third-place match = Welker via 5-4 dec.

Make no mistake, Guilford is formidable. The 2022 Senior World teamer (and 2022 U23 World silver medalist) is powerfully built and can go big at any moment from her preferred upper body ties.

In their five previous meetings Guilford has looked to slow the action/exchanges and pick her spots.

When Welker has gotten to her offense she’s typically done so in bunches – be it feet-to-back scores or takedown-to-turn sequences.

Welker and Guilford have met at Final X in Newark once before, with the Hawkeye winning a ‘true third-place’ match back in 2023.

Whoever executes their preferred style/pace on Saturday will undoubtedly increase their odds of success.

Having said that, I wouldn’t be stunned if Welker ran away with this either. Ever since falling short at the 2024 Olympic Trials she’s been on an absolute tear.

It began last July with two pins last over four-time World medalist Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) at the Grand Prix of Spain. Welker carried that momentum to a U23 World title and a Senior bronze medal in the fall and hasn’t stopped since.

During the 2024-25 college season she bonus’d all 27 opponents without surrendering a single point. Since then, she’s throttled the competition at the US Open and won a Senior Pan-Am title amidst a field littered with world-class wrestlers.

It sure feels like the 21-year-old Hawkeye has jumped to an all-new level over the past 12-14 months.

And if she showcases that level on Saturday even an opponent as good as Dymond Guilford may have real trouble keeping up.

Real Woods vs Joey McKenna (Men’s Freestyle – 65 kilograms)

Our final series preview has parallels aplenty between its two contestants but also marks the only matchup in which there is no prior competitive history.

At 65 kilograms it’ll be Real Woods against Joey McKenna.

The former – an Iowa alum – has only recently made his foray onto the Senior freestyle scene. The latter has been a staple for years – competing at his first Final X event way back in 2018.

On Saturday, they’ll duke it out for a spot on Team USA.

Both athletes originally began their college careers at Stanford before transferring to Big Ten powers. Both came achingly close to NCAA titles – losing finals bouts by razor-thin margins. And both will do anything to make their first Senior World team.

McKenna survived multiple close calls at the US Open to earn his spot at Final X. Woods had his own similarly thrilling run a few weeks later at World Team Trials to punch his ticket to New Jersey.

In the eyes of many this is one of, if not, the biggest toss-up series of the weekend.

It’d be quite the story if Real Woods (who now trains at the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan) were to come out on top and become Team USA’s rep at 65kg.

How to watch

You’ll be able to watch every Final X match streaming live on FloWrestling.

The men’s and women’s matches (nine of each) will be contested simultaneously on adjacent mats. If you want to double up on the action – or ensure that you don’t miss any Hawkeyes – Flo has a split-screen option so you can monitor both mats.

As for the schedule itself, here’s how things are laid out on Saturday (June 14):

**all times Central Standard**

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

  • Session I – Round 1 of best-of-three series

4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

  • Session II – Round 2 of best-of-three series, followed immediately by Round 3 (if necessary)

*Also note that the 72-kilogram women’s matchup between Amit Elor and Alexandria Glaude will not be contested.

Short time

There you have it.

Two years after no Iowa wrestler earned a spot on the Senior World team as many as six could do this weekend – including one guaranteed at 53 kilograms in women’s freestyle.

I hope you guys are as stoked for this event as I am. Not only do we get to watch a whole flock of past/present Hawkeyes compete, but they’ll do so against/amongst many of the best wrestlers in the world.

If you’re jonesing for any additional preview content – particularly on the women’s side – I’d highly recommend checking out the following video, in which Hawkeye Reese Larramendy joined Flo’s “Women’s Wrestling Weekly” show to break down the event – including several of her Iowa teammates:

Otherwise, that’ll just about do it for me.

Hopefully you’re able to follow along on Saturday, either watching live or on social media where I’ll have updates throughout the event. Then on Sunday I’ll have my wall-to-wall recap of everything that went down published on the site.

As always, thank you guys for reading this latest piece on Iowa wrestling and I’ll talk to you all again real soon.

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