Stanford’s Nico Provo battles with Wyoming’s Jore Volk at the 2024 NCAA championships.
Berths for spots on the U.S. team heading to the world championships in September in Croatia was determined on Saturday at Final X in Newark, New Jersey, with a best-of-3 series to determine the U.S. representative.
But before 10 men and 10 women were selected for the American team, there was several true third place matches for spots in the U.S. national team. The top three wrestlers in each weight class are on the national team, which provides financial support in terms of a stipend along with training and competition opportunities.
Stratford’s Nico Provo, who is a junior at Stanford, wrestled Saturday at Final X for a spot on the national team at 57 kilograms (125.6 pounds) against former Nebraska star Liam Cronin.
Cronin led 1-0 after one period but hit a four-point takedown early in the second period to earn a 10-3 win over Provo and a spot on the national team.
“I visualized this for a long time,” Cronin said. “I put myself in this position in practice where I am winning the hand fighting – guys can get a little lazy.”
Cronin learned to remain focused and hit a high crotch move to get the takedown on Provo. “(Practice) paid off,” Cronin said.
Cronin wrestled at Indiana and Nebraska in college, last wrestling for the Huskers in 2023 when he earned All-American honors with a fifth place finish.
“Nico is a great wrestler,” Cronin said. “He wrestles really well from space and usually I struggle with those type of guys. So just preparing for a darter (quick wrestler) who has a fast, low double (leg takedown was key).”
Provo didn’t wrestle at Stanford this past season at 125 pounds and was redshirted. In his first two seasons with the Cardinal, he went 40-19 and was a two-time NCAA qualifier in 2023 and 2024. At Greens Farms Academy in Westport, he was a three-time New England prep school champion (2018, 2019, 2020) and a national prep school champion in 2021.
The most recent wrestler from Connecticut on the U.S. national team was Middletown High graduate Richard Perry, who earned a spot on the national team in 2018 at 86 kilograms or 189 pounds.
True third-place matches are held in weight classes where the second- and third-place finishers from the last Final X qualifying event—either the U.S. Open or Senior World Team Trials challenge tournament—did not meet in said qualifying event.
At the recent U.S. Open, Provo went 4-1 and finished third at 57 kg but did not get a chance to meet Cronin on the mat.
Men’s Freestyle: Nine spots on U.S. team secured
Nine berths for the U.S. team at the upcoming senior world championships were determined at Final X at the Prudential Center.
The biggest upset came at 70 kg where where four-time New York state champion P.J. Duke upset 2022 world silver medalist Yianni Diakomihalis, 2-1 to earn his first spot on a U.S. senior team.
Duke, who will be a freshman at Penn State this fall, was trailing 2-0 in the third and decisive match of the best-of-three series when took Diakomihalis down to his back and was able to lock him up and secure the pin at 4:07.
Men’s freestyle results at Final X
Women’s freestyle: Maroulis secures spot on U.S. team
Helen Maroulis, the 2016 Olympic champion and three-time world champion, pinned Amanda Martinez in both of their matches at 57 kg to secure one of 10 spots on the U.S. women’s freestyle team for the 12th time in her career. Maroulis scored a first-period pin in 1:51 in the first match, then was able to put away Martinez in 4:43 in bout two.
2024 Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades finished off a two-match sweep over Brooklyn Hays at 68 kg to earn her first senior world championships appearance. In the second match, Blades scored the first takedown and went on to a 5-2 win over Hays. In the opening bout, Blades came strong with nine second-period points to defeat Brooklyn Hays, 10-4.
Women’s freestyle results at Final X
2025 Final X results
At Newark, New Jersey
Men’s Freestyle (Best of 3 final)
74 kg – David Carr (Ames, Iowa/Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Mitchell Mesenbrink (Bellefonte, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Carr dec. Mesenbrink, 4-3
Round Two – Carr dec. Mesenbrink, 4-4
79 kg – Levi Haines (Arendtsville, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Evan Wick (San Gabriel, Calif./Askren Wrestling Academy/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Haines tech. fall Wick, 10-0
Round Two – Haines, dec. Wick, 6-1
125 kg – Wyatt Hendrickson (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/U.S. Air Force WCAP) defeats Trent Hillger (Minneapolis, Minn./Gopher WC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Hendrickson tech. fall Hillger, 10-0
Round Two – Hendrickson dec. Hillger, 20-14
92 kg – Trent Hidlay (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Joshua Barr (Davison, Mich./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Hidlay dec. Barr, 6-1
Round Two – Hidlay dec. Barr, 3-2
97 kg – Kyle Snyder (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Hayden Zillmer (Deerwood, Minn./Gopher WC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Snyder dec. Zillmer, 8-0
Round Two – Snyder dec. Zillmer, 8-2
65 kg – Real Woods (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Joseph McKenna (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Woods dec. McKenna, 7-3
Round Two – Woods dec. McKenna, 5-4
70 kg – PJ Duke (Slate Hill, N.Y./KD Training Center/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester, N.Y./Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-1
Round One – Diakomihalis tech. fall Duke, 10-0
Round Two – Duke dec. Diakomihalis, 17-10
Round Three – Duke fall Diakomihalis, 4:07
57 kg – Spencer Lee (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Luke Lilledahl (Saint Charles, Mo./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Lee dec. Lilledahl, 7-2
Round Two – Lee dec. Lilledahl, 6-0
86 kg – Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Kyle Dake (Port Matilda, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Valencia dec. Dake, 5-3
Round Two – Valencia dec. Dake, 4-1
2025 Final X results
At Newark, New Jersey
Women’s Freestyle Best-of-Three Series
55 kg – Cristelle Rodriguez (Fresno, Calif./Tiger WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Everest Leydecker (Phoenix, Ariz./Thorobred WC), 2-0
Round One – Rodriguez dec. Leydecker, 12-8
Round Two – Rodriguez dec. Leydecker, 8-5
62 kg – Adaugo Nwachukwu (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) defeats Kayla Miracle (Phoenix, Ariz./Valiant WC), 2-1
Round One – Nwachukwu dec. Miracle, 14-8
Round Two – Miracle dec. Nwachukwu, 4-3
Round Three – Nwachukwu dec. Miracle, 8-4
53 kg – Felicity Taylor (Coralville, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Brianna Gonzalez (Baldwin, Calif./Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Taylor dec. Gonzalez, 2-1
Round Two – Taylor dec. Gonzalez, 6-4
59 kg – Jacarra Winchester (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Abigail Nette (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP), 2-1
Round One – Nette dec. Winchester, 6-4
Round Two – Winchester dec. Nette, 9-7
Round Three – Winchester tech. fall Nette, 11-0
65 kg – Macey Kilty (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Aine Drury (Westminster, Calif./New York AC), 2-0
Round One – Kilty tech. fall Drury, 10-0
Round Two – Kilty tech. fall Drury, 10-0
76 kg – Kylie Welker (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Dymond Guilford (Lancaster, Calif./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Welker dec. Guilford, 2-1
Round Two – Welker dec. Guilford, 9-1
50 kg – Audrey Jimenez (Bethlehem, Pa./Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Erin Golston (Denton, Texas/New York AC), 2-0
Round One – Jimenez dec. Golston, 10-2
Round Two – Jimenez tech. fall Golston, 12-2
68 kg – Kennedy Blades (Tiffin, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Brooklyn Hays (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Blades dec. Hays, 10-4
Round Two – Blades dec. Hays, 5-2
72 kg – Alexandria Glaude (Atherton, Calif./Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC) defeats Amit Elor (Walnut Creek, Calif./Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Glaude forfeit Elor
Round Two – Glaude forfeit Elor
57 kg – Helen Maroulis (Rockville, Md./Titan Mercury WC) defeats Amanda Martinez (Riverside, Ill./Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC), 2-0
Round One – Maroulis fall Martinez, 1:50
Round Two – Maroulis fall Martinez, 4:42
