A pair of Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers locked up spots on the United States Senior World team at Final X on Friday, June 19, in Newark, New Jersey.
All that stood between a wrestler and a Senior World team spot was winning a best-of-three series vs. their opponent. Hawkeye wrestling alum Spencer Lee earned a spot on the Senior World team for the second year in a row (three including Olympics) at 57 kilograms by defeating Penn State’s Luke Lilledahl, 2-0. Incoming Iowa women’s wrestling freshman Everest Leydecker made a big statement by making her first Senior World team at just 18 years old by winning both bouts over Areana Villaescusa at 55 kilograms.
They will represent the United States at the Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan from Oct. 24- Nov. 1.
Hawkeye alumni Stephen Buchanan (97 kilograms) and Macey Kilty (62 kilograms) also took part in Final X, but Buchanan fell to Kyle Snyder and Kilty came up short vs. Adaugo Nwachukwu.
Two-time NCAA champion David Carr of Iowa State also battled at Final X at 74 kilograms, but fell to veteran James Green in an effort to rejoin the Senior World team.
After losing to Lilledahl at the US Open earlier this year, Lee handled his business when it mattered most. The 2028 Olympic hopeful and 2024 Olympic silver medalist took the first match vs. Lilledahl in a 7-2 decision. He trailed by criteria in the second period at 1-1, but recorded two takedowns and a gut wrench to lock up a comfortable win over the Nittany Lion.
In the second match, Lee trailed 4-1 early, but rallied to win in a 8-4 decision with four step-outs and a takedown into an exposure. While Lee had lost this matchup at the U.S. Open, he proved once again that he’s the United States’ top hope for World and Olympic medals at 57 kilograms.
Leydecker proved to the wrestling world just how talented she is. She won her first bout in a 2-1 decision, scoring off of a step-out point and passivity point in the first period. Leydecker took the second match by a 3-1 decision, rallying from a 1-0 deficit after the first period with a passivity point and takedown.
While Leydecker hasn’t even begun college yet, her positioning and match management made her look like a seasoned veteran. She’ll represent the U.S. at the U20, U23 and Senior World Championships this fall, making her one of the most talented emerging freshmen in the nation.
Buchanan was unable to make his first Senior World team, as he lost to a longtime great in Snyder. Snyder won a 5-2 decision in match No. 1, but Buchanan bounced back with a 5-5 win by criteria to force a third match. In the deciding bout, Snyder rolled in a 9-3 decision to once again represent the United States at the Senior World Championships.
Kilty lost by fall in her first match vs. Adaugo Nwachukwu. While she just trailed 1-0 late in the first period, Nwachukwu used her underhook position to toss Kilty to her back with a big move to take the first bout. Kilty won the second match in a 4-0 decision, but lost a tightly contested 4-3 decision as Nwachukwu secured the Senior World team spot.
Carr lost his first bout vs. Green in a 6-3 decision. A late scramble saw Green earn an exposure to help secure the win as Carr tried to rally. However, Carr won the second match by getting a takedown and two leg laces as the match came to a close in a 6-5 win by decision. In match three, Green won in a 4-1 decision as his defense was difficult to break through despite persistent attacks from Carr.
True-third matches were also contested at Final X, in which the winner earned a spot on the U.S. Senior National team and financial and training opportunities. Iowa women’s wrestler Reese Larramendy received a win by forfeit over Emma Bruntil, not only establishing her on the U.S. Senior National team, but also the right to claim the U23 World team spot at 65 kilograms as the highest-placing, age-eligible member at 65 kilograms in the United States. Iowa alum Austin DeSanto also took a win by forfeit over Ben Davino at 61 kilograms. Iowa alumni Patrick Kennedy and Felicity Taylor were defeated in their true third matches, with Kennedy losing to Evan Wick in an 8-4 decision at 79 kilograms and Taylor losing in a 10-0 technical fall to Samara Chavez at 50 kilograms.
Northern Iowa alum Parker Keckeisen also won his true-third match at 86 kilograms, defeating fellow Wisconsin native Aeoden Sinclair in a 5-5 decision by criteria.
Three more Final X matches will need to be contested at a date to be determined, as Hawkeyes Real Woods, Kylie Welker and Kennedy Blades each requested medical delays for their matchups. When those are rescheduled, Woods will face phenom Bo Bassett at 65 kilograms, Welker will take on Dymond Guilford at 76 kilograms and Blades will wrestle former Hawkeye Isabella Mir at 68 kilograms.
2026 Final X results
Men’s freestyle
Women’s freestyle
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: Spencer Lee, Everest Leydecker win at Final X, make Senior World team
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Hawk Central
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By Eli McKown, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
