By USA Wrestling

Two-time World bronze medalist Mallory Velte (Corvallis, Ore./Titan Mercury WC/Beaver Dam RTC) has officially accepted her berth in Final X. She will battle for the 65 kg spot on the 2023 U.S. World Team in women’s freestyle wrestling in Final X, presented by Tezos, on Saturday, June 10 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Final X will determine the 2023 U.S. Senior World Teams in all three Olympic disciplines: men’s and women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. There will be 30 weight classes contested, 10 in each Olympic discipline. The top two U.S. athletes in each weight class will compete in a best-of-three series in Final X to determine who will wrestle at the 2023 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Velte won Senior World bronze medals at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and the 2022 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. She also competed on the 2017 U.S. Senior World Team. Velte won a 2020 Pan American Championships gold medal. She was a 2018 U.S. Open runner-up and placed third in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Velte won two University Nationals titles and was fifth in the 2013 U20 World Championships. She won three WCWA national titles for Simon Fraser University. A native of Sacramento, Calif., Velte won two California state titles for Christian Brothers High School. 

It is the second straight year Final X will serve as the Beat The Streets New York Annual Benefit. This year’s event will be the 13th BTSNY Annual Benefit. These unique and electrifying annual events help BTSNY raise more than $1 million each year to support local youth wrestling programs which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after party will follow the conclusion of Final X.

This will be the second time Velte has competed in a BTSNY Annual Benefit event. Her most recent BTSNY match was in 2019, when she defeated Linda Morais of Canada, 10-0, at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

There are a variety of options for Final X wrestling-only event tickets, with prices starting at $40 on Ticketmaster. 

Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages (wrestling event plus exclusive after-party celebration access), that also provide the best wrestling-event seats, are available at give.btsny.org/beatthestreetsbenefit2023. For more information on ticket packages, email Katrin Pokalyukhin at katrin@btsny.org.

Proceeds from Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages will directly help BTSNY, which provides a safe, positive atmosphere for student-athletes to learn the essential life lessons of discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility and a strong work ethic through wrestling.

The team selection procedures for the U.S. World Teams in each style allows for 2022 Senior World medalists to advance directly to Final X at a specified weight class. Velte has met this requirement and accepted her qualification. 

The Final X opponent for Velte will be determined at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nev., April 26-30. The champion in women’s freestyle at 65 kg at the U.S. Open will qualify to face Velte in Final X.

FloWrestling will serve as the host broadcasting partner for Final X, presented by Tezos.

*Please note if Prudential Center's tenant, New Jersey Devils, hosts a Stanley Cup Final game on June 10 the contingency date for Final X would be Friday, June 9.

Final X, presented by Tezos

At Prudential Center, Newark, N.J., Saturday, June 10

Declared qualifiers to date

Women’s Freestyle 65 kg - Mallory Velte (Corvallis, Ore./Titan Mercury WC/Beaver Dam RTC)

Women’s Freestyle 53 kg – Dom Parrish (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids)

Men’s Freestyle 86 kg - David Taylor (State College, Pa./Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC)

Women’s Freestyle 72 kg - Amit Elor (Walnut Creek, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/New York City RTC)

Men’s Freestyle 70 kg - Zain Retherford (State College, Pa./Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC)

Women’s Freestyle 62 kg – Kayla Miracle (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids)

Men’s Freestyle 65 kg – Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC/Spartan Combat RTC)

Women’s Freestyle 50 kg – Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC/USOPTC)

Men’s Freestyle 74 kg – Kyle Dake (State College, Pa./Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC)

Men’s Freestyle 97 kg - Kyle Snyder (State College, Pa./Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC)

Women’s Freestyle 57 kg – Helen Maroulis (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids)

Men’s Freestyle 79 kg – Jordan Burroughs (Philadelphia, Pa./Sunkist Kids/Pennsylvania RTC)

MALLORY VELTE 

Residence: Corvallis, Ore. 

Club: Titan Mercury Wrestling Club 

Regional Training Center: Beaver Dam RTC 

College: Simon Fraser University 

High School: Sacramento, Calif. (Christian Brothers) 

Born: March 4, 1995

• 2018 and 2022 Senior World bronze medalist
• 2017 Senior World Team member
• 2022 World Team Trials Challenge champion 
• 2020 Senior Pan-American Championships gold medalist 
• 2018 and 2022 Final X champion 
• 2017 U.S. World Team Trials champion 
• 2019 Final X runner-up 
• Second in 2016 World Team Trials at 60 kg 
• 2018 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion 
• 2018 U.S. Open runner-up 
• Third in 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials 
• 2016 and 2017 University Nationals champion 
• Three-time WCWA national champion (2016, 2017, 2018) 
• Fifth in the 2013 Junior World Championships

Mallory Velte BTSNY Annual Benefit History (1-0 record)

2019: Linda Morais (Canada), WIN, 10-0