By The Wrestling Quoter. 

Watch Final X: Rutgers Live on Flo

Sat. June 8 | 12:00 PM & 6 PM Eastern

50 Kilograms: Whitney Conder vs Victoria Anthony

Session 2 - Bout 4

In a season that featured many proven competitors trying their hand at the lightweight-class domestically, it would nonetheless be both participants from 2018 ascending to this year’s iteration of Final X. Whitney Conder sharpened her skills over the course of 2019 to re-establish herself at the front of the pack, driving home the point at the US Open where she beat both eventual World Team Challenge Finalists -- Victoria Anthony in the semis (4-4 criteria) and Erin Golston in the finals (7-0), respectively. With Anthony advancing through the Challenge tournament, beating Golston in straight matches (8-2 and 5-1), the World team selection will again be between two proven, World-level wrestlers.

In 2018, Conder eventually prevailed over Anthony in a three-match series at Final X to make the World team (10-4, 2-4, 11-0). Despite dropping the second match, Conder earned definitive victories over Anthony in that series including a shutout tech in match three. This year, Conder and Anthony met thrice -- with Conder winning three intriguing matches. 

The Vortex and the Conder

At the Kolov, Conder’s staunch defense and center-mat discipline kept her ahead of an active Anthony (4-0). Anthony pressed the issue from whistle-to-whistle, initiating six key sequences in the match. Conder’s mat tactics and chain-wrestling -- particularly her lead-leg defense and front-headlock defense in the zone -- allowed her to fend off four Anthony lefty-single leg attacks over the course of the match while adding to her lead. Two arm-drags whilst grounded led to two step-outs for Conder, cushioning a two point go-behind takedown Conder earned while defending the second of Anthony’s single-legs. 

A week after the Kolov, Conder topped Anthony in the semifinals of the Grand Prix of Germany. In the first period, Conder put together a hefty five point lead on the strength of a shot-clock point and a four-pointer. Conder gave up a two point score in the second period, but was able to keep Anthony at bay en route to the victory (7-3).

Their Open confrontation was a much more tightly contested affair, with Anthony holding onto a tenuous lead for the majority of the match. Anthony kept her pace and motion a factor against Conder, getting in on a lefty-single in the first twelve seconds of the first period; although, she did not convert the attack to points. She would convert on a counter-throwby for a takedown midway through the first period after an errant Conder outside-shot to open the scoring. With twenty seconds left in the first period, Conder hit a whizzer kick and put Anthony in danger -- nearly for a fall -- for two-points before Anthony managed to work her way on top and expose Conder for two-points of her own mid-scramble, thus preserving a two-point Anthony lead. With the second period elapsing, Conder started her sprint, eventually finishing an outside single with roughly a minute left in the match to take a razor-thin criteria lead. With under fifteen seconds remaining in the match, Anthony found her way to yet another lefty single that Conder countered to hold on for a 4-4 criteria victory.

‘Back in the Vortex’

If we consider the rivalry between the two multiple-time World Teamers over the last two years, Conder has owned it almost exclusively. However, the most recent performance against Conder by Anthony may serve as a sign of her progress in closing the gap between the competitors. At the Open, it was Anthony’s ability to score counter-offensive points that gave her a realistic chance of winning that match -- however, in both the Kolov and Open matches, it has been Anthony’s inability to finish her go-to leg attack, the lefty single, that has allowed Conder to leave their meetings the victor. In both matches, Anthony was able to get to her lefty single six times but converted none for offensive points. In fact, all but one ended without a score and that one exception resulted in a Conder takedown. If Anthony is able to capitalize on her ability to get to Conder’s leg, it may drastically alter the course of the series at Final X.

After winning the Trials Challenge tournament, Anthony told the press that she has focused on developing her ability to finish matches, a focus that has driven Anthony to attain peak form as the most important competitions draw near. Having finished 5th at both of her World tournament appearances (2013, 2017), the best Victoria Anthony is a guaranteed medal-threat should she make her third World Team.

Focused on the World

As the returning World Team member and the US Open Champion, with three wins over Anthony this calendar year (as discussed above), it is Conder’s team spot to lose. The four-time World Teamer (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018) employs a style that inhibits her opponents’ ability to dictate the tempo of matches; Conder’s wrestling emphasizes discipline in the center of the mat, keeping her opponents’ back toward the zone almost as a rule. Further, Conder’s handfighting permits her to stay in the pocket -- regardless of pressure or pace -- without giving up many points. Even when her head-hands defense is beaten, Conder is able to trust her leg defense to prevent an opponent’s score. Conder’s defensive skillset has been especially important in neutralizing the upper- and lower-body offensive prowess Anthony brings to the table and those skills will need to be sharp if Conder is to succeed against Anthony twice more. Conder’s approach is not revolutionary by any means and her well-rounded wrestling is more than familiar for Anthony. “[Conder] has … a really strong set of skills. Strong double, strong single, good defense, right? That’s expected -- all those things are expected,” Anthony told the press when asked of the forthcoming challenge Conder presents.  

While both Conder and Anthony must showcase their World level skills on the domestic scene here at Final X, Conder’s focus has been fixated on returning to the World stage and leaving with an elusive World medal. “My mentality last year wasn’t where it should’ve been,” Conder said after the Open, with ferocity behind her steel-colored eyes. With both Whitney Conder and Victoria Anthony vying for yet another World Team, we may well the very best Conder and Anthony, ever, at Final X. Either will be more than capable of bringing home the first lightweight World medal for TeamUSA since Alyssa Lampe’s 48KG World Bronze in 2013. 

57 Kilograms: Becka Leathers vs Jenna Burkert 

Session 1 - Bout 7

I would be remiss if I did not mention the absence of long-time World Team member Helen Maroulis from this year’s trials process. Maroulis, a three-time World/Olympic champion, has battled injury in recent years, most notably lingering concussion symptoms as well as a shoulder injury that required surgery after the World Championships a year ago. Much to the dismay of American fans, Maroulis went 0-1 at the World tournament in 2018 and has since elected to focus on recovery this year in the lead up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. 

A Vacant Throne

In the absence of Maroulis, two very capable wrestlers have shifted in weight-class to assume the mantle. Becka Leathers lost at Final X a year ago to eventual 2018 55KG World 5th Jacarra Winchester, a year after Leathers stormed onto the international scene with a 55KG World Bronze medal performance in 2017. Jenna Burkert, the 2014 60KG World Teamer, lost at Final X a year ago to two-time World Silver Alli Ragan for the 59KG World team selection, but a Ragan injury would have Burkert as the representative at her second World tournament. Both Leathers and Burkert, on the strength of their World experience, separated themselves from the field at the US Open with both teching their way to the finals. 

In the finals, Leathers and Burkert wrestled tentatively for the first frame of the match, with only a shot-clock point in Leathers’s favor on the board. Where Burkert handfought her way to short-offense, Leathers was firing outside leg attacks; both wrestlers were able to neutralize the others’ attempts with relative ease. A minute into the second period, Burkert surged ahead when she scored two go-behind takedowns in quick succession to take the lead, 4-1. Leathers responded with points of her own when she cunningly countered a Burkert gut-wrench attempt for exposure to narrow the score to 4-3 Burkert. The fifth-minute of the match burned away as Burkert and Leathers resumed nullifying each others’ neutral attempts. With less than a minute remaining, Leathers began chasing her go-to leg attack to the left-side and eventually got her hands locked on the leg, building up from an extended shot and driving the sequence to a standing single before hitting a clean limp-arm to finish the takedown. Leathers then transitioned right into a gut-wrench, a decision that would eventually earn her the Open title, scoring an additional two point exposure. Burkert managed to score a reversal while being turned and fought to close the 7-5 gap she was suddenly facing. With time expiring, Leathers fended off Burkert’s final shot attempt to hang-on and win a deceptively close match.

Medal Minded

Based on the competitive nature of their Open match, either wrestler will need multiple takedowns and at least an exposure to feel comfortable with any lead they may build against the other. Both wrestlers proved that they could generate neutral offense on the other and both demonstrated that they could chain-wrestle and score counter-offense points. Equally important, both Leathers and Burkert conveyed the confidence of a fully-invested athlete after their respective Final X berth-winning performances.  

“I was under-prepared [last year]. My shape wasn’t there … I didn’t have a gameplan going in,” Leathers said after winning the Open title. “Having the coaching staff … having the conditioning … and having the grit that I have this year made a big difference.” After a year away from the World stage, it would be fitting for Leathers to place herself among the World’s best, once again, with another medal performance.

In a similar vein, an invigorated Burkert is laboring toward her ultimate goal of a World medal. “I’ve been [to the World tournament] on every single age-level. It’s about bringing home a medal this time,” Burkert told the press after winning the Challenge tournament. Looking forward to Final X, Burkert has used her Open loss as a guide toward improvement. “Becka -- I tip my hat off to her -- she exposed some vulnerabilities [at the Open], but I’m not afraid of my vulnerabilities. I have to embrace that. I’m excited that those things were exposed -- I have to get right back to working on that and … it’s time to get a medal.” With these technical and psychological considerations in mind, the series between Becka Leathers and Jenna Burkert at Final X may well be decided by the thinnest of margins.

65 Kilograms: Forrest Molinari vs Maya Nelson 

Session 2 - Bout 1

Maya Nelson came into 2019 with plenty of motivation to regain her national prominence after missing last year with a torn rotator cuff. “I didn’t fall off, I’m still here,” Nelson said after she secured her Final X berth at the Challenge Tournament. Nelson was the Junior World Champion at 63KG in 2017, as well as the U23 World Teamer and a Senior National Teamer. In her return to action, Nelson notched a notable win over 2018 Final X participant Julia Salata (8-0) in the US Open semifinals to immediately put herself in the conversation to challenge for the World team spot. 

Forrest Molinari has been training for the medal rounds of World tournament since placing 5th in her first Senior World appearance a year ago. “I lost a [World] Bronze medal on criteria-- just to say that burns like hell.” And on her hunt for international distinction, Molinari has notched two victories over the challenger Nelson, once in the bronze medal match of the Dan Kolov (Bulgaria) tournament and again in the US Open finals (6-3, 5-1 respectively). On paper the matches appear to be well controlled victories for Molinari, but the scores are deceiving. Both matches were predicated on a single key, winning sequence -- both going in Molinari’s favor and giving her the eventual victory. 

“Scramble, scramble, scramble -- close the gap.”

In both the Kolov and Open bouts, Nelson started the scoring with a shot-clock violation point and Nelson ended the scoring by giving up a point for a failed challenge. Besides being mid-level trivia, the fact that Nelson gave up those failed challenges help to mask how close the matches really were. In the Kolov match, Molinari tied up the scoreline at one point a piece with a stepout, but it was Nelson that took a 3-1 lead into the halftime break when she scored mid-scramble exposure in the closing sequence of the first period. Less than a minute into the second, Molinari was able to convert on a single leg to again take the criteria lead. With a minute remaining in the match, Molinari scored her second takedown on continuation out of bounds (a call that could have been challenged but wasn’t). Down 5-3 with short time, Nelson nearly scored the winning takedown but Molinari was able to maintain the whizzer long enough for time to expire. The aforementioned failed challenge made the final score 6-3 for Forrest Molinari. 

At the US Open, Molinari put together a solid second period to prevail in a somewhat steadier match. After giving up the shot-clock violation point in the first, Molinari scored on a step-out and a shot-clock violation of her own in the second to lead 2-1. Molinari’s second point came in the midst of a precarious scramble in the zone, with Nelson having to perform a dangerous rubber-knee to defend against a scrambling Molinari. Action continued all the same and Molinari was able to advance and put herself in a crackdown-like position, shelving the leg of Nelson and using a back-wrap to tip Nelson into exposure for points. After a failed challenge, it was suddenly 5-1 for Molinari. With under a minute remaining, Molinari parried her way to the Open title. 

“Better be ready to fight.”

Molinari would be wise to take Nelson as a serious obstacle in the way of her World aspirations. The Kolov and Open wins over Nelson suggest that Molinari is perhaps two points ahead of the challenger, but a close call or scramble going in Nelson’s favor could have turned either match result. Molinari needs to continue to use her offensive pace to generate scoring sequences, as she has more than proven she is able to score on Nelson. In Nelson’s case, she will have to generate her own points from the seemingly inevitable flurries she will encounter against Molinari. Across both the Kolov and Open matches, Nelson managed only one offensive score: an exposure that came during a prolonged scramble. This isn’t to say she hasn’t been close to scoring on Molinari otherwise, however. In both matches, it was Nelson that initiated the key sequences that would have given Nelson the lead with little time remaining had she converted. The fact remains that Molinari enters Final X having won both of those sequences and, thus, the onus rest fully on Nelson to prove she’s ready to compete amongst the best in the World.

68 Kilograms: Tamyra Mensah-Stock vs Alexandria Glaude

Session 2 - Bout 3

‘All gold in my rings’

2018 U23 World Bronze and recently crowned WCWA Champion Alexandria Glaude was absent from the US Open, but entered the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament as the top-seed and beat two returning National Teamers en route to Final X. Glaude topped Jayden Laurent (5-2) in the preliminary bracket and 2018 Final X participant Randi Beltz in a final series that went all three matches (0-4 Fall, 6-2, 6-1). Glaude had to regroup after a disastrous match one featured Glaude unceremoniously pinned by Beltz at the end of the first period. She stayed solid to win two straight matches in response to reach Final X. After the Challenge tournament, Glaude cited a burgeoning self-belief as an integral part of her success over the calendar year. “Before it felt like I was finding excuses on ‘why’ I couldn’t win or ‘why’ I wasn’t good enough. Like, I did all the work in the room but I didn’t do the mental preparation to believe in everything that I put in. And this year, I think it’s been more mental training than physical training.” 

The talented Glaude will need to be sharp in all dimensions at Final X as there will be no room for error against incumbent, World #2 Tamyra Mensah-Stock. Mensah, who has held the weight-class since 2016, has been on a tear since her medal performance at Worlds a year ago. She recently locked-up the number-two seed for the 2019 World Championships after taking her third Ranking Series event of the season, i.e., the Sassari (Italy) tournament. Mensah scored two huge wins en route to the tournament title, unknowingly beating 2016 Olympic Silver Maryia Mamashuk of Belarus by technical superiority (10-0) in the first round and 2017 65KG World Silver Danielle Lappage of Canada (4-0) in the finals. Mensah has looked unstoppable against all comers this year and, for good reason, her name has consistently been mentioned in the “most dominant” conversation across the three World teams. A legitimate World title contender, Mensah enters Final X the favorite.

Don’t count out Glaude, however. Her enthusiasm for the challenge that lies ahead of her bodes well.

Watch how I’m gearing up for #FinalX ???? Grind hard, SHINE harder ✨ gold medal mentality baby (as seen on insta) Tune in to @FloWrestling June 8th to watch these golden quads compete for a world team spot! ???? pic.twitter.com/eMi3Ujc5zt

— Alexandria Glaudé ?? (@Glaudiator) May 29, 2019

FINAL X IS ONE WEEK AWAY AND I CANT CONTAIN MYSELF! ???? Tune in to @FloWrestling June 8th to watch me & other studs battle it out for a World Team spot ???? #goldmedalmentality #grindhard #shineharder pic.twitter.com/GuheZJInhz

— Alexandria Glaudé ?? (@Glaudiator) June 1, 2019

72 Kilograms: Alyvia Fiske vs Victoria Francis 

Session 1 - Bout 2 

Rising Star, World Teamer Collide

Alyvia Fiske stormed her way onto the national scene in a big way. After she took 3rd at WCWAs this past season at 155lbs, Fiske earned tournament titles at the Senior US Open, the trials for the Junior World Team, and the trials for the U23 World Team. Fiske has notched several notable wins on her warpath this year, including a 5-4 victory over Victoria Francis in the US Open finals (a match we will discuss further). Fiske also beat 170lbs WCWA/NAIA Champion Dymond Guilford in straight-matches (6-0, 4-4 criteria) to make the Junior team and went on to go unscored upon in the U23 Trials.

Fiske faces 2017 75KG World Teamer Victoria Francis for the Senior World Team at Final X. Francis missed last season due to a sanction rooted in a tainted supplement, and in her return to competition Francis has been in top form as she chases her second World Team. Francis topped 2018 Final X participant Rachel Watters (5-4) in the US Open semifinals and later went on to tech and pin her way through the World Team Trials Challenge bracket to set-up a rematch with the rising Fiske.

At the US Open, Francis and Fiske scrapped in a back-and-forth war of attrition. Francis looked to drown Fiske in the front headlock position while Fiske clawed her way to offensive points. Midway into the first, Fiske drove from underneath in front headlock to score the opening point, a step-out. Undeterred, Francis continued to force the front headlock, eventually scoring a takedown with less than a minute remaining in the first period to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. The second period brought more front headlock exchanges from Francis, but it was Fiske who was able to hasten her scoring rate. A minute into the second period, Fiske hit a perfectly timed drag-out to score her first takedown and reclaim the lead, 3-2. Francis responded quickly, again getting to her front headlock and nearly hitting a front head-pinch before Fiske conceded on a go-behind takedown allowing Francis to surge ahead, 4-3. In the final exchange of the match, it was Fiske horsing her way through Francis’s front headlock with a front bodylock for the takedown to take the lead for good. 

If the Open match provides us a glimpse of what is to come at 72KG, we are in for at least two more close matches. Fiske cleared the largest hurdle for those aiming to beat Francis, which is out-scoring Francis in the front headlock position. As Francis’s go-to series, the snap-and-smash go-behind is a well-seasoned weapon of choice for the past Senior World Teamer and the fact that Fiske only gave up two go-behinds bodes well for her. Further, Fiske avoided giving up points from par terre, a tall task against the savvy veteran. So long as Fiske keeps her counter-offense skills from underneath in front headlock sharp, she will force Francis to find scores in her less-effective secondary and tertiary options. 

Conversely, Francis will need to make the adjustments to her offense to ensure she is able to secure scores against Fiske. Fiske, as previously mentioned, is quite comfortable being put in front headlock but she also has solid leg attack defense and counter-offense. Fiske also has an affinity for wrestling well in long, tenuous flurries as she presents both a strong motor and neutral arsenal. Francis may need a dependable, go-to leg attack to prevail should she find her front headlock ineffective against Fiske. The way these wrestlers match-up, we may well see a tightly-contested three-match series.

When you ready to make this world team, but Final X is still a week away ?
Catch USA's best wrestlers fight for the World Team spots June 8 at Rutgers, live @flowrestling pic.twitter.com/GtNNzh0kPr

— Victoria Francis (@VicFran9412) June 1, 2019

It's Final X week, baby ? pic.twitter.com/jmpojQy98A

— Victoria Francis (@VicFran9412) June 3, 2019