USA Wrestling is sending a powerful women’s lineup to Belgrade, Serbia, a team that includes six returning medalists, four of whom reached the podium last year in Oslo. U.S. women will try to improve on their silver medal finish as a team last year, but will have to overtake a Japanese program that seems to run away with the team race every year. The drama will play out beginning Monday and wrapping up Thursday. 

Last year, Helen Maroulis won her third World title (fourth including Olympic gold in 2016) and Adeline Gray won her sixth World title in Oslo. The U.S. women’s team came home with seven medals, including two golds, two silvers, and three bronzes. Japan had four World champions and three others in the finals, finishing with 196 points. Though the U.S. women were in second with 147, third-place Mongolia wasn’t even close, scoring just over half the points with 78. Right now it looks like Japan and Team USA as the frontrunners at the World Championships.

“I think our prep’s been really good,” USA women’s National Team coach Terry Steiner told USA Wrestling’s Gary Abbott. “We had a camp in Pennsylvania that went really, really well. We had all the World team members there and I thought we had a fantastic workout there. I think the girls are focused – they’re ready to go.”

Gray recently had twins and will not be competing, but the U.S. women’s team is sending a talented lineup nevertheless. Here’s a quick look at each weight class.

50 kg – Sarah Hildebrandt (NYAC)

Of course, every weight is intriguing at the World Championships, but this one is especially so. Sarah Hildebrandt has established herself as a perennial team member for the U.S. program and as one of the best on the planet, a two-time World silver medalist and the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist. Even with all that, you can be sure she has unfinished business, still searching for her first World title. Last year she lost in the finals, 5-3, to Japan’s Remina Yoshimoto, though this year Japan is sending two-time World champion and 2020 Olympic gold medalist Yui Susaki, who downed Yoshimoto 4-2 at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, the functional World Team Trials for the Japanese women’s program. The 23-year-old Susaki is now a worldwide star in the wrestling community, one of Japan’s brightest young talents. She’ll be Hildebrandt’s biggest obstacle to earning her first World title, though it wasn’t long ago that some would say that description belongs to Azerbaijan’s Mariya Stadnik, a two-time world champion and four-time Olympic medalist, also entered at this weight. But Susaki defeated Stadnik by 11-0 technical superiority in the semis of the 2020 Olympics and has become the obvious favorite at this weight. Ukraine’s 2018 bronze medalist Oksana Livach is also compelling and could be a dark horse, an opponent Hildebrandt defeated in the bronze match at the Olympics. 

With her performance at rankings events this year, Hildebrandt earned the #1 seed. Susaki is the #2 seed and Stadnik the #7. If the seeds hold, Hildebrandt would face Romania’s #4 seed Emilia Vuc in the semis, a tough matchup, and would face Susaki in the finals.

53 kg - Dominique Parrish (Sunkist Kids) 

Dominique Parrish earned a spot on her first World team in June, defeating Felicity Taylor in the best-of-three. The two-time WCWA college champ has been busy this year on the international scene, including earning a bronze medal at the Yasar Dogu. She also wrestled well at the Zouhaier Sghaier in Tunisia, going 2-2 and earning a fourth-place finish against a world-class field. Japan’s Akari Fujinami is the returning World champ, defeating another World champ, Haruno Okuno, to earn the spot in Belgrade. Parrish is seeded #7. If seeds hold, she’ll face #2 seed Iulia Leorda of Moldova in the quarters.

55 kg – Jacarra Winchester (TMWC)

2019 World champion and 2020 Olympian Jacarra Winchester, after losing at Final X last year to Jenna Burkert, is back on the world stage and looking for her second World title. While Burkert took bronze for the U.S. team last year, Japan’s Tsugumi Sakurai won gold. However, this year Japan is sending two-time World champion and 2020 Olympic gold medalist Mayu Mukaida. She sat out of the World Championships last year after winning Tokyo gold in her homeland but now she’s back with another World title in her sights. Winchester will also have Canada’s Karla Godinez-Gonzalez in her way, a two-time NCWWC college champion who has a recent win over the American, a back-and-forth match in the finals of the Pan Am Championships last May in which Godinez prevailed 8-5. Winchester earned a #4 seed in Belgrade, while Germany’s returning silver medalist Nina Hemmer gained the #1 seed. If the bracket goes chalk, Winchester is on a collision course with Hemmer in the semis.

57 kg – Helen Maroulis (Sunkist Kids) 

Last year, Maroulis showed that she’s still at the top of her game, winning Olympic bronze in Tokyo and her third World title in Oslo, adding to her already impressive career resume that includes an Olympic gold medal and two other world titles. Now she’s back at Worlds again, aiming for her fourth world title and seeking to go back-to-back for the first time in her already legendary career. To do it, she’ll have to take down Japan’s Tsugumi Sakurai, who won a World title in Oslo at the weight class below this one last year, 55 kg. Turkey’s Elvira Kamaloglu recently had a win over Maroulis in the semis of the Zouhaier Sghaier in Tunisia, though she’s not Turkey’s rep at this weight. That being said, Maroulis was ahead and controlled that match into the final minute. She even took losses last year leading up to Tokyo and Oslo, but it didn’t seem to matter once the whistle blew at the Olympics or Worlds. Maroulis is seeded #1 in Belgrade, while Bulgaria’s Olympic bronze medalist Evelina Nikolova, comes in behind Maroulis at #2.

59 kg – Abigail Nette (Army WCAP)

After a stellar college career where she won two WCWA national titles (Emmanuel 2019, Campbellsville 2020), Nette broke through to make her first Senior World team this year and faces a field that includes Japan’s 20-year-old Sakura Motoki, the 2017 U17 World champion. Last year’s Senior World champ at this weight, Bilyana Dudova of Bulgaria, is returning this year but up one class at 62 kg. Norway’s #6 seeded Grace Bullen, who also wrestled for Campbellsville, though not the same year at Nette, is also entered at this weight. Nette has had some international success this year, including bronze at the Matteo Pellicone in Rome, though she will go into the World Championships unseeded. India’s returning bronze medalist, Sarita Sarita, is the #1 seed and Mongolia’s Shoovdor Baatarjav, another returning bronze medalist at the same weight, is the #2.

62 kg – Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids WC)

Miracle heads to Belgrade as a returning silver medalist, falling to Kyrgyzstan's Aisuluu Tynybekova 7-0 in the finals last year. Tynybekova is back again and is seeded #1, though Bulgaria’s returning world champ at 59 kg, Bilyana Dudova, is up at this weight this year, and is unseeded. Brazil’s Lais Nunes is seeded #2 and Miracle earned the #3 seed. Canada’s #7 seed Ana Godinez, a familiar opponent to Miracle, is entered at this weight. It was Miracle 6-5 that last time they wrestled, which was in February of this year at the Bout at the Ballpark. If the bracket goes chalk, Miracle will face Tunisia’s #6 seed Marwa Amri in the quarters and #2 seed Nunes in the semis.

65 kg – Mallory Velte (Beaver Dam RTC/TMWC)

This is three-time World team member Velte’s first time back to the world stage since winning a bronze medal in Budapest in 2018. She took out Forrest Molinari at Final X Stillwater in June, who had owned this spot for the last four years. Velte will come into Budapest seeded #8, with Japan’s returning silver medalist Miwa Morikawa coming in as the top seed. If the bracket seeds hold, Velte will face Morikawa in the semifinals. Azerbaijan’s Elis Manolova is seeded second, earning the spot after second-place finishes at the European Championships and the Bolat Turlykhanov Ranking Series tournament.

68 kg – Tamyra Mensah Stock (TMWC)

American fans were shocked last year when Mensah Stock was pinned by Japan’s Rin Miyaji in the semifinals. The American 2020 Olympic gold medalist bounced back to earn the bronze, and comes into Belgrade seeded second. Kyrgyzstan’s returning world champion Meerim Zhumanazarova is seeded #1. After making four world teams and earning three world medals at the World Championships, including gold in 2019, Mensah Stock has set a high standard for herself and has become a perennial medal hopeful for U.S. fans for the last five years. There’s no reason to think she doesn’t have a real shot to come home again not only with a medal, but with another world title.

72 kg - Amit Elor (NYC RTC/TMWC)

At 18 years old, recently graduated Elor is the youngest member on the U.S. squad this year as she made her first Senior World team in June. She’s been one of the brightest young stars in women’s wrestling for years, justifying all the hype and expectations when she won Junior World titles in both 2021 and 2022 and made the U.S. Senior Women’s Freestyle Team this year. The remarkable thing about Elor is that she’s done all this in such dominant fashion, winning all matches by pin or tech fall at Junior Worlds and in the Senior Team Trials process. In some ways, we’ve yet to see her ceiling as she’s made it look easy at times at every level, controlling opponents and scoring big with her reliable left-side underhook series. Now she faces the ultimate test as she’ll face the best Senior-level women in the world. Elor will go into Belgrade unseeded, but American wrestling fans know that whoever she draws in the bracket, the American is the bad draw. Kazakhstan’s Zhamila Bakbergenova, who took second last year, is the #1 seed. She earned the top spot after logging an undefeated 2022 season.

76 kg - Dymond Guilford (TMWC)

Guilford is another first-timer on the U.S. women’s freestyle World team, as she won the spot in a loaded weight class domestically. The three-time college champion has a long resume of achievements domestically and welcomes the opportunity to shine on the world stage. She also comes into the World Championships unseeded, though she landed a silver in Tunisia at the Zouhaier Sghaier. She also won gold at this year’s Senior Pan Am Championships. Guilford faces a loaded field including #1 seed Medet Kyzt of Kyrgyzstan, who won bronze last year in Oslo. Egypt’s #2 seed Samar Amer Ibrahim Hamza was also a bronze winner last year while #3 seed Epp Mae won silver. Mae lost to Adeline Gray in the finals last year 6-4. 

Entries for the 2022 World Championships.

50kg

Patricia BERMUDEZ (ARG)

Mariya STADNIK (AZE)

Kamila BARBOSA (BRA)

Miglena SELISHKA (BUL)

Madison PARKS (CAN)

Ziqi FENG (CHN)

Julie SABATIE (FRA)

Lisa ERSEL (GER)

Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN)

Pooja GEHLOT (IND)

Yui SUSAKI (JPN)

Svetlana ANKICHEVA (KZ)

Miran CHEON (KOR)

Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)

Mercy GENESIS (NGR)

Anna LUKASIAK (POL)

Emilia VUC (ROU)

Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)

Oksana LIVACH (UKR)

Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA)

Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)

Thi NGUYEN (VIE)

53kg

Leyla GURBANOVA (AZE)

Samantha STEWART (CAN)

Yuhong ZHONG (CHN)

Nogona BAKAYOKO (CIV)

Laura HERIN AVILA (CUB)

Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU)

Marina RUEDA FLORES (ESP)

Tatiana SALAH (FRA)

Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)

Mercedesz DENES (HUN)

Vinesh PHOGAT (IND)

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)

Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ)

Hyunyoung OH (KOR)

Iulia LEORDA (MDA)

Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL)

Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)

Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)

Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)

Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR)

Dominique PARRISH (USA)

Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB)

Thi KIEU (VIE)

55kg

Karla GODINEZ (CAN)

Mengyu XIE (CHN)

Yaynelis SANZ VERDECIA (CUB)

Luisa VALVERDE (ECU)

Nina HEMMER (GER)

Sushma SHOKEEN (IND)

Mayu SHIDOCHI MUKAIDA (JPN)

Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ)

Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)

Otgonjargal GANBAATAR (MGL)

Roksana ZASINA (POL)

Andreea ANA (ROU)

Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)

Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)

Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)

Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)

Thi NGUYEN (VIE)

57kg

Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE)

Giullia PENALBER (BRA)

Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL)

Hannah TAYLOR (CAN)

Yongxin FENG (CHN)

Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER)

Tamara DOLLAK (HUN)

Mansi AHLAWAT (IND)

Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)

Emma TISSINA (KAZ)

Hyungjoo KIM (KOR)

Alma VALENCIA ESCOTO (MEX)

Bolortuya BAT-OCHIR (MGL)

Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR)

Anhelina LYSAK (POL)

Bediha GUN (TUR)

Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR)

Helen MAROULIS (USA)

Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB)

Thi NGUYEN (UZB)

59kg

Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)

Fatme SHABAN (BUL)

Diana WEICKER (CAN)

Parfaite MAMBOU (CGO)

Qi ZHANG (CHN)

Elena BRUGGER (GER)

Sarita MOR (IND)

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)

Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ)

Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)

Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL)

Grace BULLEN (NOR)

Jowita WRZESIEN (POL)

Ebru DAGBASI (TUR)

Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)

Abigail NETTE (USA)

62kg

Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE)

Lais DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)

Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)

Ana GODINEZ (CAN)

Xiaojuan LUO (CHN)

Lydia PEREZ (ESP)

Ameline DOUARRE (FRA)

Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)

Anna SZEL (HUN)

Sonam MALIK (IND)

Nataliia SHAFIR (ISR)

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)

Ayaulym KASSYMOVA (KAZ)

Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)

Hanbit LEE (KOR)

Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL)

Anna FABIAN (SRB)

Sara LINDBORG (SWE)

Marwa AMRI (TUN)

Yagmur CAKMAK (TUR)

Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR)

Kayla MIRACLE (USA)

Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB)

Thi NGUYEN (VIE)

65kg

Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)

Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL)

Aleah NICKEL (CAN)

Jia LONG (CHN)

Koumba LARROQUE (FRA)

Sakshi MALIK (IND)

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)

Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ)

Purevsuren ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL)

Kriszta INCZE (ROU)

Asli DEMIR (TUR)

Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)

Mallory VELTE (USA)

Dinora RUSTAMOVA (UZB)

68kg

Grabriela DA ROCHA (BRA)

Sofiya GEORGIEVA (BUL)

Linda MORAIS (CAN)

Feng ZHOU (CHN)

Rosie TABORA (COD)

Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)

Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA)

Noemi SZABADOS (HUN)

Divya KAKRAN (IND)

Dalma CANEVA (ITA)

Ami ISHII (JPN)

Madina BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)

Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)

Sujin PARK (KOR)

Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU)

Irina RINGACI (MDA)

Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)

Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

Natalia STRZALKA (POL)

Patricia ELNOUR (SUD)

Nesrin BAS (TUR)

Alla BELINSKA (UKR)

Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA)

Dieu LAI (VIE)

72kg

Shauna KUEBECK (CAN)

Erica NGAKALI (CGO)

Qiandegenchagan QIANDEGENCHAGAN (CHN)

Kendra DACHER (FRA)

Lilly SCHNEIDER (GER)

BIPASHA (IND)

Masako FURUICHI (JPN)

Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)

Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)

Patrycja SPERKA (POL)

Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU)

Buse TOSUN (TUR)

Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)

Amit ELOR (USA)

Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB)

76kg

Martina KUENZ (AUT)

Justina DI STASIO (CAN)

Juan WANG (CHN)

Amy YOUIN (CIV)

Tatiana RENTERIA (COL)

Milaimys POTRILLE (CUB)

Genesis VALDEZ (ECU)

Samar HAMZA (EGY)

Epp MAE (EST)

Francy RAEDELT (GER)

Jemima NYARKO OFORI (GHA)

Pooja SIHAG (IND)

Enrica RINALDI (ITA)

Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)

Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ)

Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)

Seoyeon JEONG (KOR)

Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)

Ariunjargal GANBAT (MGL)

Catalina AXENTE (ROU)

Fanni NAGY NAD (SRB)

Yasemin ADAR (TUR)

Anastasiia SHUSTOVA (UKR)

Dymond GUILFORD (USA)

Thi DANG (VIE)