The Serbia-bound USA U23 women’s freestyle World Team is loaded with college stars on a roster that includes national champions, finalists and All-Americans from recent years. 

Augsburg’s Emily Shilson (50 kg) won a Junior World title in August and also boasts three college national titles, winning the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships in both 2020 and 2021 and adding a WCWA title in 2020. She’ll be seeking her fourth age-level World medal in Belgrade. 

Simon Fraser’s Alex Hedrick (55 kg) also won a college national title in 2020, while McKendree’s Emma Bruntil (62 kg) went back-to-back, winning the crown in 2020 and 2021. Both Hedrick and Bruntil took fourth at Olympic Team Trials in April; Hedrick will compete for her third age-level team, Bruntil her first.

North Central’s Amanda Martinez, who replaced King’s Cheyenne Sisenstein at 57 kg, was a two-time national finalist in college, taking second in both 2020 and 2021, while King’s Ashlynn Ortega (65 kg) was a finalist in 2021, falling to U23 teammate Emma Bruntil in the collegiate finals. Ortega also made the 2016 Cadet World Team. 72 kg Kayla Marano, a recent transfer to McKendree, was also a college finalist in 2021 at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships — an event specifically created for NCAA programs in the “Emerging Sport” chapter of women’s college wrestling — finishing as runner-up while she was still part of the Emmanuel program. Marano won a Cadet World bronze in 2015.

At 68 kg, Simon Fraser’s Alyvia Fiske will represent the United States for the fourth time, having previously made three age-level world teams. This will be her second trip to U23 Worlds as the California native made the team in 2019 and placed eighth at the event. That same year, she also took fifth at Junior Worlds after landing in 14th in 2018. Fiske is a two-time college All-American, taking third at the WCWA National Championships in 2019 and third at NCWWC in 2020.

Add to the roster two Wisconsin RTC women — Ronna Heaton (53 kg) and Michaela Beck (59 kg) — along with high school phenom Kylie Welker (76 kg), and the lineup promises to deliver. Heaton is coming off her best Senior-level year, placing second at both Olympic Team Trials and World Team Trials. She seeks her third age-level World medal. 

Beck broke through to make her second age-level World team this year, having made the 2018 Junior World team. Meanwhile, Titan Mercury’s Welker is coming off her first Senior World Championships, where she placed 10th, and the rising star also won a Junior world title with a dominant performance in Ufa, Russia, last August. The high school senior also took second at Olympic Trials last May, falling to Adeline Gray in the finals after stacking up some impressive Senior-level wins and showing the wrestling world that she’s for real.

Women’s action will span November 3-5 and will be available live on FloWrestling.

Here’s what the U23 World Team Trials finals looked like last May, where the women competed for U.S. national team spots in Irving, Texas.

U23 World Team Trials Best-Of-Three Finals Results

Round 1

50 kg Emily Shilson (MN) VSU1 Alleida Martinez (CA), 12-2 4:54

53 kg Ronna Heaton (WI) VPO1 Alisha Howk (WI), 5-3

55 kg Alexandra Hedrick (CA) VPO1 Sophia Mirabella (NY), 10-1

57 kg Amanda Martinez (IL) VPO1 Cheyenne Sisenstein (NY), 10-10

59 kg Michaela Beck (NY) VPO Brenda Reyna (WA), 5-0

62 kg Emma Bruntil (WA) VPO Ana Luciano (FL), 3-0

65 kg Ashlynn Ortega (CO) VPO1 Alara Boyd (IN), 4-3

68 kg Alyvia Fiske (CA) VSU Tiyahna Askew (GA), 10-0 2:39

72 kg Kennedy Blades (IL) VSU1 Kayla Marano (GA), 15-4 5:23

76 kg Yelena Makoyed (CA) VPO1 Kylie Welker (WI), 7-2

Round 2

50 kg Emily Shilson (MN) VFA Alleida Martinez (CA), 4-1 3:19

53 kg Ronna Heaton (WI) VPO1 Alisha Howk (WI), 1-1

55 kg Alexandra Hedrick (CA) VPO Sophia Mirabella (NY), 8-0

57 kg Cheyenne Sisenstein (NY) VFA Amanda Martinez (IL), 4-0 2:09

59 kg Michaela Beck (NY) VPO Brenda Reyna (WA), 6-0

62 kg Emma Bruntil (WA) VPO1 Ana Luciano (FL), 2-1

65 kg Ashlynn Ortega (CO) VPO1 Alara Boyd (IN), 4-1

68 kg Alyvia Fiske (CA) VPO1 Tiyahna Askew (GA), 7-2

72 kg Kennedy Blades (IL) VSU1 Kayla Marano (GA), 14-3 4:55

76 kg Kylie Welker (WI) VPO1 Yelena Makoyed (CA), 4-2

Round 3

57 kg Cheyenne Sisenstein (NY) VPO1 Amanda Martinez (IL), 7-5

76 kg Kylie Welker (WI) VFA Yelena Makoyed (CA), 4-0 5:37

2021 Women’s U23 Freestyle Roster

50 kg: Emily Shilson (Maple Grove, Minn./Titan Mercury WC)

53 kg: Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.Dak./Wisconsin RTC/Sunkist Kids WC)

55 kg: Alex Hedrick (Fair Oaks, Calif./Titan Mercury WC)

57 kg: Amanda Martinez (Riverside, Ill./Cardinal Wrestling Club)

59 kg: Michaela Beck (New York, N.Y./Wisconsin RTC/Sunkist Kids WC)

62 kg: Emma Bruntil (Acme, Wash./Titan Mercury WC/McKendree Bearcat WC)

65 kg: Ashlynn Ortega (Pueblo, Colo./New York AC)

68 kg: Alyvia Fiske (Napa, Calif./Titan Mercury WC)

72 kg: Kayla Marano (Jefferson, Ga./McKendree Bearcat WC)

76 kg: Kylie Welker (Franksville, Wisc./Titan Mercury WC)

USA Wrestling Women’s Freestyle Development Coach – Jessica Medina, Colorado Springs, Colo.

U.S. Women’s Freestyle National Head Coach – Terry Steiner, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Women’s freestyle schedule (ET)

Wednesday, Nov. 3

5:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (WFS 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg)

11:45 a.m. – Semifinals (WFS 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg)

Thursday, Nov. 4

5:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (WFS 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg)

5:30 a.m. – Repechage (WFS 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg)

11:45 a.m. – Semifinals (WFS 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg)

1 p.m. – Finals (WFS 50 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg)

Friday, Nov. 5

5:30 a.m. – Repechage (WFS 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg)

1 p.m. – Finals (WFS 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 72 kg)