International wrestling returns to American soil this week with the Bill Farrell Memorial at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan. You can catch all the freestyle and Greco greatness LIVE on FloWrestling, starting at 10 AM EST on Thursday.

The action opens with women's freestyle, which has featured a world or Olympic champion for three straight years. Team USA has consistently placed third in the standings at world championships, a testament to both the coaching and athletes in the program. However, the Farrell has traditionally featured some high-quality international women. The tournament will serve as the World Team Trials for the non-Olympic weights and also as the first qualifier for the 2017 WTT.

FloWrestling previews each weight class below, starting with the non-Olympic weights, which are used to determine the two women heading to Budapest, Hungary, in December for the World Championships. Here is the entry list so far. The event schedule is as follows:

Women's Freestyle Schedule

Wednesday, November 9

Registration: 2-3 PM
Skin checks: 2:45-3 PM
Weigh-ins: 3-3:30 PM
55 kg/121.3 lbs, 60 kg/132.3 lbs *** (World Team Trial NO ALLOWANCE)
48 kg/105.8 lbs, 53 kg/116.8 lbs,  58 kg/127.9 lbs, 63 kg/138.9 lbs,  69 kg/152.1 lbs, 75 kg/165.3 lbs. (+ 2 kg allowance)

Thursday, November 10

Preliminaries, quarterfinals, semifinals, and cons: 10 AM-2:30 PM
Consolation: 4:30-6:30 PM
Medal matches: 6:30-8 PM
(2 out of 3 series for WM 55 kg and 60 kg)

Weight Class Previews

55kg

With Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis ineligible to compete, we will be seeing our first new representative at this weight since Kelsey Campbell at the 2012 Olympics. Maroulis was also on the world team in 2011 and 2012.

Maroulis' opponents in the trials finals over the course of the last quad were Whitney Conder in 2013, Sarah Hildebrandt in 2014, and Sharon Jacboson this past year. Conder is a smaller wrestler who seems unlikely to go up in weight, and Jacobson is not currently registered. Hildebrandt was third at 2015 WTT and made the consolation semifinals of the Olympic Trials at 53kg in April.

The top contenders at this weight are Campbell and Michaela Hutchison. Campbell was the Olympian in 2012 and won the 58kg trials, but did not end up qualifying in the weight for Rio. Hutchison was the runner-up at last year's Farrell and at the 2015 WTT at 53kg behind Conder. Hildebrandt has beaten Hutchison in the past, though not in their most recent matches. Back in 2014, Jacarra Winchester defeated Hutchison multiple times.

As we've tried to make clear, this weight is wide open. Campbell likes to slow down matches, while Hutchison likes to hammer opponents with her swing single and bar arm. Hildebrandt uses her height to create issues and has a remarkable rubber knee. Also figuring in here will be Deanna Betterman. Each of these girls has a unique style and has the ability to create problems for international opponents next month.

60kg

This will only be the third time we've seen this weight contested at a world championships. The last time we saw it, America won a bronze medal. That was thanks to Leigh Jaynes, who after an unsuccessful run at making the Olympic team at 63kg is back down to this weight.

The 2015 World Team Trials finals ended up featuring two close matches between Jaynes and 2015 Pan Am champion Jennifer Page. Jaynes took both matches, but the first was 6-5 and the second was an 8-8 criteria match that came down to the final 10 seconds.

Jaynes built leads of 6-0 and 8-2 in the match, but Page mounted a furious comeback and was in on a shot as time expired. The difference was a whizzer/overhook that Jaynes was able to turn into a four as she hipped Page over on the edge of the mat in the first period. She would go on to win a bronze medal at the world championships in Las Vegas.

Leigh Jaynes wrestles against Jennifer Page for the 60kg world team spot in 2015:


What will be interesting here is the addition of some of the best 58kg women. Alli Ragan was the U.S.'s representative at the world championships between 2013 and 2015 and was in the Olympic Trials finals earlier this year. Ragan will likely be the top seed and should be the favorite, as she has competed comfortably at 60kg in the past. Ragan has one of the best double legs in the country.

Also at this weight will be two-time junior world medalist Kayla Miracle. She has been excellent at age-level events, winning two straight WCWA titles, as well as winning University Nationals each of the past two years. Her re-direct single can be devastating when she has her opponent's timing down. She has a 13-3 win over Page from last year's Farrell and a 10-0 victory over 2014 world team representative Jenna Burkert from the Olympic Trials.

The 2014 WTT finals was Burkert over Briena Delgado, but only Delgado will be at the Farrell this weekend. A major potential wildcard here would be the entrance of Teshya Alo, who won a cadet world title and was the Senior Nationals champion last December.

48kg

This will be the first qualifier for the 2017 World Team Trials. Based on our current preliminary entry list, Victoria Anthony is the only athlete already qualified, due to her medal at the Grand Prix of Spain. Last year, Anthony was the top seed at the Farrell before losing to eventual champion Yuka Yagoof Japan and then not placing after a loss to Clarissa Chun.

Anthony wound up making the Olympic Trials finals and may end up being the top seed again. The Sunkist Kids star has one of the best inside trips of anyone in the country. Aside from Yago, the three other placers were all from Canada. Currently, the only Canadian entered is Natasha Kramble, a two-time Pan Am runner-up and 2013 world team member.

Given that this is a 48kg USA Wrestling event, you can bet on the annual tradition of Cody Pfau and Erin Golston wrestling at some point on Thursday. Amy Fearnside is also registered at 48kg, though she normally competes up at 53kg.

53kg

This weight may end up being relatively thin domestically as women move up to 55kg to try to make a world team. It could also mean that it gains something internationally or could benefit from 48kg not wishing to cut down this early in the season.
​
Perhaps the most interesting entry is Ronna Heaton, a two-time UWW Cadet World finalist. While she may not be favored in a weight class with senior level Pan Am champion Sam Stewart of Canada, Heaton is considered to be a part of the future wave at USA Wrestling.

58kg

The U.S. will be looking for a crucial bounce back at this weight, as it did not qualify for the Olympics. Currently, only a Canadian wrestler is officially registered. The initial entry list provided had Becka Leathers at 55kg, however, she is now listed at 58kg. This could signal that her time at 55kg is done as she grows into her senior-level weight. Listed at 58kg was Randi Beltz, who is now showing as being in the 60kg field. Beltz ended up third at the Olympic Trials, as she showed a great deal of improvement over the past 15 months. Either of those two would be strong possibilities to make the finals. Last year's finals saw Canadian Michelle Fazzari win 6-2 over Campbell.

63kg

Breanne Graham is a Canadian who made the finals of the ladder tournament at their Olympic Trials. Graham was in the tournament last year but was shut out by Mallory Velte to be eliminated from the consolation side. Velte had an excellent 2016, winning a WCWA title, a University national title, and getting third at OTT. Alexis Porter proved she has some of the heaviest hips in the game this summer when she won a junior world bronze medal.

Mallory Velte wins a WCWA title:


The top three placewinners at this weight last year were all international, as it was Japan versus Japan in the final, with a Canadian taking third. Amanda Hendey would up fourth, and Jessi Kee made the semifinals, the best performances for Americans.

69kg

The only athletes currently registered both are sponsored by the NYAC: Julia Salata and Skylar Grote. Salata was second on the world team ladder in 2014 and wrestled in several junior and university world championships. Grote was a 2015 Fargo champion and is still a junior age level athlete.

75kg

There are no athletes currently registered for this weight. Jaclyn Surber defeated Brittney Roberts in the 2014 final, while last year the final came down to Canada's Erica Wiebe over Randi Miller. Wiebe would go on to win the Olympic gold medal.

How To Watch

BILL FARRELL INTERNATIONAL OPEN
ON TV: Now available on Roku and Apple TV
STREAMING: Available only on FloWrestling - $20 monthly or $150 yearly. Yearly FloPRO access is to all FloSports sites. JOIN NOW.

Popular Right Now:

125U | 133U | 141U
149U | 157U | 165U
Weekend Box Scores: 11/3-11/6
Amazing Debut By Valencia Brothers At Daktronics Open
Doyle Trout Returns To The Mat After Losing Leg
Ed Ruth And Tyrell Fortune Win MMA Debuts At Bellator 163
Malicious Intent 45 - Wrestling Moneyball
Jack Mueller = A Problem

Get all of the hype!

Sign up for the FloWrestling newsletter for instant access to: breaking news, live events, results, rankings, archived matches and more!