Final X - State College: Kayla Miracle vs. Mallory Velte At 62kg
Final X - State College: Kayla Miracle vs. Mallory Velte At 62kg
Breaking down and predicting the 63kg match at Final X - State College between Mallory Velte and Kayla Miracle.
The most interesting and evenly matched of the women’s bouts on the upcoming Final X card in State College, PA, is Kayla Miracle against Mallory Velte. In their only previous meeting, Miracle won 3-0 in the U.S. Open finals to earn her spot in Final X.
This Saturday, the two will square off in Rec Hall at Penn State University to determine the 62kg world team spot. An Olympic weight, 62kg has women coming up from 60kg and down from 63kg following the move to day-of weigh-ins on the international scene.
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One of the beautiful things about wrestling is that both prodigies and late bloomers can make world teams. Miracle has been on the radar of everyone in and around USA Wrestling since before middle school, while Velte slowly but surely clawed her way to the top. Last year, Velte made her first Senior world team, going to Paris as the 63kg rep for America.
It has been a banner year for Miracle, having won her fourth WCWA title and, in the process, guiding Campbellsville to its first team title. Not only that but the team score was also in the balance when it came down to Miracle, the last match of the night. Oh, and her father, Lee, is the coach.
Shortly after helping the Tigers win the team crown, Miracle took gold at the Klippan Open in Sweden, the toughest women’s tournament in the world and a ranking series event. There, she beat world champ Yulia Tkach (UKR) and Luisa Niemesch (GER), a Junior world silver and U23 Euro bronze medalist.
Miracle is adept at getting her opponents put on the shot clock first. She's also difficult to stop offensively because of the way she leg attacks. Like a baseball pitcher who can throw three different types of pitches from the same windup, Miracle will shoot inside step, but depending on how her opponent reacts, she can go to a double leg, sweep single, or head inside redirect. And even when she doesn't score, her grip is so difficult to break that she can force stalemates and run time off the clock when she is winning. This also keeps her opponents on the defensive and unable to take shots of their own.
In looking at the matches Miracle has lost this year, it's hard to gather a game plan from them that Velte can replicate. Miracle's loss to Yaquelin Estornell Elizastique (CUB) in the Pan Am quarters was a matter of explosiveness on leg attacks at a level that Velte has not typically shown. Against Yukako Kawai (JPN), Miracle lost after cutting the corner on a solid double that turned into a lace. The Shoovdor Bataarjav (MGL) match also left little for Velte to mimic.
Velte was on the outside looking in for years, until 2015, when she made her first Junior world team. The California native placed third at Olympic Trials the very next year and then made the non-Olympic World Team Trials finals. After sweeping Jenn Page in the finals last year, she earned herself a trip to Paris to represent Team USA.
When someone like Velte makes the team, it can be easy to dismiss her because of the perceived level from which she came. That's especially the case when her international results have been underwhelming: 0-1 at Worlds, fifth place at Pan Ams, 1-1 at the Klippan, and 3-4 between the World Cups in December and March.
But at 23, Velte will just be hitting her prime come the Olympic year. Cleaning up her shots, taking more explosive and high-percentage double legs, and finishing her singles will make her a threat to be on world teams for years to come.
The more I watch both the more I feel like Miracle is the better wrestler and doesn't have as tough of a weight cut. She'll stay on the offensive more and moves better once she does attack. The Indiana native also has far more experience going overseas and putting her hands on foreigners.
In terms of career college titles, this matchup is on par with Kyle Dake vs. Alex Dieringer. With seven WCWA crowns between them, this could shape up to be an excellent rivalry over the next several years. It's hard to go wrong with a multiple-time age-level world medalist facing off against a returning world team member.
The difference is, on paper, Miracle is more of a medal threat right now than Velte at this point. This will be another closely contested matchup at Final X, and Velte could use her strength to maybe even force a third match.
Nomad's Prediction
Miracle over Velte, two matches to none