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World Team Trials Challenge Tournament on tap for Iowa wrestling

by: Tanner Lafever05/13/26TannerLafever

For several Iowa wrestlers with Senior World team aspirations in 2026, this Thursday/Friday represents the last opportunity to keep those dreams alive.

Of course, the same can be said for every other athlete that’ll compete at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament.

Between the men’s and women’s freestyle divisions, only 12 spots remain for Final X next month – to which five Hawkeyes have already punch their ticket courtesy of a 2025 World Championships medal or a recent US Open title:

  • Kennedy Blades (68 kilograms – women’s freestyle)
  • Stephen Buchanan (97 kilograms – men’s freestyle)
  • Everest Leydecker (55 kilograms – WFS)
  • Kylie Welker (76 kilograms – WFS)
  • Real Woods (65 kilograms – MFS)

Another 10 Hawkeyes will attempt to join them by way of this week’s action – two of whom (Spencer Lee and Macey Kilty) have previously medaled on the World/Olympic stage.

So, let’s introduce the rest of the bunch, then preview what they’ll be up against in Louisville, Kentucky.

Meet the team

Including Lee/Kilty, Iowa’s entries will be evenly split (five apiece) across the men’s and women’s freestyle divisions.

Men’s Freestyle

  • 57kg – Spencer Lee, Brody Teske
  • 61kg – Austin DeSanto
  • 74kg – Michael Caliendo
  • 125kg – Tony Cassioppi

Women’s Freestyle

  • 50kg – Felicity Taylor
  • 53kg – Isabella Gonzales
  • 62kg – Macey Kilty
  • 65kg – *Nora Akpan, Reese Larramendy

*Incoming freshman

Meanwhile, an 11th name worth monitoring is Jordan Williams at 70kg.

Williams entered the transfer portal back on April 1st and wrestled at the US Open a few weeks later.

At the US Open, he made an impressive run through the consolations to place third – earning a berth at the WTT Challenge Tournament.

He did so while competing under the ‘Threestyle Wrestling’ banner but wore a Hawkeye Wrestling Club (HWC) singlet in the process.

Now, he’s entered under the HWC affiliation. And having yet to officially announce a transfer destination since entering the portal, it could signal a return to the Iowa program may be in the works.

How to watch

May 14-15 (Thurs/Fri) – 2026 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament

Just like the US Open a few weeks ago, FloWrestling and USA Bracketing will be your source(s) for streaming and all tournament-related information respectively.

Unlike the US Open, however, this will be a far more streamlined event for both the athletes and audience.

(See the two-day schedule below)

**all times Central Standard**

Thursday, May 14

  • 9:00 a.m. – Men’s/Women’s Freestyle preliminaries, quarterfinals, consolations
  • 3:00 p.m. – Men’s/Women’s Freestyle semifinals, consolation semifinals

Friday, May 15

  • 11:00 a.m. – Women’s Freestyle finals, third place matches
  • 12:30 p.m. – Men’s Freestyle finals, third place matches

As usual, I’ll also be providing match-to-match coverage on social media throughout the competition – plus a comprehensive recap thereafter.

Best bets

Two Hawkeyes stand out above the rest as likeliest Challenge Tournament champions, just as they do from the fields at their respective weights.

I’m referring to the aforementioned Spencer Lee and Macey Kilty, of course.

Both took surprising finals losses at the US Open – Lee’s via a last-second headlock and Kilty’s on a six-point sequence to start the second period.

But those losses also mean that their biggest threats already sit in Final X and thus won’t be in Louisville.

And that makes them even bigger favorites this week.

Lee is part of a six-man bracket at 57kg, along with third/fourth-place US Open finishers Anthony Knox and Liam Cronin.

Lee pinned Knox 0:45 into their US Open semifinal and Knox later defeated Cronin 10-3 for third.

As for Kilty, her loss to returning World teamer Adaugo Nwachukwu was a blip on an otherwise sterling start to the 2026 calendar.

Nobody in this week’s field – featuring the third/fifth/sixth/seven-placers at the US Open – has threatened the Iowa alum in a meaningful way of late. Nor has fellow entry Aine Drury – whom Kilty swept via first-period tech fall(s) in the finals of both 2025 Final X and 2024 World Team Trials.

In summation, any result other than wins by both Lee/Kilty would be a stunner.

But then again, I also touted their favorite status entering the US Open and look at how that turned out.

Contenders to remember                                                   

Iowa’s next biggest threats to punch their Final X ticket are a pair of 2024 NCWWC champions.

At 50kg, Felicity Taylor joins as loaded a top-to-bottom field as you’ll find in Louisville.

Her lone defeat at the US Open came to the eventual champion, Katie Gomez, 3-1.

And with Gomez absent from this competition, that leaves Taylor with as good a chance as anyone to emerge victorious – even if the landmines will be aplenty.

Erin Golston placed second at the US Open – also losing to Gomez – and was the Final X runner up at 50kg last year. And Kendra Ryan lost to Taylor 7-6 in a back-and-forth third place match a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Emilson Shilson (three), Morgan Turner (two) and Sage Mortimer (one) have all won age-level World titles.

So, like I said, it’s not going to be easy. But Taylor has the skills and experience – winning this very tournament in 2025 before making the World Team at 53kg – to get the job done.

Felicity Taylor won the 2025 Challenge Tournament in dominant fashion.

As for the other member of this category, I think Reese Larramendy has a real shot to get it done at 65kg.

Third at the US Open, the Iowa senior-to-be is probably viewed by most as a notch below Emma Bruntil (fifth at the 2023 World Championships at 68kg) and Jennifer Page (third at 2023 Worlds at 59kg).

But Larramendy has beaten Bruntil before – 4-2 at NCWWC Regionals back in 2024.

And Page hasn’t wrestled in live competition since last August.

We won’t know until brackets are released when/if Larramendy might have to wrestle either (or both) of the credential veterans.

Regardless of the scenario, however, I think the Hawkeye can hang with them.

A test for the best?

For the trio of Iowa alums in this category, a similar theme exists:

Can these four-time All-Americans put a dent in the top tier at their respective weights?

We know each of Austin DeSanto (61kg), Michael Caliendo (74kg) and Tony Cassioppi (125kg) are darn good wrestlers.

DeSanto has had a very strong start to his 2026 international campaign – including last weekend’s Senior Pan-Am title in Coralville.

Caliendo is coming off his second runner up NCAA finish in as many years.

Cassioppi is a former U23 World champion.

And yet each faces an extremely tall task in Louisville.

For DeSanto, that means a next-level next generation of competitors featuring Jax Forrest, Ben Davino and Aaron Seidel – the top three placers (as freshmen) from the most recent NCAA Championships.

When DeSanto placed fourth at last month’s US Open he outscored his opponents 41-0 across four contested victories. In his two losses – to Davino and Forrest – he lost by scores of 3-0 and 5-0 respectively.

Move to 74kg and a pair of returning World teamers headline the field in David Carr and PJ Duke.

They, along with US Open 79kg runner up Evan Wick are part of a deep, dangerous road that Michael Caliendo must navigate in his first competition since his collegiate career came to an end.

Last year, Caliendo went 0-2 at this tournament before winning a U23 national title several weeks later.

And at 125kg, Tony Cassioppi (a full-time Wisconsin assistant coach, remember) finds himself among the biggest bracket of the event – both in terms of entries and weight class.

2024 Olympian Mason Parris looms large despite a down performance at the US Open, but there are heavy hitters (no pun intended) everywhere you look – young and old.

Nothing to lose

The last three athletes in this preview enter the Challenge Tournament with everything to gain.

If you’re Brody Teske (57kg), last month’s fifth-place US Open finish was already a huge accomplishment given the 2024 Iowa graduate’s layoff from competition.

And for Nora Akpan (65kg) and Isabella Gonzales (53kg), their young Hawkeye careers have only just and/or not even officially begun.

By my count, Akpan is one of just two high schoolers competing this week, dropping down to 65 from 68kg – where she defeated a trio of collegiate All-Americans during an awesome fourth-place effort in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, Gonzales impressed at the US Open as well.

An 8-6 loss to eventual third-place finisher Elena Ivaldi showed some serious mettle from the true freshman. And with Ivaldi the highest Open placer in the field this week, I’m not closing the door on Gonzales making noise at 53kg.

(A trio of NCWWC finalists/champions with North Central ties will certainly be heard from as well.)

Short time

That’ll do it for this latest Iowa wrestling preview (summer freestyle edition).

I know the Thursday/Friday timeslots may be a bit unconventional for some folks out there. But whenever/however you can tune in I’d highly recommend it. For a tournament of this magnitude – and with its level of competition – I’m almost certain you won’t regret it!

Thanks as always for reading and I’ll catch you again real soon.

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