Spencer Lee & Helen Maroulis are top-seeded at Wrestling world championships: Complete list of American wrestlers' seedings in all weight categories

The Wrestling World Championships are set to kick off on September 13 and conclude on the 21st. In this first edition of the Worlds hosted by Croatia, men will compete in both Greco-Roman and freestyle, while women will compete only in freestyle.

Spencer Lee, the Paris Olympic silver medalist and two-time National Champion, who also made strides in the collegiate level by winning three NCAA and three Big Ten titles, will headline the 57kg category. While he stands as the top seed in his respective event, Helen Maroulis, the first-ever American to win a gold medal in women's freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will be the top-seeded wrestler in the women's 57kg.

In both men's and women's 57kg freestyle, no other US wrestlers received a seeding or even entered the unseeded rosters.

Seeded and unseeded US wrestlers at the Wrestling World Championships

Kyle Snyder at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 16 - (Source: Getty)

Below is the list of all U.S. wrestlers (men and women) heading to the Wrestling World Championships, categorized as seeded and unseeded.

Men's categories

#61kg

While there is no seeded U.S. wrestler in this class for the global event, Jax Forrest is one of the unseeded entries. The 18-year-old wrestler from North Carolina won the U.S. National Championships title this year, along with a gold medal at the Pan American Championships.

#65kg

Real Woods has entered the unseeded list in the aforementioned weight class. Ranked No. 1 in the US in 2025-26, won the Final X title this year, besides became the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion. There are no seeded contestants from the US in this category.

#70kg

While no wrestler graced the seeded line-up, PJ Duke will be in contention as an unseeded wrestler. The 19-year-old New Yorker won the U20 World Champions title in 2025, in the follow-up to the 2024 New York Grand Prix pole finish.

#74

David Carr earned the 8th seed going into the World Championships in Croatia. The U20 World champion and U17 bronze medalist achieved two podiums in the Grand Prix stops in Zagreb and Budapest. He is also a four-time Big 12 Conference champion out of Iowa State University.

No wrestler in the unseeded list

#79kg

Levi Haines will compete as an unseeded wrestler. The 2025 U23 Pan American champion was a three-time All-American out of Pennsylvania University. He won the bronze medal in the 174-pound division in the NCAA Championships this year. He outclassed reigning National champion Dean Hamiti to compete in the Final X, eventually securing a World Championships qualification.

No seeded player from the USA was added to this class.

#86kg

Zahid Valencia earned the 5th seed to compete in the respective weight class. The Californian topped the US National Championships this year, adding to his wins from 2019 and 2023. Valencia also won two NCAA and three Pac-12 Conference titles at Arizona State University.

No unseeded wrestlers entered.

#92kg

Trent Hidlay will compete as the 8th seed. He won the US Champion's title in 2025, in the follow-up to the bronze at the Grand Prix outing in Zagreb and gold in Budapest. Hidlay was the ACC Conference champion four times and a two-time silver medalist in the NCAA Championships. In freestyle, he secured the gold podium at the Pan American Championships this year.

No unseeded in this weight class.

#97kg

Kyle Snyder, one of the most iconic wrestlers who became the youngest wrestler ever to win the world, NCAA, and Olympic championships in the same year, has earned a third seeding. He also became the youngest American to medal at the toughest open wrestling tournament, the Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix. His NCAA titles in 2016, 2017, and 2018 made him the first three-time NCAA heavyweight champion in nearly 30 years.

No unseeded in this weight class.

#125kg

Wyatt Hendrickson will enter as an unseeded wrestler despite being the reigning heavyweight champion in the NCAA Championships, defeating Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. He also received the Dan Hedge trophy this year, walking in the footsteps of his Oklahoma State coach, David Taylor.

No seeded players entered.

Women's weight classes

#50kg

Audrey Jimenez earned a 7th seeding going into the 2025 Wrestling World Championships. She extended her fifth career world medal at the U20 World Championships. She also became a three-time Arizona Girls State Champion.

No unseeded wrestlers in this class.

#53kg

Felicity Taylor will compete as an unseeded athlete. The Iowa native won the NCAA title in 2021 and made the finals appearance four times. She won her second National title out of Iowa State University, and has also been mentoring and empowering the next generation of wrestlers at Big Game Wrestling Club.

No seeded players in the list.

#55kg

Cristelle Rodriguez, the 8th seed in her respective weight class, was the first woman to win a California State title for Buchanan. She won the U20 World title in 2024 and catapulted herself onto the upper echelon of women's wrestlers.

No unseeded players in the roster.

#59kg

Unseeded Jacarra Winchester was the 2019 World Champion in the 55kg category. She amassed Pan American medals of all colors in 2019, 2021, and 2022.

No seeded player from the US.

#62kg

Adaugo Nwachukwu, the San Jose native, will compete as an unseeded player. She won the NAIA National title three times and also served in the US military while balancing her sporting career.

No seeded player has been added to the list.

#65kg

Macey Kilty, the 2nd-seeded in the 65kg, will look to add gold to her repertoire after finishing in silver and bronze at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships, respectively. She also secured the gold medal at the 2024 Pan American Wrestling Championships. The unseeded list has no US wrestlers.

#68kg

Kennedy Blades, seeded fourth in her respective category, bagged the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She became the Pan American champion this year, alongside two golds at the Grand Prix. The 22-year-old competes at the University of Iowa now. No other player has entered this weight class.

#72kg

Alexandria Glaude, the unseeded player, became a two-time CIF champion at Christian Brothers High School. She won bronze in the USA Wrestling’s U23 World Team Trials and continued making waves during her time at McKendree University Athletics.

#76kg

Kylie Welker, the 2024 Wrestling World Championship semifinalist, is entering this year's edition as the 8th-seeded. She also emerged victorious at the Pan American Championships in 2025. The unseeded list doesn't feature any US wrestlers.