Cristelle Rodriguez, Elena Ivaldi to meet at 53kg in women's freestyle at 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management

Rodriguez looks to make her second straight U.S. World Team in her first matchup against Ivaldi at Final X.

2025 World Team member Cristelle Rodriguez and two-time age-group World Team member Elena Ivaldi are set to duel at 53 kg at 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management, with a spot on the 2026 U.S. World Team on the line. Final X is set for June 19 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Rodriguez locked in her spot at Final X following five wins at the 2026 U.S. Open Championships. Throughout the tournament, Rodriguez outscored her opponents 42-2. The only two points she surrendered came in the championship match against 2024 Olympic champion Sarah Hildebrandt. In the final, Rodriguez held a 6-2 advantage before Hildebrandt’s injury default.

In 2025, Rodriguez made her Senior level debut at 55 kg and competed at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Rodriguez also competed at the U23 Worlds, her fourth age-group Worlds appearance. During those four appearances, she earned gold at the 2024 U20 Worlds and silver at the 2019 U17 Worlds.

Ivaldi advanced to Final X with a pair of bonus victories at the 2026 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. She started the tournament with a pin against age-group World Team member Isabella Marie Gonzales. In a 35-point finals bout, Ivaldi defeated NCWWC national champion and four-time All-American Sydney Petzinger, 23-12.

On the international stage, Ivaldi has competed for Team USA at the 2024 U23 Worlds and the 2022 U17 Worlds. Ivaldi also claimed bronze at the 2024 U23 Pan American Championships.

This year's Final X series will be the first meeting between Rodriguez and Ivaldi.

What’s at stake at Final X?

Final X will determine the 2026 U.S. Senior World Team in two-of-three international disciplines — men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle. In total, 20 weight classes will be contested, 10 in each discipline. The top two U.S. athletes in each weight class will wrestle a best-of-three series at Final X to determine the U.S. representative for the 2026 Senior World Championships.

Rodriguez is 2-0 all-time at Final X. She competed at the 2025 installment and won her two matches against Everest Leydecker, 12-8 and 8-5.

Ivaldi will make her Final X debut this year.

Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit

Final X will serve as the 2026 Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit, its 16th to date. These unique electrifying events help BTSNY raise critical funds each year to support local youth wrestling programs, which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after-party takes place at the conclusion of Final X.

Rodriguez’s lone Beat the Streets Annual Benefit appearance came last year at Final X, where she swept Everest Leydecker to post a 2-0 record.

Ivaldi’s first appearance at a Beat the Streets event will be this year at Final X.

Get Final X Tickets

BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages, which include access to premier seating at Final X, plus the exclusive after-party, are currently available at btsny.org. For more information on ticket packages, email BTSNY Executive Director Bob Seidel at bseidel@btsny.org. Donations and BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages directly help BTSNY make a lifelong impact on New York City youth in need.

Event-only tickets for Final X without access to the BTSNY after-party celebration are available on Ticketmaster.

Final X Event Schedule

12:30 p.m. (ET): U.S. National Team true-third matches

2 p.m. (ET): Session I (Round 1)

5 p.m. (ET): Session II (Rounds 2 & 3, if necessary)

Match order will be announced at a later date.

How to Watch Final X

FloWrestling will serve as the host broadcast partner for Final X. Fans can watch the event live or on-demand at FloWrestling.com. Online results for Final X will be available on USA Bracketing.

For more information about Final X, please visit TheMat.com.

2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management

June 19 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey

Men’s Freestyle

57 kg - Luke Lilledahl (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Spencer Lee (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)

61 kg - Marcus Blaze (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Jax Forrest (Johnstown, Pa./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg - Real Woods (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Bo Bassett (Windber, Pa./Titan Mercury WC)

70 kg - Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, Idaho/Nebraska WTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Zain Retherford (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

74 kg - James Green (Lincoln, Neb./Nebraska WTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. David Carr (Ames, Iowa/Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

79 kg - Levi Haines (Bellefonte, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Chance Marsteller (Reading, Pa./New Jersey RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

86 kg - Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Kyle Dake (Port Matilda, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

92 kg - Trent Hidlay (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Michael Macchiavello (Northampton, Pa./Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

97 kg - Kyle Snyder (Bellefonte, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Stephen Buchanan (Coralville, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)

125 kg - Wyatt Hendrickson (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/U.S. Air Force WCAP) vs. Mason Parris (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC)

Women’s Freestyle

50 kg - Katie Gomez (Van Nuys, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Morgan Turner (Chicago, Ill./All I See Is Gold Academy/ Titan Mercury WC)

53 kg – Cristelle Rodriguez (Crete, Neb./Tiger WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Elena Ivaldi (Rocklin, Calif.)

55 kg – Everest Leydecker (Phoenix, Ariz./Thorobred WC/New York AC) vs. Areana Villaescusa (Fountain, Colo./Army WCAP)

57 kg - Helen Maroulis (Scottsdale, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Amanda Martinez (Riverside, Ill./Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC)

59 kg – Abigail Nette (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) vs. Alexis Janiak (Plainfield, Ill./Titan Mercury WC)

62 kg – Adaugo Nwachukwu (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) vs. Macey Kilty (North Liberty, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Kayla Miracle (Phoenix, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Jennifer Page (Bellefonte, Pa./Titan Mercury WC)

68 kg - Kennedy Blades (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Isabella Mir (Naperville, Ill./Cardinal WC)

72 kg – Alexandria Glaude (Menlo Park, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. Amit Elor (Walnut Creek, Calif./New York City RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

76 kg - Kylie Welker (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Dymond Guilford (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC)

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About Beat the Streets New York  

Beat the Streets Wrestling is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing the full human and athletic potential of New York City’s urban youth through the sport of wrestling. Beat the Streets has pioneered a movement that now includes 110 individual wrestling programs, a youth league and the first girls high school league. Through wrestling, Beat the Streets instills discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility, and a strong work ethic, creating lifelong impact for more than 4,000 student-athletes while strengthening NYC’s wrestling culture. To learn more and support the mission, visit btsny.org/donate and follow Beat the Streets on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.