Kennedy Blades makes United States' Senior World team at Final X
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The final three spots on the United States' Senior World team were decided at Final X's delayed wrestle-offs on Sept. 25. In those three wrestle-offs, a trio of current or former Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers ― Kylie Welker, Kennedy Blades and Real Woods ― battled for a chance to represent their country at the Senior World Championships in Kazakhstan from Oct. 24-Nov. 1.
Welker is still a member of the Iowa women's team, while Blades (women) and Woods (men) are now alumni.
Woods, Welker and Blades all received medical exemptions this summer to delay the wrestle-offs to a later date, which is why these spots were determined a month before the Senior World Championships in best-of-three series.
Welker squared off with Dymond Guilford, a U23 World silver medalist, at 76 kilograms.
At 68 kilograms, Blades was set to face former Hawkeye Bella Mir, who now competes for North Central and was a 2026 NCAA champion. However, we saw no action in that matchup as a winner was decided by forfeit.
On the men's side, former NCAA All-American Woods faced young phenom Bo Bassett at 65 kilograms.
By event's end, only Blades earned a spot on the United States' Senior World team. Here's a rundown of how the action unfolded, and who will be represent the United States in Kazakhstan.
Kennedy Blades takes Senior World team spot
Blades, a two-time national champion at Iowa, was matched up with Mir for the 68-kilogram spot in women's freestyle. But Mir withdrew from competition at Final X, giving Blades the spot after she made weight for the event. Mir will represent the United States at the U23 World Championships at the end of October, according to USA Wrestling.
As a result, Blades will be on the Senior World team for the second consecutive year. She won a bronze medal at the 2025 Senior World Championships, one year after winning silver at the 2024 Olympics.
Blades is one of three Hawkeyes advancing to the Senior World Championships, along with three-time NCAA champion and Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee on the men's side and true freshman Everest Leydecker on the women's side.
Kylie Welker comes up short in bid for Senior World team
Welker, a three-time national champion at Iowa, was seeking her third consecutive appearance at the Senior World Championships, but lost two of three matches to Dymond Guilford to fall short.
Welker won the first matchup with a takedown, step-out and shot-clock point in the first period to coast to a 4-1 decision. Guilford won the second match by a 3-2 decision. Welker led 1-0, but two shot-clock points and a step-out for Guilford sent the matchup to a winner-take-all bout. From there, Guilford won in a 7-1 decision in match No. 3 to secure the Senior World team spot at 76 kilograms, recording three takedowns in the second period.
Welker and Guilford have squared off several times in years past, with Welker winning the lion's share of those. Welker will represent the United States at the U23 World Championships, where she won gold last year.
Real Woods loses to phenom Bo Bassett
The 20-year-old Bassett made his presence felt, sweeping Woods in two matches. Woods currently wrestles for the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club (University of Michigan Regional Training Center).
Bassett won the first matchup by an 8-4 decision. While Woods scored first on an exposure, Bassett tallied an exposure and step-out to lead 3-2 after the first period. Back-to-back takedowns and a step-out gave Bassett a big lead as he held on for the win. In the second bout, Woods led 5-1 following a penalty point (singlet grab), takedown and gut wrench. Bassett rallied with four consecutive takedowns to win 9-5.
Woods earned a Senior World bronze medal last year, a sign of just how good Bassett is likely to be in his freshman year at Virginia Tech. Bassett decommitted from Iowa in June 2025 before signing with the Hokies.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: Kennedy Blades makes United States' Senior World team at Final X