US Open Wrestling Championships results: Kyle Dake faces massive upset, Kyle Snyder clinches 97kg title

The highly anticipated Senior Men's Freestyle event at the 2025 US Open Wrestling Championships concluded on Day 4 of the championships, i.e., Saturday, April 26, 2025. The 2025 US Open Wrestling Championships were to be held from April 23-27 at The Expo at the World Market Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Championships also mark the initial stage leading up to the 2028 LA Olympics.

The senior men's freestyle event featured a few elite wrestlers, including Kyle Dake, Wyatt Hendrickson, Luke Lilledahl, Kyle Snyder, and David Carr vying for a spot at the Final X, which is scheduled for June. The Penn State freshman, Luke Lillidahl, competed in his first NCAA Championships this year and dominated the 57 kg senior men's freestyle event after defeating Liam Cronin in the final showdown. Lillidahl won the final round over Cronin with a technical fall in just 2 minutes and 45 seconds.

Results for Senior Men's Freestyle at the 2025 US Open Wrestling Championships

Kyle Snyder during the US Olympic Wrestling Trials in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

The two-time Olympic medalist Kyle Snyder defeated Jonathan Aiello with an 11-0 technical fall in 3 minutes and 19 seconds to dominate the senior men's 97kg Championship freestyle event at the 2025 US Open Wrestling. Wyatt Hendrickson, who defeated Gable Steveson in an impressive fashion, suffered a loss to Demetrius Thomas in the 125 kg.

The 86kg men's freestyle event saw an unexpected result with the two-time Olympic bronze medalist facing defeat against two-time NCAA national champion Zahid Valencia. He overpowered Dake with a significant lead of 8-4 in the ultimate showdown. Dake competed in the Championship in the new category after having won two Olympic and three world championship medals in the 74kg category.

The final results for the senior men's freestyle event at the 2025 US Open Wrestling Championships are as follows:

57-kg Championship Luke Lillidahl Over Liam Cronin (TF 10-0 (2:45))
61-kg Championship - Jax Forrest Over Seth Gross (TF 19-8 (5:35))
65-kg Championship - Joseph McKenna Over Jesse Mendez (Dec 3-2)
60-kg Championship - Yianni Diakomihalis Over James Green (Dec 8-2)
74-kg Championship - Mitchell Mesenbrink Over David Carr (TF 16-6 (5:32))
79-kg Championship - Evan Wick Over Dean Hamiti Jr. (Dec 9-1)
86-kg Championship - Zahid Valencia Over Kyle Dake (Dec 8-4)
92-kg Championship - Trent Hidlay Over Aeoden Sinclair (Dec 7-1)
97-kg Championship - Kyle Snyder vs. Jonathan Aiello (11 - 0)
125-kg Championship - Demetrius Thomas Over Wyatt Hendrickson (TF 14-3 (3:51))

About the author

Janhavi is a Sports Management graduate working as a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She emphasizes meticulous research and fact-checking before creating content, relying on multiple sources including social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, as well as various sports publications.

She has competed in the 10m Air Rifle Shooting event at the national level alongside renowned athletes such as Anjali Bhagwat, Apurvi Chandela, and Anjum Moudgil, which further fueled her passion for the sport.

Abhinav Bindra is her favorite Olympian, and she particularly cherishes his and Neeraj Chopra's gold medal victories as they revolutionized Indian athletes' mindset towards achieving sporting excellence.

If given the opportunity to introduce a new sport to the Olympics, she would choose American Football for its widespread appeal and intense competition. Apart from reporting on the latest news in the world of Olympics, she likes to immerse herself in reading, painting, and traveling.

Know More

Edited by Tushhita Barua