Women's Wrestling Club

Wrestlers · Career complete

Kristie Marano

2x World champion; 9x World medalist, tied with Adeline Gray for the most by an American woman; 2x WCWA champion at Oklahoma City

Albany, NY · Colonie Central HS · Oklahoma City University

By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 3, 2026

Kristie Marano grew up in Albany, New York, in a wrestling family and came to the sport from judo. She wrestled on the boys' team at Colonie Central High School. In 1996, at 17, she made her first U.S. Senior World Team and came home with a silver medal. She finished second again in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

On September 3, 2000, in Sofia, Bulgaria, she won her first World title at 68 kg, about 150 pounds, beating Anna Schamova of Russia 6-5 in overtime. She was the third American woman to win a World title, after Tricia Saunders and Sandra Bacher. Her second gold came at home. At the 2003 World Championships in Madison Square Garden she won at 67 kg, pinning three opponents and beating Ewelina Pruszko of Poland 7-1 in the final. She was the only American champion at that event.

She added World bronze at 67 kg in Halkida, Greece, in 2002 and at 72 kg in Guangzhou in 2006, then a silver at 72 kg in Baku in 2007. That ninth medal tied Bruce Baumgartner for the most World medals an American wrestler has won. She also won the 2007 Pan American Games title in Rio de Janeiro, pinning Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada. USA Wrestling named her Women's Wrestler of the Year five times. She wrestled at all four Olympic Trials USA Wrestling has held in women's freestyle without making a team, losing the 2004 finals series to Toccara Montgomery of Cumberland College.

She enrolled at Oklahoma City University while still competing and wrestled for the Stars as Kristie Davis. She won WCWA titles at 147 pounds in 2011 and 155 pounds in 2012. She went 70-7 for OCU. She came back at 37 for the 2016 Olympic Trials, and she later coached women's wrestling at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia, alongside her husband Link Davis.

She is in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member, and her nine World medals are tied with Adeline Gray's for the most an American woman has won.

Results

SeasonLevelEventWeightPlaceNote
1996SeniorWorld Championships75 kg2ndFirst Senior World Team, at age 17. USA Wrestling listed the class as 165.25 pounds.
1997-99SeniorWorld Championships75 kg2ndThree straight silver medals. She helped the United States win the 1999 World team title, the only time an American women's team has done it.
2000SeniorWorld Championships, Sofia, Bulgaria68 kg1st4-0. Sept. 3, 2000; pinned Ewelina Pruszko of Poland and Xiomara Guevara of Venezuela, then beat Anna Schamova of Russia 6-5 in overtime; third American woman to win a World title. The class is 68 kg per USA Wrestling's preview of the same weight a year later; the 2000 recap's '69 kg/149.75 lbs.' is internally inconsistent. One pool opponent is left out because USA Wrestling prints Turkish names surname first in that results block.
2002SeniorWorld Championships, Halkida, Greece67 kg3rdPool wins over Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria and Shannon Samler of Canada, a 4-0 semifinal loss to eventual champion Katarina Burmistrova of Ukraine, then a 6-1 win over Ewelina Pruszko of Poland for bronze
2003SeniorWorld Championships, Madison Square Garden, New York67 kg1stSept. 12-14, 2003; pinned Jodeen MacGregor of New Zealand in 2:18 and Norie Saito of Japan in 2:13, tech fall over Martina Zyklova of the Czech Republic 10-0, pinned Shannon Samler of Canada in 2:15, then beat Ewelina Pruszko of Poland 7-1; only U.S. gold medalist at the event
2004SeniorU.S. Olympic Team Trials, Indianapolis72 kg2ndShe moved up from 63 kg to 72 kg and lost the best-of-three finals to Toccara Montgomery of Cumberland College, two matches to none
2006SeniorWorld Championships, Guangzhou, China72 kg3rdHer first World Team since 2003; she won the U.S. Nationals and World Team Trials that year
2007SeniorWorld Championships, Baku, Azerbaijan72 kg2ndSeptember 2007; beat Agnieszka Wieszczek of Poland 3-0, 1-0, pinned Maider Unda of Spain, pinned 2004 Olympic silver medalist Guzel Manyurova in 49 seconds, lost 3-0, 3-0 to Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria in the final; ninth World medal in nine trips, tying Bruce Baumgartner for the most World medals an American wrestler has won
2007SeniorPan American Games, Rio de Janeiro72 kg1stJuly 2007; pinned Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada in the first period of the final
2008SeniorU.S. Olympic Team Trials, Las Vegas72 kgdid not placeJune 13, 2008; pinned by Katie Downing in the challenge tournament
2010SeniorWorld Championships, Moscow, Russia67 kgdid not placeHer 10th World Championships and the only one at which she did not medal; opened against Alla Cherkasova of Ukraine
2010-11CollegeWCWA National Championships, Atherton, CA147 lb1st30-1, 9 falls. Jan. 29, 2011; tech fall over Christen Paysse of Cumberlands 6-0, 6-0 in the final
2011-12CollegeWCWA National Championships, Bristol, TN155 lb1st70-7 career at OCU, 28 falls. Jan. 28, 2012; pinned Sydney Nelson of Cumberlands in 56 seconds
2012 and 2016SeniorU.S. Olympic Team Trials, Iowa CitycompetedHer third and fourth Olympic Trials, the only four USA Wrestling has held in women's freestyle. She came out of retirement at 37 for the 2016 event at 75 kg, about 165 pounds, after last competing at the 2012 Trials in the same building. The weight is left off the row because 75 kg was not an Olympic class in 2012.

What we could not confirm

Anything not on this page, a high school record, a final score, a season, was left out because no primary source stated it when this was written. If you have a bracket, a program, or a clipping, send it and the page gets the number.

Sources

  1. https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/4405 · Albany, N.Y. native; born Jan. 24, 1979; 10 World Championships, seven-time finalist; golds 2000 and 2003, silvers 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2007, bronzes 2002 and 2006; nine World medals, tied with Bruce Baumgartner for the most in U.S. history; 1999 U.S. women's World team title; Women's Wrestler of the Year 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007; nine-time U.S. Open champion; four Olympic Trials, second once and third twice; four-time University Nationals champion; two WCWA titles for Oklahoma City University; competed as Kristie Stenglein and Kristie Marano; 2018 Distinguished Member
  2. https://www.cnywrestling.com/ii/hof/halloffamer.php?id=136 · Judo background; wrestled on the boys' team at Colonie High School; first Senior year 1996 produced a World silver; nine straight World medals; 2003 gold at 67 kg at Madison Square Garden with pins of Jodeen Macgregor, Nori Saito and Shannon Samler and a 7-1 win over Ewelina Pruszko; completed college at Oklahoma City University and won two WCWA titles; 10th World Team in 2010; fell short at the Olympic Trials in 2004, 2008 and 2012
  3. https://www.themat.com/news/2000/september/03/marano-wins-gold--miranda-take-1091 · Sept. 3, 2000, Sofia, Bulgaria: gold at 69 kg/149.75 lbs., 4-0 with pins of Sakizligi Gamze (Turkey), Ewelina Pruszko (Poland) and Xiomara Guevara (Venezuela) and a 6-5 overtime win over Anna Schamova (Russia); third U.S. woman to win a World title, after Tricia Saunders and Sandra Bacher; had finished second the previous four years at 165.25 pounds
  4. https://www.themat.com/news/2004/april/08/kristie-marano-named-2003-usa--9696 · 2003 Woman of the Year; 2003 World title at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. at Madison Square Garden, Sept. 12-14, with a 7-1 win over Ewelina Pruszko, pins of Jodeen MacGregor (2:18), Norie Sato (2:13) and Shannon Samler (2:15) and a 10-0 tech fall over Martina Zyklova; attended Colonie Central High School and Hudson Valley CC
  5. https://www.themat.com/news/2008/april/23/marano-named-2007-women-s-wres-18551 · 2007 World silver at 72 kg in Baku with a 49-second pin of Guzel Manurova in the semifinal and a 3-0, 3-0 loss to Stanka Zlateva; ninth World medal in nine trips; 2007 Pan American Games gold in Rio de Janeiro with a first-period pin of Ohenewa Akuffo; fifth Women's Wrestler of the Year award
  6. https://www.themat.com/news/2006/september/24/she-s-a-mom-and-a-world-champi-15172 · 2006 World Team at 72 kg/158.5 pounds, Guangzhou, Oct. 1; won the 2006 U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials; second at 147.5 pounds at the 2005 World Team Trials; 2004 Olympic Trials runner-up to Toccara Montgomery at 158.5 pounds; four straight World silvers at 165 pounds 1996-1999; daughter Kayla
  7. https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12427292-historic-best-of-three-results-from-the-olympic-trials · 2004 Olympic Trials, Indianapolis, women's freestyle 72 kg: Toccara Montgomery over Kristie Marano, two matches to none
  8. https://www.espn.com/olympics/news/story?id=3442425 · June 13, 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas: pinned by Katie Downing in the 158.5-pound challenge tournament
  9. https://www.themat.com/news/2010/september/10/davis--lee-and-blanc-weigh-in--22494 · Sept. 2010 World Championships in Moscow: competing as Kristie Davis at 67 kg/147.5 lbs., opened against Alla Cherkosova of Ukraine
  10. https://www.ocusports.com/news/2018/6/2/womens-wrestling-former-ocu-wrestler-makes-national-wrestling-hall-of-fame.aspx · 70-7 with 28 falls at OCU; WCWA title at 147 pounds Jan. 29, 2011 in Atherton, Calif., 6-0, 6-0 tech fall over Christen Paysse of Cumberlands; 155-pound title Jan. 28, 2012 in Bristol, Tenn., pinning Sydney Nelson of Cumberlands in 56 seconds; named head women's wrestling coach at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Ga.
  11. https://www.ocusports.com/sports/womens-wrestling/roster/kristie-davis/1498 · OCU roster: born Jan. 24, 1979 in Albany, N.Y.; 2010-11 season 30-1 with nine falls; redshirted 2009-10; senior at 155 in 2011-12; nine World Championships medals
  12. https://www.themat.com/news/2017/october/24/world-champion-kristie-davis-joins-emmanuel-college-as-co-head-coach · Oct. 2017: hired as co-head women's wrestling coach at Emmanuel College alongside her husband Link Davis; alumna of Colonie Central High School
  13. https://nwhof.org/news/national-wrestling-hall-of-fame-announces-class-of-2026 · National Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2026 announcement: Kristie Davis (2018) is one of seven women inducted as a Distinguished Member, with Clarissa Chun, Sara McMann, Patricia Miranda, Toccara Montgomery, Tricia Saunders and the 2026 inductee
  14. https://www.themat.com/news/2003/may/07/kristie-marano-named-2002-usa--7641 · May 6, 2003: Marano won 2002 World bronze at 67 kg/147.5 pounds at the Women's World Championships in Halkida, Greece, her sixth World medal; she went 3-1 with pool wins over Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria and Shannon Samler of Canada, a 4-0 semifinal loss to eventual champion Katarina Burmistrova of Ukraine and a 6-1 bronze-medal win over Ewelina Pruszko of Poland; third Women's Wrestler of the Year award, after 1998 and 2000
  15. https://www.themat.com/sitecore/content/home/usa-wrestling/semifinals-set-in-junior-greco-roman-nationals/2016/april/09/kristie-davis-makes-comeback-at-age-37 · April 9, 2016: Davis returned at 37 for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City at 75 kg/165 lbs., her fourth Olympic Trials and every Olympic Trials USA Wrestling has held in women's freestyle; her previous match came at the 2012 Trials in the same building; she made 10 World Teams; her husband Link Davis is the women's wrestling coach at Emmanuel College in Georgia and she trained under him
  16. https://www.themat.com/news/2001/october/03/68--kg-women-s-world-champions-3710 · USA Wrestling's 2001 preview of the same class is headlined '68 kg Women's World Championships Preview', lists the field as 'WOMEN'S 68 kg/149.75 lbs.' and says the United States 'has won this weight for two straight years, with Kristie Marano winning the 2000 title'; it also places Toccara Montgomery at Cumberland College
  17. https://www.themat.com/news/2003/october/12/usa-beats-japan--14-13-to-win--8394 · USA Wrestling's October 2003 World Cup report spells the opponent Norie Saito: 'Marano pinned Norie Saito ... Marano had also pinned Saito in New York City'; it also lists 'Tocarra Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio/Cumberland College)'
  18. https://www.themat.com/profiles/adeline-gray · USA Wrestling's Adeline Gray profile: 'Her nine Senior World Championships medals are tied for the most in U.S. women's history, alongside Kristie Davis. Won her ninth medal at the Senior World Championships in Sept. 2023'
  19. https://uww.org/athletes/wieszczek-kordus-agnieszka-jadwiga-1-2 · United World Wrestling spells the Polish wrestler Agnieszka WIESZCZEK and the Spanish wrestler Maider UNDA on this athlete page
  20. https://uww.org/athletes/cherkasova-alla · United World Wrestling spells the Ukrainian wrestler Alla CHERKASOVA on this athlete page
  21. https://www.themat.com/news/2020/july/05/match-of-the-day-ali-bernard · USA Wrestling headline spelling for the Russian wrestler: 'Ali Bernard pins three-time Olympic medalist Guzel Manyurova to claim World bronze'

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