Women's Wrestling Club

Wrestlers · Senior level

Tristan Kelly

2x national champion at 207 pounds, the 2025 NCWWC and the first NCAA title at the weight in 2026; 2022 U20 World bronze medalist

Erie, CO · Douglas County HS · McKendree University

By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 10, 2026

Tristan Kelly
Photo: McKendree University Athletics

Tristan Kelly grew up in Erie, Colorado, and started wrestling at nine. She won three Colorado state titles for Douglas County High School. She won both the Cadet and the Junior title in Fargo in 2018, made the Cadet World Team that year and won the Cadet Pan American Championships in 2019. She was Colorado's Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award winner in 2020.

She wrestled at Colorado Mesa and placed third at the NCWWC in 2021, closing with a 12-0 technical fall over Nia Crosdale of King at 170 pounds. That June she joined the Army as an aviation operations specialist and moved into the World Class Athlete Program.

At the 2022 U20 World Championships in Sofia she lost the semifinal at 76 kg, about 168 pounds, to eventual champion Ayano Moro of Japan. She came back to pin Daniela Tkachuk of Poland for bronze. She won the Military World Championships in Baku in 2023 and was second in Yerevan in 2024, with a U23 Pan American Championships title in Colombia in between.

She transferred to McKendree and moved up from 180 pounds to 207 in 2024-25. At the 2025 NCWWC in Coralville she won three technical falls before the semifinals. She beat top-seeded Jaycee Foeller of Iowa 6-0 in the final to finish 14-1. That August she won the Junior Pan American Games in Asuncion, pinning Poala Rodriguez Guzman of Puerto Rico in 38 seconds.

In February 2026 she took silver at the Zagreb Open, leading Alexandra Anghel of Romania 1-0 in the final before Anghel scored twice and pinned her. In March, at the first NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships, she beat Sabrina Nauss of Grand Valley State 11-0 by technical fall at 207 pounds. She was one of three McKendree champions as the Bearcats won the team title. In April she was the U.S. Open runner-up at 76 kg. She wrestles on for Army WCAP.

She wrestles at 76 kg for Army WCAP, where she is a sergeant.

Results

SeasonLevelEventWeightPlaceNote
2017-20High schoolColorado state championships1st (three times)Three-time Colorado state champion for Douglas County High School, coached by Gary Heartmen; she was ranked No. 2 by USA Wrestling's high school rankings and No. 1 by The Open Mat for the class of 2020. Her Army WCAP bio lists her high school as Springs Studio for Academic Excellence, while Colorado Mesa and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame both list Douglas County.
2018Age groupCadet and Junior Nationals, Fargo1st (Cadet and Junior)She won both the Cadet and the Junior title at the same meet in 2018 and made the Cadet World Team that year
2019Age groupCadet Pan American Championships73 kg1stJune 2019. United World Wrestling records the event as the Cadet Pan-American Championships, while her Colorado Mesa bio and her Hall of Fame bio call it the Cadet Pan American Games. She was second at the 2018 Cadet Pan-American Championships and made the Junior World Team in 2020.
2020-21CollegeNCWWC, Tiffin, Ohio170 lb3rd10-2. March 6, 2021, as a freshman at Colorado Mesa University; she won the third-place match over Nia Crosdale of King by technical fall, 12-0, in 1:24, three months before she joined the Army. Her Army WCAP bio lists this finish as an NCAA result, in a season when there was no NCAA women's championship.
2022Age groupU20 World Championships, Sofia, Bulgaria76 kg3rdAug. 18, 2022; she lost the semifinal to eventual World champion Ayano Moro of Japan, then pinned U21 World bronze medalist Daniela Tkachuk of Poland off a second-period double leg. She also won the U20 and U23 Nationals at 76 kg in Fort Worth that year and was fourth at the Grand Prix of Spain. USA Wrestling's report from Sofia, her Army WCAP bio and United World Wrestling's athlete record all say bronze, while a February 2026 USA Wrestling story calls her a U20 World silver medalist.
2023SeniorPan American Championships, Buenos Aires, Argentina76 kg9thMay 2023, her first Senior Pan American Championships
2023SeniorCISM World Military Championships, Baku, Azerbaijan76 kg1stDec. 1, 2023; she beat Enrica Rinaldi of Italy 8-3 at 76 kg in a two-woman bracket. She also won the Salute to Service in Coralville, Iowa and was second at the Klippan Lady Open in Sweden that year. Her Army WCAP bio lists this finish as third.
2024Age groupU23 Pan American Championships, Colombia76 kg1stJune 2024
2024SeniorCISM World Wrestling Championships, Yerevan, Armenia76 kg2ndHer second Military World medal in as many years
2024-25CollegeNCWWC, Coralville, Iowa207 lb1st14-1. March 7 and 8, 2025 at Xtream Arena, her first individual national title and third All-America finish, and McKendree's 20th individual national title; she moved up from 180 pounds earlier that season, opened with 10-0 technical falls over Trinity Monaghan of Lock Haven in 36 seconds and Destiny Vaughans of Greensboro College in 55 seconds, technical-falled Alivia White of Iowa 10-0 in the quarterfinals, beat Sara Lake of Lindenwood 8-1 in the semifinals and beat top-seeded Jaycee Foeller of Iowa 6-0 in the final. McKendree placed third as a team.
2025Age groupJunior Pan American Games, Asuncion, Paraguay76 kg1stAug. 21, 2025; she pinned Poala Rodriguez Guzman of Puerto Rico in 38 seconds in the final and wrestled a combined 1:59 across three matches. Her Army WCAP bio calls this the U23 Pan American Games, while USA Wrestling and United World Wrestling both name it the Junior Pan American Games.
2026SeniorZagreb Open, Zagreb, Croatia76 kg2ndFeb. 7, 2026 at Arena Zagreb; she led World bronze medalist Alexandra Anghel of Romania 1-0 before Anghel scored two four-point moves, the second ending in a pin at 4:29. USA Wrestling called it her seventh international medal.
2025-26CollegeNCAA Women's Wrestling Championships207 lb1stMarch 7, 2026; she beat second-seeded Sabrina Nauss of Grand Valley State by 11-0 technical fall in the final at the first NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships. She was one of three McKendree champions, along with Yu Sakamoto at 117 pounds and Cameron Guerin at 131, as the Bearcats won the inaugural team title.
2026SeniorU.S. Open, Las Vegas76 kg2ndApril 2026; Dymond Guilford of the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club took the final 3-1, earning a step-out point with 33 seconds left

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://cmumavericks.com/sports/womens-wrestling/roster/tristan-kelly/16944 · Colorado Mesa University women's wrestling roster bio: Kelly wrestled for the Huskies of Douglas County High School and coach Gary Heartmen; three-time Colorado state champion; Cadet World Team member; Cadet and Junior Fargo champion; won the 2019 Cadet Pan American Games; USA Junior World Team member; ranked No. 2 by USA Wrestling's high school rankings and No. 1 by The Open Mat for the class of 2020; majoring in exercise science; daughter of Tina and Chris Kelly with two siblings, Paige and Isabella
  2. https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/12905 · National Wrestling Hall of Fame, 2020 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, Colorado: three-time Colorado state high school champion for Douglas County High School; Cadet and Junior Fargo champion and USA Junior World Team member; 2019 Cadet Pan American Games champion
  3. https://www.armywcap.com/soldier-athletes/olympic-sports/wrestling/pv2-tristan-kelly · Army WCAP profile: SGT Tristan Kelly, women's freestyle 76 kg, hometown Erie, CO, high school Springs Studio for Academic Excellence, joined the Army in June 2021 as a 15P aviation operations specialist; she began wrestling at nine with her father's encouragement; career highlights include 2022 Junior World bronze medalist, 2025 first at the U23 Pan American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay, 2024 second at the CISM World Wrestling Championships in Yerevan, Armenia, 2023 third at the CISM World Military Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, first at the Salute to Service in Coralville and second at the Lady Klippan Open in Sweden, 2022 U.S. Junior World Team member, first at the U23 and U20 Nationals in Fort Worth and fourth at the Grand Prix of Spain, third at the 2022 U20 World Championships in Sofia; before WCAP, a 2021 national championships bronze medal, 2020 Junior World Team, 2019 Pan American champion, 2018 Pan American silver, 2018 Cadet and Junior Fargo champion and 2018 Cadet World Team member
  4. https://www.themat.com/news/features/2022/august/18/jimenez-wins-silver-kelly-takes-bronze-at-u20-worlds · Aug. 18, 2022 USA Wrestling: at the U20 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, Tristan Kelly took bronze at 76 kg, losing the semifinal to eventual World champion Ayano Moro of Japan and then pinning U21 World bronze medalist Daniela Tkachuk of Poland with a second-period double leg
  5. https://mckbearcats.com/news/2025/3/9/no-3-womens-wrestling-places-third-at-ncwwc-kelly-champions-207-while-nine-all-american.aspx · March 9, 2025 McKendree University: Kelly won the 207-pound title at the 2025 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships at Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa, her first individual national title and third All-America finish and the program's 20th individual national title; she moved up to 207 from 180 earlier in the season and finished 14-1 with a region 6 title and a MoBap Open title; results were 10-0 technical falls over Trinity Monaghan (Lock Haven) in 0:36 and Destiny Vaughans (Greensboro College) in 0:55, a 10-0 technical fall over Alivia White (Iowa) in the quarterfinals, an 8-1 decision over Sara Lake (Lindenwood) in the semifinals and a 6-0 decision over top-seeded Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) in the final; McKendree placed third as a team with 158.5 points and nine All-Americans
  6. https://www.themat.com/news/2026/february/07/leydecker-captures-gold-at-zagreb-open-kelly-earns-silver-martinez-wins-bronze · Feb. 7, 2026 USA Wrestling from the Zagreb Open at Arena Zagreb: Tristan Kelly took silver at 76 kg, leading World bronze medalist Alexandra Anghel of Romania 1-0 before Anghel scored a pair of four-point maneuvers, the second leading to a pin at 4:29; the article calls it Kelly's seventh international medal and describes her as a U20 World silver medalist, which conflicts with the 2022 report of a bronze
  7. https://www.themat.com/news/2026/march/08/mckendree-takes-inaugural-ncaa-women-s-wrestling-championships-behind-three-individual-champions · March 8, 2026 USA Wrestling: at the inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships, repeat champion Tristan Kelly of McKendree beat second-seeded Sabrina Nauss of Grand Valley State 11-0 by technical fall at 207 pounds; McKendree's three individual champions, Kelly, Yu Sakamoto at 117 and Cameron Guerin at 131, tied Iowa for the most of any school as the Bearcats won the team title
  8. https://nwhof.org/news/senior-women-s-freestyle-champions-crowned-at-u-s-open · 2026 U.S. Open Championships, Las Vegas: at 76 kg, Dymond Guilford (Titan Mercury WC) beat NCAA champion Tristan Kelly 3-1 in the final, earning a step-out point with 33 seconds left
  9. https://www.armywcap.com/results · Army WCAP results page: at the 2026 USA Wrestling women's freestyle Final X trials and National Championships in Las Vegas, SGT Tristan Kelly took silver at 76 kg
  10. https://mckbearcats.com/sports/wwrest/roster/tristan-kelly/18049 · McKendree University women's wrestling roster: Tristan Kelly's historical player information lists her as a sophomore at 170 pounds in 2023-24, a junior at 180 in 2024-25 and a senior at 207 in 2025-26
  11. https://uww.org/athletes/kelly-tristan-nicole · United World Wrestling athlete page for Tristan Nicole Kelly (USA), her complete international record with age group and weight for each event: 2026 Zagreb Open, Seniors, 76 kg, 2nd; 2025 Junior Pan-American Games, Paraguay, August 2025, U23, 76 kg, 1st; 2024 U23 Pan-American Championships, Colombia, June 2024, 76 kg, 1st; 2023 Senior Pan-American Championships, Argentina, May 2023, 76 kg, 9th; 2022 U20 World Championships, Juniors, 76 kg, 3rd; 2019 Cadets Pan-American Championships, June 2019, Cadets, 73 kg, 1st. This is the governing body page that settles the two event names her Army WCAP bio gets wrong: the 2019 event was a Championships, not Games, and the 2025 event in Asuncion was the Junior Pan American Games, not a U23 Pan American Games.
  12. https://www.themat.com/news/2025/august/21/kelly-win-women-s-freestyle-gold-hays-takes-silver-gonzalez-cosme-get-bronzes-at-junior-pan-american-games · Aug. 21, 2025 USA Wrestling from Asuncion, Paraguay: at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games, Tristan Kelly won gold at 76 kg, pinning Poala Rodriguez Guzman of Puerto Rico in 38 seconds in the final after 10-0 technical falls over Melanie Sanchez Morales of Chile in 42 seconds and Edna Jimenez Villalba of Mexico in 39 seconds, wrestling a combined 1:59; the page also calls her a 2022 U20 World bronze medalist, a 2024 CISM Military World silver medalist and the 2025 NCWWC champion for McKendree
  13. https://theguillotine.com/2021/03/2021-national-collegiate-womens-wrestling-championships/ · The Guillotine's results from the 2021 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 6 at Tiffin, Ohio: at 170 pounds, '3rd Place - Tristan Kelly (Colorado Mesa) 10-2, Fr. over Nia Crosdale (King) 2-2, Jr. (TF-1.5 1:24 (12-0))'; McKendree won the team title with 209.0 points
  14. https://nwcaonline.com/news/2024/12/20/national-wrestling-coaches-association-2025-national-collegiate-womens-wrestling-championships-tickets-now-on-sale.aspx · National Wrestling Coaches Association announcement: 'The 2025 NCWWC will be held at the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa - warmly known as Wrestling Town USA - on March 7 - 8, 2025', the sixth year of the tournament and the first at that arena. This fixes both the dates and the venue spelling, which McKendree's release renders as Xtreme Arena.
  15. https://uww.org/event/pan-american-championships-17/results · United World Wrestling's event page for the 2023 Pan-American Championships: May 3-6, 2023, Argentina, Buenos Aires, with the official results book titled final-book-senior-panam-champ-buenos-aires-2023. This is the source for the host city on the 2023 senior row, which the athlete page gives only as Argentina.
  16. https://www.themat.com/news/2023/december/01/pfc-kelly-of-the-u-s-army-earns-gold-at-cism-world-military-championships · Dec. 1, 2023 USA Wrestling from Baku, Azerbaijan: 'Private First Class Tristan Kelly of the U.S. Army WCAP was named champion in the women's freestyle 76 kg division' at the 2023 CISM World Military Championships, beating Enrica Rinaldi of Italy 8-3 in a two-woman bracket, and the results block lists '76 kg - Tristan Kelly (Erie, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP), Gold'. The same story gives her 2023 Senior medals as a Klippan Lady Open silver and a Bill Farrell Memorial International bronze. Her Army WCAP bio lists the Baku finish as third, which a two-woman bracket cannot produce.

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