Wrestlers · Senior level
Yelena Makoyed
2024 U23 World champion at 76 kg; 3x NCWWC national champion at North Central, a finalist in all five seasons
Orangevale, CA · Bella Vista HS · North Central College
By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 3, 2026
Yelena Makoyed came out of Bella Vista High School in Fair Oaks, California, and wrestled five seasons at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. She reached the national final in every one of them. She went 26-3 as a freshman and finished second at the Cliff Keen national championships at 170 pounds.
In 2021 she went 13-0 and became the first individual national champion in North Central women's wrestling history. She won the Junior Pan American title at 76 kg, about 167 pounds, in Oaxtepec, Mexico, that year and placed fourth at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. She defended the NCWWC title in 2022 at 27-1 and added golds at the Matteo Pellicone in Rome, the Grand Prix of Spain and the Zouhaier Sghaier in Tunis.
In 2023 she went 28-0 and won a third NCWWC title with the Most Outstanding Wrestler award. She took the Zagreb Open at 76 kg and was named the first USA Wrestling Women's College Wrestler of the Year. She finished her college career as the program's leader in wins, win percentage, pins and technical falls.
On October 24, 2024, in Tirana, Albania, she went a technical fall and three pins through the U23 World Championships and finished by pinning Shuiyan Cheng of China in 2:30 for gold. It was her first World event. She won the Zagreb Open again in February 2025 with two pins and an 11-0 technical fall over Veronika Nyikos of Hungary. She has trained with the Cardinal Wrestling Club in Lisle since finishing at North Central.
She trains with the Cardinal Wrestling Club in Lisle, Illinois, and wrestles 76 kg for the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, ranked third in the country at the weight.
Results
| Season | Level | Event | Weight | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | College | Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships | 170 lb | 2nd | 26-3. Freshman season; nine pins, and she won the Adrian College Open and the Dr. Bob Kellogg Open |
| 2020-21 | College | NCWWC National Championships | 170 lb | 1st | 13-0. The first individual national champion in North Central women's wrestling history, in the program's second season |
| 2021 | Age group | Junior Pan American Championships, Oaxtepec, Mexico | 76 kg | 1st | |
| 2021 | Senior | U.S. Olympic Team Trials | 76 kg | 4th | She was also second at 76 kg at the USA Wrestling Women's Nationals and Juniors/U23 World Team Trials and third at the Senior World Team Trials that year |
| 2021-22 | College | NCWWC National Championships | 170 lb | 1st | 27-1. Second national title, with 11 pins on the season |
| 2022 | Senior | Final X | 76 kg | 2nd | She won the Matteo Pellicone in Rome, the Grand Prix of Spain and the Zouhaier Sghaier in Tunis that year, and was the U23 national champion |
| 2022-23 | College | NCWWC National Championships | 170 lb | 1st | 28-0. Third national title and fourth All-America honor; Most Outstanding Wrestler and Manuel Gorriaran Award; first USA Wrestling Women's College Wrestler of the Year |
| 2023 | Senior | Zagreb Open Ranking Series, Croatia | 76 kg | 1st | She also won the Bill Farrell Memorial, took silver at the Poland Open and bronze in Budapest, and was fourth at the Senior World Team Trials |
| 2023-24 | College | NCWWC National Championships | 170 lb | 2nd | 12-2. Fifth straight trip to the national final; she finished as North Central's career leader in wins, win percentage, pins and technical falls. The career record is left out because the school's coaching bio says 106-7 while its own five season records add to 106-6. |
| 2024 | Senior | U.S. Olympic Team Trials | 76 kg | 2nd | She also won the Bill Farrell Memorial and the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France, was runner-up at the Senior World Team Trials, and took Poland Open silver on June 22, 2024, going 3-1 in a round robin with a 13-3 technical fall over 2020 Olympian Zaineb Sghauer of Tunisia. |
| 2024 | Age group | U23 World Championships, Tirana, Albania | 76 kg | 1st | 4-0. Oct. 24, 2024; an 11-0 technical fall and three pins, finishing with a 2:30 pin of Shuiyan Cheng of China in the final. Her first World event. Her USA Wrestling profile page lists this as a silver medal, which the same site's event report and its 2025 Zagreb Open story both contradict. |
| 2025 | Senior | Zagreb Open Ranking Series, Croatia | 76 kg | 1st | 3-0. Feb. 8, 2025; pinned Kamile Gaucaite of Lithuania in 1:12 and Valeriia Trifonova in 1:44, then tech falled Veronika Nyikos of Hungary 11-0 |
| 2025 | Senior | U.S. Open and Senior World Team Trials | 76 kg | 2nd | Runner-up at both |
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
- https://www.themat.com/profiles/yelena-makoyed · Hometown Orangevale, CA; high school Bella Vista in Fair Oaks, Calif.; born March 3, 2001; education North Central College; residence Lisle, Ill.; Cardinal WC and Titan Mercury WC; 2025-26 Team USA ranking No. 3 at 76 kg with three years on Team USA; 2021 Junior Pan American gold in Oaxtepec, fourth at the Olympic Trials, third at the Senior World Team Trials; 2022 Final X runner-up, Rome, Spain and Tunis golds, U23 national champion; 2023 Zagreb Open and Bill Farrell golds, fourth at the Senior World Team Trials; 2024 Bill Farrell and Henri Deglane golds, Olympic Team Trials runner-up, Senior World Team Trials runner-up; 2025 Zagreb Open gold, U.S. Open runner-up, Senior World Team Trials runner-up. KNOWN ERRORS on this page: it lists the 2024 U23 World Championships as a silver medal, and its college block and career highlights record only two NCWWC titles (2021 and 2022), omitting 2023. USA Wrestling's own 2024 event report, its 2025 Zagreb Open story and North Central's pages all give the gold and the third title.
- https://northcentralcardinals.com/sports/womens-wrestling/roster/yelena-makoyed/16245 · North Central player bio: 2019-20 freshman 26-3 with nine pins and second at the Cliff Keen national championships; 2020-21 13-0, program's first individual national champion at 170 pounds, fourth at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, second at 76 kg at the U.S. women's nationals, Junior Pan American gold in Oaxtepec; 2021-22 27-1 with 11 pins, second national title, golds at the Matteo Pellicone, Grand Prix of Spain and Zouhaier Sghaier; 2022-23 28-0, third national title and fourth All-America honor, Most Outstanding Wrestler and Manuel Gorriaran Award, Zagreb Open gold at 76 kg, first USA Wrestling Women's College Wrestler of the Year; 2023-24 12-2 and second at nationals
- https://northcentralcardinals.com/sports/womens-wrestling/roster/coaches/yelena-makoyed/3531 · North Central coaching bio: five-time All-American who reached the final in all five seasons, three-time national champion, 106-7 career and program leader in wins, win percentage, pins and technical falls; 2023 USA Wrestling Women's College Wrestler of the Year; 2022 U23 national champion; 2024 U23 World Team member; 2021 U20 Pan American gold; two-time Olympic Trials qualifier; Senior National Team in 2022 and 2024; graduated in 2023 with a psychology degree
- https://www.themat.com/news/2024/october/24/mortimer-makoyed-earn-u23-world-titles-jones-scores-bronze-in-women-s-freestyle · Oct. 24, 2024, Tirana, Albania: Makoyed won the U23 World title at 76 kg with a 2:30 pin of Shuiyan Cheng of China in the final, after an 11-0 technical fall and three pins; it was her first appearance at a World event
- https://www.themat.com/news/2025/february/08/winchester-makoyed-grote-win-golds-usa-takes-team-title-in-women-s-freestyle-at-zagreb-open · Feb. 8, 2025 Zagreb Open: Makoyed, listed as Orangevale, Calif./Titan Mercury WC and as the 2024 U23 World champion, won 76 kg gold with pins of Kamile Gaucaite of Lithuania in 1:12 and Valeriia Trifonova in 1:44 and an 11-0 technical fall over Veronika Nyikos of Hungary; the U.S. women won the team title
- https://northcentralcardinals.com/sports/womens-wrestling/coaches · North Central College 2025-2026 women's wrestling coaching staff, which does not list Makoyed, so no current coaching role is claimed here
- https://www.themat.com/news/2024/june/22/makoyed-wins-silver-medal-in-women-s-freestyle-at-76-kg-at-poland-open · June 22, 2024 Poland Open in Warsaw: Makoyed, listed as Orangevale, Calif./Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC, took silver at 76 kg with a 3-1 round robin record, including a 13-3 technical fall over 2020 Olympian Zaineb Sghauer of Tunisia, a pin of Daniela Tkachuk of Poland and a 10-0 technical fall over Shenita Lawson; her loss came to eventual champion Tatiana Renteria of Colombia
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