RALEIGH, N.C. - Isaiah Martinez earned a spot in the Final X, the last stage of qualifying for the U.S. Senior World Team, by defeating Jason Nolf in a best-of-three series, 2-1, on May 19 at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament held at North Carolina State University. Martinez will now head to the Final X and will take on 2018 World bronze medalist Jordan Burroughs in a best-of-three series, with the winner of the series claiming the spot on the 2019 Freestyle Senior World Team at 74 kg.  

Final X Tickets | Final X Hub 

The Final X is a best-of-three series at each weight class, with the winner of each series being awarded a spot on the 2019 World Team. The weight class series locations for both men's and women's Freestyle are split, five a piece, between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Rutgers University. The 74-kilogram series will be held on June 15 in Lincoln, Nebraska where Martinez will wrestle Burroughs as one of five Men's Freestyle matches. This is the second-straight year Martinez and Burroughs will wrestle for the spot on the World Team at 74 kg. 

At Sunday's Challenge Tournament, Martinez took on Jason Nolf, whom Martinez defeated to win his second NCAA title back in 2016. Martinez got off to a strong start in the best-of-three series, earning a 9-4 decision to take the first match and take a 1-0 lead. After dropping the second match, 7-5, Martinez responded decisively in the rubber match. Martinez was in top-form in the third match, winning by tech fall, 12-2, to clinch the series and earn his spot in the Final X. 

Martinez automatically earned a spot in the best-of-three series at the Challenge Tournament after he won the U.S. Open on April 27 in Las Vegas. Martinez has now won the U.S. Open and the Challenge Tournament best-of-three series in back-to-back years. 

The 2019 World Wrestling Championships will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 14-22, 2019. 

Illini freshmen Danny Braunagel and Zac Braunagel each earned top-four finishes in their respective Freestyle brackets in Junior World Trials at the Challenge Tournament. Danny was the runner-up at 74 kg, and Zac finished fourth at 86 kg. At the U.S. Open, Zac Braunagel placed first at 82 kg to earn a spot on the Greco-Roman U.S. Junior World Team. Junior World Championships will take place August 12-18, 2019 in Estonia. 

For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Wrestling, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@illiniwrestling) and Instagram (illiniwrestling) and like Fighting Illini Wrestling on Facebook.