SE Regions Wrap Up
Double Champs aplenty
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The road to Fargo rolled through Georgia this past weekend as the Frank E. Rader Southeast Regional Championships took over the Gas South Convention Center in Duluth. More than 2,100 athletes from across the Southeast - and well beyond - hit the mats chasing one goal: earning a spot on their state’s Fargo team this summer. With the top six finishers in each weight class qualifying for the 2026 Junior and 16U Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota, every match mattered.
Before diving into the champions in each division, let’s first recognize the wrestlers who managed one of the toughest feats of the weekend - doubling up with titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.
In the Junior Boys division, Logan Raske of Tennessee (100), Stephano Calderon of South Carolina (106), RJ Phelan of Florida (113), Antonio Mills of Georgia (132), Bradley Williams of Alabama (157), Paxon Legatt of Georgia (165), and Tre Driggett of Florida (190) each captured double championships.
The Junior Girls division featured one double champion as Iyanna Crawford of North Carolina claimed both freestyle and Greco-Roman titles at 130 pounds.
Three wrestlers doubled up in the 16U Boys division with Noah Lynch of South Carolina (132), Reza Massjouni of Virginia (157), and Zachary Leftwich of Virginia (215) all winning gold in both styles.
The 16U Girls division produced four double champions: Mia Pardo of North Carolina (95), Nova Estrada of South Carolina (120), Kendal Haynie of Florida (125), and Suzie Polidor of Florida (130).
Junior Boys
The Junior Boys division featured some of the toughest brackets of the entire tournament, with nationally ranked talent scattered throughout nearly every weight. Several wrestlers managed to separate themselves from the field by doubling up with freestyle and Greco-Roman titles, including Logan Raske of Cleveland WC (100), Stephano Calderon of Roundtree Wrestling Academy (106), RJ Phelan of Lake Gibson (113), Antonio Mills of Roundtree Wrestling Academy (132), Bradley Williams of Stronghold (157), Paxon Legatt of Roundtree Wrestling Academy (165), and Tre Driggett of Brevard FCA (190). Roundtree Wrestling Academy was especially impressive throughout the tournament, producing champions in freestyle at 106, 120, 132, 138, and 165 pounds while also claiming Greco titles at 106, 132, and 165.
One of the deepest weights in the Junior Boys freestyle tournament came at 138 pounds where DJ Clarke of Roundtree Wrestling Academy emerged on top of a loaded field. Clarke finished ahead of standout competitors Jaxon Lane and eventual Greco-Roman champion Jasper Croom to secure the freestyle crown. The style differences throughout the weekend also created several notable shifts atop the podium. At 120 pounds, Koa DeLoach of Sons of Thunder rebounded from a freestyle finals loss to Teequavious Mills by winning the Greco-Roman title. Landon Quiroga of Brevard FCA followed a freestyle runner-up finish with a Greco championship at 150 pounds, while Coreu Powe of Stronghold bounced back from a fourth-place freestyle finish to capture Greco gold at 144. Heavyweight also saw major movement between styles as Iowa native Gable Eddy of Indee Mat Club improved from fifth in freestyle to claim the Greco-Roman title at 285 pounds.
Junior Girls
The Junior Girls division showcased strong depth throughout the Southeast Region, with champions coming from across the Southeast and beyond. Pembroke RTC’s Iyanna Crawford was the lone double champion, capturing both freestyle and Greco-Roman titles at 130 pounds. The freestyle field featured standout performances from wrestlers like Mia Pardo of AAWC All American WC at 95 pounds, Emma Thomas of Roundtree Wrestling Academy at 100, Maya Alvarado of Florida at 115, and Faith Jones of Georgia at 207-235 pounds, while Alabama’s Kimber Alford and Dothan’s Teegan Robinson also brought titles back to Sweet Home Alabama.
The Greco-Roman tournament saw several new names rise to the top of the podium, including Zoey McDonald of Heatwave WC, Sophie Simons of Heatwave WC, Isabela Da Costa (Off-Grid), Isabella Guillory of Louisiana, and Sienna Blackwell of Ironclad WC. Roundtree Wrestling Academy added another champion to its impressive weekend as Madeline Page captured the 170-pound Greco-Roman title.
16U Boys
The 16U Boys division delivered a strong mix of emerging national talent and established Southeast standouts, with several wrestlers putting together dominant weekends across both styles. Three athletes doubled up with freestyle and Greco-Roman championships - Noah Lynch of Vahalla at 132 pounds, Reza Massjouni of Virginia Elite at 157, and Zachary Leftwich of BTC at 215. Heatwave WC also put together an impressive performance, producing freestyle champions Greyson McDonald (106) and Benito Barnhart (126) while adding Greco-Roman champion Kenly Estevez at 106 pounds.
The style differences created plenty of movement throughout the brackets as well. Darkhorse crowned freestyle champion Mason Brown at 120 pounds before Devin Hord captured the Greco-Roman title at the same weight. Morris Fitness produced two Greco champions with Isaac Jung (126) and Joaquin Salas (175), while Florida talent continued to shine with freestyle champions Elijah Castanon (138) and West Lucas (190). Heavyweight also featured different champions in each style as Jayden Birdshead of Stronghold won freestyle gold and Hunter McAbee of Lost Boyz Wrestling claimed the Greco-Roman title at 285 pounds.
16U Girls
The 16U Girls division featured standout performances from some of the top young wrestlers in the Southeast, with several athletes putting together dominant weekends across both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Four wrestlers doubled up with titles in both styles - Mia Pardo of AAWC All American WC, Nova Estrada of Daughters of Zion, Kendal Haynie of Daughters of Zion, and Suzie Polidor of Youth Impact Center. Daughters of Zion was especially impressive throughout the tournament, producing freestyle champions Nova Estrada, Kendal Haynie, and Makayla Hinchey while also claiming Greco-Roman titles through Estrada, Haynie, and Makaylah Vega.
The freestyle division showcased strong depth from across the region as champions came from a wide variety of clubs and states, including Natalie Lippstreu of Level Up Wrestling Center, Carson Robertson of Club Venom, Allison Hegg of Legend WC, Te’Aja Young of Black Ops WC, and Britoriah Rollison of Team Ohio. In Greco-Roman, Serena Trujillo of Storm Wrestling Center added a title at 105-110 pounds while Mia Pardo continued her dominant weekend by capturing another championship at 95-100 pounds.
14U’s
The 14U Boys division featured a strong mix of rising talent from across the Southeast, with several wrestlers putting together impressive weekends across both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Seven athletes doubled up with championships in both styles — Kalix Kilpatrick of Grindhouse, Bryan Stancill Jr. of Cleveland WC, Emmett Williams of Darkhorse, Thaddeus Yacopino of Minion Training Center, Ethan Halstead of Darkhorse, Benjamin Milam of Valhalla WC, and Colt Kimbrel of Patriots WC. Darkhorse had one of the strongest overall performances in the division, producing freestyle champions Luke Bentley, Emmett Williams, and Ethan Halstead while also claiming Greco-Roman titles through Lukas Cala, Williams, and Halstead.
The freestyle tournament also featured standout performances from Dominic Moc of Miami WC, Aviyahn Mills of Roundtree Wrestling Academy, and Elijah Zachary of Cleveland WC, while the Greco-Roman field saw additional champions emerge such as Max Sparrow of Elevate WC, Damian Legorburo of Gladiator Wrestling, and Luke Wilson of Stronghold. The depth throughout the 14U division once again showed just how strong the Southeast pipeline continues to become. Wonder how many of these hammers we will see in Florida in a few weeks for the 14U Duals.
14U Girls
The 14U Girls division showcased a growing wave of young talent, with several clubs putting together impressive performances throughout the weekend. Roundtree Wrestling Academy led the way in freestyle with champions Americah Mills and Mikaela Brown, while Level Up Wrestling Center’s Laura Ayala, Georgia’s Sawyer Mitchell, and Tennessee Valley Wrestling’s Abbigail Meyer also claimed titles. Penelope Hall-Philbrick of White Knoll WC added a championship at 135-140 pounds, and Miranda Lencrerot of Glasgow Wrestling Academy closed out the freestyle tournament with gold at 165-180 pounds.
In Greco-Roman, Paris Turner of Rabbit WC stood out by capturing a title after also winning freestyle gold earlier in the weekend, making her one of the division’s top overall performers. Savannah Phelan of Lake Gibson and Emma Moya of Heatwave WC rounded out the Greco champions as the 14U Girls division continued to highlight the rapid growth of girls wrestling throughout the region.
While the spotlight often falls on the older divisions, the youngest wrestlers at Southeast Regionals once again showed just how bright the future of the sport looks across the Southeast. We generally try not to focus too heavily on the youngest age groups because, at that stage, the experience should still be centered around learning, development, and having fun. Still, there were plenty of standout performances throughout the weekend from wrestlers who already look poised to become names to watch in the years ahead.
In the 12U Boys division, Roundtree Wrestling Academy had a huge weekend behind freestyle and Greco champions Adam Rasmussen and Talmadge Dawkins, while Robert Gibbs of Circle Training Center, Emory Massa of Slate Wrestling Academy, and Dysen Dixon of Rabbit WC also doubled up with titles in both styles. The girls divisions featured strong performances from Kinsley Jones of South Georgia Athletic Club and Morgan Nelson of Jax WC, who each captured freestyle and Greco-Roman championships in the 12U division, while Zahara Carrasquillo of South Georgia Athletic Club doubled up in the 10U Girls division.
The younger boys divisions also featured several impressive double champions, including Andrew Kelly of Florida Heatwave, Rowdy Haney of Grindhouse, Roman Rodriguez of Alabama, Lincoln Heywood of Slate Wrestling Academy, and Cain Curtiss of Roundtree Wrestling Academy in the 10U division. In the 8U group, Seth Curtiss of Roundtree Wrestling Academy stood out with championships in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, while Delilah Dawson of Richmond Hill WC doubled up on the girls side. Even at the youngest levels, the depth and enthusiasm throughout the Southeast wrestling community were impossible to miss.
Obviously there are plenty of other wrestlers who could be highlighted from this weekend. A lot of athletes competed extremely well and deserve recognition, but there’s only so much time and space to cover every standout performance from an event this large. Congratulations to everyone who stepped on the mat this weekend at Southeast Regions — from the youngest wrestlers getting their first big tournament experience to the athletes punching their ticket to Fargo. The future of wrestling across the Southeast continues to look incredibly bright.