Four Age-Group World Medalists Featured on U.S. U17 World Team Headed To Baku
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²ú²âÌýDavid Gerhart, 91°µÍø
Madison Healey competing at the 2025 U17 World Championships in Athens, Greece
The U.S. is sending a 28-person squad filled with young stars to the 2026 U17 World Championships at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, headlined by four returning U17 World medalists.
The men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman U17 World Teams were established based on the results from the U.S. Open Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. The women’s freestyle team was set at Women’s Nationals in Spokane, Wash.
Two-time defending U17 World champion Taina Fernandez returns looking for the three-peat. After winning her first two titles at 61 kg, she moves up two weight classes and is among the entrants at 69 kg this year.
Epenesa Elison and Madison Healey both won medals at last year’s U17 Worlds in Athens, Greece. Elison claimed silver at 53 kg for the U.S. Healey won bronze after collecting her third pin of the championships.
Arseni Kikiniou is the final returning medalist competing in Baku for Team USA and he won medals in both men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. Kikiniou grabbed a silver medal in men’s freestyle and won bronze in Greco-Roman last summer. For the second straight year, Kikiniou will represent the U.S. in both disciplines at 65 kg.
Four-time age-group Pan American medalist Rylen Wax will join Kikiniou in pulling double duty for the U.S., competing at 45 kg in both men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman.
Kaili Manuel returns to the World stage after placing 11th at the 2024 U17 World Championships. Manuel had a strong 2024 after winning the U17 Pan American title and also winning 91°µÍø’s Triple Crown.
Team USA’s young talent has starred on the continental stage with Sophia Valdez, Isla Silva, Marlee Solomon, Landri Von Gonten, Eve Skrocki, Evan Restivo, Chase Karenbauer, Camryn Howard and Salah Tsarni all winning gold at age-group Pan American Championships.
Solomon’s title came less than a week ago at the U20 Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Valdez, Von Gonten, Skrocki, Restivo and Tsarni also won Pan American titles earlier this year at the U17 event in Panama City, Panama.
The complete U.S. rosters and delegation list are listed below.
Competition at the 2026 U17 World Championships kicks off on Monday, July 27, with the first group of Greco-Roman weight classes. Women’s freestyle gets underway on Wednesday, July 29, followed by men’s freestyle on Friday, July 31.
The complete event schedule is available below.
will provide a live stream of the action in the U.S. market. Bracket and results will be hosted on .
2026 U17 World Championships
At Baku, Azerbaijan, July 27-August 2
Reference Links
Event Schedule
Monday, July 27
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (GR 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg, 110 kg)
5:15 p.m. – Opening ceremony
6 p.m. – Semifinals (GR 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg, 110 kg)
Tuesday, July 28
10:30 a.m. – Repechages (GR 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg, 110 kg)
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (GR 45 kg, 51 kg, 60 kg, 71 kg, 92 kg)
5 p.m. – Semifinals (GR 45 kg, 51 kg, 60 kg, 71 kg, 92 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (GR 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg, 110 kg)
Wednesday, July 29
10:30 a.m. – Repechages (GR 45 kg, 51 kg, 60 kg, 71 kg, 92 kg)
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (WFS 43 kg, 49 kg, 57 kg, 65 kg, 73 kg)
5 p.m. – Semifinals (WFS 43 kg, 49 kg, 57 kg, 65 kg, 73 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (GR 45 kg, 51 kg, 60 kg, 71 kg, 92 kg)
Thursday, July 30
10:30 a.m. – Repechages (WFS 43 kg, 49 kg, 57 kg, 65 kg, 73 kg)
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (WFS 40 kg, 46 kg, 53 kg, 61 kg, 69 kg)
5 p.m. – Semifinals (WFS 40 kg, 46 kg, 53 kg, 61 kg, 69 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (WFS 43 kg, 49 kg, 57 kg, 65 kg, 73 kg)
Friday, July 31
10:30 a.m. – Repechages (WFS 40 kg, 46 kg, 53 kg, 61 kg, 69 kg)
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (MFS 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg, 110 kg)
5 p.m. – Semifinals (MFS 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg, 110 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (WFS 40 kg, 46 kg, 53 kg, 61 kg, 69 kg)
Saturday, August 1
10:30 a.m. – Repechages (MFS 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg, 110 kg)
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds (MFS 45 kg, 51 kg, 60 kg, 71 kg, 92 kg)
5 p.m. – Semifinals (MFS 45 kg, 51 kg, 60 kg, 71 kg, 92 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (MFS 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg, 110 kg)
Sunday, August 2
4:30 p.m. – Repechage (MFS 45 kg, 51 kg, 60 kg, 71 kg, 92 kg)
6 p.m. – Finals (MFS 45 kg, 51 kg, 60 kg, 71 kg, 92 kg)
*All times local. Azerbaijan, Baku, is located eight hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern Time Zone.
U.S. Men’s Freestyle Roster
45 kg – Rylen Wax (Chillicothe, Ohio/Beast Mode Wrestling)
48 kg – Kooper Deputy (New Paris, Pa./Orchard WC)
51 kg – Evan Restivo (State College, Pa./M2 Training Center)
55 kg – Chase Karenbauer (Mercer, Pa./Bad Karma WC)
60 kg – Jojo Burke (Park Ridge, N.J.)
65 kg – Arseni Kikiniou (Escondido, Calif./Poway Wrestling)
71 kg – Camryn Howard (Bellport, N.Y./KD Training Center)
80 kg – Jayden O’Farrill (State College, Pa./M2 Training Center)
92 kg – Salah Tsarni (Montgomery Village, Md./Blairstown WC)
110 kg – Peter Mocco (Parkland, Fla./ATT/Mocco Wrestling Academy)
U.S. Women’s Freestyle Roster
40 kg – Sophia Valdez (Colorado Springs, Colo./Betterman Elite Wrestling)
43 kg – Lilly Lundy (Monument, Colo./Motown Wrestling)
46 kg – Madison Healey (Luzerne, Pa./Wyoming Seminary)
49 kg – Isla Silva (Pittsburgh, Pa./Team Pennsylvania)
53 kg – Marlee Solomon (McDonald, Pa./Wrestling Chix)
57 kg – Epenesa Elison (La Puente, Calif./Monster Garage Wrestling)
61 kg – Landri Von Gonten (Spring, Texas/Boneyard Wrestling Academy)
65 kg – Eve Skrocki (Phoenix, Ariz./Valiant WC)
69 kg – Taina Fernandez (Bowie, Md./Titan Mercury WC)
73 kg – Kaili Manuel (Washington, Mich./Michigan Wrestling Academy)
U.S. Greco-Roman Roster
45 kg – Rylen Wax (Chillicothe, Ohio/Beast Mode Wrestling)
48 kg – Arav Pandey (Mechanicsburg, Pa./American Dream WC)
51 kg – Wyatt Dannegger (St. Charles, Mo./Team Missouri Select)
55 kg – Corey Brown (Pasadena, Md./HeadHunters WC)
60 kg – Cooper Mathews (Aurora, Colo./Black Fox Wrestling Academy)
65 kg – Arseni Kikiniou (Escondido, Calif./Poway Wrestling)
71 kg – Aiden Arnett (New Lenox, Ill./Izzy Style Wrestling)
80 kg – Ivan Ivanov (Eagle, Idaho/Suples WC)
92 kg – William Etu (Fredericksburg, Va./Wild Buffalo WC)
110 kg – Bruno Pallone (Hardin, Mont./Hardin WC)
U.S. Support Staff & Delegation
U.S. men’s freestyle coach – Joe Russell
U.S. men’s freestyle coach – Chance Marsteller
U.S. men’s freestyle coach – Wynn Michalak
U.S. women’s freestyle coach – Jessica Medina
U.S. women’s freestyle coach – Nicole Tyson
U.S. women’s freestyle coach – Jeff McGinness
U.S. Greco-Roman coach – Cheney Haight
U.S. Greco-Roman coach – Jake Fisher
U.S. Greco-Roman coach – Patrick Martinez
Personal Coach – Jeff Arnett
Personal Coach – Paul Collum
Personal Coach – Josh Etu
Personal Coach – Ivan Ivanov
Personal Coach – Aliaksandr Kikiniou
Personal Coach – Luke Morris
Personal Coach – Mario Pallone
Personal Coach – Chris Ramos
Personal Coach – Kareem Fernandez
Personal Coach – Cole Jackson
Personal Coach – Matt Kocher
Personal Coach – Stephen Manuel
Personal Coach – Kayla Miracle
Personal Coach – Lindsey Spjut
Personal Coach – Ruben Valencia
Personal Coach – Will Weber
Personal Coach – Michael Carbonaro
Personal Coach – Cory Cooperman
Personal Coach – Khaled Dassan
Personal Coach – Josh Deputy
Personal Coach – Mark McKnight
Personal Coach – Steve Mocco
Personal Coach – Jordan Oliver
Medical (ATC) – Kyle Southall
Medical (ATC) – Cora Ohnstad
Medical (MD) – Andrew Peterson
Official – Cody Goessl
Official – Rich Schwab
Official – Nick Mancini
Team Leader – Kelli Shuffler
Secretary General – Rich Bender
NF Media – Ava Fricke
NF Media – David Gerhart
NF Media – Justin Hoch
NF Official – Tim Hess
OC Guest – Michelle Bender
