Zahid Valencia Named 2025 John Smith Award Recipient As USA Wrestling Men’s Freestyle Wrestler Of The Year

Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC), who was the California and National winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2015, has been named the winner of the 2025 John Smith Award, which recognizes the USA Wrestling men’s freestyle wrestler of the year. This is the first time Valencia has won the prestigious award.

The award is named in honor of two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion John Smith, a Distinguished Member into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

Valencia, a 29-year-old native of Bellflower, Calif., completed one of the most dominant seasons in USA Wrestling history in 2025, culminating with the 86 kg men’s freestyle gold medal at the Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

Episode 7 of 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆 Now Available

Episode 7 of 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆 is now available featuring Anthony Robles, who received the Medal of Courage from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012 and who is featured in the Hall of Fame's Sport for All - Anybody Can Wrestle exhibit.

Robles, who was born without his right leg, never allowed his perceived disability get in the way of future wrestling success. Through the support of his family and coaches, Robles turned himself into a champion wrestler.

Host Shane Sparks explores how Anthony's mother saw capability, not limitations, and how his high school wrestling coach was the one who helped him find a wrestling identity and gain confidence.

Helen Maroulis Named 2025 USA Wrestling Women’s Wrestler of the Year

Helen Maroulis (Scottsdale, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC) has been named the 2025 USA Wrestling Women’s Wrestler of the Year. This is the second time Maroulis has won the prestigious award.

At the 2025 Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, Maroulis joined an exclusive club of only seven individuals in USA Wrestling history to win at least four World titles. She became the third woman to achieve the feat, joining six-time World champion Adeline Gray and four-time World champion Tricia Saunders, who was the first woman to be inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011, on the list.

USA Will Send Talented Roster to 2026 U20 Pan American Championships

The U.S. will send a full roster of 34 wrestlers to the U20 Pan American Championships, which will be held July 9-12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the Physical Education Center Admiral Adalberto Nunes.

The tournament will be held over four days, with all weights in each Olympic style and beach wrestling contested from start to finish in a single day. Men’s freestyle opens the event on July 9, followed by women’s freestyle on July 10, Greco-Roman on July 11 and beach wrestling on July 12.

Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. local time each day for the Olympic styles and at 1 p.m. for beach competition. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is one hour ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

A live stream of the U20 Pan American Championships will be available to the U.S. audience through FloWrestling. Brackets and updated results will be hosted on UWW Arena.

All-Session Tickets On Sale For 2026 Galaxy U23 World Championships In Las Vegas

All-session tickets are now available for the 2026 Galaxy U23 World Championships, which is set for October 12-18 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

All three Olympic styles will be in action at the Galaxy U23 World Championships—Greco-Roman kicks off the event and will compete October 12-14, Women’s freestyle will follow October 14-16, and men’s freestyle wraps things up October 16-18. Wrestling begins at 10:30 a.m. local time each day. A complete schedule of events is available below.

Bommarito Upgraded to Silver Medal Due to Doping Violation

USA Wrestling has been notified by United World Wrestling that Eliana Bommarito, who was the Michigan winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award in 2022, of East Lansing, Mich., will be upgraded to the silver medal in the +70 kg women’s division from the 2025 Beach World Series Monterrey due to an anti-doping rules violation and disqualification of another athlete in the weight class.

With the medal reallocation, Bommarito currently holds a U.S. record 12 Beach World Series medals—10 gold, one silver and one bronze. She is a three-time Beach World champion for the U.S. (2023, 2024, 2025), and the only American to win a Beach World title.

Bommarito Wins 10th Career Title at Beach World Series Batumi

BATUMI, Georgia – Three-time World champion Eliana Bommarito, who was the Michigan winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award in 2022, continued to add to her historic legacy in international Beach Wrestling by winning the gold medal at the Over 70 kg weight class at the Beach World Series Batumi in the Batumi Seaside Park in Batumi, Georgia, on Sunday.

This was her U.S. record 10th career gold medal at an individual Beach World Series event. In contrast, only one other U.S. wrestler has won an individual Beach World Series gold medal, Justin Benjamin of Illinois, who claimed gold at 70 kg at Acapulco, Mexico, in 2024.

It was Bommarito’s 12th career Beach World Series individual event medal, with a pair of bronze medals in 2025 to go with her 10 golds. Benjamin is next among U.S. Beach wrestlers with two career Beach World Series medals.

Bommarito Cardenas Unbeaten After Day 1 of Beach World Series Batumi

Two U.S. wrestlers are unbeaten after the first day of the Beach World Series Batumi at the Batumi Beach Arena Sectors 15-16 in the Batumi Seaside Park in Batumi, Georgia, on Saturday. This is the third stop of the five-event Senior Beach World Series for 2026.

Three-time World champion Eliana Bommarito, who was the Michigan winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award in 2022, won her first two matches in a four-athlete round-robin at Over 70 kg in the women’s division.

Also unbeaten, with a 4-0 record on the day, is Daniel Cardenas, who was the Colorado winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2022, in men’s 70 kg.