Marcus Blaze (left), Audrey Jimenez (center), and Jax Forrest (right).

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Young talents shine as three high school wrestlers make 2024-25 Senior National Team

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by Savannah Asmann, USA Wrestling

Celebrate Diversity Month is an opportune time to highlight the diversity and talent within the wrestling community. Age, background and experience vary widely among athletes, and the 2024-25 Senior National Team is a great example of this diversity, with three exceptionally talented high school students making their mark on the team.

Audrey Jimenez, Jax Forrest and Marcus Blaze are three young athletes that competed at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in State College, Pennsylvania, and earned spots on the 2024-25 Senior National Team among seasoned veterans, Olympians and World medalists.

Jimenez stands out as a rising star from Tucson, Arizona. At just 18 years old, Jimenez made her second Senior National Team with a runner-up finish at the Olympic Team Trials. She is a four-time age-group World medalist and 2024 Pan American Championships bronze medalist. Earlier this year, Jimenez made history at Sunnyside High School, becoming the first female wrestler to win a high school state title in the boys division in Arizona. She is a four-time Arizona state champion and will attend Lehigh this fall.

“I’ve worked hard to get to where I am and I have such a long journey ahead,” said Jimenez. “I’m going to keep working hard but all of these experiences are really helping me out.”

Jax Forrest, a 17-year-old Bishop McCort student from Pennsylvania, earned a spot on the Senior National Team with a fourth place finish at the Olympic Team Trials. Earlier this month, Forrest won the 57 kg bracket at the Last Chance Qualifier, securing the final berth in the Trials. He is a 2022 U17 World Silver medalist, and most recently competed at the Pritchard Companies U.S. Open in the U20 Freestyle division.

“I don’t really care about the age, I don’t care that I’m skinny, I don’t care if I look different than people, I’m just going to go out and wrestle the best that I can and wrestle hard and score as many points as I possibly can,” Forrest explained at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Marcus Blaze won gold at the 2023 U17 World Championships, qualifying him for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The 17-year-old fell in the first round to 2024 Pan American Championships gold medalist Nick Suriano, before picking up big wins over Nico Megaludis, Luke Lilledahl and Forrest to place third and make his first Senior National Team.

“I’m just super thankful and blessed that I was able to compete in this tournament,” said Blaze. “I think I’m really showcasing why I was able to come in here and wrestling the best of the best at the Olympic Trials is so much fun.”

Jimenez, Forrest and Blaze are three young talents on the Senior National Team that demonstrate the depth of talent within the younger generation and also show the importance of diversity in sports. Their presence serves as a reminder that excellence knows no age or background.

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