For more than a quarter of a century, USA Wrestling has placed a huge challenge to the nation’s youth wrestlers, an opportunity to claim a coveted USA Wrestling Triple Crown Award.
In 1997, USA Wrestling kicked off its Kids Triple Crown award program with boys in three Kids age groups. The concept was simple. Any youth wrestler who won USA Wrestling’s Kids National Championships in folkstyle, Greco-Roman and freestyle in the same year would achieve this award.
The Triple Crown was an instant hit, with two Triple Crown winners that first year, Jon Dahl of Minnesota (10U at 100 pounds) and Beau DeArmon of Oklahoma (14U at 100 pounds). Since then, the program continued to expand and has impacted to hundreds of athletes, including both boys and girls, covering the age groups from 8U through the USA Wrestling Junior level (high school).
All-time USA Wrestling Triple Crown winners, 1997-present
With the addition of the girls age levels, which do not have a Greco-Roman national event, additional competitions have been identified as part of the Triple Crown. For Junior and 16U girls, the Women’s Nationals and the Girls National High School Recruiting Showcase were included. For girls in the Kids divisions, the Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals became the first leg of their Triple Crown.
The girls in the Kids division have gotten rolling with this season’s Triple Crown at the 2024 Preseason Nationals in Des Moines in October.
The next big event in the Triple Crown series will impact boys and girls in the youth divisions (8U, 10U, 12U, 14U), the 2025 USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle Nationals in Fort Wayne, Ind., January 24-26.
Boys and girls in the 16U and Junior division will kick off their 2025 Triple Crown quest at the 2025 USA Wrestling 16U and Junior Folkstyle Nationals in West Des Moines, Iowa, March 14-16.
The events in the 2025 USA Wrestling Triple Crown series include:
Girls 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U – Preseason Nationals, Kids Folkstyle Nationals, Women’s Nationals
Girls 16U and Junior – 16U/Junior Folkstyle Nationals, Girls National High School Recruiting Showcase, Women’s Nationals, 16U/Junior Freestyle Nationals
Boys 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U - Kids Folkstyle Nationals, Kids Freestyle and Greco-Roman Nationals
Boys 16U and Junior - 16U/Junior Folkstyle Nationals, 16U/Junior Freestyle and Greco-Roman Nationals
While the Triple Crown was designed to recognize those special athletes at the age-group level, it has also been a building block for youth athletes who have gone on to great success at the college level and the Senior level.
There is no honor more important than winning the Olympic gold medal, and two past Triple Crown winners have ultimately become Olympic champions for Team USA, David Taylor and Amit Elor.
2000 Kids Triple Crown winner David Taylor of Wyoming, who won the award as a 10U wrestler competing at 60 pounds. Taylor was a 2000 Olympic champion in men’s freestyle, a three-time World champion and two-time NCAA champion for Penn State. Taylor became the head coach at Oklahoma State this year.
Amit Elor of California became the only girl to claim the Triple Crown award competing against boys, winning all three styles at the 12U age division at 140+ pounds in 2016. Amit won a 2024 Olympic gold medal in women’s freestyle, claimed two Senior World titles and has won nine total UWW World titles at numerous age levels.
Some of the other big-name past winners of the Triple Crown include:
- Two-time NCAA champion and Freestyle World Team Brent Metcalf of Michigan, who won the 14U Triple Crown at 115 pounds.
- 2016 Olympian and Greco-Roman World Team Jesse Thielke of Wisconsin won a 2006 Triple Crown at 14U at 85 pounds.
- Three-time NCAA champion and U23 World champion Bo Nickal of Wyoming was a 2006 Triple Crown winner at 10U, competing at 75 pounds. Nickal added 16U Triple Crown in 2012 at 160 pounds.
- 2024 Olympian and 2018 World silver medalist Adam Coon of Michigan, a Junior Triple Crown winner in 2012 and 2013,
- NCAA champion and Freestyle World Team Angel Escobedo of Indiana, a two-time Kids Triple Crown winner, claiming a 12U title at 80 pounds in 1999 and a 14U title at 110 pounds in 2001.
- NCAA champion and two-time Junior World champion Mark Hall of Michigan claimed a Triple Crown in 2007 at 87 pounds at 10U. Hall added a 16U Triple Crown in 2013 at 160 pounds.
- Greco-Roman World Team member RaVaughn Perkins of Nebraska, a 2004 Triple Crown winner in 12U at 75 pounds
- NCAA champion Jon Reader of Michigan, a 2000 Triple Crown winner in 12U at 90 pounds
- Senior World silver medalist Daton Fix of Oklahoma, a 2013 16U Triple Crown winner at 113 pounds.
- Greco-Roman World Team member Mason Manville of Virginia, a 2011 Triple Crown winner at 144 pounds in 14U
The athlete with the most USA Wrestling Kids Triple Crowns is Riley Adamson of New Mexico, who won the award six straight years, from 1999 through 2004. He won two times at 10U, two times at 12U and two times at 14U.
Triple Crown opportunities for girls have only recently begun, but the expectation is that these Triple Crown winners will advance to major success at the next levels. The first two girls Triple Crown winners were crowned in 2023, Abigail Peterson of Iowa in the 12U age group and Epenesa Elison of California in the 14U age group.
In 2024, history was made in the girls 16U and Junior divisions with their first Triple Crown winners, Valerie Hamilton of Illinois (Junior) and Kaili Manuel of Michigan (16U). Three more girls in the youth divisions won Triple Crowns in 2024, Avery Haber of Pennsylvania (12U), Azyah Rice of California (12U) and Madelyn Medrano of Arkansas (14U).
The 8U age division was added to the Triple Crown program in 2024 for both boys and girls, but there were no winners last year. Will we see our first 8U Triple Crown winners honored during the 2025 season?
With another season of Triple Crown opportunities coming up in 2025, who will be the talented and motivated wrestlers who add a USA Wrestling Triple Crown award to their trophy case? As always, USA Wrestling encourages wrestlers in all age divisions to test themselves at the national level. Can you add your name to this list of legendary youth wrestlers? Good luck to all of the participants!!!
First Triple Crown winners in each age group
10U Triple Crown (girls) – No winners yet
10U Triple Crown (boys) - Jon Dahl of Minnesota in 1997
12U Triple Crown (girls) – Abigail Peterson of Iowa in 2023
12U Triple Crown (boys) - Mark Friend of Illinois and Alex Cornette of Wisconsin in 1998
14U Triple Crown (girls) – Epenesa Elison of California in 2023
14U Triple Crown (boys) - Beau DeArmon of Oklahoma in 1997
16U Triple Crown (girls) – Kaili Manuel of Michigan in 2024
16U Triple Crown (boys) - Taylor Moore of Missouri in 2003
Junior Triple Crown (girls) – Valerie Hamilton of Illinois in 2024
Junior Triple Crown (boys) - Jade Rauser of Montana in 2009
Note: The 8U age group was added to the Triple Crown in 2024, but no boys or girls at this level have won yet.
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