Me’kala James named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare

Me’kala James (Madera, Calif./Team California) has been named the USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare, on July 16, 2024.

James, the No. 17 seed out of California, won a title at 124 pounds in the 16U division of the 2024 U.S. Marine Corps Junior & 16U Nationals. In the finals, James defeated second-seeded Victoria Carbonaro of New Jersey, 7-4.

Her route to the finals was marked with an impressive series of victories. Notably, James defeated returning champion and No. 1 seed Emma Bacon of Pennsylvania in the round of sixteen. Through the two-day tournament, James took out the No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, No. 8 and No. 16 seeds en route to her first 16U title.

This is her second trip to the U.S. Marine Corps Junior & 16U Nationals. Last year, James competed at 127 pounds, and did not place in the top eight at the event.

California leads the overall team race with a total of 286 points. The state team won the Junior Women’s team title with 176 points, and placed third in the 16U Women’s standings with 110 points. Overall, in the two women’s divisions, California had 25 All-Americans in the two events, 15 in the women’s Juniors event and 10 in the women’s 16U event.

To nominate a wrestler for this honor please email the athlete's name, wrestling program, weekly accomplishments, and career accolades to communications@usawrestling.org.