Caley Graber of Minnesota wrestling in the Junior Girls finals of the 2025 AFSW Folkstyle Nationals.
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Saturday morning session at the 2025 Air Force Special Warfare 16U and Junior Folkstyle Nationals featured a powerful set of Junior Girls championship matches at MidAmerican Energy Complex RecPlex. Six athletes repeated as champions in the division and Minnesota native Caley Graber was named Outstanding Wrestler.
Graber took the 120-pound crown with a pin in 1:32 over Georgia’s Vera Spencer. She finished the weekend with a pristine 4-0 record that included three first-period falls and a technical fall. Graber won this event at 110 pounds last year. She is a 2024 USA Wrestling Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals champion and past finalist at several key USA Wrestling events including the 16U Freestyle Nationals and U17 Women’s Nationals.
2023 U17 World bronze medalist Heather Crull of Indiana was another impressive repeat champion. She iced the 105-pound title with a quick, one-minute pin over Isabelle Apple of Missouri in the finals. Crull went three-for-three on pins during her run to gold, wrestling a combined three minutes and 13 seconds across her bouts. In 2024, Crull was a Junior Freestyle Nationals and U23 Women’s Nationals champion.
Also finishing off repeat runs on Saturday were Mya Hairston of Missouri at 100 pounds, Margaret Buurma of Michigan at 145 pounds, Brooke Huffman of Wisconsin at 190 pounds and Tilisa Matakaiongo of Utah at 207 pounds. Hairston, Huffman and Matakaiongo each earned a stop sign award courtesy of a finals pin.
Two-time U17 World medalist and 2023 U17 World champion Morgan Turner of Illinois won comfortably over returning 16U champion Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith of Arizona, 9-1, in the 110-pound finals. Valenzuela Smith was the only opponent of Turner’s to go the full match length this weekend.
2024 USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner and U17 World Team member Kaili Manuel capped her title run at 170 pounds with an electric, 22-6, technical fall against Minnesota’s Emily Novak.
Additional champions in the Junior Girls division include Joely Slyter of Idaho at 115 pounds, Ava Strayer of Indiana at 125 pounds, Zorina Johnson of Oregon at 130 pounds, Nora Akpan of Minnesota at 135 pounds, Maddie Marsh of Indiana at 140 pounds, Amelia Fawcett of Alaska at 155 pounds and Aubrey Bartkowiak of Indiana at 235 pounds.
Topping the charts in the state team standings was Iowa, who collected 232.5 team points and 17 All-Americans. Missouri came in second place with 195 team points and 11 All-Americans. Indiana, Minnesota and Idaho rounded out the top five states for the Junior Girls.
Bagging the most pins in the least amount of time in the Junior Girls division was Kamahni Jackson of Missouri with five pins in 5:36. Jackson finished in third place at 145 pounds. The 14-second pin by Iowa’s Greta Bus at 145 pounds held up as the fastest fall for the division.
The Air Force Special Warfare 16U and Junior Folkstyle Nationals is the first leg of the coveted USA Wrestling Triple Crown Award. Junior Girls champions from Des Moines must win the Freestyle Nationals, and either the Women’s Nationals or National High School Recruiting Showcase, to become Triple Crown Award winners in 2025.
The event continues into Saturday evening with the start of the 16U Boys, 16U Girls and Masters Mens tournaments. Visit usawrestlingevents.com for a complete schedule of events for every division.
All the action from Des Moines is available to watch live or on-demand on FloWrestling.com. FloWrestling offers a monthly subscription priced at $29.99 or an annual subscription for $150 to access its platform.
Brackets and updated match-by-match results will be available through USA Bracketing.
2025 USA Wrestling Air Force Special Warfare 16U and Junior Folkstyle Nationals #
March 14-16, MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex, West Des Moines, Iowa #
Junior Girls Results #
State Team Standings #
1. Iowa, 232.5
2. Missouri, 195
3. Indiana, 180
4. Minnesota, 150.5
5. Idaho, 131.5
6. Wisconsin, 116.5
7. Michigan, 111
8. Arizona, 109.5
T-9. Kansas, 77
T-9. Ohio, 77
Final Results #
100 pounds #
1st – Mya Hairston (MO) fall Juliana Tice (MO), 3:09
3rd – Cassidy O'Connell (WI) fall Khyla Lipumano (AZ), 2:50
5th – Tayler Brown (ID) maj. dec. Evangeline Monge (TN), 9-0
7th – Lemuna Gurisho (IA) dec. Madalyn Riedinger (KS), 16-13 SV
105 pounds #
1st – Heather Crull (IN) fall Isabelle Apple (MO), 1:02
3rd – Siera Becker (IA) dec. Madisyn Mikels (IN), 6-1
5th – Lainie Galvan (KS) fall Sarah Hammond (UT), 1:53
7th – Alexa Thomas (WI) dec. Ivy Brandenburg (MN), 10-9
110 pounds #
1st – Morgan Turner (IL) dec. Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith (AZ), 9-1
3rd – Aubree Gutierrez (CA) fall Kayla McNatt (AZ), 2:05
5th – Ava Gardner (WI) dec. Katie Biscoglia (IA), 9-3
7th – Kayleigh Milam (MO) dec. Olivia Crull (IN), 14-8
115 pounds #
1st – Joely Slyter (ID) dec. Beyonce' Espinosa (FL), 5-4
3rd – Kinzie Williams (ID) dec. Kendall Moe (IN), 3-1
5th – Sevanna Aguirre (AZ) dec. Anh Ngo (MO), 14-13
7th – McKenzy Mason (MO) maj. dec. Ashlynn Pennington (OH), 16-8
120 pounds #
1st – Caley Graber (MN) fall Vera Spencer (GA), 1:32
3rd – Cheyenne Frank (MI) fall Abigail Meyrer (IA), 0:48
5th – Ally Jelinek (IA) dec. Sydney Stifter (MO), 9-6
7th – Holly Thacher (KS) maj. dec. Tegan Robertson (IA), 13-2
125 pounds #
1st – Ava Strayer (IN) fall Zahra Stewart (CA), 4:43
3rd – Kooper Griggs (CO) maj. dec. Macie Little (IA), 10-2
5th – Lucia Schlapfer (MT) dec. Kandice Spry (OH), 7-3
7th – Elyse Engebretson (IA) fall Kaitlyn Raue (IA), 4:27
130 pounds #
1st – Zorina Johnson (OR) maj. dec. Dealya Collins (WI), 14-4
3rd – Kalynn Lyons (NE) dec. Aiyana Perkins (OK), 10-6
5th – Keanna Conrad (ID) dec. Kyler Scott (ID), 6-1
7th – Lyniann Gusick (IA) tech. fall Hannah Blyveis (MI), 18-0
135 pounds #
1st – Nora Akpan (MN) fall Vanessa Aguirre (AZ), 1:48
3rd – Abigail Mozden (OH) fall Naima Ghaffar (IN), 1:26
5th – Aleiya Cullinan (ND) fall Brooklyn Whited (OH), 0:58
7th – Millie Jensen (NE) fall Evelin Ochoa (TN), 2:29
140 pounds #
1st – Maddie Marsh (IN) dec. Ailee Briggs (FL), 8-4
3rd – Chloe Sanders (IA) tech. fall Kaylan Hitchcock (KS), 15-0
5th – Taydem Bylin (WA) fall Amelia Roennebeck (UT), 2:35
7th – Alexis Means (KS) dec. Kaitlyn Thorn (MT), 10-3
145 pounds #
1st – Margaret Buurma (MI) dec. Elise Twait (ID), 7-6
3rd – Kamahni Jackson (MO) fall Greta Brus (IA), 0:20
5th – Aleksandra Bastaic (IN) inj. def. Hayden Bratland (IA)
7th – Diana Gaie (IA) dec. Ashley Thompson (AR), 6-3
155 pounds #
1st – Amelia Fawcett (AK) maj. dec. Cassandra Gonzales (MN), 8-0
3rd – Esperanza Calvillo (MN) maj. dec. Madison Ward (MI), 11-3
5th – Hadyn Stine (TX) fall Lauren Luzum (IA), 2:07
7th – Gracin Dennis (ID) dec. Hattie Morrow (MT), 8-5
170 pounds #
1st – Kaili Manuel (MI) tech. fall Emily Novak (MN), 22-6
3rd – Millie Azlin (OK) dec. Elizabeth Madison (OH), 8-3
5th – Clarion Fager (UT) fall Kiley Dillow (KS), 2:32
7th – Makayla Vasser (NE) maj. dec. Malia Martin (KS), 12-0
190 pounds #
1st – Brooke Huffman (WI) fall Rylee Ferranti (TX), 1:52
3rd – Cambree Anderson (ND) fall Halle Spears (MI), 2:16
5th – Bricsia Garcia Vasquez (IA) dec. Leah Stewart (IA), 6-4
7th – Alexis Storsved (ND) fall Payton Temple (IL), 4:18
207 pounds #
1st – Tilisa Matakaiongo (UT) fall Isabella Lorenzana (CA), 1:15
3rd – Sydney Coyne (WI) fall Taryn Boehmer (IA), 2:46
5th – Ciara Williams (MO) fall Elizabeth Henkins (MT), 0:39
Round Robin Bracket Results #
235 pounds (5-person bracket) #
1st – Aubrey Bartkowiak (IN), 4-0
2nd – Alexis Stinson (MO), 3-1
3rd – Chloe Hoselton (IL), 2-2
4th – Sandra Takara (NE), 1-3
5th – Jayden Moehle (MO), 0-4
R1 – Chloe Hoselton (IL) fall Jayden Moehle (MO), 5:03
R1 – Alexis Stinson (MO) dec. Sandra Takara (NE), 13-12
R2 – Aubrey Bartkowiak (IN) fall Sandra Takara (NE), 2:21
R2 – Alexis Stinson (MO) fall Jayden Moehle (MO), 1:24
R3 – Chloe Hoselton (IL) fall Sandra Takara (NE), 3:07
R3 – Aubrey Bartkowiak (IN) fall Alexis Stinson (MO), 0:58
R4 – Aubrey Bartkowiak (IN) fall Chloe Hoselton (IL), 2:35
R4 – Sandra Takara (NE) fall Jayden Moehle (MO), 3:04
R5 – Aubrey Bartkowiak (IN) fall Jayden Moehle (MO), 0:57
R5 – Alexis Stinson (MO) inj. def. Chloe Hoselton (IL)
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