Taina Fernandez Makes Super 32 History - And a Late Comeback You’ll Want to See

Archbishop Spalding junior Taina Fernandez became the first four-time Super 32 girls champion in Greensboro, dominating the 138-pound field; World champ Morgan Turner and World Silver Medalist Epenesa Elison added belts, while a trio of major upsets shook the podium.

Archbishop Spalding's Taina Fernandez made history as the first four-time Super 32 champion, winning the 2025 138-pound class over the weekend in North Carolina / Dee Torres

On Sunday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center in North Carolina the stage was set for two athletes to become four-time Super 32 Champions, one in the Girls’ Division, Maryland’s Taina Fernandez, and one in the boys, Pennsylvania’s Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort). Both accomplished their mission.

The girls competed using Freestyle rules, which meant ten-point techs and two, two-minute periods. 

Bo Bassett (left) and Taina Fernandez show off their awards after each became the first four-time Super 32 champions. / Trini Navia

History first: Fernandez’s four-peat at 138

In the timeline of events, Fernandez’s 138-pound final came up before Bassett would step on the mat for his 150-pound final, so as fast as women’s wrestling is growing it seems appropriate that a girl would be the first to accomplish this incredible feat. 

It was also appropriate that one of the pioneers of Women’s Wrestling, not just in Maryland , but nationally, Nicole Woody, was on hand to witness Fernandez’s record setting belt be captured. Woody began wrestling in Maryland at Arundel High School when there was still just the boy’s division and placed second in the state tournament as well as capturing county and regional titles.  

How the streak was built

Fernandez’s journey to four championships started as a seventh grader when she competed at 115 pounds and placed third in 2021. As an eighth grader, Fernandez, who competes for Archbishop Spalding during the season, captured the 2022 123-pound belt, downing Wisconsin’s Carley Ceshker, 11-0, to begin her current streak.

The Cavalier’s freshmen year saw her move up to 132 pounds and keep cruising, winning that title, 7-0, over Oklahoma’s Bella Williams. Last year’s crown also came at 132 pounds and was earned with a 10-0 technical fall of Corynne McNulty (Blair Academy, New Jersey), McNulty is ranked 8th at 135 pounds in High School on SI’s latest girls’ national rankings. Fernandez is No. 1 at 135 in that report. 

Finals clinic: 10–0 over No. 2 Morgan Lucio

The junior was up at 138 pounds for this edition of the dance and kept up her dominating ways, winning by tech or pin in every match, including, 10-0, in the finals over No. 2 Morgan Lucio (Valiant Prep, Arizona). Fernandez was up 8-0 at the break, and sealed the tech fall 10 seconds into the second period, 2:10. It was Fernandez’s fourth match with Lucio going back to the U.S. Open Women’s Showcase, with that meeting being a pin in the finals, then two 10-0 techs.

In the semifinals and quarterfinals, Fernandez hit two girls she doesn’t normally see as they are ranked at 140 pounds, No. 4 Greta Garbuzovas (Lumpkin County, Georgia) and No. 15 Vivienne Gitke (Strasburg, CO). Garbuzovas was handed an 11-1 tech fall in the semis and Gitke met the same fate, but by 10-0, in the quarters. A 44 second pin opened the action for Fernandez before another 10-0 tech came in the early rounds. 

Since Fernandez is just a junior and can come back for one more round next year, the odds are, she may put up a mark that stays unequaled for some time as a possible five-time Super 32 Champion. 

World medalists deliver: Turner and Elison

Fernandez won her second straight U17 World Championship over the summer. Another World Champ claimed a Super 32 belt at 112 pounds, Illinois’ Morgan Turner (Lockport Township). Turner, who is rated No. 1 at 110 pounds in our rankings, won a grinding 6-0 match with Pennsylvania’s Marlee Solomon (Canon-McMillan), who is No. 4 at 115. Super 32 used a lot of in-between weights instead of the typical 14 to narrow it down to twelve weight classes.

Turner earned a push-out point in the first period. No takedowns were secured until the end of the second when Turner put Solomon in a cradle for two, and two more exposure points for the final, 6-0 count. Turner teched No. 3 at 115 pounds, Abigal Gonzales (Miami Southridge, Florida), 10-0, in the semis and packed on four more technical falls throughout the early rounds. 

Morgan Turner celebrates her 2025 112-pound Super 32 title. / Dee Torres

The 53-kilogram U17 World Silver Medalist was one of California's two champions as No. 1 Epenesa Elison (Los Altos) teched her Golden State rival, Central’s No. 8 Me’Kala James, 10-0 in 3:01 of the 124-pound final. Elison was up 5-0 at the break then used a big-time four point move to gain the tech halfway through the last period. 

Epensa Elison improved on her U17 World Silver Medal with a championship at Super 32. / Dee Torres

This was the sophomore’s second consecutive Super 32 crown after gaining her first belt as a freshman. Three shutout tech falls, and a first period pin moved Elison along the path where she faced No. 9 Regina Stoeser (Harrisburg, South Dakota) in the semis and posted an 11-0 tech. 

Lightweights light it up

At 106 pounds, No. 2 Christina Estrada (Buchanan) came out on top of an entertaining 9-5 bout with No. 5 Hailey Delgado (El Paso Eastwood, Texas). Estrada built a 6-0 lead before Delgado tried to change the expected outcome midway through the second period with a four-point series but had that squashed with two more points going on the board for Estrada to add to the final tally. 

Both had high-caliber showdowns in their semifinals with Estrada slaying No. 6 Natalie Radecki (Caravel Academy, Delaware), 10-0, and Delgado upsetting No. 4 Sarissa Tucker (St. James Academy, Virginia), 7-5. Delgado’s biggest trick, though, was sending World Bronze Medalist, No. 1 Madison Healey (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania) to the consolation bracket on an 11-0 tech fall.

Jersey double: Poalillo and Sharp

New Jersey was the only other state with two champs, High Point Regional’s Ella Poalillo (160 pounds) and Blair Academy’s Marie Sharp (118 pounds). Poalillo was a World Bronze Medalist this summer and tacked on her first Super 32 title after finishing third a year ago.

Poalillo is ranked No. 1 at 155 pounds and defeated two more 155-pounders as she advanced through the brackets, No. 5 Janiya Johnson (Kirkwood, Tennessee), 7-2, in the semis and No. 17 Eva Garcia (Miran, California), 8-0, in the quarterfinals. In the finals versus Michigan’s Kaili Manuel (Romeo), who is ranked 2nd at 170, Poalillo built a 5-0 lead over the first three minutes. Manuel tried to get back in it, scoring the next four points, but fell short, 5-4.

New Jersey's Ella Poalillo (background) reacts after victory in the 160-pound final over Michigan's Kaili Manuel. / Dee Torres

Sharp is ranked fifth at 120 pounds and faced off with No. 4 Cheyenne Frank (Oxford, Michigan) in the finals. Frank was proving the rankings true after the first period, which ended with her up, 6-1. Frank collected four of those on a big move that was followed by two more exposure points.

Que up period two, and it was a whole new tale. Sharp gained a takedown and got back in it with some exposure points, then kept the comeback going with a second takedown to finish it off with an 11-7 score. The sophomore pinned two highly rated girls prior to the finals starting with No. 7 Winter West (Bonney Lake, Washington), going down in the quarters, 1:30, and Wyoming Seminary’s Taina McGowan (No. 2 at 125 pounds), meeting her fate with ten seconds left, 3:50, in the semis. 

Seminary’s No. 1 Jaclyn Bouzakis (100 pounds) added her second Super 32 crown to accompany the World Bronze she won this summer. Bouzakis was never seriously challenged and put away, New Jersey’s No. 4 Bella Manno with an 11-0 tech in 1:54 of their finals match. Bouzakis decked No. 10 Peggy Susan Dean (Spring Studio, Colorado) in the semifinals, 1:31. 

Upset brigade you didn’t see coming

The Upset Brigade had three more members alongside Sharp, Kansas’ Gray Joyce (148 pounds), Arizona’s Emma Chacon (132), and Iowa’s Abigail Peterson (95 pounds). 

Joyce is an incoming freshman and as of now, her team is unknow to us, that is ranked fourth at 145 pounds and tangled with the unquestioned number one at that weight, Pennsylvania’s Violette Lasure (Chestnut Ridge). The junior has won everything recently including Super 32 last year, the Women’s U17 Nationals, and Fargo to name a few. 

Joyce is an upstart who was seventh at 148 pounds a year ago and was second at Fargo, losing 6-5 in the 16U 145-pound finals to Iowa’s No. 3 Eve Skrocki (Wahlert Catholic). Joyce avenged that loss with a 9-6 outcome in the semis then surprised Lasure in the final by taking an early 5-0 lead, boosted by a four-point swing. 

Lasure came out in the second and gained two and two with a headlock to make it 5-4. Another Lasure takedown put her up, 6-5, with time elapsing and down to three seconds when a point was gained on a push out to tie it up and gain criteria for the win. A failed challenge added one more for the 7-6 final. 

Valiant Prep’s Chacon is ranked 11th at 135 pounds and picked off No. 6 Naima Ghaffar (Northwood, Indiana), 12-4, in the semis and Blair’s McNulty, 10-0, in the round of 16. Ghaffar had two recent wins over Chacon from U20 Nationals and Fargo, so the momentum from that win followed Chacon into the finals with Cleveland, Tennessee’s Caroline Hilton (No. 5 at 130 pounds). Chacon controlled the match en route to posting a 6-2 result on the bracket. 

Hilton beat Valiant Prep’s Brooklyn Perez (No. 8 at 130), 6-4, in the semis. Perez knocked off 130-pounds’ top-rated lady, Landri VonGonten (The Woodlands, Texas), 6-6, in the quarterfinals.

Peterson’s upset is the greatest if you look at the gap in the rankings with Peterson (Denver) being No. 17 in our report at 100 pounds and her finals opponent, Pomona, Colorado’s Justice Gutierrez, occupying the number two spot. Peterson, who did not place last year, also took out No. 7 Lilly Breeden (Liberty, Missouri), 10-0, in the quarters and the number two seed, who we do not have ranked since she’s an eighth grader, Oregon’s Olivia Hernandez, 12-6. 

Upperweights: power and poise

Our final two champs were heavily favored and delivered as Michigan’s Halle Spears (200 pounds) and Virginia’s Ciyanna Okocha (175) did it in different ways. Spears cruised while Okocha was challenged. 

Spears (Midland High) sits in the number three seat of our 235-pound list and faced a wrestler coming up from 190, where Caroline Hattala (Quakertown, Pennsylvania) is ranked 13th. Spears stuck Hattala in 44 seconds for the only pin of the final round (boys only had one pin, too – the girls are getting more competitive!). 

In the quarters, Spears flattened No. 5 at 235, Cambree Anderson (Bismarck, North Dakota), 3:17. Spears handled Missouri’s Jayci Shelton, 4-0, in the match right after Shelton pinned No. 1 Mia Cienega (Everett, Washington), 1:38.

Okocha (now at Wyoming Seminary) beat unranked Bryce Snyder of Palisades, Pennsylvania 3-0, in the finals. Okocha vanquished two ranked girls to the consolation rounds, 5-0, over her new teammate Alexis Penley (No. 13 at 170), and 3-0, versus Michigan’s Kanata Richardson of Bloomfield Hills, who is No. 5 at 190 pounds. 

Snyder has been on our radar, but her good wins have been followed by some questionable losses that have kept her off the rankings report. Her movement through the brackets here will negate whatever was previously holding her back as she filed upsets over two girls ranked at 170 pounds, No. 8 Sarah Pulk (Badger, Minnesota), 7-1, and No. 24 Laila Hustoles (El Reno, Oklahoma), 11-8. 

Link to Brackets (The link takes you to the “Classic” style, not the new layout):

Results

95 lbs

1st Abigail Peterson, Denver, IA (IA) VPO1 Justice Gutierrez, Arvada, CO (CO), 6-2

3rd Lilly Breeden, Liberty, MO (MO) VSU1 Giada Croteau, Johnstown, PA (PA), 12-1 3:55

5th Olivia Hernandez, Philomath, OR (OR) VFA Francesca, Gusfa Ridgewood, NJ (NJ), 2-0 0:57

7th Mia Williams, Virginia Beach, VA (VA) VFA Alexandria Marin, Fresno, CA (CA), 6-0 0:30

100 lbs

1st Jaclyn Bouzakis, Belmont, NC (NC) VSU Bella Manno, Hawthorne, NJ (NJ), 11-0 1:54

3rd Lillee Denson, St. Clair Shores, MI (MI) VPO1 Peggy Susan Dean, Colorado Springs, CO (CO), 8-7

5th Sophia Toscano, Clovis, CA (CA) VIN Riley Karwowski, Peckville, PA (PA), 9-5 3:48

7th Lealani Valdez, Northglenn, CO (CO) VPO1 Samantha Massey, West winfield, NY (NY), 9-2

106 lbs

1st Christina Estrada, Clovis, CA (CA) VPO1 Hailey Delgado, El Paso, TX (TX), 9-5

3rd Charlie Wylie, Montague, NJ (NJ) VSU1 Natalie Radecki, Newark, DE (DE), 12-2 4:00

5th Sarissa Tucker, Midland, VA (VA) VPO1 Isla Silva, Pittsburgh, PA (PA), 6-1

7th Eva Zimmerman, Sandy, UT (UT) VFO Madison Healey, Luzerne, PA (PA), 0-0

112 lbs

1st Morgan Turner, Chicago, IL (IL) VPO Marlee Solomom, McDonald, PA (PA), 6-0

3rd Abigail Gonzalez, Miami, FL (FL) VPO1 Aubree Gutierrez, Norwalk, CA (CA), 8-4

5th Isabel Kaplan, West Lafayette, IN (IN) VPO Jaydin Cuevas, Thornton, CO (CO), 2-0

7th Aneishka Santos-Baez, Cidra, PR (Pr) VPO Alexandria Barskiy, Paramus, NJ (NJ), 4-0

118 lbs

1st Marie Sharp, Ridgewood, NJ (NJ) VPO1 Cheyenne Frank, Oxford, MI (MI), 11-7

3rd Mackenzie Carder, Columbus, OH (OH) VFA Madelyn Little, Leesburg, VA (VA), 8-2 3:02

5th Winter West, Bonney Lake, WA (WA) VFO Taina Mcgowan, New Brunswick, NJ (NJ), 0-0

7th Mai Graham Center, Valley, PA (PA) VFA Presley Beard, Derby, KS (KS), 6-0 1:14

124 lbs

1st Epenesa Elison, La Puente, CA (CA) VSU Mekala James, Fresno, CA (CA), 11-0 3:01

3rd Regina Stoeser, Sioux falls, SD (SD) VPO1 Rachel Garcia, Edmond, OK (OK), 8-4

5th Martynique Davis, Phoenix, AZ (AZ) VFO Rain Scott, University Park, IL (IL), 0-0

7th Lauren Samuel, Clayton, NC (NC) VSU Kylee Kurszewski ,Neenah, WI (WI), 10-0 2:20

132 lbs

1st Emma Chacon, Laveen, AZ (AZ) VPO1 Caroline Hilton, Cleveland, TN (TN), 6-2

3rd Landri Vongonten, Conroe, TX (TX) VSU1 Brooklyn Perez, Phoenix, AZ (AZ), 14-4 3:02

5th Naima Ghaffar, Goshen, IN (IN) VFA Willow White, Miami, FL (FL), 8-2 1:55

7th Chloe Wehry, Sartell, MN (MN) VSU1 Faye Schachtner, New Richmond, WI (WI), 12-2 2:33

138 lbs

1st Taina Fernandez, Bowie, MD (MD) VSU Morgan Lucio, Casa Grande, AZ (AZ), 10-0 2:10

3rd Carley Ceshker, Lake Geneva, WI (WI) VSU1 Vivienne Gitke, Strasburg, CO (CO), 11-1 2:29

5th Nora Akpan, Centerville, MN (MN) VPO Greta Garbuzovas, Dahlonega, GA (GA), 6-0

7th Kailin Sebert, Allen, TX (TX) VFA Mila Mantanona Bermuda, Dunes, CA (CA), 7-4 1:32

148 lbs

1st Gray Joyce, Wichita, KS (KS) VPO1 Violette Lasure, New Paris, PA (PA), 7-6

3rd Eve Skrocki, Dubuque, IA (IA) VFA Ryen Hickey, Golden, CO (CO), 2-0 1:07

5th Ailee Briggs, Rotonda West, FL (FL) VPO1 Faith Bane, New Bern, NC (NC), 5-4

7th Greta Brus, Blue Grass, IA (IA) VSU1 Mia Ofarrill, Johnstown, PA (PA), 14-4 2:54

160 lbs

1st Ella Poalillo, Wantage, NJ (NJ) VPO1 Kaili Manuel, Washington Township, MI (MI), 5-4

3rd Julia Araujo, Bismarck, ND (ND) VPO1 Olivia Georges, Bloomingdale, NJ (NJ), 9-3

5th Janiya Johnson, Clarksville, TN (TN) VPO1 Matilda Hruby, Brighton, CO (CO), 3-1

7th Torrina Rushing, Lynn Haven, FL (FL) VPO1 Esperanza Calvillo, Apple Valley, MN (MN), 10-10

175 lbs

1st Ciyanna Okocha Louisa, VA (VA) VPO Bryce Snyder, Upper Black Eddy, PA (PA), 3-0

3rd Alexis Penley, Aurora, IL (IL) VPO1 Sarah Pulk, Strachona, MN (MN), 7-2

5th Laila Hustoles, Cibolo, TX (TX) VFA Makayla Vasser, Union, SC (SC), 8-0 1:30

7th Remington Laflamme, Houston, TX (PA) VPO Annette Preston, Yuma, AZ (AZ), 9-0

200 lbs

1st Halle Spears, Midland, MI (MI) VFA Caroline Hattala, Quakertown, PA (PA), 4-4 0:44

3rd Autumn Jones, Edmond, OK (OK) VSU1 Cambree Anderson, Bismarck, ND (ND), 11-1 1:08

5th Jayci Shelton, Centralia, MO (MO) NC Racheal Adolphe, Indianapolis, IN (IN)

7th Isabella Lorenzana Huntington Beach, CA (CA) VSU Savada Kitchen, Rosman, NC (NC), 10-0 0:41