Wrestlers · College
Everest Leydecker
2x U20 World champion at 55 kg, the fourth U.S. woman to do it; 2026 U.S. Open, Pan American and Final X champion
Phoenix, AZ · Valiant College Prep HS · University of Iowa
By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 3, 2026
Everest Leydecker grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and wrestled at Desert Vista High School. The Arizona Interscholastic Association cleared her and Audrey Jimenez of Sunnyside High School to wrestle the boys' division, an exception granted a year at a time. She finished her high school career at Valiant College Prep. Her first trip to a World Championships came in 2023, at the U17 level, where an 8-3 first-round loss left her 20th. In 2024 she won U17 and U20 Pan American titles.
In 2025, as a high school junior, she moved to the Senior level. She was runner-up at 55 kg, about 121 pounds, at the U.S. Open, then won the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament without giving up a point. Cristelle Rodriguez of Tiger WC took their Final X series in Newark, New Jersey, 12-8 and 8-5. That August, at 17, Leydecker won U20 World gold at 55 kg in Samokov, Bulgaria. She won her first three matches 10-0 and beat Reena of India 10-2 in the final. In November she added a 53 kg title at the Bill Farrell Memorial International in New York.
In 2026 she beat Areana Villaescusa of Army WCAP 4-1 for the U.S. Open title at 55 kg. She won Pan American gold in Coralville, Iowa, without surrendering a point, then swept Villaescusa 2-1 and 3-1 at Final X for her first Senior World Team. In August she pinned Nana Kozuka of Japan at 5:15 to win a second U20 World title in Bratislava, Slovakia, becoming the fourth American woman with two U20 golds.
She is a freshman at the University of Iowa. In October she wrestles for the United States at the U23 World Championships in Las Vegas and the Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Results
| Season | Level | Event | Weight | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Age group | U17 World Championships | 20th | Her first World Championships. She wrestled one match, an 8-3 loss in the first round. The weight class is not stated on the sourced pages. | |
| 2024 | Age group | U17 and U20 Pan American Championships | 1st | Listed on her Iowa roster page as a 2024 U17 and U20 Pan American champion. The weight classes are not stated there. | |
| 2025 | Senior | U.S. Open Championships | 55 kg | 2nd | Lost the final to Cristelle Rodriguez (Tiger WC), 4-1. The cited recap lists Rodriguez as Tiger WC only. Her Titan Mercury WC affiliation is on the June 14 Final X page in sources. |
| 2025 | Senior | Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament | 55 kg | 1st | Won the bracket without surrendering a point to earn the Final X berth. |
| 2025 | Senior | Final X, Prudential Center, Newark, N.J. | 55 kg | 2nd | June 14, 2025. Lost the best-of-three series to Cristelle Rodriguez (Tiger WC/Titan Mercury WC), 12-8 and 8-5. She rallied from 9-0 down to 9-8 in the first bout. |
| 2025 | Age group | U20 World Championships, Samokov, Bulgaria | 55 kg | 1st | 5-0. Aug. 21, 2025. Won her first three matches 10-0 and beat Reena of India 10-2 in the final. She outscored her opponents 40-2 at age 17. |
| 2025 | Senior | Bill Farrell Memorial International, New York | 53 kg | 1st | Nov. 7, 2025. Three 10-0 technical falls, over Sydney Petzinger of the United States in the semifinals and Namuuntsetseg Tsogt Ochir of Mongolia in the final. |
| 2026 | Senior | U.S. Open Championships, Las Vegas | 55 kg | 1st | April 24, 2026. Def. Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP), 4-1. |
| 2026 | Senior | Pan American Championships, Coralville, Iowa | 55 kg | 1st | 2-0. May 8, 2026. Technical falls over Amber Wiebe of Canada, 10-0, and Josefina Ramirez Duarte of Mexico, 11-0, in a three-woman round robin. She gave up no points. |
| 2026 | Senior | Final X, Newark, N.J. | 55 kg | 1st | June 19, 2026. Def. Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP) 2-1 and 3-1 to take the series two matches to none and make her first Senior World Team. |
| 2026 | Age group | U20 World Championships, Bratislava, Slovakia | 55 kg | 1st | Aug. 20, 2026. Pinned Nana Kozuka of Japan at 5:15 in the final after wins over Meilin Zhou of China, Valeryia Mikitsich of Belarus and Hansika Lamba of India. Fourth U.S. woman to win two U20 World titles. |
| 2025-26 | High school | Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, Arizona | State winner | Arizona recipient in her senior year, listed on her Iowa roster page. |
What we could not confirm
Anything not on this page, a high school record, a final score, a season, was left out because no primary source stated it when this was written. If you have a bracket, a program, or a clipping, send it and the page gets the number.
Sources
- https://www.themat.com/news/2025/august/21/climbing-to-the-top-17-year-old-everest-leydecker-claims-u20-gold · Aug. 21, 2025 U20 World gold at 55 kg in Samokov, Bulgaria; five matches, opponents outscored 40-2; first three wins 10-0; def. Reena of India 10-2 in the final; 17-year-old rising senior at Valiant College Prep in Arizona; 2025 Final X runner-up; 2023 first World Championships, 8-3 first-round loss and 20th place
- https://www.themat.com/news/2026/august/20/leydecker-runs-it-back-becomes-fourth-u-s-woman-to-win-two-u20-world-titles · Aug. 20, 2026 U20 World gold at 55 kg in Bratislava, Slovakia; fall over Nana Kozuka of Japan at 5:15; wins over Meilin Zhou (China), Valeryia Mikitsich (Belarus) and Hansika Lamba (India); fourth U.S. woman with two U20 World titles; Senior golds at Bill Farrell, Zagreb Open and Pan Americans; U.S. Open and Final X titles; U23 Worlds in Las Vegas and Senior Worlds in Astana ahead; enrolling at the University of Iowa this fall
- https://hawkeyesports.com/sports/womens-wrestling/roster/player/everest-leydecker · Iowa 2026-27 roster: freshman, 124 pounds, 5-7, Phoenix, Ariz.; born Sept. 20, 2007; parents Randy and Shelly Leydecker; father Randy wrestled at Arizona State; 2026 Pan American and Zagreb Open golds; 2026 U.S. Open and U20 World Team Trials champion; 2025 Senior World Team Trials champion and U.S. Open runner-up; 2025 Bill Farrell gold and Klippan Lady Open bronze; 2024 U17 and U20 Pan American champion; 2023 and 2024 U17 national champion; 20th at the 2023 U17 Worlds; 2022 Fargo champion; 2026 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award for Arizona. The page has no high school field.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2026/april/24/katie-gomez-named-outstanding-wrestler-as-senior-women-s-freestyle-crowns-10-u-s-open-champions · April 24, 2026 U.S. Open, Las Vegas: 55 kg title, def. Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP) 4-1; competing for the New York AC at age 18
- https://www.themat.com/news/2026/june/19/nwachukwu-turner-go-the-distance-eight-earn-spots-on-women-s-freestyle-world-team-at-2026-final-x-presented-by-kerberos-capital-management · June 19, 2026 Final X: 55 kg, Leydecker (Thorobred WC/New York AC) def. Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP) 2-1 and 3-1, two matches to none, first Senior World Team; World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan
- https://www.themat.com/news/2025/may/27/rodriguez-leydecker-to-meet-at-55-kg-in-women-s-freestyle-at-2025-final-x-in-newark-n-j- · 2025 U.S. Open final loss to Cristelle Rodriguez 4-1; won the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament without surrendering a point; two U17 World Team spots, no medal at the 2023 U17 Worlds; junior at Desert Vista High School in Arizona in spring 2025
- https://www.themat.com/news/2025/june/14/talented-u-s-senior-women-s-freestyle-world-team-set-during-final-x-in-newark · June 14, 2025 Final X, Prudential Center, Newark: Cristelle Rodriguez (Tiger WC/Titan Mercury WC) def. Everest Leydecker (Phoenix, Ariz./Thorobred WC) 12-8 and 8-5; Leydecker rallied from 9-0 down to 9-8 in bout one
- https://www.themat.com/news/2026/may/08/gomez-martinez-nwachukwu-impress-in-finals-u-s-scores-five-champs-in-women-s-freestyle-at-pan-american-championships · May 8, 2026 Pan American Championships, Coralville, Iowa: 55 kg gold, 2-0 in a three-woman round robin with technical falls over Amber Wiebe of Canada 10-0 and Josefina Ramirez Duarte of Mexico 11-0, no points given up; listed as Phoenix, Ariz./Thorobred WC/New York AC
- https://www.themat.com/news/2025/november/07/krazer-named-ow-in-women-s-freestyle-at-2025-bill-farrell-memorial-international · Nov. 7, 2025 Bill Farrell Memorial International, New York: 53 kg gold with three 10-0 technical falls, including the final over Namuuntsetseg Tsogt Ochir of Mongolia
- https://www.themat.com/news/2025/november/07/leydecker-martinez-boyd-among-nine-u-s-contenders-for-women-s-freestyle-gold-at-2025-bill-farrell-memorial-international · Nov. 7, 2025 Bill Farrell semifinals: Leydecker dropped to 53 kg and beat Sydney Petzinger by 10-0 technical fall to reach the final
- https://www.scrippsnews.com/sports/how-2-arizona-girls-are-breaking-barriers-on-the-wrestling-mat · March 2024: the Arizona Interscholastic Association board allowed only Leydecker of Desert Vista High School in Phoenix and Audrey Jimenez of Sunnyside High School in Tucson to compete against boys, for one year, with Leydecker having to ask again as a junior
- https://valiantcollegeprep.com/latest-news/ · Valiant College Preparatory news page: the only Leydecker item is "Everest Leydecker 2026 World Team Member".
- https://www.themat.com/news/2018/september/24/world-preview-at-55-kg-in-womens-freestyle · USA Wrestling prints the women's freestyle 55 kg class as 55 kg/121 lbs.
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