Wrestlers · Career complete
Leigh Jaynes
2015 World bronze medalist at 60 kg for the Army's WCAP; 3x U.S. World Team member; 2007 U.S. National and 2015 U.S. Open champion
Mount Holly, NJ · Rancocas Valley Regional High School HS · Missouri Valley College
By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 28, 2026
Leigh Jaynes, who also competed as Leigh Jaynes-Provisor, is from Mount Holly, New Jersey. She took up wrestling as a senior at Rancocas Valley Regional High School, where coach Brian Bowker dared her to join the boys' team. That summer she placed in the top six at the USGWA nationals in Flint, Michigan.
At Missouri Valley College she helped start the women's team and became a two-time collegiate All-American. She also served as an Army combat medic.
In April 2007 she won the 130-pound freestyle title at the U.S. National Championships over Erin Tomeo of the Sunkist Kids. At that year's World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, at 59 kg, about 130 pounds, she lost her first match to Ayako Shoda of Japan, a World champion.
By 2008 she wrestled for the Army's World Class Athlete Program and reached the 55 kg semifinals at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. She won the World Team Wrestle-Off at 59 kg in 2012, then lost her only match at the Women's World Championships in Canada to a wrestler from Mongolia.
As an Army captain, she pinned Marine Cpl. Melissa Apodaca of Camp Lejeune in March 2015, in the first women's match at the Armed Forces Wrestling Championships. She won the U.S. Open at 60 kg that May, then beat Jennifer Page of Titan Mercury WC at the World Team Trials for her third World Team.
At the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas she beat Emese Barka of Hungary and lost in the semifinals to Oksana Herhel of Ukraine. On September 11 she beat Irina Netreba of Azerbaijan on criteria for bronze, which lifted the U.S. women to the team bronze.
At the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City she pinned an opponent on the first day and lost a 13-10 decision.
She was Delaware Valley University's inaugural head women's wrestling coach and is now the National Collegiate Wrestling Association's National Women's Director.
Results
| Season | Level | Event | Weight | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Senior | U.S. National Championships, Las Vegas | 130 lb | 1st | Beat Erin Tomeo of the Sunkist Kids 5-1, 7-2 in the freestyle final at the Las Vegas Convention Center. |
| 2007 | Senior | World Championships, Baku, Azerbaijan | 59 kg | Did not place | 0-1. Lost 1-1, 1-0 in the first round to Ayako Shoda of Japan, a World champion, after scoring the first takedown. Her first Senior World Team. The Shadow League lists her in Baku at 59 kg, 130 pounds. |
| 2008 | Senior | U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Las Vegas | 55 kg | Wrestled Tatiana Padilla of the Sunkist Kids in the semifinals on June 13, 2008. No cited page gives her final placing. | |
| 2008 | Senior | U.S. World Team Trials | 2nd | USA Wrestling lists her second at the World Team Trials in 2008. | |
| 2009 | Senior | U.S. World Team Trials | 2nd | USA Wrestling lists her second at the World Team Trials in 2009. | |
| 2010 | Senior | U.S. World Team Trials | 3rd | USA Wrestling lists her third at the World Team Trials in 2010. | |
| 2011 | Senior | U.S. World Team Trials | 2nd | USA Wrestling lists her second at the World Team Trials in 2011. She was also second at the U.S. Open that December. | |
| 2012 | Senior | U.S. World Team Wrestle-Off | 59 kg | 1st | Won the place on the team for the 2012 Women's World Championships, held apart from the London Olympics. |
| 2012 | Senior | Women's World Championships, Strathcona County, Canada | 59 kg | Did not place | 0-1. Lost her only match to a wrestler from Mongolia. |
| 2015 | Senior | Armed Forces Wrestling Championships, Fort Carson, Colorado | win | Pinned Marine Cpl. Melissa Apodaca of Camp Lejeune, N.C., in the event's inaugural women's match on March 28. | |
| 2015 | Senior | U.S. Open, Las Vegas | 60 kg | 1st | Her second national championship, won at South Point Arena on May 9. |
| 2015 | Senior | U.S. World Team Trials, Madison, Wisconsin | 60 kg | 1st | 2-0. Beat Challenge Tournament winner Jennifer Page of Titan Mercury WC 7-5 and 8-8 for her third World Team. |
| 2015 | Senior | World Championships, Las Vegas | 60 kg | 3rd | 3-1. Beat Irina Netreba of Azerbaijan on criteria, 4-4, in the bronze-medal match on September 11. The win clinched third place for the U.S. women's team. |
| 2016 | Senior | U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Iowa City | A Navy photo on DVIDS shows her pinning an opponent on day one at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Army's April 2016 story reports she lost a 13-10 decision at the Trials. No cited page gives her final placing. |
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 to the operator, Joe Spisak, at joe@spisak.co and the page gets the number.
Sources
- https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/7/24/ncwa-women-ncwa-names-world-medalist-leigh-jaynes-as-national-womens-director.aspx · National Collegiate Wrestling Association, July 2026. Leigh Jaynes named the NCWA's National Women's Director. A three-time U.S. World Team member, 2007, 2012 and 2015, and 2015 World bronze medalist, she moved into coaching after her competitive career, first as Delaware Valley University's inaugural head women's coach.
- https://www.rvrhs.com/apps/spotlight_persons/viewAll.jsp?categoryREC_ID=14034&y=2026&rn=9114 · Rancocas Valley Regional High School, August 2026. The school's alumni spotlight carries the NCWA's announcement of its graduate Leigh Jaynes as National Women's Director, and notes she was a two-time collegiate All-American at Missouri Valley College.
- https://athletics.delval.edu/sports/womens-wrestling/roster/coaches/leigh-jaynes/2201 · Delaware Valley University, coach biography. 2015 World bronze medalist Leigh Jaynes was hired to build the Aggies' women's program. A Rancocas Valley and Missouri Valley College graduate and an Army captain, she began wrestling in high school under coach Brian Bowker and was an All-American.
- https://realwomanonline.com/leigh-jaynes-is-a-trailblazer-in-womens-wrestling/ · Real Woman, January 2025. Coach Brian Bowker dared Rancocas Valley senior Leigh Jaynes to join the boys' team. That summer she placed in the top six at the USGWA nationals in Flint, Michigan, and went on to Missouri Valley College and the Army.
- https://www.army.mil/article/2754/all_army_female_wrestlers_shine_at_u_s_national_championships · U.S. Army, April 2007. First Lt. Leigh Jaynes of Mount Holly, N.J., won the women's 130-pound freestyle title at the U.S. National Championships, beating Erin Tomeo of the Sunkist Kids 5-1, 7-2.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2012/september/27/leigh-jaynes-set-to-make-big-i-25564 · USA Wrestling, September 2012. Before the Women's World Championships in Strathcona County, Canada, it describes a 2007 World Team member who lost to Ayako Shoda of Japan in Baku. She was second at the World Team Trials in 2008, 2009 and 2011, third in 2010, and winner of the 2012 World Team Wrestle-Off at 59 kg.
- https://theshadowleague.com/our-game-2-leigh-jaynes-provisor-is-about-her-country-her-wrestling-and-her-resilience/ · The Shadow League, 2015, before the World Championships in Las Vegas. At the 2012 Women's World Championships she lost her only match, to a wrestler from Mongolia.
- https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9155608 · U.S. Army photo, June 2008. World Class Athlete Program member 1st Lt. Leigh Jaynes wrestles Tatiana Padilla of the Sunkist Kids in the 55 kg semifinals of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas.
- https://www.dvidshub.net/image/2006457 · U.S. Army photo by Tim Hipps, March 2015. Army Capt. Leigh Jaynes-Provisor pins Marine Cpl. Melissa Apodaca in the inaugural women's match of the Armed Forces Wrestling Championships at Fort Carson.
- https://www.dvidshub.net/image/2006487 · U.S. Army photo by Tim Hipps, May 2015. Two-time U.S. World Team member Capt. Leigh Provisor on her way to her second national championship at 60 kg at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2015/june/14/lampe-maroulis-pirozhkova-jaynes-provisor-power-to-world-team-trials-titles-in-womens-freestyle · USA Wrestling, June 2015. U.S. Open champion Leigh Jaynes-Provisor beat Jennifer Page of Titan Mercury WC 7-5 and 8-8 at the World Team Trials in Madison, Wisconsin, to make her third World Team at 60 kg.
- https://www.army.mil/article/156462/wcap_wrestler_captures_bronze_at_worlds · U.S. Army, October 2015. Capt. Leigh Jaynes-Provisor won the 60 kg bronze medal match at the World Championships on criteria, lifting the U.S. women to the team bronze.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20250208041520/https://www.win-magazine.com/2015/09/12/maturity-of-motherhood-helps-jaynes-provisor-capture-bronze-medal-in-2015-worlds/ · WIN Magazine, September 2015. At the World Championships in Las Vegas she won her first match 10-0 over a wrestler from Kazakhstan and beat Emese Barka of Hungary 8-5 in the quarterfinals. She lost by fall to Oksana Herhel of Ukraine in the semifinals and beat Irina Netreba of Azerbaijan on criteria, 4-4, for bronze. Her win clinched third place for the U.S. women's team.
- https://www.army.mil/article/165892/nco_named_womens_coach_of_year_by_usa_wrestling · U.S. Army, April 2016. Capt. Leigh Jaynes-Provisor won 60 kg World bronze in 2015, beating Irina Netreba of Azerbaijan 4-4 on criteria. At the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials she lost a 13-10 decision to Hannah Jewell.
- https://www.dvidshub.net/image/2524092 · U.S. Navy photo, April 2016. Army Capt. Leigh Jaynes-Provisor pins her opponent on the first day of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
- https://www.themat.com/team-usa/world-team-history · USA Wrestling, World Team history. Leigh Jaynes is listed on the 2007 women's World Team at 130 pounds, and Leigh Jaynes-Provisor third at 132 pounds in 2015.
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