South Broward’s Kyryianenko, Mater Lakes Academy’s Perez win at wrestling nationals. Plus track
South Broward’s Illia Kyryianenko and Mater Lakes Academy’s Paola Perez won national championships at the 2026 NHSCA High School Wrestling Nationals at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
In the boys’ weight classes, wrestlers were designated by corresponding grade levels -- freshman, sophomore, junior, senior. No grade level separation in the girls’ weight classes.
Those who placed in the Top 8 in each division earned All-American honors.
Perez won the national championship in the girls’ 100-pound division, a division that featured 80-plus wrestlers.
She went 6-0 with 5 pins, pinning Ella Paris (New Hampshire) 1:10, Emily Youboty (Rhode Island) 0:51, Zariah Chisom (Indiana) 1:33, and quarterfinalist Kylie-Ann Thach (California) 3:13. In the semifinals, she defeated Katelynn Dockery (Texas) 12-5. In the finals, she pinned Pia hill (California) 1:08.
Rebecca Marin, a junior at Doral Academy, placed fourth at 100 pounds.
Marin was 6-2, beating opponents from Maine, North Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, California, New Jersey. She lost in the quarterfinals to Dockery by pin but regrouped to win her next two matches, before losing to Carson Robertson of South Carolina 9-6 in the third place match.
Cooper City junior Alexandra Thomas was eighth at 100 pounds.
Senior Willow White of South Dade took third at 132 pounds.
She went 5-0, beating opponents from South Carolina, Colorado, Connecticut, North Carolina and Massachusetts, before losing to Ava Turner of West Virginia in the semifinals.
White (7-1) was beating Turner 15-12 but got pinned with eight seconds remaining. She bounced back with two more victories over opponents from Virginia and Alabama.
Freshman Zeinnab Mourad of Stoneman Douglas was fourth at 235 pounds, going 4-2.
In the 32-wrestler bracket, an unseeded Mourad pinned the No.2, No.4 and No.5 seeds from Kansas, Rhode Island and Mississippi. In the semifinals, she lost to Marley Smith of California 12-2. She responded by pinning her opponent from Alabama.
Then in the third place match, she was leading 12-1 but got caught in a move new to her and was pinned.
Arheanna Bryan, a junior at Taravella, was sixth at 185 pounds, and junior Makayla Ocean of Archbishop McCarthy was eighth.
In boys, Kyryianenko won the national title in the sophomore 138-pound division, besting a field of 100 wrestlers.
Kyryianenko beat Timmy Boda of Merritt Island 14-7 in an All-Florida finals. Prior, he beat Jake Sobylak of Nevada 15-0; Jayden Ramirez of California by pin (1:12); Cayen Laws of North Carolina by pin (0:20); quarterfinalist Joe Scott of New York by pin (3:55); and semifinalist Bruce Li of Mater Lakes Academy 8-3.
Li placed fifth, going 5-3. He went 5-0 to reach the semifinals, beating opponents from Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas and California. After losing to Kyryianenk, he lost to Riker Ohearon of Utah 5-2 and Scott by pin (2:44).
Lucas Barrios of Mater Academy Charter was runner-up in freshmen 126 pounds. He went 6-1 with five pins and one win by technical fall.
He defeated opponents from Nevada, Iowa, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Florida, before losing to Alex Marchetti of Pennsylvania 10-2 in the finals. He pinned Ethan Reilly of Orlando Lake Highland Prep in 1:45 in the semifinals.
Southwest Miami’s Lazaro Soto was fifth in the 120-pound weight class for juniors. He went 7-2, including reaching the quarterfinals where he lost a tough 1-0 decision to Dominick Morrison of Pennsylvania. He beat opponents from New Mexico, Virginia, Massachusetts, Colorado, Maryland, Arizona and Ohio.
Gary Mendez of Mater Academy Charter was fifth of seniors at 113 pounds. A semifinalist, he went 5-2 overall, beating opponents from Connecticut, North Carolina, California, Utah and Colorado. He lost in the semifinals to Teequavious Mills of Georgia 19-4.
Columbus’s Rocco Ruiz placed eighth in the sophomore 160-pound division.
Track & field honors
Here are local nominees for the 2026 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. & Miss Track and Boys’ & Girls’ Track Coach of the Year awards.
BOYS: Class 4A: Alijah McKenzie (Flanagan Soph) 400M Hurdles State Champion (52.41); Raymond Hawkins (Flanagan Jr) Long Jump State Champion (24-0 3/4); Gianluca Padilla (Columbus Sr) Discus (160-5) & Shot Put (51-9 3/4) State Champion ; Coach Jaysha Carter (Flanagan) State Champion (77.5 points).
Class 3A: Marcelo Mantecon (Belen Jesuit Jr) 800M, 1600M & 3200M State Champion; Victor Arrieta (Belen Jesuit) State 2nd Place (76 points).
Class 2A: Pablo Aldecoa (Lasalle Sr) 400M Hurdles State Champion (52.95); Coach Scott Sherrod (Calvary Christian) State 2nd Place (34 points).
Class 1A: Joshua Williams (Westminster Academy Jr) Long Jump State Champion (23-2 3/4).
GIRLS: 4A: Olivia Higgins (Coral Springs Jr) 800M State Champion (2:09.09); Jasmin Morgan (St. Thomas Aquinas Sr) Discus State Champion (141-5); Coach Alex Armenteros (St. Thomas Aquinas) State 2nd Place (45 points).
3A: Nyla Christian (Plantation Sr) Long Jump State Champion (20-0 1/4); Coach Davidson Gill (Dillard) State Champion (69 points).
2A: Gabriella Socarras (Carrollton Jr) 800M State Champion (2:09.70); Arianna Garcia (Carrollton Sr) 100M Hurdles (14.05) & 400M Hurdles (59.46) State Champion; Elizabeth Sauby (Pine Crest Jr) Javelin State Champion (141-11).
Submit sports results
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have varsity sports results and top performers (with stats), email hssports@miamiherald.com.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. You will be alerted when it will appear. Also, some will be considered athlete of the week nominations.
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Compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
