Everest Leydecker named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare

Everest Leydecker (Phoenix, Ariz./Thorobred WC/Valiant WC) has been named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare, on August 27, 2025.

The 17-year-old sensation blazed to the 55 kg women’s freestyle gold medal at the 2025 U20 World Championships held in Samokov, Bulgaria. She tallied a 4-0 record, with three technical falls, outscoring her opponents by a combined 40-2 margin.

During the preliminary rounds, Leydecker posted 10-0 wins over Evdoxia Papadopoulou of Greece, So Tsutui of Japan and three-time age-group World medalist Tuba Demir of Türkiye. For the gold medal, Leydecker pounced early against India’s Reena, and kept a comfortable lead the majority of the 10-2 match. Reena is a five-time age-group Asian champion and now three-time age-group World medalist.

Leydecker was one-of-two medalists for Team USA in women’s freestyle—Audrey Jimenez earned silver at 50 kg. The U.S. women finished in fourth place overall.

It has been a banner year for Leydecker, who is a rising senior at Valiant College Prep in Phoenix, Arizona. In addition to her U20 accomplishments, Leydecker excelled on the Senior level with runner-up finishes at Final X and the U.S. Open, plus a gold medal at the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. She is currently ranked the No. 1 pound-for-pound high school girls wrestler in the country.

To nominate a wrestler for this honor please email the athlete's name, wrestling program, weekly accomplishments, and career accolades to communications@usawrestling.org.