U.S. sends large and talented team to U17 and U20 Beach Worlds in Greece, September 25-26

The United States is sending its largest delegation ever to compete in the U17 and U20 Beach World Championships, which will take place at the foot of legendary Mount Olympus at the Aloha Beach Bar in Katerini, Greece, September 25-26.

The U17 Beach World Championships will be held on Thursday, September 25, with the U20 Beach World Championships to follow on Friday, September 26. Team USA will have a healthy roster of both men and women in both of these competitions. The USA will have a record 38 entries in the two-days of age-group competition.

The United States women’s Beach teams have been highly successful, winning World Team trophies in both the U17 and the U20 Beach World Championships. In 2024, the U.S. U17 Women’s Beach World Team won the World Team Title, while the U.S Women’s U20 Beach World Team won the second-place trophy. In 2023, both the U17 and U20 U.S. Women’s Beach Teams won third-place trophies. U.S. women won eight age-group Beach World medals over the two years.

There will be a pair of past age-group Beach World medalists on the U.S. U20 Women’s Beach World Team, Kennedie Snow of North Carolina and Jayden Keller of Missouri. Snow is the only U.S. women’s athlete to have won two age-group Beach medals, a U17 gold in 2023 and a U17 silver in 2024. Keller won a 2024 U17 World silver medal, as well.

A number of athletes on the U.S. team were successful at their age division at either the 2025 U.S. Beach Nationals in Carolina Beach, N.C., or the 2025 California Beach Nationals in Huntington Beach, Calif.

Champions from the 2025 U.S. Beach Nationals on the World Team include U17 men Benjamin Graham of Illinois (70 kg) and Kirick Gurkin of North Carolina (80 kg), U20 men Waleed Khairi of Texas (80 kg) and Dominic Porter of Pennsylvania (Over 90 kg), U17 women June Treser-Pyles of Ohio (55 kg) and Cheyanne Wolfard-Henry of Washington (65 kg), plus U20 women Keller, Snow and Amber Hunter-Snyder of Delaware (70 kg).

Three champions from the California Beach Nationals will compete in Katerini, Nathaniel Higgins of Illinois (U20 men, 70 kg), Christian Diaz of California (U20 men, 90 kg) and Chris Anguiano of California (U17 men, 80 kg).

The U.S. team will be coached by U.S. Beach Wrestling Coach Tim Box of California, along with a group of seven personal coaches.

Session times each day are at 10:00 a.m. (Group competition) and 4:00 p.m. (Elimination Rounds and Finals), both local time. Katerini, Greece is seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone.

The weekend will conclude with the Senior-level Beach World Series – Katerini on September 27-28, the fourth stop of the 2025 UWW Beach World Series.

U17 AND U20 BEACH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Katerini, Greece, September 25-26

U.S. U17 Men’s Beach Team roster

60 kg: Josiah Boyden, Grovetown, Ga.  

70 kg: Benjamin Graham, New Lenox, Ill.  

70 kg: Jace Keller, Milan, Mo.   

80 kg: Kirick Gurkin, Leland, N.C.   

80 kg: Chris Anguiano, Anaheim, Calif.   

90 kg: Talon Worden, Farmington, Mo.  

U.S. U17 Women’s Beach Team roster

45 kg: Molly Root, Dimondale, Mich.

45 kg: Katelynn Dockery, Bryan, Texas

55 kg: June Treser-Pyles, Dayton, Ohio

65 kg: Cheyanne Wolfard-Henry, Bremerton, Wash.

65 kg: Addison Clixby, Missoula, Montana

65 kg: Ilyana Martinez, Eldridge, Mo.  

75 kg: Maddie Hayden, Alta, Mich.  

75 kg: Ezmerelda Fuller, Edmond, Okla.   

75 kg: Sierra Ripka, Glen Lyon, Pa. 

U.S. U20 Men’s Beach Team roster

70 kg: Nathaniel Higgins, Centralia, Ill.

70 kg: Nic Brockson, Dover, Del. 

70 kg: Benjamin Graham, New Lenox, Ill.   

80 kg: Waleed Khairi, North Richland Hills, Texas 

80 kg: Terrell McFarland, Pottsville, Pa.  

80 kg: Damian Porter, Carson City, Nev.

90 kg: Samuel Nam, Dallas, Texas 

90 kg: Christian Diaz, Brentwood, Calif.

Over 90 kg: Dominic Porter, Erie, Pa.

Over 90 kg: Lane Gourley, Newalla, Okla. 

Over 90 kg: Clayton Whitenight, Berwick, Pa. 

U.S. U20 Women’s Beach Team roster

50 kg: Jayden Keller, Saint Catharine, Mo.   

50 kg: Adriana Gomez, Laveen, Colo.

50 kg: Mia Cabrera, Richardson, Texas 

60 kg: Kennedie Snow, Havelock, N.C.   

60 kg: Esperanza Huitron, Evans, Ga.  

60 kg: June Treser-Pyles, Dayton, Ohio 

70 kg: Amber Hunter-Snyder, Bear, Del.

70 kg: Mollie Dare, Frutia, Colo.

70 kg: Trinity Butler, Columbia, Md.

Over 70kg: Jocelyn Cacek, Lexington Park, Md.  

Over 70kg: Lorelei Hartman, Covina, Calif.  

Over 70kg: Rowen Titus, Mount Airy, Md.

Team Leader - Gary Abbott, Colorado Springs, Colo.  

U.S. Beach Coach - Tim Box, Oceanside, Calif.

Coach: Randall Baynard, Naples, N.C.

Coach: Cheryl Baynard, Naples, N.C.

Coach: Brittany Carrington, Dayton, Ohio

Coach: Stan Granger, Holt, Mich.  

Coach: Jeff Schildroth, Montague, Mich.

Coach: Bryan Kenney, Ponca City, Okla.

Coach: Caitlin Cardenas, Frostburg, Md.

Referee - Kenneth Timbs, Atlanta, Ga.

Referee - Paul Kruggel, Columbus, Ohio

Medical - Jess Battilochi, Scottsdale, Ariz.  

Event Schedule (local time)

Katerini, Greece is seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone

Thursday, September 25

10:00 a.m. – U17 World Championships Group Rounds

4:00 p.m. – U17 World Championships Elimination Rounds and Finals

Friday, September 26

10:00 a.m. – U20 World Championships Group Rounds

4:00 p.m. – U20 World Championships Elimination Rounds and Finals