Akpan over Lasure in returning champ clash, Junior Girls finals set in Fargo
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Nora Akpan of Minnesota defeats Violette Lasure of Pennsylvania in the 145-pound Junior Girls semifinals at the 2026 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D.
FARGO, N.D. – The third and final set of championship finals has been determined after a rapid-fire Junior Girls semifinal round held on Saturday morning at the 2026 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals.
The most-anticipated bout of the session came at 145 pounds between returning champions Nora Akpan of Minnesota and Violette Lasure of Pennsylvania. A six-point second period pushed Akpan to the win, 7-4. She will face 2026 U20 Nationals All-American and Northeast Regional champion Belicia Manuel of Michigan on the raised platform inside the FARGODOME this afternoon.
Two more returning champions are back in the finals—Pennsylvania teammates Jaclyn Bouzakis at 105 pounds and Emma Bacon at 135 pounds.
Bouzakis, a two-time U17 World bronze medalist, finished off her fifth-straight opponent, Kyrstan Perez of Oklahoma, by shutout technical fall in the semis. Her finals opponent is Emma Faczak of Colorado, who was third at 16U last year. It is the fourth-straight year Bouzakis will be in the Fargo finals. A win would add her to the three-time champion club.
It is the third Fargo final for Bacon, who is 2-0 under the championship lights. The 2025 U17 World Team member posted three pins and two technical falls on her way to the finals, including an 11-0 semifinal victory over 2026 Northern Plains champion Chloe Wehry of Minnesota. Bacon will face Camila Torres of Arizona for the title.
At 207 pounds, returning champion Deionna Borders of Ohio was defeated 3-1 by Phoenix Molina of Illinois in a heated semifinal. Entering the bout, Molina was 1-3 against Borders but has now won the last two in the series. Molina takes on 2023 16U finalist Maddie Hayden of Michigan for the championship.
2025 U17 World bronze medalist Ella Poalillo of New Jersey continued her run of dominance with a 10-0 technical fall over Julia Araujo of North Dakota in the 155-pound semifinals. Fellow U17 World bronze medalist Maisie Elliott of Washington was pinned by Justice Gutierrez of Colorado at 100 pounds.
Other past or present U17 World Team members who moved into the finals were Francesca Gusfa of New Jersey (95), Marlee Solomon of Pennsylvania (120), and Kaili Manuel of Michigan (170).
Michigan leads Pennsylvania 154 to 150 in a nip-and-tuck race for the team title. Michigan is in the driver’s seat with five finalists to Pennsylvania’s four, but it’s either state’s tournament to win.
The U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals concludes on Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT) with girls finals. All finals matchups and semifinal results in the Junior Girls division are available below.
All matches from the event will be broadcast live on FloWrestling. Brackets and live results will be hosted on USA Bracketing.
Visit the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals Event Hub and USA Wrestling’s social media platforms for complete coverage of the action in Fargo.
1. Michigan, 154
2. Pennsylvania, 150
3. Indiana, 107
4. Texas, 84
T5. California, 68
T5. Arizona, 68
7. Iowa, 60
T8. Ohio, 56
T8. Colorado, 56
10. New Jersey, 52
95 lbs. – Francesca Gusfa (New Jersey) vs. Katelyn Rowles (Indiana)
100 lbs. – Lillee Denson (Michigan) vs. Justice Gutierrez (Colorado)
105 lbs. – Jaclyn Bouzakis (Pennsylvania) vs. Emma Faczak (Colorado)
110 lbs. – Sarissa Tucker (Virginia) vs. Isabel Kaplan (Indiana)
115 lbs. – Abigail Gonzalez (Florida) vs. Kinzie Williams (Idaho)
120 lbs. – Hailey Delgado (Texas) vs. Marlee Solomon (Pennsylvania)
125 lbs. – Mackenzie Carder (Ohio) vs. Martynique Davis (Arizona)
130 lbs. – Kailin Sebert (Texas) vs. Madilyn Peach (Wisconsin)
135 lbs. – Emma Bacon (Pennsylvania) vs. Camila Torres (Arizona)
140 lbs. – Alexis Lazar (Michigan) vs. Maddie Marsh (Indiana)
145 lbs. – Belicia Manuel (Michigan) vs. Nora Akpan (Minnesota)
155 lbs. – Eloise Woolsey (New Mexico) vs. Ella Poalillo (New Jersey)
170 lbs. – Kaili Manuel (Michigan) vs. Ciyanna Okocha (Pennsylvania)
190 lbs. – Brooke Huffman (Wisconsin) vs. Tevia Nau Rarick (Utah)
207 lbs. – Maddie Hayden (Michigan) vs. Phoenix Molina (Illinois)
235 lbs. – Aubrey Bartkowiak (Indiana) vs. Alyciana Rogers (Texas)
Katelyn Rowles (Indiana) fall Alliya Walker (Virginia), 0:49
Francesca Gusfa (New Jersey) dec. Aaliyah Brown (Indiana), 6-5
Lillee Denson (Michigan) fall Abigail Peterson (Iowa), 0:45
Justice Gutierrez (Colorado) fall Maisie Elliott (Washington), 5:27
Emma Faczak (Colorado) tech. fall Ryleigh Sturgill (Tennessee), 12-2 (5:25)
Jaclyn Bouzakis (Pennsylvania) tech. fall Kyrstan Perez (Oklahoma), 11-0 (1:32)
Isabel Kaplan (Indiana) fall Julia Horger (Pennsylvania), 1:13
Sarissa Tucker (Virginia) fall Jayden Keller (Missouri), 5:18
Abigail Gonzalez (Florida) dec. Malia Ottow (Washington), 6-5
Kinzie Williams (Idaho) dec. Daynah Gomez (Arizona), 9-7
Hailey Delgado (Texas) dec. Cheyenne Frank (Michigan), 13-8
Marlee Solomon (Pennsylvania) dec. Aubree Gutierrez (California), 8-3
Mackenzie Carder (Ohio) dec. Me'kala James (California), 2-2
Martynique Davis (Arizona) tech. fall Kylee Kurszewski (Wisconsin), 10-0 (1:16)
Kailin Sebert (Texas) fall Olivia Bezdicek (Idaho), 2:45
Madilyn Peach (Wisconsin) dec. Emma Chacon (Arizona), 4-2
Camila Torres (Arizona) fall Naima Ghaffar (Indiana), 4:32
Emma Bacon (Pennsylvania) tech. fall Chloe Wehry (Minnesota), 11-0 (1:50)
Alexis Lazar (Michigan) tech. fall Jordyn Parker (Texas), 12-2 (2:22)
Maddie Marsh (Indiana) dec. Ema Durst (Illinois), 14-5
Belicia Manuel (Michigan) dec. Emily Beckley (Oklahoma), 5-1
Nora Akpan (Minnesota) dec. Violette Lasure (Pennsylvania), 7-4
Ella Poalillo (New Jersey) tech. fall Julia Araujo (North Dakota), 10-0 (2:35)
Eloise Woolsey (New Mexico) dec. Sarah Henckel (Connecticut), 6-4
Kaili Manuel (Michigan) tech. fall Kiley Dillow (Kansas), 15-4 (4:16)
Ciyanna Okocha (Pennsylvania) dec. Sarah Pulk (Minnesota), 4-2
Tevia Nau Rarick (Utah) tech. fall Autumn Elsbury (Iowa), 12-1 (2:11)
Brooke Huffman (Wisconsin) fall Kanata Richardson (Michigan), 2:46
Maddie Hayden (Michigan) dec. Lulu Kirk (Kansas), 5-3
Phoenix Molina (Illinois) dec. Deionna Borders (Ohio), 3-1
Aubrey Bartkowiak (Indiana) fall Peyton Mullin (New York), 1:01
Alyciana Rogers (Texas) fall Mya Brandenburg (Michigan), 5:14
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