Aden Valencia Named USA Wrestling Athlete Of The Week

Aden Valencia (Morgan Hill, Calif./Stanford University) has been named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week.

As the No. 10 seed at 149 pounds, Valencia captured the NCAA national title this past weekend. In the championship, the freshman secured the title over top-seeded Shayne Van Ness of Penn State, 8-5, by scoring a takedown in sudden victory.

Along with upsetting the No. 1 seed, Valencia upset No. 2-seeded Jaxson Joy of Cornell, 12-9, and No. 7-seeded Ethan Stiles of Ohio State, 7-5. In the semifinals, Valencia notched a 9-5 decision over No. 11 Lachlian McNeil of Michigan. The Cardinal started the tournament with an 18-6 major decision over No. 23 Max Petersen of North Dakota State.

Valencia is the first double-digit seed to win a national title since 2016.

The native of Morgan Hills, Calif., became the first freshman in Stanford history to win an NCAA wrestling title. Valencia is the third individual champion in program history.

Valencia’s national title helped Stanford finish a program-best sixth as a team at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships with 67.5 points.

As a former member of the USA Wrestling’s Elite Accelerator Program, he won gold at the 2024 Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France. Valencia also recorded a pair of top-eight finishes at U.S. Senior Nationals while still in high school.

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