NewsAthlete of WeekUSAW
Taina Fernandez named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Taina Fernandez (Bowie, Maryland/MGW Brawlers) was named as USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week on April 27.
Fernandez went undefeated in six matches, all won by either technical fall or fall, and helped lead the MGW Brawlers to the team title at the Ultimate Club Spring Girls Duals on April 23.
In the championship finals dual meet, nationally ranked No. 5 Fernandez scored an impressive 10-0 technical fall over No. 3 Virginia Foard at 58 kg. Fernandez won 14U and U15 national titles in Spokane earlier this month, while Foard was second at the U20 Nationals. The MGW Brawlers defeated Wyoming Seminary, 41-38 to win the team title.
Fernandez won four other matches by technical fall over Joelle Scott (Young Guns), Julie Ortiz (MGW Rebels), Marin Keferl (Buckeye Girls National Team) and Sophia Slaughter (Virginia Blue). She also scored a 26 second pin over Sydney Fratus (Team Rhode Island).
Fernandez is an eighth-grader at Benjamin Tasker Middle School. She competes for the HeadHunters Wrestling Club. In addition to 14U and U15 national titles in 2023, Fernandez won both of those events in 2022 as well. She was a 2022 Pan American U15 Trials champion and won a 2022 U15 Pan American Championships gold medal. She has won numerous USA Wrestling age-group national titles going back to 2016.
To nominate a wrestler for this honor please send the athlete's name, wrestling program, weekly accomplishments and career accolades to USA Wrestling Director of Communications Gary Abbott at gabbott@usawrestling.org