Fernandez makes history, Villafane shines as nation’s best battle at Super 32

Photo: Pennsylvania’s Nelson Villafane dominated the field at 106 pounds as the Keystone State finished atop the team standings in both the boys and girls high school standings. Photo by Sam Janicki.

By Tristan Warner

GREENSBORO, N.C. — History was made, national rankings were shaken up and some of the country’s most accomplished high school wrestlers added another prestigious championship to their résumés at the 2026 Defense Soap Super 32 Challenge, held Oct. 24-25 in Greensboro, N.C.

Among the weekend’s biggest storylines were Taina Fernandez becoming the first girl to win five Super 32 championships, Pennsylvania freshman Nelson Villafane storming through the 106-pound bracket and the nation’s top-ranked pound-for-pound wrestler, Melvin Miller, capturing his third Super 32 belt.

Fernandez, the Maryland phenom and the nation’s most decorated female wrestler, made history at 148 pounds with a 9-1 victory over Texas’ Landri VonGonten in the championship bout. The super matchup pitted two member’s of the 2026 U17 World Team against one another, as Fernandez won gold in Baku, Azerbaijan, while Von Gonten earned a World silver medal.

The victory made Fernandez the first five-time girls’ champion in tournament history, adding another milestone to an already remarkable high school career.

Fernandez advanced to the finals with a first-period pin of Oregon’s Audrey Robinson in the semifinals after recording a 10-0 technical fall over Iowa’s Hayden Bratland in the quarterfinals.

On the boys’ side, few wrestlers made a louder statement than Villafane, a Pennsylvania freshman who overwhelmed the 106-pound field, winning every match by fall or tech fall.

The 2026 U17 World champion punctuated his performance by pinning California’s Luke Loren, the nation’s No. 1-ranked 106-pounder, in 2:24. Villafane built a 9-2 lead in the opening period before securing the fall in the second.

“Just using my hands and moving my feet,” Villafane said of his relentless offensive approach. “I know if I kept pushing and pressuring that they wouldn’t be able to last with me, and then even in the second and third period I’d be able to put more points on the board.”

Villafane, who grew up admiring Pennsylvania wrestling sensation Bo Bassett, said watching Bassett win a Super 32 belt helped inspire his own aspirations.

“When I saw Bo Bassett win his belt, of course, I’m like, ‘Oh, I want to make it there someday,'” Villafane said. “So I just keep training and training and then end up winning this. It’s amazing.”

Another Pennsylvania star, Miller, continued his impressive run at Super 32 by defeating Indiana’s Matthew Staples, 7-3, in the 165-pound championship bout.

Miller, committed to Virginia Tech, built an early 6-1 advantage and held off a late charge from Staples, a familiar opponent who spent considerable time this past summer living and training with Miller and the Bassett family at their home in Pennsylvania.

“He’s probably stayed over like two months in total,” Miller said. “So we’ve trained together every day for like a month straight. He knew what I did … I knew it was going to be a dogfight. I knew he was going to start pushing the pace. But I found a way to win.”

The victory gave Miller his third Super 32 championship, including back-to-back titles, as he prepares for his final high school season.

Miller, who hopes to become a four-time Pennsylvania state champion and contend for the Junior Dan Hodge Trophy, reflected on the significance of his final year competing alongside his high school teammates.

“It’s my last year. I’m going to go all in,” Miller said. “I’m just savoring this moment. I’m going to look back when I’m married and stuff, and this will probably be one of the funnest times of my life.”

While several established stars defended their standing among the nation’s elite, the tournament also produced its share of surprises.

At 113 pounds, Illinois’ Caleb Noble won his second Super 32 belt and knocked off Pennsylvania standout Kooper Deputy, 15-10. Noble racked up a lead scoring off a variety of shots and held off Deputy’s late rally attempt to claim the title.

Other notable boys’ champions included New Jersey’s Cameron Sontz (120), Pennsylvania’s Mateo Gallegos (126) and Matthew O’Neill (144), Missouri’s Israel Borge (132), Arizona’s Dean Anderson (138) and California’s Arseni Kikiniou (150).

Kikiniou edged Indiana’s Peyton Hornsby, 4-1, in sudden victory, while Iowa’s Mac Crosson prevailed over New York’s Camryn Howard, 2-1, in the second tiebreaker at 157 pounds.

Several upper-weight finals also came down to the wire. Florida’s Lucas Boe edged West Virginia’s Maximus Fortier, 6-5, at 175 pounds, while New Jersey’s Tanner Hodgins defeated Pennsylvania’s Mario Hutcherson, 5-4, at 190.

Connecticut’s Maximus Konopka captured the 215-pound crown with a 5-0 victory over Utah’s Ladd Holman, and Nevada’s Satoshi Davis defeated Pennsylvania’s Kendahl Hoare, 4-2, at heavyweight.

In the girls’ competition, North Carolina’s Jaclyn Bouzakis earned the 106-pound title with a 5-2 decision over Arizona’s Bella Manno in one of the evening’s most anticipated bouts. Pennsylvania’s Marlee Solomon kept her momentum rolling after winning a U17 World title, Fargo title and Flo Who’s Number One victory, shutting out New Jersey’s Marie Sharp, 4-0, in the 132-pounds title bout.

California’s Christina Estrada recorded a 12-2 technical fall over Pennsylvania’s Riley Karwowski at 112 pounds, and Pennsylvania’s Ciyanna Okocha captured the 175-pound championship with a 10-0 technical fall over fellow Keystone State wrestler Remington LaFlamme.

Pennsylvania finished atop both the boys’ and girls’ state standings. The Keystone State produced four boys’ champions and three runners-up, along with four third-place finishers, while California finished second with one champion and three runners-up.

On the girls’ side, Pennsylvania and California each crowned two champions, but Pennsylvania edged California for the top spot in the state standings. Pennsylvania had three runners-up and one third-place finisher, compared with two runners-up and one third-place finisher for California.

With nationally ranked competitors filling brackets across both divisions, the annual Super 32 Challenge once again offered an early-season measuring stick for many of the country’s premier high school wrestlers.

For comprehensive Super 32 coverage, including recaps, notes, interviews and updated national high school boys’ rankings reflecting the tournament’s results, subscribe to WIN Magazine and don’t miss the upcoming issue, Volume 33 Issue 2, which prints Tuesday, Nov. 3.