Para Climbing National Champions were crowned at the 2026 Para Climbing National Championships, where coveted spots on USA Climbing’s 2026 National Team were also on the line. Those athletes will represent the United States internationally at World Climbing Para Series events later this year.

It marked the first National Championships since the International Paralympic Committee confirmed Para Climbing’s medal events for the Paralympic Games Los Angeles 2028. With LA28 now in sight, the announcement has intensified competition across categories, as athletes eager to compete on the world’s biggest stage also look to secure National Team selection and gain critical international experience.

The Qualification rounds brought 139 of the nation’s top athletes to Momentum Climbing in Katy, Texas, with 105 advancing to the Finals. Among them were 15 of last year’s National Champions, each aiming to defend their titles.

W-B1: Lakrout Defends Her Title

Emeline Lakrout delivered another impressive performance in Katy. After a dominant win last year, she returned to post a 7-point lead, once again securing the title of National Champion.

W-B1 Podium:

Emeline Lakrout
Gina Applebee
Ashley Colburn

W-B2: Biendarra On Top Again

Seneida Biendarra, already a National and World Champion, added another gold medal to her collection with a score of 39+.

“I’m really proud of how the routesetters have made these routes more challenging for the B category, but also keep it engaging,” Biendarra said after her win. “The routes are what keep me coming back.”

W-B2 Podium:

Seneida Biendarra
Jessica Semmel

W-B3: Poston Defends Their Title

Linn Poston saw continued success in W-B3. After earning their first World Championships win this past fall, Poston once again reached the highest point on the Final route in Katy, successfully defending their National Championship title.

W-B3 Podium:

Linn Poston
Phoebe Barkan
Amy Mullins

W-AL1: Cook Wins Gold in Epic Tie-Breaker

The W-AL1 category delivered one of the tightest finishes of the weekend. Carlie Cook and Brittany Chadbourne both posted scores of 33+, forcing a time-based tie-breaker. Cook reached that score 35 seconds faster, allowing her to defend her National Championship title.

“Brittany and I are super close. It’s super fun to be so neck and neck,” Cook said after her win.

W-AL1 Podium:

Carlie Cook
Brittany Chadbourne

W-AL2: Soria Reclaims Gold

After winning in 2024 and skipping last year’s event, Cail Soria returned for the gold. While much of the field fell in the same section, she established a 6-point lead to reclaim the National Championship title.

“I put in a lot of work and took a year off to really grind,” Soria said after the win. “I’m really happy it paid off. I’m looking forward to the (World Climbing Para Series) and climbing really hard outside.”

W-AL2 Podium:

Cail Soria
Emily Gray
Kira Brazinski

W-AU2: Rubin Breaks Through, Wins Gold

Eleanor Rubin was due for a gold medal win following her bronze medal at the World Championships and silver medal at the National Championships last year. W-AU2 was another fiercely competitive category, with a number of past National Champions, including Maureen (Mo) Beck, returning to make their claim.

In the end, Rubin led the group, reaching hold 45 to secure the title.

“This is my fifth National Championships, and I’ve won four silvers.” Rubin said after her win. “I feel like it could have been anyone’s day. I climbed the best I’ve ever climbed and I’m really happy.”

W-AU2 Podium:

Eleanor Rubin
Isabel Benvenuti
Maureen Beck

W-AU3: Morningstar Makes Golden Debut

WanYing Morningstar quickly made a name for herself at her first National Championships, securing an immense 12-point lead to claim gold.

W-AU3 Podium:

WanYing Morningstar
Veronica Sturman
Jamie Schanbaum

W-RP1: Stewart Earns First National Title

Jackie Stewart climbed confidently to a score of 49, earning her first National Championship victory.

“I want to keep working on my skills and the mental aspect of it,” Stewart said after her win. “Hopefully, my long-term goal is LA28!”

W-RP1 Podium:

Jackie Stewart
Hannah Zook
Natalie Sullivan

W-RP2: Seelenfreund Can’t Stop Winning

After a breakthrough 2025 season that included both National and World Championships titles, Emily Seelenfreund was the only athlete in her category to top the Final route, defending her championship in style.

“It feels really good. Winning in Seoul (World Championships) kind of took the pressure off a little bit and let me have fun on the wall,” Seelenfreund said after her win. “I climb my best when I’m having fun!”

W-RP2 Podium:

Emily Seelenfreund
Megan Gleason
Anna DeVries

W-RP3: Vorel Returns for Gold

Nat Vorel, the reigning 2025 National Champion and recent World Championships silver medalist, continued their momentum with another decisive win in Katy.

“It’s about how well I climb, not how I place,” Vorel said after their win. “I want to climb the best I can–that’s the main goal.”

W-RP3 Podium:

Nat Vorel
Lindsay Purcell
Crystal Martin

W-Youth: Kennedy Wins in Nationals Debut

Natalie Kennedy impressed in her first Para Nationals appearance, securing a 7-point lead to claim gold.

W-Youth Podium:

Natalie Kennedy
Evangeline Crossman
Mei Krause

W-Intermediate: O’Flanagan Breaks Tie for Gold

Laura O’Flanagan had an exciting first National Championships, matching Emyle Watkins’ score of 29+, but breaking that tie with a faster time to secure the win.

W-Intermediate Podium:

Laura O’Flanagan
Emyle Watkins
Madeleine Yy-Phelps

W-Advanced: Heaton Narrowly Secures Gold

Last year, Laura Heaton left the National Championships with a silver medal. This year, she and Jillian Kozyra both reached hold 34, but Heaton earned a plus, showing movement past the hold, and earning her the win.

W-Advanced Podium:

Laura Heaton
Jillian Kozyra
Michelle Patten

M/O-B1: Proctor Returns as National Champion

Justen Proctor returned to the National Championships and reached hold 21, one move beyond Eric Strong, to reclaim the title he last won in 2023.

“I’m just excited that the sport is continuing to grow,” Proctor said after his win. “I hate talking about myself… But I’m happy!”

M/O-B1 Podium:

Justen Proctor
Eric Strong NT
Ben Schuler

M/O-B2: Fralick Wins Gold

In his second National Championships appearance, Gordon Fralick climbed confidently to a score of 25, securing gold in his category.

M/O-B2 Podium:

Gordon Fralick

M/O-B3: Martinez Defends His Title

Andrew Martinez followed up his National Championships win last year with another gold-medal performance, climbing to 31+ to defend his title.

“I’m getting more used to the pressure and starting to feel a lot more comfortable on the wall,” Martinez said after his win. “I’m really excited to keep representing Team USA.”

M/O-B3 Podium:

Andrew Martinez
Rayaan Hassan Mohammadi
Max Gayford

M/O-AL1: First-Timer McDonald Wins Gold

Caleb McDonald made his National Championships debut count, reaching the highest point on the Final route by more than 10 holds to earn his first title.

“It’s just good to be here. It’s fun to be a part of this community,” McDonald said after his win. “I’m just hoping to get outside and climb on some real rock!”

M/O-AL1 Podium:

Caleb McDonald
Jake Frank
Maurice Ewing

M/O-AL2: Zilz Reclaims Gold

The largest category of the weekend delivered a tight battle. Ethan Zilz, Lee Shaffer, and Corey Ramos all reached hold 33, but Zilz and Shaffer earned pluses. Zilz reached that hold the fastest, reclaiming his National Championships title.

“It feels amazing. You’re constantly keeping track of the other athletes and knowing where you stand,” Zilz said after his win. “It feels great to come out on top at this one. The Paralympics are coming up so that’s obviously on my mind as well!”

M/O-AL2 Podium:

Ethan Zilz
Lee Shaffer
Corey Ramos

M/O-AU2: Zarzuela Leads Again

Brian Zarzuela once again proved dominant, finishing with a score of 42+ and a 7-point lead to secure another National Championships victory.

“The route was really amazing–the crowd was really amazing. It felt kind of surreal,” Zarzuela said after his fourth-consecutive win. “I came out here with the intention of winning and it feels really good to have accomplished that.”

M/O-AU2 Podium:

Brian Zarzuela
Chris Brelsford
Trevor Smith

M/O-AU3: Keough Wins by Seconds

Last year, Mason Keough made an impressive debut, winning gold at his first-ever National Championships. This year, he and Nathan McKinley fought for the lead, both earning a score of 44. Keough, however, did so 28 seconds faster, defending his title.

“I feel like there’s a lot stiffer competition this year,” Keough said after his win. “Not to say that last year didn’t feel good, but this one feels really good because I had to bring my a-game.”

M/O-AU3 Podium:

Mason Keough
Nathan McKinley
Tyler Brooks

M/O-RP1: Lynch Break Through

Matthew Lynch powered through the crux section that stopped much of the field, building a 9-point lead to capture gold.

“It felt so good because my feet were just… I don’t even know what they were doing,” Lynch said after his win. “Once I was able to get my left arm over that hold, I was able to breathe for a second. I was really happy.”

M/O-RP1 Podium:

Matthew Lynch
Paul Martin
Sunny Yang

M/O-RP2: Mayforth Dominates with 10-Point Lead

After narrowly missing gold last year, Ben Mayforth returned with authority. His strength through the steepest section of the route earned him a 10-point lead and the National Championships title.

“I took a lot of time to really work on myself and figure out what was happening–where I was having inconsistencies,” Mayforth said after his win. “When I was getting to the campus part, I was just like, ‘This is the fun part… Do your Ben Mayforth thing and have fun with it.’”

M/O-RP2 Podium:

Ben Mayforth
Brayden Butler
Johnny Quintana

M/O-RP3: Gleason Defends His Title

Ian Gleason backed up last year’s dominant performance with another victory, successfully defending his National Championship title.

M/O-RP3 Podium:

Ian Gleason
Teddy Westrick
Oliver Carnazzo

M/O-Youth: Wakefield Wins with Only Top

Taiten Wakefield had the crowd screaming in Katy, securing the only top in his category and winning gold.

M/O-Youth Podium:

Taiten Wakefield
Watson Armstrong
Nicolas Previtali

M/O-Advanced: Rooney Returns for Gold

After earning silver last year, Killian Rooney returned with a 14-point lead to claim this year’s National Championships title.

M/O-Advanced Podium:

Killian Rooney
Stephen Sattel
Dan Baker

The top 3 US citizens from each National Team Qualifying Category, plus any Para Climbing Team Pre-Selected athletes, will join the 2026 National Team, representing the United States this year at World Climbing Para Series competitions.

Full results from the 2026 Para Climbing National Championships can be found here. You can rewatch the Final round on Outside TV.

Follow @usaclimbing on social media for competition updates and behind-the-scenes action.