USA Climbing is excited to announce its 2026 National Championships schedule, including five events across the Elite, Para Climbing, Collegiate, and Youth Series. Within each of those series, the country’s top climbers will battle for the title of National Champion and inclusion on the 2026 National Teams. National Team athletes receive critical funding and support to represent the United States internationally, including at IFSC World Cups and World Championships. “We’re looking forward to sharing our biggest season yet with athletes and fans,” said Marc Norman, President & CEO of USA Climbing. “We’re grateful for the incredible support of our gym partners, who will host championship events across the country before we wrap up the season at USA Climbing’s own National Training Center in Salt Lake City.” 2026 Dates and Locations February 11–15 | YETI Climbing National Championships High Point Climbing and Fitness | Orlando, FL Event Resources February 28–March 1 | Para Climbing National Championships Momentum Climbing | Katy, TX Event Resources March 4–8 | National Team Trials Presented by The North Face Portland Rock Gym Beaverton | Portland, OR Event Resources May 21–24 | Collegiate National Championships Central Rock Gym | Kennesaw, GA Event Resources June 26–July 3 | Youth National Championships USA Climbing National Training Center | Salt Lake City, UT Event Resources Quotes John Wiygul, President of High Point Climbing and Fitness “We’re honored to host USA Climbing’s YETI Nationals at our brand-new facility in Orlando. This event will be an incredible opportunity to showcase our flagship gym on the national stage and put Florida on the map for competitive climbing.” Rees Williams, General Manager of Momentum Katy “The Para Climbing National Championships bring together the nation’s most inspiring and elite adaptive athletes to test their skill, strength, and determination on the wall. We’re honored to welcome competitors, routesetters, coaches, and fans from across the country for an unforgettable weekend of competition, community, and celebration of what’s possible in climbing. Join us as we cheer on these incredible athletes and showcase the spirit of inclusion, grit, and adventure that defines our sport!” Gary Rall, Owner & Founder, and Brendan Rall, Vice President, Sales of Portland Rock Gym “Portland Rock Gym is thrilled to partner with USA Climbing to bring National Team Trials to the Pacific Northwest. After hosting back-to-back Regional, Divisional, and National Youth Championships, we are proud of our proven ability to provide athletes and teams a world-class experience at our 65,000sqft Beaverton facility.” Alex Peacher, Chief Marketing Officer of Central Rock Gym “Central Rock Gym is thrilled to host the Collegiate National Championships! We are incredibly excited to welcome climbers from across the nation to CRG Kennesaw, and we look forward to a spectacular competition showcasing the talent and spirit of collegiate climbing. It’s going to be a fantastic event, and we can’t wait to share this experience with everyone.” Additional information, including spectator tickets and streaming schedules will be available closer to each event.
Over 300 competitors from 101 colleges across the country travelled to Utah this past weekend for the 2025 Collegiate National Championships. The Boulder discipline was hosted at USA Climbing’s current Training Center in the Granary District of Salt Lake City, while the Lead discipline was hosted at the new site of the Training Center in the Rio Grande District (this summer, USA Climbing was moving its Training Center closer to the site of its eventual National Training Center project). The Speed discipline was hosted at Momentum Fort Union, Momentum’s newest location in Salt Lake City. Helen Stephens competes in Women’s Lead (Advanced) Finals. Three-Way Tie for First During Women’s Lead (Advanced) Final Broken By Time Helen Stephens from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Marielle Horstmann from the University of Vermont, and Julia Duffy from the University of Utah all topped their Qualification route. During Finals, all three athletes fell at the exact same move. To avoid a three-way tie, first place was given to the athlete who took the least amount of time to reach the finish. Horstmann prevailed with a time of 2 minutes and 52 seconds. Stephens followed closely behind in second with 3 minutes and 14 seconds, and Duffy finishing in third with 3 minutes and 51 seconds. Women’s Lead (Advanced) Podium: Marielle Horstmann | University of Vermont Helen Stephens | Georgia Institute of Technology Julia Duffy | University of Utah “I’ve never competed on a wall like that outside so it felt pretty surreal! I was just happy to be there and glad it wasn’t pouring rain,” Horstmann said when asked about her experience. Men’s Lead (Advanced) Podium: Nathan Monte | University of Utah Austin Reitz | University of Colorado Boulder Jake Plasco | University of Tennessee Chattanooga Men’s Top Rope (Intermediate) Podium: Marcus Yoo | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Mateo Fernandez-Tyson | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Y-Minh Truong | Northern Arizona University Women’s Top Rope (Intermediate) Podium: Lillyan Higgs | University of Utah Laura Chen | University of California San Francisco Jaime Santoro | Worcester Polytechnic Institute Smolyanyy Wins First Collegiate National Championship Anton Smolyanyy from the University of Utah not only achieved a competition personal record time of 5.82 seconds, but also earned his first podium finish, making him the 2025 Men’s Speed Collegiate National Champion. With his sights set on team trials, Smolyanyy said, “I really wanted this moment to happen, but actually executing it and making it real feels amazing.” Anton Smolyanyy and Evan Gerrie compete in Men’s Speed Finals. Men’s Speed Podium: Anton Smolyanyy | University of Utah Micah Feller | University of California Los Angeles Matthew Baker | Community College of Baltimore County Guay Wins First Collegiate National Championship Kaitlyn Guay from Northeastern University achieved a competition personal record time of 8.67 seconds, but also earned her first time becoming the 2025 Female Speed Collegiate National Champion. “I’m just really happy,” Guay said when asked where she’ll go from here. “I’ve been training for the open circuit so just the same as always– just training.” Women’s Speed Podium: Kaitlyn Guay | Northeastern University Angilee Cheah | University of Utah Julia de la Paz | University of Utah Flynn and Sarinopoulos Secure Gold for University of Utah AJ Flynn (MADV) and Campbell Sarinopoulos (WADV) of University of Utah both championed in their categories for the first time. Sarinopoulos, having also competed in the 2023 Collegiate Nationals Boulder Finals, flashed all 4 routes. Flynn flashed all but 1 of his routes despite this being his first time competing in the Collegiate Nationals circuit. Campbell Sarinopoulos competes in Women’s Boulder (Advanced) Finals Men’s Boulder (Advanced) Podium: AJ Flynn | University of Utah Nathan Monte | University of Utah Austin Reitz | University of Colorado Boulder Women’s Boulder (Advanced) Podium: Campbell Sarinopoulos | University of Utah Sonia Gutierrez | Colorado College Claire Lin | University of California Berkeley Men’s Boulder (Intermediate) Podium: Mateo Fernandez-Tyson | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Marcus Yoo | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Bruno Garcia | University of Michigan Women’s Boulder (Intermediate) Podium: Ellis Stevens | Bryn Mawr College Laura Chen | University of California San Francisco Paloma Laumann | Liberty University How To Watch You can rewatch the final rounds of the 2025 Collegiate National Championships at any time on the USA Climbing YouTube Channel. Full results are also available on the Collegiate Nationals event page. Follow @usaclimbing on social media for competition updates and behind-the-scenes action.
The Collegiate National Championships return for 2025 and will be hosted in Salt Lake City, UT, May 2-5. The Boulder discipline will be hosted at USA Climbing’s current Training Center in the Granary District of Salt Lake City, while the Lead discipline will be hosted at the new site of the Training Center in the Rio Grande District (this summer, USA Climbing will be moving its Training Center closer to the site of its eventual National Training Center project). The Speed discipline will be hosted at Momentum Fort Union, Momentum’s newest location in Salt Lake City. The Collegiate National Championships will determine national champions and select the U.S. Collegiate National Team, composed of the top five (5) ranked US athletes per gender per discipline. “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome the best collegiate competitors from around the country,” said John Muse, Chief of Sport at USA Climbing. “The three locations for this year’s Championships will give athletes a chance to see our current Training Center, which has welcomed recent IFSC World Cups, our future Training Center, and the latest facility from our partners at Momentum Indoor Climbing.” Registration will be available following the collegiate qualifying events. Information regarding lodging and spectating will also be shared closer to the event.