2026 Collegiate National Championships Conclude in Kennesaw, GA

Over 350 competitors from 105 colleges across the country traveled to Georgia this past weekend for the 2026 Collegiate National Championships. Hosted at Central Rock Gym Kennesaw, the event brought together the nation’s top collegiate climbers for four days of competition across Boulder, Lead, and Speed disciplines.

The competition highlighted the continued growth of collegiate climbing, as programs from across the country came together to celebrate the sport and their school communities.

 

Evelyn Orton Competes in Women’s Lead (Advanced) Finals.

 

Evelyn Orton and Malachi Donahoe take home gold in the Lead category of the 2026 Collegiate National Championships.

“My mentality was nice today. I felt like I was more focused on doing my best on the route, topping the route, over any placement.” Orton said when asked about how she was feeling.

Women’s Lead (Advanced) Podium:
Evelyn Orton | Arizona State University
Olivia Ma | University of California San Diego
Marielle Horstmann | University of Vermont

Men/Open Lead (Advanced) Podium:
Malachi Donahoe | Front Range Community College
Anderson Fuhrer | University of Utah
Nathan Monte | University of Utah

Men/Open Top Rope (Intermediate) Podium: 
Jiawei Xu | University of Colorado Boulder
Vanik Bright | Iowa State University
Kaden Poore | University of Utah

Women’s Top Rope (Intermediate) Podium: 
Adison Haight | Ivy Tech Community College
Brianna Saunders | North Carolina State University
McKenzie Adams | University of Central Florida

 

Logan Miner claims his first place spot on the podium.

 

Miner Wins First Speed Collegiate National Championship 
Logan Miner from the University of Utah earned a podium finish, making him the 2026 Men’s/Open Speed Collegiate National Champion and his first time being on the podium at Collegiate National Championships.

When asked about what is next, he said “Heading to Vail, Colorado to compete in the North American Cup up there.”

Men’s Speed Podium: 
Logan Miner | University of Utah
Lucas Vales | University of Colorado Boulder
Gurvir Singh | Kennesaw State University

Patajo Wins First Speed Collegiate National Championship 

Micaela Patajo from University of California Berkeley earned her first title of 2026 Women’s Speed Collegiate National Champion this past weekend.

Women’s Speed Podium: 
Micaela Patajo | University of California Berkeley
Sonia Gutierrez | Colorado College
Mirabelle Thornton | University of Cincinnati

 

Adison Haight climbing in Women’s (Intermediate) Boulder Finals at the 2026 Collegiate National Championships.

 

Rajan Patel Takes Home His First Gold Medal

When asked about how he felt on the wall Patel said “Great! I feel like my skin wasn’t too thin so I was psyched about that. I was a little hot though.”

Men/Open Boulder (Advanced) Podium: 
Rajan Patel | University of Colorado Boulder
Anderson Fuhrer | University of Utah
Erik Cmiel | Westminster College

Women’s Boulder (Advanced) Podium: 
Naomi Lahaie | Colorado College
Evelyn Orton | Arizona State University
Sabrina Levine | Johns Hopkins University

Men/Open Boulder (Intermediate) Podium:
Alexander Lucas | Iowa State University
Thomas Clark | University of Central Florida
Aiden Attarha | University of North Texas

Women’s Boulder (Intermediate) Podium: 
Adison Haight | Ivy Tech Community College
McKenzie Adams | University of Central Florida
Loren Blumenfeld | University of Florida

How To Watch

You can rewatch the final rounds of the 2026 Collegiate National Championships at any time on the USA Climbing YouTube Channel. Full results are also available on the Collegiate Nationals results page.

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

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