This past weekend, 140 athletes competed in the 2025 Para Climbing National Championships at Pacific Pipe in Oakland, California. Athletes were aiming for national titles across 27 categories, plus the opportunity to join the 2025 National Team, representing the USA at IFSC Para Climbing World Cups. The competition welcomed repeat National Champions, as well as first-time competitors, many of whom shared excitement for Para Climbing’s growth as a recently-announced Paralympic sport.

Full results from the 2025 Para Climbing National Championships can be found here. You can rewatch the Finals on Outside TV.

WB1: Lakrout Takes First in Qualification and Finals

After topping her first climb in Qualification, Emeline Lakrout stayed consistent with a first place finish in Finals. Gina Applebee and Leah Grosjean followed closely behind her with a silver and bronze medal respectively. All athletes were one move away from each other with Lakrout at 19 points, Applebee at 18, and Grosjean at 17.

WB2: Biendarra Takes Center Stage for the WB2 Category

The only competitor in WB2 this year, Seneida Biendarra, climbed impressively in Qualification with a top for her first climb, and a fall close to the finish on her second. During Finals, Biendarra fell a bit higher than halfway with a score of 26+.

WB3: Poston Earns both a High Point for WB3 and a Gold Medal

Linn Poston, who fell off the top with only 11 seconds to spare in Finals, was the only climber to top both Qualification climbs.

Being on the wall for nearly six minutes, Poston commented, “This was definitely the longest I’ve stayed on a climb at any competition.”

Following behind Poston was Phoebe Barkan, who won silver, then Amy Mullins, who won bronze.

WAL1: Cook Claims First Place With Two Close Runner-Ups

Carlie Cook climbed calmly to a finishing score of 22+. Andrea Wilson and Brittany Chadbourne originally tied in Qualification with an overall score of 2.24. In Finals, however, Wilson earned the silver medal, separated from Chadbourne by only 37 seconds on the wall.

WRP3: Vorel Earns both a High Point for WRP3 and a Gold Medal

Nat Vorel was the first of their category to make it past what soon proved to be the separating move. Even more impressive about Vorel’s performance was their fight through an apparent shoulder injury, which they suspect held them back.

“I was just there thinking ‘How do I do this?” Vorel said when asked about the crux of the WRP3 Finals problem.

Laura Heaton won silver, followed by Lindsay Purcell, who took bronze.

WRP1: Ruiz Adds Another Gold Medal to her Winning Streak

Melissa Ruiz, a returning National Champion, fell on the top hold of her Finals route, claiming the gold medal. After analyzing what she could have done differently in Finals, Ruiz accepted her performance, although she told us she wishes she didn’t fall on the last move.

Hannah Zook earned silver with a score of 24+, with Jackie Stewart earning bronze with a score of 21+.

WAL2: National Team Athlete Wins First in Qualification and Finals

Morgan Loomis won gold in Finals, renewing her spot on the 2025 Para Climbing National Team. In Finals, the three medalists placed in the same order as in Qualification, with Hannah McFadden taking silver and Daliya Hansen taking bronze.

MRP2: Repeat National Champion Connors Returns for Another Win

Dennis Connors, another returning National Champion, fell just one move from the top, while Ben Mayforth fell only another move below that.

Mayforth’s close call earned him silver, with Brayden Butler following suit in third with a score of 32+. In Qualification, Butler actually placed first ahead of Connors after topping his second climb, which proved to be an impressive turnaround for Connors.

MAU2: Zarzuela Sole Athlete to Top in his Category

Brian Zarzuela was the first and only athlete in his category to top the MAU2 Finals climb, securing the gold medal.

“(The route) was a lot more delicate than powerful. The footwork was the most important part,” Zarzuela said when asked about the crux section of the Finals route.

In a close second for silver was Trevor Smith.

“Our category specifically requires so much more footwork to get the reach we need, and I feel they catered to that really well,” Smith said about the routesetting.

Matthew Lynch followed Smith, winning the bronze medal.

MAU3: Keough Wins Gold at First Para Climbing Competition 

Although this was Mason Keough’s first-ever Para Climbing competition, he took first in both the Qualification and Finals rounds with a score of 20.

When asked about how he enjoyed the routes, Keough commented on his advantages, “I definitely have the best ability crimp-wise with the anatomy of my hand compared to everyone else. This is my first Para Climbing comp. I like meeting new people and everyone’s super nice!”

Following close behind for silver was Braden Shoop, who is also new to competing. Shamus Boulianne won bronze.

MB1: Rahimi Takes Gold

Ahmad Seyar Rahimi climbed to gold, while Eris Skenderi took silver and Terry Hoddinott took bronze, separated by just one move.

MB2: Chao Wins Gold, Bozzone Wins Silver at First Nationals

Kevin Chao had his best performance to date, winning gold. Chao was also the first to top in his Qualification round. Meanwhile, John Bozzone, took silver at his first National Championships.

MB3: Martinez Wins Gold at Second Competition

Andrew Martinez won his first gold medal in the MB3 category. Meanwhile, Gordon Fralick saw a strong start to his career as a Para Climber, wining silver and qualifying for the 2025 Para Climbing National Team after his first National Championships. Diego Kusnir followed with bronze.

WOPEN1: All Three Medalists Finish Just Moves Apart

Norah Schwartz, who has been climbing for over thirty years and has been a life-long advocate for individuals with disabilities, achieved Gold with a score of 22. Meanwhile, Ellie Kneer followed with 21 and Grace Anderson took third with a score of 20. After competing, Schwartz commented on how far Para Climbing has come since she began.

“There used to be 40 of us, now there’s 140 people who competed this weekend,” Schwartz said.

All three athletes had similar performances in the Qualification round, making Finals unpredictable (and especially exciting) for who would take the lead.

WRP2: Seelenfreund and Gleason Fight for Gold

Emily Seelenfreund, who has a collection of gold medals under her belt, found herself on top again. In Qualification, Megan Gleason held the lead with a score of 1.73 compared to Seelenfreund’s score of 2.24, but ultimately took silver in Finals. Caroline Winstel held a consistent bronze placement in both Qualification and Finals.

WAU3: Pritchard Represents Her Category

Ashley Pritchard was the only competitor in her category this year, finishing with a score of 24+.

WAU2: Benvenuti Makes Comeback in Finals

After falling a few moves from the top in the Qualification round, Isabel Benvenuti took gold in Finals.

“It was a really fun climb, it was really technical and it really challenged your ability to read a route and move well,” Benvenuti said when asked how she felt about her performance in Finals.

Meanwhile, Eleanor Rubin won silver and Elise Morley won bronze.

MAL2: Long Climbs from Fourth in Qualification to Gold in Finals

Kyle Long went from fourth place in the Qualification round, behind Ethan Zilz, Lee Shaffer and Corey Ramos, to first in Finals. Long jumped to gold by only one positive motion point in front of Zilz. Winning silver, Zilz climbed one place from third in the Qualification round to second in Finals, with Scott McKinney making a surprising bronze placement after the Qualification round left him in fifth place.

MYouth: Two Podium Athletes Top Finals Climb

Both Teddy Westrick and Nathan McKinley topped their Finals routes, only separated by a cleaner finish by Westrick which earned him the gold medal. In Qualification, Westrick and McKinley were also neck and neck for first with the same exact score of 54+(1). Taiten Wakefield held a consistent placement in third in both Qualification and Finals.

WYouth: Two 2024 National Team Athletes Renew Their Spots

Both Mei Krause and Audrey Chen were part of the 2024 Para Climbing US National Team, with Krause leading the way in both Qualification and Finals with 22 points. Chen’s final score was 11+.

NBOPEN: Nguyen Earns Gold in Both Qualification and Finals

Elliot Nguyen stayed at the top for both Qualification and Finals. Meanwhile, silver medalist Eliana Wallack and bronze medalist Max Gayford originally tied for second in the Qualification round with a shared score of 2.45. Wallack eventually pushed through in Finals, beating Gayford by one point.

WOPEN 2: Finals Podium Stays Consistent from Qualification

All three athletes on the podium ended with the same placements in Finals as they had in their Qualification round. Willow Wilcox won gold with her consistent performance with Michelle Patten just behind her for silver, and Carissa Dahlia winning bronze.

MOPEN2: Lin Wins First Gold

Wayne Lin, who took the lead in both Qualification and Finals, won his first gold this weekend. He and Killian Rooney have competed together before, with both of them also standing on the podium at the 2024 Para Climbing National Championships. Rooney took silver from Drew Coutts by only a positive motion point, making the call extremely close for the podium. Coutts took bronze with a score of 34, with Rooney at 34+.

MAL1: Cislaw Takes First in Both Qualification and Finals

Tanner Cislaw, who has an extensive podium career in IFSC Para Climbing World Cups and IFSC Para Climbing World Championships dating back to 2019, took first in both Qualification and Finals. Jake Frank, who is newer to the competition scene, took silver, while Jacob Rosenquist took bronze. Rosenquist had an overall score of 19+ compared to Frank’s 20+, making the silver placement extremely close.

MRP1: Martin Takes First-Time Gold

Paul Martin crept ahead of seasoned competitor Sunny Yang to win gold. Martin and Yang tied in Qualification with an overall score of 1.41 before Martin proved himself in Finals with a 36+ compared to Yang’s score of 25. Winning bronze was Joshua Unterman who kept his place consistently from Qualification ending with a score of 24+, just one point shy of Yang.

MRP3: Gleason Earns Gold in Both Qualification and Finals

Ian Gleason stayed consistent with his first place finish in both Qualification and Finals. Although Gleason fell close to the top in Qualification, the Finals route proved to be more difficult for the entire category. Mark Jourdian and Ryan Juguan stayed consistent with their placements as well, with Jourdian and Juguan both falling with a positive motion point. Jourdian ended the finals round with a silver medal, with Juguan just behind him in bronze.

MOPEN1: Daniels Takes Gold after Topping Finals Route

Kai Daniels was the only competitor in his category to top the Finals route. When asked if this would encourage him to keep competing, he responded excitedly, commenting on how positive the community has been. The fight for silver was much closer, with Asher Conneally and Chris Connelly only one positive motion point away. Conneally ended up taking silver with a score of 20+, with Connelly just shy with a score of 20.

The top 3 US citizens from each National Team Qualifying Category, plus any Para Climbing Team Pre-Selected athletes, will join the 2025 National Team, representing the USA this year at IFSC Para Climbing World Cups.

Full results from the 2025 Para Climbing National Championships can be found here. You can rewatch the Finals on Outside TV.

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