The Lead rounds of USA Climbing’s National Team Trials Presented by The North Face concluded last night with athletes earning their places on the 2026 Lead National Team. The event has proven to be one of the most competitive in recent memory because Olympic qualification events begin in 2027, and athletes are eager to gain international experience and position themselves early in the Olympic cycle.

This year’s event also introduced a new format. Rather than the traditional qualification, semi-final, and final rounds where athletes are progressively eliminated, all competitors advanced through three rounds of climbing. Athletes had three opportunities to earn strong finishes, with their rank in each round contributing to their final National Team Ranking score. A first-place finish in Round 1 counted just as much as a first-place finish in Round 3, rewarding consistency and breakthrough performances across the entire competition.

From those performances, the top athletes secured their places on the 2026 USA Climbing Lead National Team.

Women’s Lead National Team

Brooke Raboutou, Ella Fisher, Analise Van Hoang, and Adriene Akiko Clark earned their places on the 2026 Women’s Lead National Team after three tightly contested rounds.

Raboutou and Fisher immediately set themselves apart in Round 1. Both athletes were the only climbers in the field to top both routes. Those performances gave them crucial National Team Ranking points heading into the later rounds. Raboutou continued to demonstrate control throughout the event. She reached the high point in Round 2, maintaining her lead heading into the final round. In Round 3, she once again delivered under pressure, topping the route to secure the top overall National Team Ranking score.

Raboutou reflected on returning to National Team Trials after several years of preselection through international results.

“This year was really different for me,” Raboutou said. “I’ve been preselected since 2019. It was always the plan that I was gonna take a year off and that meant starting back at zero. It started with a bit of nerves at Nationals, and I think throughout each climb and each round, I gained confidence. It’s been great to be back in the atmosphere.”

Fisher also remained a constant presence near the top of the leaderboard. After her dominant Round 1 performance, she followed with a strong Round 2 climb to hold second place before finishing Round 3 with another top, reinforcing her position among the nation’s strongest lead competitors.

Behind the leading pair, Analise Van Hoang and Adriene Akiko Clark delivered critical performances. Van Hoang climbed consistently across all three rounds, including a standout Round 1 showing where she pushed high on both routes to finish third overall in the round. Clark similarly built momentum throughout the competition, reaching the upper sections of the routes in each round and maintaining a competitive ranking across the event.

With strong results across all three rounds, the four climbers secured the highest National Team Ranking scores and earned their positions representing the United States in international lead competitions this season. That’s alongside Annie Sanders, who was already preselected due to her Continuously Updated World Ranking.

Women’s Lead National Team:
Annie Sanders (Preselected)
Brooke Raboutou
Ella Fisher
Analise Van Hoang
Adriene Akiko Clark

Men’s/Open Lead National Team

The Men’s/Open field delivered equally dramatic competition, with Colin Duffy, Jesse Grupper, Sergey Lakhno, Ross Fulkerson, and Dillon Countryman earning spots on the 2026 Lead National Team.

Jesse Grupper opened the competition with a commanding Round 1 performance, finishing first after topping one route and reaching high on the other. His strong start placed him in an excellent position within the National Team Ranking standings from the beginning.

Round 2 produced one of the most decisive moments of the event. Sergey Lakhno was the only athlete in the field to reach the top of the route, separating himself from the rest of the competitors and earning a crucial victory in the round. Colin Duffy demonstrated exceptional consistency across all three rounds. After placing second in Round 1 and again finishing near the top in Round 2, he delivered the highest point of Round 3, to secure the round win. His ability to remain competitive in every round ultimately earned him the top overall National Team Ranking score.

Duffy said the competition format and recent events helped him prepare for the international season ahead, and highlighted how the new structure rewards consistent performance across the entire competition.

“I think it’s good for selecting the best athletes,” he said. “Being rewarded for your qualification and semi-final performance is something that should be valued. This new format was really decisive in building a strong team.”

Ross Fulkerson also maintained steady performances throughout the competition, placing near the top of the standings in each round, including a strong Round 3 climb that kept him within the leading group. Dillon Countryman rounded out the team with a series of solid performances across the event, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in Round 1 and another competitive showing in Round 2 that kept him in contention for a National Team position.

With the points from all three rounds combined, the five athletes secured the highest National Team Ranking scores and earned their places on the 2026 USA Climbing Lead National Team.

Men’s/Open Lead National Team:
Colin Duffy
Jesse Grupper
Sergey Lakhno
Ross Fulkerson
Dillon Countryman

Full results from the 2026 National Team Trials Presented by The North Face are available here. Follow @usaclimbing on social media for competition updates and behind-the-scenes action. You can rewatch the National Team Trials Presented by The North Face on Outside TV.