Youth Movement Continues at Senior Nationals

(Birmingham, AL) – One year after eight juniors captured gold medals, a plethora of young judoka again made statements at the 2025 USA Judo Senior National Championships in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 24. All seven national champions in the male divisions were 22 years of age or younger, including two teenagers. Overall, 11 of the 14 national champions crowned at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex were 25 or under. In addition, 12 of the 14 male finalists were 22 or younger and nine of the 14 female finalists were 25 or younger.

2025 Senior National Championships Shiai Results

2025 Senior National Championships Kata Results

"With the 2028 Olympic Games on the horizon, the next generation of Olympic hopefuls are making themselves known and paving the way for a bright future for USA Judo," said USA Judo Director of High Performance Ed Liddie.

A year removed from becoming one of the youngest Senior National Champions in history, 17-year-old Daniel Liubimovski (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Colton Brown Training Center) claimed his second consecutive gold medal win in the men's 100 kg category. The victory in the finals ended with a throw for ippon against 22-year-old Jared Causse (Charlotte, N.C. / USA Judo National Resident Team).

Fellow teenager Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team / L.A. Judo) tuned up for his first Senior World Championship appearance next month by claiming his first Senior National title in the men's 60 kg competition. A day removed from his 18th birthday, the reigning Cadet World Champion defeated 19-year-old Christopher Velazco (Coral Springs, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center).

"I'm excited. It's been a dream of mine to compete at the World Championships," Yang said. "I'm gonna have that confidence going in knowing that I belong there and I think that's going to help me perform better and compete at my best."

The finals in the men's 90 kg and +100 kg divisions both featured battles of youth vs. experience. In the +100 final, 20-year-old Alex Semenenko (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC) bested 35-year-old Jose Aguilar (Woodstock, Ga. / Black Ice Judo), while 20-year-old Oleksandr Nyzhnyk (Burlingame, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team / Nakano Judo Academy) defeated 32-year-old Alfred Brown (Dumfries, Va. / Sport Judo) for the gold in the 90 kg competition. Semenenko also took home the gold medal in the men's open division.

"I got some good momentum from this tournament," said Nyzhnyk, who is headed to his first Senior World Championships next month. "I got some confidence boost and I'm ready to take it to Senior Worlds and I'm excited for the opportunity to prove myself."

Johan Silot (Salem, Mass. / NYAC / Pedro's Judo Center) defeated fellow 22-year-old Dimitri Gamkrelidze (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Darfight) to capture his second national championship in the men's 81 kg division. Silot will also be taking the mat in his first Senior World Championships in Budapest.

"This will be a tough tournament, I know that for sure," admitted Silot. "But I'm pretty excited for it. I'm trying to bring back to the U.S. something more than 'Oh, I was part of the team.'"

2024 Olympian Jack Yonezuka (West Long Branch, N.J. / NYAC / Cranford JKC), 22, also captured his second senior title ahead of his fourth Senior World Championships by defeating 18-year-old Alexander Prado (Coral Springs, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) for gold in the men's 73 kg bracket.

"I feel good. I just came off another good result at the Pan American Championships," Yonezuka stated. "I know I'm going to prepare hard before. This was a good test event and I feel ready. I'm excited."

The men's 66 kg final paired two 20-year-olds as Lenny Sheynfeld (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Pedro's Judo Center) took his first senior national championship with a victory over Jacob Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team / L.A. Judo Club).

Jonathan Yang, Jacob Yang, Yonezuka, Silot, Nyzhnyk and Causse will all represent the U.S. at the IJF Senior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, June 13-20.

The youth movement on the female side included Mariah Holguin (San Antonio, Texas / Universal Judo) winning her second national title in the women's 57 kg division. Holguin, who is headed to her fifth Senior World Championships at just 24 years of age, defeated 22-year-old Leana Nelson (Coventry, R.I. / Top Game Martial Arts) in the finals.

"I didn't even know it was five (world championships)," recalled Holguin. "I just think how much experience I have, reminding myself I've been doing this for a long time now and I'm still young. I'm just super happy to be back out there to fight in Hungary."

Twenty-five-year-old Toni Pepia (Staten Island, N.Y. / Colton Brown Training Center) secured her first Senior National gold medal with a victory over 22-year-old Emily Sway (San Diego, Calif. / San Diego Judo) in the women's 52 kg final, while 21-year-old Karlee Carrouth (Oklahoma City, Okla. / NYAC) took her second senior title in the women's 63 kg competition by defeating 18-year-old Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center).

Nancy Nguyen (San Jose, Calif. / NYAC), 20, also captured her first Senior National championship with a victory over 23-year-old Isabella Garriga (Richmond, Texas / USA Judo National Resident Team) in the finals of the women's 70 kg division.

The "more-seasoned" competitors claiming national championships included 2024 Olympian Maria Laborde (Kenosha, Wis. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) taking her third national title at the age of 34 in the women's 48 kg division with a finals win over 16-year-old Malia Manibog (San Gabriel, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo).

"I feel really good," said Laborde. "For my preparation going to North Carolina with (USA Judo National Resident Team Head Coach) Israel Hernandez. He's known me for a long time to get me ready with all the strategies for the World Championships I'm going to use."

29-year-old Gusmary Garcia Savigne (Claymont, Del. / El Idrissi Judo Academy) defeated 2020 Olympian Nina Cutro-Kelly (Selma, Texas / Universal Judo) to win the women's +78 kg competition, and 28-year-old Nicole Stout-Berliner (Schenectady, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center) claimed her fifth straight national championship with a win over Lotanna Onua (Atlanta, Ga. / Black Ice Judo), 26, in the women's 78 kg final.

Laborde will be joining Holguin at next month's Senior World Championships in Budapest.

Emma Bragg (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon) won the women's senior open division title.

Medalists in all senior categories are as follows:

Senior Men's 60 kg
1. Jonathan Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team / L.A. Judo Club)
2. Christopher Velazco (Coral Springs, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center / NYAC)
3. Joshua Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team / L.A. Judo Club)
3. J.R. Foster (Mobile, Ala. / Foster's Martial Arts)

Senior Men's 66 kg
1. Lenny Sheynfeld (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC / Pedro's Judo Center)
2. Jacob Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team / L.A. Judo Club)
3. Vasil Nadiradze (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Darfight)
3. Amin Bakhtiyor (Fairfax, Va. / Pedro's Judo Center)

Senior Men 73 kg
1. Jack Yonezuka (West Long Branch, N.J. / NYAC / Cranford JKC)
2. Alexander Prado (Coral Springs, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
3. Aaron Jen (Milpitas, Calif. / SJSU Judo)
3. Aiden Cohen (Vernon Hills, Ill. / Cohen Brothers Judo Club)

Senior Men 81 kg
1. Johan Silot Suse (Salem, Mass. / NYAC / Pedro's Judo Center)
2. Dimitri Gamkrelidze (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Darfight)
3. Rodney Shepard (Durham, N.C.)
3. Ramon Hernandez Jr. (Pompton Lakes, N.J. / North Jersey Judo)

Senior Men 90 kg
1. Oleksandr Nyzhnyk (Burlingame, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team / Nakano Judo Academy)
2. Alfred Brown (Dumfries, Va. / Sport Judo)
3. Ian Bouton (Garland, Texas / Becerra Judo Club)
3. Issei Barefoot (Minneapolis, Minn. / Pedro's Judo Center)

Senior Men 100 kg
1. Daniel Liubimovski (Staten Islanc, N.Y. / NYAC / Colton Brown Training Center)
2. Jared Causse (Charlotte, N.C. / USA Judo National Resident Team)
3. Adam Richardson (Sanford, Fla. / Sasaki Judo)
3. Jesse Butler (Firestone, Colo. / Hyland Hills Judo Club)

Senior Men +100 kg
1. Alex Semenenko (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC)
2. Jose G Aguilar (Woodstock, Ga. / Black Ice Judo)
3. Andrew Williams (Fredericksburg, Va. / Wall 2 Wall Martial Arts)
3. Tyler Cook (Willowick, Ohio / MaxOut Sports Judo Club)

Senior Men Open
1. Alex Semenenko (Staten Island, N.Y. / NYAC)
2. Timothy-Michael Spriggs (Columbia, Md. / High Noon)
3. Khetag Tabuev (Stamford, Conn.)
3. Gilbert Anderson (Austin, Texas / Louisiana Judo)

Senior Women 48 kg
1. Maria Laborde (Kenosha, Wis. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
2. Malia Manibog (San Gabriel, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo)
3. Anne Suzuki (San Jose, Calif. / San Jose State University Judo)
3. Melia Manning (San Jose, Calif. / San Jose State University Judo)

Senior Women 52 kg
1. Toni Pepia (Staten Island, N.Y. / Colton Brown Training Center)
2. Emily Sway (San Diego, Calif. / San Diego Judo)
3. Brinna Lavelle (Woodlawn, Tenn. / Renzo Gracie Judo of Clarksville)
3. Devin Amtmann (Butte, Montana / Butte Judo Club)

Senior Women 57 kg
1. Mariah Holguin (San Antonio, Texas / Universal Judo)
2. Leana Nelson (Coventry, R.I. / Top Game Martial Arts)
3. Noran Elmahroukey (New Providence, N.J. / NYAC)
3. Elsa Clark (Potomac, Md. / Sport Judo)

Senior Women 63 kg
1. Karlee Carrouth (Oklahoma City, Okla. / NYAC)
2. Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)
3. Audrey Copeland (Durham, N.C.)
3. Angela Ryu (Centreville, Va. / Sport Judo)

Senior Women 70 kg
1. Nancy Nguyen (San Jose, Calif. / NYAC)
2. Isabella Garriga (Richmond, Texas / USA Judo National Resident Team)
3. Melissa Myers (Burnt Hills, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)
3. Yasmin Alamin (Woodbridge, Va. / USA Judo National Resident Team)

Senior Women 78 kg
1. Nicole Stout-Berliner (Schenectady, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)
2. Lotanna Onua (Atlanta, Ga. / Black Ice Judo)
3. Mackenzie Schultz (Daleville, Ala. / Black Ice Judo)
3. Rose Marie LeCorre (Charlotte, N.C. / USA Judo National Resident Team)

Senior Women +78 kg
1. Gusmary Garcia Savigne (Claymont, Del. / El Idrissi Judo Academy)
2. Nina Cutro-Kelly (Selma, Texas / Universal Judo)
3. Jessica Alaynick (Scotia, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)
3. Anna Atkinson (Tacoma, Wash. / Ippon Judo Dojo)

Senior Women Open
1. Emma Bragg (Tampa, Fla. / High Noon)
2. Ekaterina Petri (Pittsburgh, Pa. / High Noon)