It's the premier high school wrestling event of the year! Who's Number One goes down this Sunday in Johnstown, PA. 

Who's Number One 2024 Girls' Preview

Check out our historically stacked girls' card in the preview below.

Bout Order - 2:00pm Eastern

155: #2 Janiya Johnson, TN vs #3 Sarah Pulk, MN

130: #1 Aubre Krazer, PA vs Taina McGowan, NJ

145: #1 Charlotte Gilfoil, PA vs #2 Sarah Henckel, CT

100: #1 Jaclyn Bouzakis, PA vs #2 Hailey Delgado, TX

110: #1 Heather Crull, IN vs #2 Taylor Whiting, WI

140: #1 Bella Williams, OK vs #2 Isis France AZ

120: #1 Isabella Marie Gonzales, CA vs #2 Savannah Witt, PA

125: #1 Everest Leydecker, AZ vs #2 Me'kala James, CA

135: #1 Taina Fernandez, MD vs #2 Jordyn Fouse, PA

115: #1 Epenesa Elison, CA vs #2 Charlie Wylie, NJ

105: #1 Morgan Turner, IL vs #2 Julia Horger, PA

155: #2 Janiya Johnson, TN vs #3 Sarah Pulk, MN

Two of the youngest competitors at Who's Number One, Janiyah Johnson of Tennessee and Sarah Pulk of Minnesota, will face-off at 155 pounds.

Though she entered the National Championships unranked, Janiyah Johnson defeated all challengers in the 16U 155lb, including the second-highest ranked returning high schooler Sarah Pulk, and left Fargo as the top challenger to the #1 ranking. 

Now with a Fargo stop sign in her trophy case, Johnson will head to Johnstown, PA to try and add a WNO crown to her collection of accolades. 

Sarah Pulk, a 2024 U17 World Team Trials runner-up, will get a shot at redemption in Johnstown. Pulk wrestles for Greenbush-Middle River High School. Pulk also placed third in Fargo in the 16U division last July.

Both wrestlers are just getting started in their respective careers. Johnson, a sophomore at Kirkwood High School, is just 14 years old, one of the youngest wrestlers at the event. Pulk also has one of the latest birthdates of the WNO competitors and is still only 15 years old.

130: #1 Aubre Krazer, PA vs Taina McGowan, NJ

Aubre Krazer, a senior at Easton High School, and Taina McGowan, a sophomore at Wyoming Seminary, will wrestle in Johnston, PA this September 29 to decide the number one wrestler in the nation at 130 pounds. 

It will be a battle of Eastern Pennsylvania high schoolers, as Krazer attends Easton, located in the Lehigh Valley and one of the most storied public schools in wrestling history, while McGowan is a student at Wyoming Sem, the most successful high school girls program ever, located a little further north in the Wyoming Valley. Both valleys are rich in wrestling talent and tradition. 

Krazer, who is making her second consecutive appearance at Who's Number One, is undefeated in her Pennsylvania high school career. 

Krazer is also a three-time Fargo placer, winning a stop sign in the junior division in 2023. Aubre also has some recent international experience, winning a 2024 U20 PanAm gold at 59kg. 

McGowan is one of three Wyoming Seminary students at Who's Number One, a testament to that school's commitment to elevating women's wrestling in the country. Jaclyn Bouzakis and Isis France are the other two Blue Knights at the event. Taina is also 2023 Journeymen champ and a 2024 Fargo champ. 

Taina and her brother, Marc-Anthony, will join the Figueroas (Gracie & Richie), the Gomezes (Gabriella & Austin) and the Henckels (Sarah & Will) as being part of a family where both a brother and sister have competed at Who's Number One.

145: #1 Charlotte Gilfoil, PA vs #2 Sarah Henckel, CT

Connecticut’s Sarah Henckel will be making her second appearance at Who’s Number One, where she will look to notch her first WNO victory in a match against the top ranked returning high schooler at 145lbs, Charlotte Gilfoil of Harrisburg, PA.

As the highest-ranking 145-pounder returning to high school competition this season, the number one ranking will be Charlotte Gilfoil's to defend. The senior at Central Dauphin High School finished her junior season as a PIAA finalist and on the podium at the U20 World Team Trials. 

Gilfoil also has a trophy case full of medals, including placements at Journeymen and Super 32, as well as boys' folkstyle tournaments. 

Charlotte's challenger to the top spot is Sarah Henckel, who participated in 2022's Who's Number One and wrestled her way back into the tournament by dint of her runner-up finish in Fargo last July in the 145-pound junior division, losing only to the graduated Valerie Hamilton.

Henckel will be a junior at prep powerhouse Blair Academy in northwest New Jersey, though she still represents her native Connecticut at Fargo. She also has quite an impressive collection of medals, with podium placements at the likes of Ironman and the US Open, among others. 

100: #1 Jaclyn Bouzakis, PA vs #2 Hailey Delgado, TX

Two U17 World Teamers will collide at 100-pounds at this year's Who's Number One, as Hailey Delgado, who made the team at 43 kilograms, will be moving up in weight to take on Jaclyn Bouzakis, the #1 ranked high schooler at 100lbs and the 2024 46kg U17 world rep. 

Jacyln Bouzakis, a rising sophomore at Wyoming Seminary, spent most of her freshman year near or at the top of the national high school rankings at both 95 and 100 pounds. She cemented her status as the top 100-pounder to beat when she won both the 46kg World Team Trials and the 16U national championship in Fargo at 100lbs. 

Additionally, Jaclyn's rival Morgan Turner is moving up a weight class to 105, leaving Bouzakis as the clear number one at 100lbs. 

Sliding into the 100lb weight class is Hailey Delgado, who ended the 2023-24 season as the number one ranked 95-pounder in the nation. Delgado hails from El Paso, Texas, not typically known as a wrestling hot-bed, but that's something Delgado is hoping to change. 

Though still just 14 years old, the rising freshman already made the U17 world team at 43kg. 

Delgado also has international experience from making the 2024 U17 PanAm team and the 2023 U15 PanAm team. She claimed U17 PanAm silver this summer and U15 PanAm gold last year. 

Bouzakis' international credentials include a U17 bronze medal from 2023. She also comes from a family of wrestlers. There are now three Bouzakis siblings with Fargo titles, as Jaclyn's older brothers Vince and Nic also have stop-signs (along with a laundry list of other distinctions). 

110: #1 Heather Crull, IN vs #2 Taylor Whiting, WI

Heather Crull of Indiana and Taylor Whiting of Wisconsin are facing off at 110-pounds with the number one ranking on the line at the appropriately named, Who's Number One!

Both Crull and Whiting are 2024 Junior National Champs. Crull won at 105-pounds, though she had been ranked at 105 for most of the season, while Whiting won at 110-pounds, though she had been ranked at 105. 

The two elite midwestern competitors decided to settle things this Sunday at 110 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. 

Crull has been one of the premier high school lightweights in America for the last two years, making the 2023 U17 World Team and earning a bronze medal at 49 kilograms in Istanbul. She followed that up in 2024 by making another U17 World Team. Crull brought home bronze from the 2024 U17 PanAm championships held over the summer in Rio Negro, Columbia at 50kg. 

Whiting doesn't have the international accolades just yet, but she has come on strong lately, finishing the season near the top of the rankings and capping off the summer with a Fargo stop sign. 

Whiting, a native of Oconto, Wisconsin, also finished third at the 2024 U17 World Team Trials and was also a top placer at last year's national championships in Fargo. 

Her opponent at WNO will be from a couple of states over, as Heather Crull calls Richmond, Indiana home. Whiting will be a junior at Oconto Falls, where her older brother Clayton, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, also attended. Crull will be a sophomore at Northeastern High School this season.

140: #1 Bella Williams, OK vs #2 Isis France AZ

Bella Williams and Isis France will continue their rivalry from the U17 World Team Trials and decide the top ranking at 140 pounds at Who's Number One.

Bella Williams prevailed in the best two-of-three series last April, beating Isis France 10-6 in the first match and 9-2 in the final match but dropping round 2 by the score of 10-2. We'll get to see round 4 on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown this Sunday, September 29. 

That win put Williams on the 2024 U17 World Team. The senior at Edmond North High School located outside of Oklahoma City is an Oklahoma state champ that got some international experience over the summer when she won a gold medal at the U17 PanAm Championships. Williams also doubled up on Fargo stop signs in 2023, winning both the Junior and 16U divisions. 

Isis France is also a two-time Fargo champ, winning a stop sign in 2023 in the 16U division and then another in 2024 in the Junior division. Last July was France's third time on a Fargo podium, as she placed third in 2022. 

France has some international accolades herself, having won a U15 PanAm gold in 2022. Originally from Arizona (for whom still still competes at Fargo), France is one of three WNO participants from prep powerhouse Wyoming Seminary, the other two being Jaclyn Bouzakis and Taina McGowan. 

120: #1 Isabella Marie Gonzales, CA vs #2 Savannah Witt, PA

The #1 ranked 120-pounder in the nation, Isabella Marie Gonzales, will be in Johnstown, PA to defend her top ranking from the challenger, #2 Savannah Witt, this Sunday, September 29.

Gonzales, a rising senior at Clovis East, in the wrestling hotbed of Califonri's Central Valley, is trying to reach rarified air by winning her second consecutive match at Who's Number One. Gonzales earned top dawg status with a thrilling win over Karlee Brooks in 2023's edition of WNO. 

Gonzales' opponent this year will be from the opposite side of the continent but also from the same state as the venue, which is located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. 

Savannah Witt, a senior at Palisades High School, will travel to the other side of the Keystone State to try and upset the top-ranked Gonzales. Witt will be entering the event with a full head of steam, having won a Pennsylvania state title in March and then finishing as a runner-up in Fargo, losing only to graduated high schooler Aspen Blasko in the finals. 

That second-place finish was Witt's fourth time on the podium in Fargo, North Dakota. 

Gonzales is also a multiple-time placer at Fargo, having made the top 8 three times. Bella also made the 2024 U17 World Team and is a three-time PanAm age-level medalist.

Two experienced high schoolers: one from California currently wearing the crown; the other from Pennsylvania with thoughts of a dethroning on her mind. Gonzales faces Witt this Sunday to settle the score. 

125: #1 Everest Leydecker, AZ vs #2 Me'kala James, CA

Everest Leydecker is back at Who's Number One looking for a record-setting third consecutive win at this prestigious event. Her opponent will be the recently minted 16U national champ Me'Kala James at 125 pounds.

Leydecker is attempting to become the first women's wrestler to collect a third win at Who's Number One. In 2022 Leydecker defeated Cadence Diduch. In 2023 she beat Aubre Krazer. Both Diduch and Krazer have multiple invites to WNO if you need a quick reference for the caliber of Everest's wins.

Leydecker, a rising junior at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Arizona (that's correct, Everest is eligible to compete in 2025's Who's Number One) has won quite a few other important bouts outside of WNO. She's a 2022 16U National Champ and a 2023 and 2024 U17 world teamer. Over the summer she also won gold at both the U17 and U20 PanAm Championships. 

Me'Kala James doesn't have quite the resume of her opponent, but she's also just getting started. The 16 year-old James attends Central East High School in Fresno, California, a major hub of wrestling talent in America. She had her breakout performance in Fargo last July, running the gauntlet in the 124-pound 16U national championship bracket. 

James blitzed through the #8, #4, #2 and #1 seeded opponent in her division, which included multiple ranked wrestlers. James took out the #2 ranked wrestler in the nation, Emma Bacon, in the round of 16, and never looked back.

And while James wasn't ranked headed into Fargo, it should be noted Leydecker was also not ranked when she won a title in Fargo in 2022, a title which preceded her 2022 Who's Number One victory. 

Will James continue her tear and go from unranked to number one? Or will Leydecker make history in Johnstown, PA with her third win at the event?

135: #1 Taina Fernandez, MD vs #2 Jordyn Fouse, PA

Taina Fernandez turned 15 at the end of last May. A few weeks later she was in Guatemala winning her third U15 Pan-Am gold medal. About a month after that Fernandez won the second Fargo title of her young career, celebrating on the big stage with two rubber chickens, as is the custom for Maryland wrestlers. One month after that, Fernandez was in Amman Jordan earning another gold medal, this time at the U17 World Championship.

A soon-to-be sophomore at Archbishop Spalding High School in Southern Maryland, Fernandez has grown accustomed to both winning and dominating. Fernandez went unscored upon at U17 Worlds, pinning four of her five opponents and 11-0 teching the fifth. No one lasted a full match against Taina at U17 Pan-Ams either. Same story at Fargo and the U17 World Team Trials. The last loss I can find for Taina was last November at the 2023 Princeton Open, a college tournament, where the then 14-year-old lost to then 28-year-old Alexandra Town, a Canadian who a U23 world title in 2018. 

Fernandez wrestled her WNO opponent, Jordyn Fouse, twice during her recent winning binge, defeating Fouse 2-0 in the best 2-of-3 U17 Team Trials finals. Fouse is a local to the Johnstown area, where Who’s Number One’s 2024 edition will be held. 

Fouse has no shortage of accolades either. Beyond her runner-up finish at this year's 2024 Team Trials, Jordyn was a runnerup at Fargo in 2023 and third at 2023’s U17 World Team Trials. 

Fouse also did a lot of winning while representing Bishop McCort, her high school, also located in Johnstown, winning a 2024 PIAA state championship in dramatic fashion over Haylie Jaffe. Fouse also won the second-ever women’s division at the prestigious Beast of the East tournament and placed third at the venerable Walsh Ironman tournament.  

Fernandez has not been tested domestically by an age-level opponent in some time, but Fouse may be inspired by the hometown crowd. Whatever the result, the number one ranking will be the reward for the victor.

115: #1 Epenesa Elison, CA vs #2 Charlie Wylie, NJ

15-year-old Epenesa Elison is one of the youngest competitors at Who’s Number One but has established herself as the top-ranked 115-pounder in the nation. 

The Downey, California native will be entering her freshman year in high school this fall and already has a trophy case full of golden hardware. Elison triumphed at the 2023 U15 Pan-Am Championships, coming home with a gold medal at 46kg. She followed that up with another Pan-Am U15 gold last June in Guatemala at 50kg. Epenesa also won the U17 World Team Trials at 49kg last April. 

Charlie Wylie will attempt to knock Elison off her number one perch. The Montague, New Jersey native is coming off a spectacular performance in Fargo, North Dakota, where Wylie won the 16U 112-pound division. Wylie finished all five of her bouts leading up to the finals by tech or pinfall before blanking Kayla Batres, ranked #4 nationally, in the gold medal bout 8-0. 

Wylie is from the northernmost reaches of New Jersey and competes for the Garden State at Fargo, but also competes for Port Jarvis High School in New York across the Delaware River that divides the states. Wylie was also runner-up at the U17 World Team Trials at 53kg, where she went 1-2 in the best of three finals against Isabella Marie Gonzales, who will be participating at WNO at 120-pounds.

105: #1 Morgan Turner, IL vs #2 Julia Horger, PA

Who's Number One, the annual star-studded high school event is bringing one of the most accomplished teenage female wrestlers back to the competition at 105lbs. Morgan Turner, a two-time U17 world medalist from Lockport, Illinois, will be back on the WNO mat to face a recently crowned Fargo champ, Julia Horger, wrestling in her home state of Pennsylvania. 

Turner won her second consecutive U17 world medal at the end of August in Amman, Jordan. She returned to Illinois after a not-so-simple journey and immediately had to start preparing for her second appearance at Who's Number One without much time to catch her breath. But that's life when you are one of the most talented young women's wrestlers in the United States. 

Turner has been ranked #1 for the entire 2023-24 season, starting the year at 95 pounds and then moving up and down between 100 and 105. The Illinois native has wrestled her last match at 100 pounds, though, and will be at 105 or higher for the rest of her career. 

Morgan now has a U17 World bronze to go with her 2023 U17 World gold (and a pair of age-level Pan-Am golds) as evidence of her freestyle proficiency, but Turner is also well-versed in folkstyle. Turner regularly competes against boys during the Illinois high school season. She recently placed fourth at the prestigious Al Dvorak Tournament last December, and the season before that she made history by placing third in Class 2A IHSA boys states championships at 106lbs.

Turner also has a Fargo title, winning the 2023 16U national championships at 94lbs, in case you thought she was going to leave that trophy unclaimed.

Turner will put her number one ranking on the line against another rising star in the women's wrestling universe, Julia Horger, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Horger is coming off a command performance in Fargo, North Dakota where she won a 16U national championship at 106-pounds. 

Fargo was Horger's breakout performance after earning a trunk's worth of accolades while competing against both boys and girls, mostly in the state of Pennsylvania. 

Horger will travel across the Keystone state, from outside Philadelphia to outside Pittsburgh, to try and dethrone Morgan Turner on the campus of Pitt-Johnstown. 

It's all going down in Johnstown, PA. See you there!