FARGO, N.D. — Curwensville Area High School sophomore McKenzie Astorino added another milestone to her already impressive wrestling career by earning All-American honors with an eighth-place finish at 95 pounds in the 16U division at the 2026 USMC Junior Nationals, held July 16-18 at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota.
Astorino finished the tournament with a 4-3 record while competing against the nation’s top wrestlers in one of the most prestigious events in amateur wrestling.
After receiving a first-round bye, Astorino opened competition with a 6-2 victory over Jahnavi Marion of Michigan in the Round of 32. She then dropped a 7-3 decision to eventual rematch opponent Piper Phillips of Iowa in the Round of 16.
In the consolation bracket, Astorino put together an impressive run to secure All-American status. She defeated Pennsylvania’s Malaina Comfort by 10-0 technical fall in 1:25, followed with another 10-0 technical fall over Kalaya Baxter of Idaho in just 1:14, and then earned a 15-4 technical fall over Emma Martinez of California in 1:35 in the consolation quarterfinals to guarantee a place on the national podium.
Astorino’s tournament came to an end with a 6-0 loss to Pennsylvania’s Mia Nesbitt in the consolation semifinals before falling to Phillips by pin in 58 seconds in the seventh-place match.
The Fargo All-American honor is the latest accomplishment for Astorino, who is coming off an outstanding freshman season at Curwensville. During the 2025-26 high school season, she finished as the PIAA Girls State runner-up and has continued to build on that success on the national stage. Earlier this spring, she earned a bronze medal at the USA Wrestling Women’s National Championships to qualify for the U.S. National Team.
Astorino also helped Team Pennsylvania capture the 16U Women’s National Team Championship. Pennsylvania dominated the team race with 172 points, well ahead of runner-up Oklahoma’s 113 points, and finished the tournament with 15 All-Americans in the 16U division.
Astorino’s performance in Fargo was another historic achievement for the Curwensville girls wrestling program. She became the first female wrestler in Curwensville Area High School history to earn All-American honors at the USMC Junior Nationals.
Other local competitors in Fargo were Curwensville’s Brylee London, who went 0-2 in 16u at 145 pounds and Clearfield’s Makayla Taylor, who went 1-2 in the 145 pound junior division.
