Patrick Pina III, a Tucsonan who trains in the new Roman Bravo-Young Wrestling Club, earned the national championship at 126 pounds in the 2026 USA Wrestling 16U & Junior Folkstyle Nationals at The MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex in West Des Moines, Iowa, on Sunday
Pina, who will be a freshman at Sunnyside High School in the fall, went 5-0 in the competition, finishing with a 4-3 decision over Scout Scott of Team Idaho Wrestling in the championship.
“I’ve still gotta keep grinding and working,” Pina told USA Wrestling. “It’s cool but there’s still more work to do.”
Pina’s path to the title:
First round: Major decision, 10-2, over Isaac Weber of Ringers Wrestling Club (Germantown, Wis.)
Second round: Decision, 8-2, over Vincenzo Mannello of GPS Wrestling (Hawthorne, N.Y.)
Quarterfinals: Decision, 12-6, over Lewis Davis of Threestyle Wrestling (Bentonville, Ark.)
Semifinals: Technical fall, 22-6 (5:48), over Jaxten Bowler of Champions Wrestling (Cedar City, Utah)
Championship: Decision, 4-3, over Scout Scott of Team Idaho Wrestling (Idaho Falls, Idaho)
Pina spoke about the impact Bravo-Young — four-time state champ at Sunnyside with a 182-0 record, two-time national champion at Penn State and Olympic wrestler with Mexico — and the coaching staff at the RBY Wrestling Club have made on his young career at this point.
“My coach, RBY, has got all of these opportunities for us to learn from these world-class wrestlers,” he said. “I’m so lucky to have a coaching staff like that, a good circle of people I can trust and hang out with.
“We’ve got all of these guys I am looking forward to learn from. It’s time to get back in the lab and keep going.”
Pina’s next significant challenge is competing in the 2026 Fargo USA Wrestling 16U & Junior Nationals in July at the FargoDome in Fargo, N.D.
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