Hail to the World & "Now" Conference Champion

It's not often that Maryland can say that one of our wrestlers became a world champion before they became a high school conference champion... but friends it happened.

Archbishop Spalding’s Taina Fernandez is top rated in the state, the country, and the U17 World Stage as the two-time World Champion just completed the best high school season of her storied career. Fernandez battled an injury through the middle part of last year that kept her from really flashing what she could do against the boys in Maryland.

This year the junior was a regular in the lineup versus the fellas and made history as the first Female MIAA Champion. The groundbreaker also earned one of the inaugural Girls’ High School Triple Crowns and locked down a third National Prep Title. All that and more made Fernandez an obvious selection for a Female Wrestler of the Year.

“Being named a wrestler of the year feels pretty good!” Fernandez expressed. “In a way, it serves as validation for all the hard work that I’ve put in this year. Winning it, I’m just filled with gratitude to have made it to the end of yet another folkstyle season with my team, and to have earned it day by day in the room, both on days when I felt extremely motivated, and on days when nothing seemed to make sense. It serves as a reminder that through each high and low, I still showed up and was surrounded by people who motivated me to.”

THROWING DUKES WITH DA’ BOYS

Spalding coach Mike Laidley had to wait until this year to see if what we all suspected, she could win a MIAA and state title, was true. We no longer have to speculate about the MIAA part of that as Fernandez crossed that off the list at the Gilman School in February,

All eyes were on Fernandez throughout the MIAA Tournament and an early 1:21 pin led to a semifinal encounter with Boys’ Latin’s Devon Pringle, who she disposed of in 3:51. A rematch with Mt. St. Joseph’s No. 5 Ben Scheiner awaited in the 138-pound finals and Fernandez had to dig deep to battle back from a deficit to gain the winning takedown late against Scheiner.

“Now that time has passed, I look back on the history I made at the MIAA tournament as another chapter in my story,” reflected Fernandez. “I think back on all the tough practices, when tears or blood were shed, and how they all served as their own individual pages. Over time, I’m thankful that each page added up to the victory that was MIAA, and looking back now, MIAA feels like not just a culmination of my wrestling that year but of my identity on Spalding’s team. I’ve always felt part of the team, and my teammates and coaches have always believed I was part of the team, but winning MIAAs truly made ME feel part of the team, and that moment never fails to warm my heart whenever I think about it.”

Fernandez sat out the MIS, and we guess it’s possible, will never wrestle there as that is the National Prep Qualifier and her presence in the lineup would boot a male counterpart from the lineup. That’s fine and dandy under usual circumstances but with Fernandez chasing a fourth National Prep Title, we don’t see her abandoning that and going with the boys.

Since Maryland doesn’t have a qualifier for girls, Fernandez could follow John Carroll’s Julianna Moccia’s path and wrestle with the boys at MIS and girls at Preps. That year, Moccia became the first ever girls MIS placer and one of the first National Prep Champs.

Only time will tell, but what the past has shown is to not place any doubts on what Taina Fernandez can accomplish.

In the dual meet season, the junior reinforced her Ray Oliver showings versus the boys by picking up wins against No. 12 at 144, Cole Genua (McDonogh), and Scheiner. At their Cavalier Duals, Fernandez smoked Chesapeake of Anne Arundel’s Carson Roberts, 21-5.

Fernandez was third at Ray Oliver as a freshman and landed in that same spot again this year after losing to her teammate, No. 2 Quentin Bailey, 4-1 in SV OT, while adding a win over No. 4 Mason Comegys (McDonogh). It was fellow Cavalier Sean Garretson that got her the first time.

“I can’t help but smile when I think about Ray Oliver,” Fernandez quipped. “Although it’s not ideal to take third after losing to a teammate. It never fails to confirm that I’m in the right room. Each day, I’m so grateful to train with the one person I can’t figure out. And it feels so special that, although we were rivals at Ray Oliver, for the rest of the year, that same person is gonna be the one pushing me every single day in the room. Overall, every year I’ve gone to Ray Oliver, I've uncovered cracks in my wrestling, and I’m so thankful that the same person who exposed them is the same one helping me fix them in the room.”

QUITE THE DOMINATING LADY

All that is impressive enough, but there is another, more dominate side to Fernandez that many women across the state, nation, and world have felt and fear. Fernandez last tasted defeat to a girl at the collegiate level (in an open tournament in 2025) and as a middle schooler.

That impressive run led to two more history making performances this year as alongside Bo Bassett on the boys’ side, Fernandez became the first ever girls’ four-time Super 32 Champion. The Cavalier also collected the Triple Crown, which will be awarded each season going forward to a girl who wins championships at the Women of Ironman, Beast of the East, and PowerAde.

Four falls delivered Fernandez’s second Ironman Gold as she decked No. 22 GG Garduno (St. Ignatius, OH) in 1:31 of their 140-pound final. The junior also planted No. 17 at 135, Claudia Heeney of Lockport Township, Illinois in the opening round, 1:48. The other pins came in 52 and 42 seconds.

A third Beast of the East Championship was acquired when Fernandez once again pinned all her opponents, including No. 32 Chloe Ross (Choate Rosemary Hall, CT) in just 1:04. No. 27 Jenny Gautreau (Owen J. Roberts, PA) made it to the second round before being dropped in 3:42. The other three came in the first period, 1:55, plus 22 and 27 seconds.

“Beast is always one of my favorite tournaments, as it never fails to spark my fire for folkstyle season,” Fernandez added. “And going into it, I’m always motivated to start the season off strong. As for my third Beast title, I was really happy, not just with the title itself, but overall, reflecting on how far I’ve grown over the course of these last two years at the tournament. This year, especially, I felt a newfound sense of security in myself, which I believe translated onto the mat. Wrestling not to please anyone else, but to prove to myself how much I’ve evolved.”

It seems the creation of the Triple Crown was the catalyst for Fernandez’s first voyage to the famous PowerAde endeavor. More domination ensued for Fernandez, but her final foe, No. 28 Ava Golding (Kiski Area, PA) didn’t get stuck, instead she was the victim of a 15-0 technical fall. No. 29 Kimberly Munoz (Berks Catholic, PA) was pinned in 29 seconds and two more pins of 27 and 43 seconds were thrown on the bracket.

“I had lots of fun on my first trip to PowerAde,” Fernandez continued. “Of course, there was an added element of pressure in the form of earning the last “jewel” in the Triple Crown, but I did my best to block any thoughts surrounding the title itself. This mental shift, towards just taking it one match at a time, allowed me to focus on wrestling my best in that moment and, overall, feel more confident in accomplishing the goal of a “Triple Crown” title.

“Additionally, I was motivated by the fact that I wasn’t the only one chasing a “Triple Crown,” and I think knowing that I wasn’t in this alone gave me the extra boost I needed to get it done, so we can all make history together.”

Fernandez’s run through those three gauntlets allowed her and two girls from Pennsylvania, Marlee Solomon (Canon-McMillan) and Violette Lasure (Chestnut Ridge), to become winners of the Triple Crown. All three are juniors and will run it back next year.

“I think it’s very cool to have been one of the very first winners of the girls' High School Triple Crown,” remarked Fernandez. “It was something I was chasing down this year, and actually doing it makes me really proud. I think back to all the times in the room, where I told myself I would do it, then reminded myself in the next breath to focus on wrestling my best in every individual match, every tournament, at a time, rather than the feat at large.”

The Cavalier did step on the mat against Maryland Girls at the War on the Shore and won her first crown there as she had never been on those mats in the past.

Fernandez put a 15-0 tech on Aeriel Stallworth (Catasauqua, PA) in the finals at 140 pounds and decked state champion, No. 1 at 140, Amari Purnell of Stephen Decatur in 28 seconds and dropped fourth-place state placer, No. 4 London Smith (Eastern Tech) in 1:14. There was also an opening 50 second pin.

Fernandez moved up to 145 pounds for the National Prep Tournament and had an easy time putting her third straight prep crown in the books with a 2:28 pin of Bullis School’s Kesi Tsarni. Tsarni is ranked second in Maryland and sixth nationally by High School on SI. Fernandez collected pins of 14 seconds and 1:20 to advance to the finals.

“Winning my third National Prep title feels very satisfying, as my goal going into Preps is always simple: to end the year off strong,” Fernandez said. “Not worrying about how many titles I’ve won or have left to win but focusing on the one title I am striving for this year. This year, especially, I wanted to showcase how far I’ve come as a wrestler, not just since the beginning of the season, but also since my past two years at the tournament.

“Throughout Preps, taking it one match at a time, I wanted to showcase not just how much my wrestling has improved, but how much my other mental aspects have too, whether it be how much my confidence has grown, how much closer I feel with my team, how much more grounded I feel in my faith, etc.”

Wyoming Seminary’s Alexis Penley upset Blair Academy’s Sarah Henckel in the 170-pound finals to derail Henckel’s bid to become the first four-time female NP Champ. In some ways that is fitting as it now sets the stage for Fernandez to be the first to accomplish the historic feat. Something she has grown quite accustomed to as the trailblazer she is.

NEXT…

That is a down the road thing to be tabled for another time. After laying low since preps, Fernandez will be at the Women’s Nationals in Washington this weekend, double dipping for the first time. She has won the last two U17 Crowns and parlayed those into back-to-back World Championships.

This year, Fernandez is also age eligible for the U20 gauntlet as well. Will the Cavalier repeat her Fargo performance where she won 16U and Junior Titles? One thing we know for sure is NEVER doubt Taina Fernandez! So, I don’t think many back home will be surprised in the least if she makes two world teams while in Spokane.