8 Winning Moments from the 2025 USA Judo National Championships

The 2025 USA Judo Senior National Championships were held this past weekend in Birmingham, Alabama—and it was a landmark event for Team Hatashita/FUJI. Our athletes delivered an unforgettable performance, taking home a remarkable eight national titles, including a clean sweep across all men’s divisions.

Women’s Division Highlights

In the women's events, Maria Laborde continued her reign of excellence by capturing her third national championship title in the -48kg category. Her technical dominance and consistency on the tatami made her performance one of the standout moments of the weekend.

Team Hatashita/FUJI also secured two bronze medals on the women’s side. Noran Elmahroukey battled her way to bronze in the -57kg division, while Yasmin Alamin showcased her strength and strategy to earn bronze in the -70kg category.

Men’s Division – A Clean Sweep

The men’s divisions were a showcase of Team Hatashita/FUJI’s depth and talent, with athletes claiming gold in every weight category.

• In the -60kg category, Cadet World Champion Jonathan Yang made a major statement by claiming his first senior national title, defeating fellow FUJI-sponsored athlete Christopher Velazco in a thrilling final. Jonathan’s brother, Joshua Yang, also made the podium, earning a bronze medal.

• The -66kg division was another all-Hatashita affair. Lenny Sheynfeld, a Junior Pan American silver medalist, stood tall atop the podium after a decisive win against teammate Jacob Yang, who took home silver. Amin Bakhtiyor added to the medal haul with a bronze in the same category.

• At -73kg, Jack Yonezuka, still riding high from his Pan American Championship victory, took home gold.  Aiden Cohen showed grit and determination to claim bronze.

• Johan Silot captured his first senior national title in the -81kg division, while Oleksandr Nyzhnyk earned his gold in the -90kg category. Issei Barefoot, last year’s national champion, took bronze, demonstrating the continued depth of talent on our roster.

• In the heavier divisions, Daniel Liubimovski, the reigning Senior National Champion, defended his title in the -100kg class. In the +100kg division, Alex Semeneko capped off an incredible team performance by taking home the gold.

  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)

What’s Next for Team Hatashita/FUJI?

With an exceptional showing at the 2025 Senior Nationals, Team Hatashita/FUJI has once again proven its elite status in USA Judo. We are excited to see several of our top athletes head to the Senior World Championships in less than a month in Budapest, Hungary.  Meanwhile, our rising stars will soon hit the mats in Europe, competing in the Junior European Judo Tour.

Congratulations to all of our Athletes. The Road to LA2028 Begins Now!