“Takedown!” screamed ESPN commentator Gerard “Rock” Harrison in the sudden-victory overtime of the 149s title match at the recent NCAA Championships. “Valencia victorious for the Stanford Cardinal!”
Morgan Hill native and Sobrato alum Aden Valencia had just achieved one of the biggest athletic accomplishments in local history. At 33 seconds into the extra session, Aden broke a 5-5 tie with a three-point takedown of his opponent to claim the title.
And the back story with Aden and sister Nyla, a CIF State champ wrestler from Sobrato and NCAA medalist at University of Iowa herself, is incredible and touching. Family bonds and wrestling success reach elite levels within the Valencia family of Morgan Hill.
Aden won two Central Coast Section titles for Sobrato and then headed to college at Stanford. As a redshirt freshman, he competed in the March 2026 NCAA championships in Cleveland as a No. 10 seed and advanced through four rounds to the final.
In an ultra-dramatic thriller, he pulled a major upset to defeat top-seeded unbeaten senior Shayne Van Ness of Penn State. That gave Valencia the national crown.
It was a family victory. Older sister Nyla Valencia, a CIF State champion for Sobrato, has been an elite wrestler for the University of Iowa, including a 26-5 record in 2025-26 when she finished fourth in the 110s in the NCAA championships.
However, Nyla recently retired from the sport after she incurred her third ACL injury in three years. The two had been trained and coached in their early years by their father Joel Valencia, a star wrestler back in his day.
Thinking of his sister and her career-ending injury and retirement, Aden dedicated his title to Nyla. It capped a series of great achievements for the family. Nyla had dedicated her state title to her father, who had claimed second place in the 1995 CIF State championships.
Aden had just won a national title and he similarly dedicated it to his sister, describing it as the first national title for the family.
“Right when the final ended, it was a special thing,” Aden said. “My (Stanford) team was all matside. I ran to the corner and jumped into their arms. I ran to my sister and gave her a big hug. I had to do it for her. And my parents; they’ve been with me the entire journey.”
The Valencia family, with father Joel and mother Sandra, is a Morgan Hill and Sobrato treasure. There is a unique and deep connection within the family and especially between the two siblings.
“We share a very special bond,” Aden said. “She’s been my partner since the beginning. We trained together four to five days per week. We shared so much.
“Being able to win and bring her some satisfaction was really important. I told her I was going to do this for her. I told her we’re going to have a national champion in the family.”
Nyla won a CIF State wrestling title for Sobrato in 2020. It was the first in school history and she dominated every opponent in that competition in Bakersfield. Nyla went on to compete collegiately in Iowa, receiving All-American recognition and medaling in the NCAA championships.
During her career, Nyla represented the US in international tournaments and competed in the US Olympic trials.
Victory in Cleveland
The 2026 NCAA championships were held March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, with a final day crowd of 17,845. Aden powered through his first two matches, defeating No. 23 Max Petersen of North Dakota State 18-6, and No. 7 Ethan Stiles of Ohio State 7-5. The quarterfinal against No. 2 Jaxson Joy of Cornell was a huge battle and a turning point.
“I was down seven points against the No. 2 guy,” Aden said. “I came back and scored nine points in a row. I felt I was doing it for others and for the program. It was an awesome moment. It was a pivotal moment.”
Aden won 12-9 and then beat No. 11 Lachlian McNeil of Michigan 9-5 in a semifinal. That moved him, a 20-year old redshirt freshman, into the championship tilt against Shayne Van Ness of Penn State, a 25-year old senior with a 25-0 record.
Earlier in the season, Van Ness had beaten Valencia.
“It’s one of those storybook tales,” Stanford assistant coach Sean Gray said. “Aden has a relentless attack rate. He is a supreme competitor and always fights to the end. I worked with him a lot during his redshirt year. Everything we had been working on is what you saw in the final.
“He brought supreme confidence. He is a really special kid; how he carries himself; he is so humble. After the semifinal, I told him to do what you were born to do.”
Aden reflected on the hard work that had brought him to this point. He realized that every moment had to be perfection. He had worked on the technique for his finishes, as it is hard to finish against elite opponents.
He also worked closely with his coaches on hand-fighting and on mat work. Still, the challenge was substantial.
“I had wrestled him (Van Ness) in December,” Aden said. “He beat me up pretty good. But he was now wrestling a different version of Aden. I wanted to let him know nothing he does is going to stop me from taking the title.”
Aden scored the first takedown and led 4-1 early. The score was 5-4 after two of three periods.
Early in the third, Van Ness escaped for a point and a 5-5 tie. The remainder of that stanza was dramatic but no more points were registered and the match moved into the sudden-victory extra period.
“The third period was survival,” Aden said. “I had this incredible belief that I was going to win. I was right there. I had never broken through. I felt this is finally my time.”
In the two-minute overtime period, Aden made the key move. He scored a three-point takedown after 33 seconds. The first score would end the match but there was to be a review of the referee decision by the off-mat referee. It was confirmed.
Valencia had the 8-5 victory and the championship belt.
“He dives single leg,” ESPN’s Harrison commented, while watching instant replay moments later. “He’s gonna pop back door. Watch him lock his hands around both legs here. He takes him through and sits him to his butt. Although he has an ankle, he has both hips collected. He’s got his head on the outside hip. Now with the hook of the far leg, that’s absolutely a takedown.”
The match was telecast and streamed live.
An elite wrestling family
Aden began with ice hockey, judo and wrestling at an early age. He was coached by his father and often trained with his sister. Around age 13, he focused on wrestling, noting he found it fulfilling and liking the individual aspect of the sport.
He had success at section and state levels, and moved to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for his senior year, taking classes online. Aden cited that year for great improvements.
He began at Stanford and stated that the teammates and coaches were a big part of learning to get better. In addition to NCAA competition, Aden has competed in events including the senior U.S. Open, the U20 World Trials and others. His future goals include the Olympics.
Nyla started wrestling around age 5, helping as a training partner for Aden. She learned the sport by being a partner, learning how to give the right reactions to his moves. She had excelled in Judo but it took a while for wrestling to click for her, as the only opponents for a long time were boys.
“I didn’t start liking it until I competed against girls, and my competitive edge from Judo took over,” Nyla said. “At that point, I realized I was pretty good and I had a unique style because of my Judo background, so most of my matches would end in throws.”
She won the CIF State title in the 106-pound weight class in early 2020 as a Sobrato sophomore. Nyla beat her first four opponents by scores of 15-0, 9-1, 12-0 and 11-1, all technical falls or major decisions. In the title match, she won 11-4.
“There was a lot of emotion because it was the first state title,” Nyla said. “This was my dad’s ultimate goal when he was a high school student to win a state championship but he couldn’t fulfill the dream. I was the first one in the family to do it.”
Joel Valencia, then at Fremont High in Sunnyvale, went to the CIF State meet three times and was runner-up in 140s in 1995. He coached both children in their early days.
“First and foremost, Aden has an incredible belief in himself,” Joel Valencia said. “His competitiveness is through the roof. Physically, he is sort of a freak athlete. He has a ton of power and a lot of speed. He has a huge gas tank of endurance. My daughter is the same way.”
COVID struck during Nyla’s junior year of high school and as a senior, she finished second in the state. She matriculated to the University of Iowa, where a women’s wrestling team was being established.
Nyla excelled at the college and international levels. She won the prestigious Missouri Valley Open and competed at the US Open and World Team Trials and qualified for the Pan-American team.
Her first injury hit in that time frame, yet she rehabilitated quickly and competed in the Olympic Team Trials. More injuries hindered her career and forced her to retire from the sport.
Brother Aden carried on the family name and legacy. As seen on ESPN, he won the NCAA title in a thriller and was proud to “do it for her.”
Watch the title match
To watch a recording of Aden Valencia’s March 21 victory over Shayne Van Ness for the NCAA national title, visit tinyurl.com/35u2fsay. The overtime period is from 14:16 to 16:58 into the video, with the post-match interview to follow. The entire segment is 19:56.
