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12 Athletes etched their names into the Premier Series Hall of Fame.
On November 16 and 17, the best athletes from around the world gathered at Life Force Ninja in Bellingham, Washington for the World Ninja League Premier Series Finals. Course Designers Becca Margulies and Jadyn Welch put together two insane courses for the competitors to tackle, ensuring the athletes on top of their game secured the win. Read on to find out who won the 2024 Premier Series!
The weekend kicked off with the Kids Female division, where reigning World Champion Ariana Merchant swept the competition, taking first place on both the Placement and Challenge Courses. While Elise Wessel and Samantha Mishkin took 2nd and 3rd on the Placement Course, it was Riley Banadyga and Claire Mattern who jumped onto the podium behind Merchant, taking 2nd and 3rd overall, respectively.
Meanwhile, in the Kids Male division, Joey Stone took 2nd on the Placement Course just behind Shane Young, who took the top spot. Harrison Buss took 3rd place. However, on the Challenge Course, Stone hopped into 1st place to become Champion. Filling out the rest of the podium were Brayden Powers (2nd) and Oliver Brannan (3rd), who impressively bounced back after falling towards the bottom of the leaderboard on the Placement Course. The entire Challenge Course podium cleared the course, as well!
The Mature Kids Female division was swept by Meghan Moore, who won her 2nd consecutive Premier Series Championship. The now 2-time champ was followed by Haven Chizmar (2nd) and Cayleigh Hanlon (3rd) on the Placement Course. All 3 athletes on the Placement Course podium cleared the course! Then, Moore was followed by Ananyssa Truong (2nd) and Harper Bergin (3rd) on the Challenge Course.
In the Mature Kids Male division, Alfio Charon, Augustin Vega, and Anthony DeSimone filled the Placement Course podium. All three young athletes hit buzzers on the Placement Course! However, things changed on the Challenge Course, as Tyler Bowers took the win. Vega remained in 2nd place, and Miles Wilson took home 3rd place.
Arguably the most diverse division in terms of results was the Preteen Female division. On the Placement Course, Malone Canter and Melody O’Brien took 1st and 2nd, respectively. Aleya Perron was one obstacle behind them in 3rd place. However, only Perron stayed on the podium when the Challenge Course rolled around, as Perron became the Premier Series Champion. Following behind her on the Challenge Course was Paisley Rudkowsky in 2nd and Kinley Jenkins in 3rd.
Former Premier Series Champion Aidan Collins started the Preteen Male division hot, becoming the only Placement Course finisher. Collins was followed by Gavin Sheils (2nd) and Yunoshin Nagahisa (3rd) on the Placement Course. Then, everything changed on the Challenge Course, as Sheils finished the course in the fastest time, granting him the title of Premier Series Champion. Also hitting buzzers and making the podium were Leland Cruz (2nd) and Will Vaz (3rd).
The Teen Female division featured a lot of surprises. It began straightforwardly, with Savanna Salinas (1st), Lily Brown-John (2nd), and Emilia Keating (3rd) taking the top spots on the Placement Course. However, after a shocking fall on the first obstacle of the Placement Course, Porter Fagnant ran the Challenge Course first. Fagnant showed the poise of a professional, becoming the first and only Challenge Course clear of the division and becoming Premier Series Champion. Salinas took 2nd on the Challenge Course while Keating took 3rd.
Charlie Ball came out the gate swinging in the Teen Male division, finishing the Placement Course 8 seconds faster than Cameron Godbout (2nd) and Nicolas Jacob (3rd). While Ball was the favorite entering the competition, it was Michael Matthews, who placed 2nd in last year’s Premier Series Finals, that finally was crowned Champion with a win on the Challenge Course. Jacob took 2nd, while 3rd place went to Gavin Markowitz. The entire podium cleared the Challenge Course as well!
The Amateur Female division was swept by Sayda Magtoto, who advanced to the final obstacle of both the Placement and Challenge Courses to become Champion. On the Placement Course, Talya Francis took 2nd while Zoie Whelan placed 3rd. Then on the Challenge Course, Daniella Blanchard, who placed 3rd at the last Premier Series Finals, placed 2nd this time around. Once again, Whelan placed 3rd, locking her spot on the podium.
The Amateur Male division was also swept, this time by Champion Rory Jago. Coming up behind Jago on the Placement Course were Lucas Shahnamian (2nd) and Luke Van Zeeland (3rd). The Challenge Course podium looked a little different, with Christian Hart taking 2nd and Braeden Gyle placing 3rd. In the end, Jago was the only buzzer of the division as the only athlete to clear the Challenge Course!
The competition concluded with the Elite division, where reigning World Champion Nora Brown-John swept the Elite Female competition with deep runs on both courses. Filling out the podium on the Placement Course were Addy Herman (2nd) and Corinne Capriotti (3rd). The Challenge Course saw a new leaderboard, with Zoe Harkness in 2nd and Anabella Heinrichs in 3rd. Only Nora Brown-John progressed to the final two obstacles of the Challenge Course, securing her the title of Premier Series Champion.
Finally, in the Elite Male division, reigning World Champion Jackson Erdos took the win, sweeping the competition. Erdos was also the only athlete in his division to clear the Challenge Course, granting him the title of Premier Series Champion. Placing behind him on the Challenge Course podium were Kevin Rodriguez (2nd) and Noah Meunier (3rd), who both progressed to the final obstacle. On the Placement Course, Gavin White took 2nd and Spencer O’Brien placed 3rd.
Congratulations to all of the athletes who qualified for, competed at, and performed well in the Premier Series Finals! We can’t wait to see you all back for the next one!
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