PESARO, Italy (September 20, 2026) – The American delegation finished strong in final competition Sunday, posting three top-eight finishes to conclude the 2026 Acro Junior World Championships and World Youth Competitions.
Leaving Pesaro with the highest U.S. finish was the 12-18 men’s group of Grant Mathison (Crofton, Md./Emilia’s Acro Gymnastics and Cheer), Benjamin Dethridge (Laurel, Md./Emilia’s Acro Gymnastics and Cheer), Max Rosenshaft (Damascus, Md./Emilia’s Acro Gymnastics and Cheer) and Peter Vonder Haar (Imperial, Mo./Emilia’s Acro Gymnastics and Cheer), who ranked fifth in the combined final with a 26.400. The youth men’s group from Great Britain won with a 28.170.
The next best placement went to the 12-18 women’s trio of Alexia Irreno (Potomac, Md./Xtreme Acro), Zoe DeShields (Rockville, Md./Xtreme Acro) and Miah Collazo (Great Falls, Va./Xtreme Acro). The group finished seventh (27.050) in a tie-break behind Australia, which was broken by Australia’s higher execution score.
The final American group to perform in Italy were juniors Leesy Sarria (Gambrills, Md./International Elite), Gia Calo (Annapolis, Md./International Elite) and Dakota Martin (Upper Marlboro, Md./International Elite), who scored a 27.250 in their combined final to place eighth.
With junior and youth competition completed, Pesaro gets ready to welcome senior acrobats from September 24-27. Visit the World Gymnastics website for complete results and more information on the upcoming senior Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.