The 2022 Age-Group Semifinal for teens and masters aged 35-49 took place last weekend, May 26-29. Athletes completed six workouts over the course of three days in a quest for a top-10 spot — and a ticket to the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
To view the full list of individuals currently sitting above the cutline, click HERE.*
Here are some highlights from the weekend.
* Note: Leaderboard standings are unofficial until the review process is complete. Check back to see updates when the leaderboard is finalized.
Ages 14-15
RJ Mestre is on fire this season. After placing fifth in the Boys 14-15 division at the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games, he came back in 2022 with a vengeance, placing first in the Open and Quarterfinals. The 14-year-old has not only kept the victories coming at Semifinals with three event wins but also took first overall with a 91-point buffer between him and second-place Ka’eo Subiono. Will Mestre be able to keep the streak alive and take home another Games gold? (His fellow competitors better hope there aren't any Mario Kart events.)
On the girls side, Lucy McGonigle also had a strong lead at the end of the weekend, coming out on top and almost 80 points ahead of second place. McGonigle, like Mestre, placed first in the Open and Quarterfinals this year, making a clean sweep thus far in the 2022 season. She took second at the 2021 CrossFit Games and is definitely one to watch this year.
Ages 16-17
It was a tight race between Elijah Subiono, Andrei Petku, Morgan Christensen, and Benjamin Concha last weekend. The four boys claimed the sixth through ninth spots in their division and were separated by only 21 points. This will be Petku’s and Christensen’s debut Games appearance.
Olivia Kerstetter, victor of the Girls 14-15 division at the Games last year, has continued her streak with a first-place finish in her 16-17 division debut. She took the top spot with three event wins — including an impressive 242-lb 1-rep-max clean and jerk in Workout 6 — and no finish outside the top four.
Ages 35-39
Sam Dancer is making a comeback after a short hiatus from the CrossFit Games. Dancer, who placed first in Semifinals, is no stranger to high-level competition. He took 32nd as an individual in 2016 and went on to help teams from CrossFit Invictus take second and seventh in 2018 and 2019. This year marks Dancer’s masters debut, and he says he’s keeping his “eyes open, heart clean, and mind focused” after turning 35.
Another beloved CrossFit Games veteran, Chyna Cho, will return to Madison in August. After placing 11th at the CrossFit Atlas Games in 2021, missing her chance to compete at the Games last year, Cho left no room for error this year, placing first in Semifinals. This will be Cho’s seventh CrossFit Games appearance.
Ages 40-44
Forty agrees with Michael Laverriere. After taking 15th and fifth in the 35-39 division in 2018 and 2019, respectively, he aged up in 2022 with a first-place Semifinal finish — and 69 points to spare.
Rebecca Voigt Miller has been to the Games every year since 2012 — and she’s not about to stop now. After a seven-year career in the individual division, she took third in the 35-39 division in 2019 and second when she aged up the following year. Last weekend, she earned her 10th Games ticket with a third-place finish in the Age-Group Semifinal.
Kelly Friel, who took second in the division at the Games in 2018 and 2019 before winning in 2021, is well on her way to defending her title. She won for the 40- to 44-year-olds at the Semifinal stage.
Ages 45-49
Mike Kern placed second in Semifinals and will be making his fifth CrossFit Games appearance this year. Kern was a collegiate wrestler and football player prior to starting CrossFit in 2013 and has been blowing away the competition since. In his four previous CrossFit Games appearances, Kern has had three top-10 finishes, including second-place finishes in 2016 and 2021. First place went to Vlad Liashkevich, who will make his CrossFit Games debut this year.
With 486 points apiece, Michelle Suozzi and Ali Crawford tied for first in their division. Suozzi finished first in the Open, fifth in Quarterfinals, and had three workout wins during her Semifinals weekend. Crawford placed second at the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games and first in the 2022 Quarterfinals. But Crawford is the first to admit that sometimes training isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. She has been putting in the work when no one’s been watching.
The second half of the Age-Group Semifinal will take place this weekend for ages 50+ as the adaptive athletes also kick off their next stage in the Adaptive Semifinal. Stay tuned to Games.CrossFit.com and the CrossFit Games leaderboard for updates on how the age-group and adaptive competitions shake out.
In-person competition continues this week as well with the Far East Throwdown in Busan, South Korea, and the Granite Games in Eagan, Minnesota. Find out more about how to watch the livestreams.