Meet the Athletes

Casey has lived on the water and river his entire life and has competed in 4 Olympic Games. He grew up a competitive slalom paddler, but the kayak cross bug bit hard in 2024. This sport has become a new challenge as Casey pursues a 5th Olympic appearance.

Evy is a professional kayaker who has been on the US National Team for eight years. She grew up in Western North Carolina paddling on the Nantahala River. Evy won an Olympic bronze medal in women’s canoe at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also enjoys whitewater kayaking and competes in kayak cross around the world.

Jenna was raised in Hendersonville, NC and her favorite local rivers include the Green River, Horsepasture and Gragg Prong. Her favorite place that she has kayaked is on the Rio Fuy and Rio Palguin in Chile. When she’s not on the river, Jenna enjoys rock climbing and snowboarding.

Georgia has been paddling free-flowing rivers for a lifetime. She comes from a paddling family and began competing in Slalom and Kayak Cross three years ago. She is a student at Miami Country Day School and has competed in Europe, Australia and the US Team Trials during the past year.

Originally from the Triangle area of NC, Anthony has been kayaking since 2022. Since the beginning, he has had a passion for river running and making friends. Whitewater paddling has brought him two sponsors and has allowed him to travel as far south as Futalefu, Chile and as far North as Beaver Fest in New York.

Meredith lives in Long Creek, SC on the Chattooga river where she grew up and learned to kayak. Her favorite parts of the sport are the beautiful places she gets to see and the amazing people she paddles with. When not on a river, you can find her working as a barista at the local coffee shop or apprenticing as a silversmith.

Micajah learned to kayak at the Whitewater Center 15 years ago at age of 12. From then, he grew to eventually compete in 3 Slalom World Championships, the Green Race and two Freestyle World Cups.

Rad Dobson is an 18-year-old paddler from West Virginia, excited to be making his Tuck Fest debut.

Jack is a Philadelphia native who relocated to Charlotte and discovered kayaking at the Whitewater Center. It was there that he met his Charlotte paddling crew that he still paddles with across the Southeast. What started as a lesson at the Whitewater Center has grown into a full-blown obsession, leading Jack to compete in races and take paddling trips out West and internationally.

Kaelin is a member of the US National Slalom and Freestyle teams. He travels the world racing slalom and exploring remote rivers.

Originally from Georgia, Logan first took an interest in kayaking when he went off to college. From learning to ferry back and forth on the Chattooga River in 2018 to being crowned King of NY in 2025, his love for the sport and training has only accelerated. He primarily trains for whitewater creek races, so he is excited to test his mettle against slalom paddlers in a unique format.

Cody comes from a family of whitewater paddlers. He currently represents the US in C1 Slalom and Kayak Cross and will be competing at the Jr World Championships in Krakow, Poland this July. He attends Miami Country Day School and has been paddling at the USNWC since he was 10 years old.

Wesley Bolyard has been paddling for about 16 years now and has competed on the US Canoe Slalom Junior and U23 National Teams. He’s been lucky enough to compete all over the world including Europe and Asia, and has been able to meet many other paddlers along the way.

Richard is a former Canoe Slalom athlete who raced on the U.S. National Team for many years. He placed second last year at Tuck Fest and is excited to compete again.

Sofia is a highly accomplished whitewater kayaker and the first Mexican to achieve the Olympics in canoe slalom. Her achievements in extreme kayaking and canoe slalom have made her a trailblazer in both disciplines. Her love for the water and adventure have taken her to some of the world’s most challenging and breathtaking rivers.

Harriet is a paddler who has intermittently represented the USA from 2015–2023 in wildwater, slalom and boatercross. She is also a physical therapist with her own private clinic with a focus on helping paddlers. She’ll be coming into this race less than a week after running the Boston Marathon.

Carden is a 17-year-old kayaker from Bryson City, North Carolina. She has proudly represented the United States in two Junior World Championships in Kayak, Canoe and Kayak Cross. Outside of kayaking, Carden enjoys snowboarding and pole vaulting.

Marcella is a competitive kayaker and a member of the US National Team in Canoe, Kayak and Kayak Cross. She is currently finishing her Economics degree at George Washington University and loves to spend time with friends, be outdoors or watch a good show when she is not on the water.

Sanderson is a Charlotte native who grew up paddling at the whitewater center. He has a passion for whitewater instruction and gets out to the river whenever he can. Sanderson is currently a student at UNCC where he is studying finance.

Michal has competed in slalom for over 16 years and represented the U.S. at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. In recent years he has been focused on coaching, but is currently based in China with plans to compete again soon and a goal of going to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Micah started rafting and kayaking when she was eighteen years old. She loves the friends and community, the places it takes her and events like Tuck Fest that push her out of her comfort zone.

Hailing from upstate South Carolina, Dayton has spent most of his kayaking career on the Green River. He made it to semi finals at Tuck Fest last year and is excited to see what he can do this year.

Joel Newton is from Greenville, South Carolina. This is his seventh year kayaking and he is eager to get back into the competition after a shoulder surgery 8 months ago.

Fergus first stepped into a kayak in 1995 and now has over 30 years of paddling experience on various rivers.

Caitlin is a 27-year-old athlete for Pyranha Kayaks and a Charlotte local. In her past race season, she achieved first-place finishes at both the Green Race and the Iceman Championships. When she isn’t chasing river adventures with friends or leading canoe and kayaking trips for young women, she works providing behavioral therapy for kids on the Autism Spectrum.

Magnus is a 19-year-old whitewater kayaker from Charlotte, NC. He enjoys creek boating and downriver freestyle, and his favorite rivers include the Ottawa River and the Green River Narrows.

Morgan Cox, a team paddler for Pyranha Kayaks, is based in Chattanooga, TN, and has been kayaking and competing for over 10 years. She spends her winters in South America to continue paddling and racing, with a focus on downriver racing and creek boating. Off the river, Morgan is dedicated to mentoring new paddlers and building an inclusive kayaking community.

Originally from New Hampshire, Alex has followed her love for whitewater kayaking to the Southeast where she lives on the New and Gauley Rivers. Alex enjoys all disciplines of kayaking including freestyle, racing, creeking and boater cross.

Landis, 21 years old, has been kayaking since he was 8, starting at the Whitewater Center. He is from Charlotte, but has paddled some of the biggest whitewater on the West Coast and in the Southeast.

Kenny Hank is a former US Extreme Slalom athlete turned engineer living in Greenville, South Carolina. Kenny is usually out chasing some of the biggest whitewater in the South.

Julia Duffy is a Charlotte local who grew up climbing at the Whitewater Center. She is a 7x USA Climbing national team member, though she has recently been focusing less on competitions and more on school and outdoor climbing goals. She is currently living in Salt Lake City, Utah, working towards her Master’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Utah. Her favorite places to climb are Maple Canyon in Utah and the New River Gorge in West Virginia.

Joe Goodacre is a 25-year old climber based in Boulder, Colorado. He has earned a reputation in the climbing community, securing several national and international titles. Outside of climbing, Joe stays active with skiing, surfing, and mountain biking. Now in his fourth year at Tuck Fest, he is excited to compete for a spot at the top of the podium.

Zander Waller is a 22-year-old seasoned competitor from Atlanta, GA. Deep Water soloing is his favorite climbing discipline with a race element he can’t stay away from. He will be returning this year for his 8th Tuck Fest appearance.

Jessie Wence, a 22-year-old climber, is currently a senior at Appalachian State University. She spends most of her time climbing in Boone and on boards but is excited to make her Tuck Fest and DWS debut.

Emma Hunt is an Olympic speed climber for Team USA. She competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and is the Women’s Pan American Speed Record holder. She loves all disciplines of climbing and is excited to finally compete again at Tuck Fest.

Emma is a 32 year old climber and scientist living in San Francisco. She has been climbing for 8 years and loves all disciplines of climbing, indoor and outdoor. Her home crag is Rumney, NH, and her favorite place to climb is El Potrero Chico, Mexico. She first tried DWS at TNF Climb Fest in 2025 and is excited to do it again.

Zoe is an 18-year old climber from San Diego, currently taking a gap year before college. She grew up competing on the Youth and Open circuits and even got to go to a couple world cups, but has enjoyed doing citizen’s competitions this past year. This will be her first DWS competition, but hopefully not her last.

Austin grew up in Camas, Washington and has been climbing and competing for roughly 10 years. He was a member of the Multnomah Athletic Club climbing team and now attends the University of Utah, studying Biomedical Engineering.

Victoria Yu is an 18-year-old climber from Northern Virginia. She has been climbing for about seven years and competing for four, and is excited for her Tuck Fest and deep water solo debut. Outside of climbing, she enjoys reading, spending time outdoors and trying new foods.

Kellen Gornall is an 18-year-old climber from Marietta, Georgia. He has been climbing for nine years and competing for the past eight, spending most of his time focusing on competitions and outdoor climbing. Outside of climbing, he loves coffee, baking and exploring new places.

Van Malkie is a competitive climber currently training in Salt Lake City with collegiate and national teams. He recently competed at the Adult National Championships, placing 27th in Sport, and made open finals at River Rock and Battle of the Bay.

Grant Nguyen is a 27-year-old climber from Fremont, California. He started climbing in 2016 and has been competing year-round for the last 8 years. A former national finalist on American Ninja Warrior, Nguyen shifted his focus to Deep Water Solo climbing in 2025 following the The North Face Climb Festival.

Based in the Bay Area, CA, Colin spends most of his time coaching, route setting, bouldering in the Sierra Nevada, ridge traversing, skiing and trail running.

Phoebe, currently living in Salt Lake City, has been climbing for the past 14 years. Her focus is in the USAC Youth and Elite Series.

Kaden Kang is a 19-year-old San Fransisco native that has been climbing for seven years. He competes in Speed, Boulders and Sport, and broke into the DWS world in 2025.

Josh is a 26-year-old speed climber from Utah with seven years of climbing experience and four years of competitive involvement. His recent training has included outdoor bouldering and calisthenics, focusing on coordination, speed and power.

Harrison is a 21-year old Charlotte local that is currently based out of Boone, NC. He is a senior at Appalachian State University, pursuing a degree in biology. This will be his second year competing at Tuck Fest.

Now in his second year as a Tuck Fest DWS athlete, Isaac is a 18-year-old from North Carolina who favors climbing in the Boone area.

Olivia is an 18-year freshman at Cornell University. She’s been climbing for 12 years and was introduced to deep water soloing in 2023 at the Psicobloc Open Series in Montreal, Canada. Olivia has since deep water soloed at Summersville Lake, West Virginia and last year’s Tuck Fest.

Nik is a competition climber based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He began his career on the youth circuit where he earned a spot on the National Sport Team. Currently competing in NACS, his goal is to qualify for the U.S. Bouldering Team.

Erin is a senior at UNC Chapel Hill majoring in Environmental Studies and Business. She has been climbing for almost 10 years, competing in the USAC youth and collegiate circuits, and is returning this April for her fourth Tuck Fest.

Addy Tallent is a 19-year-old student at App State and has been climbing for over 10 years. After a brief hiatus from competing, she is excited to return for her fourth Tuck Fest.

Makaila Parks is a nationally ranked competitive climber with eight years of experience competing at the USA Climbing (USAC) level. She trains and competes at a high intensity, both indoors and outdoors, and continues to climb year-round around Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Competing at Tuck Fest for the third time, Kyle is excited to be back on the wall where his climbing journey began. A Charlotte native now living in Richmond, Kyle is a dedicated climbing coach and passionate competitor.

Alyssa Smith is a Charlotte local who grew up climbing at Inner Peaks and the Whitewater Center. She competed in the USA Climbing youth circuit for six years and is returning to Tuck Fest for the 4th time. She now enjoys indoor and outdoor climbing in the mountains of North Carolina while pursuing an accounting degree at Appalachian State University.

Josh FitzPatrick has been competitively climbing for over 10 years and is returning to Tuck Fest for his 5th year. Originally from Marietta, Georgia, Josh has been living in Salt Lake City, Utah for the past 2 years. He spends his time running his small business, Fitz Outfitters, training for competitions and spending time in the mountains.

Yealiya is an 18 year-old rock climber from Georgia who has been dedicated to the sport for over 8 years. She’s an international competitor who has proudly represented the U.S. at Youth Worlds twice. Outside of climbing, she has a love for nature and enjoys sewing, crocheting and all things creative.