The secret to placing high on the 2025 CrossFit Games leaderboard has been revealed: Train with either Brute Strength or PRVN Fitness, where eight of the top 12 individual athletes — the top six men and top six women — came from.
- On the women’s side, two PRVN athletes made the podium: Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr and Olivia Kerstetter, with Maddie Sturt finishing sixth.
- For the men, two PRVN athletes finished in the top six: Ricky Garard (second) and Jay Crouch (sixth).
- Meanwhile, three Brute Strength athletes placed in the top four: Jayson Hopper (first), James Sprague (third), and Dallin Pepper (fourth).
Worth noting: This is the second consecutive year that Sprague, Pepper, and Hopper have dominated the top spots on the men’s side. In 2024, they finished first, second, and fourth, respectively, although Hopper didn’t become a Brute athlete until after the Games last year, when he was teamed up with Brute Coach El Senouvor.
What They’re Saying
The Brute Camp
As proud as Brute owner Matt Torres is of his athletes’ finish on the leaderboard, he said his “biggest highlight” from the weekend was how all three men “fought back after facing adversity in prior events.” This includes what we called some “big mental errors” from both Sprague and Pepper, and “issues that were out of our control,” he told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
Torres also highlighted Pepper’s finishes on “IE1: Run/Row/Run” and “IE4: Albany Grip Trip” – 15th and sixth place – both featuring significant running elements – as “big time wins that his running training is working,” Torres said.
- Furthermore, Torres pointed out Pepper’s 30-pound personal best on his one-rep max back squat – 495 pounds – as another notable moment.
Regarding Sprague, Torres explained that “IE6: Throttle Up” and “IE7: Hammer Down,” where he finished first and third, respectively, were hugely important to show how far he has come with bodyweight movements.
- “And being a taller athlete, [he] continues to show the world that it doesn’t matter what events get thrown his way, he’s going to find a way,” Torres added.
The biggest key to his athletes’ success, however, is “being coachable and having trust in what you’re doing,” Torres said.
- “It’s a long season, and it’s easy to fall off if things don’t go your way and if you have nagging injuries. But these boys are proof that no matter what the season brings, they continue to stick with the plan and have trust,” he added.
The PRVN Camp
Aside from Toomey-Orr, Kerstetter, Sturt, Garard, and Crouch, PRVN had seven other individual athletes in Albany:
- Colten Mertens (12th)
- Chris Ibarra (13th)
- Kalyan Souza (14th)
- Grace Walton (15th)
- Christina Lividitakis (22nd)
- Isaac Newman (25th)
PRVN’s CEO, Nic Johnston, said the Games experience this year for PRVN athletes “exceeded every expectation.”
- “Having five PRVN athletes finish in the top six overall is something we have never seen before, not just for us, but in the sport,” said Johnston in an interview with the Morning Chalk Up, adding that he credits the training environment at PRVN as a huge reason for their success.
Leading up to this year’s Games, the PRVN squad trained together at PRVN headquarters in Nashville, TN, which allowed athletes to “elevate each other,” he explained.
- “What Tia and Shane [Orr] have built when it comes to Games preparation goes far beyond just programming workouts. It’s about the mental side of training, the lessons, the small daily challenges that ultimately build resilience,” Johnston said.
Something that was extra special this year, however, was how the athletes bonded in the weeks leading up to the Games.
- “Even though CrossFit is an individual sport, what we saw this season was the creation of a team-first culture that changed the game for all of our athletes… Even though they were training next to their competitors, they were also training with their teammates. They shared the same nerves, doubts, and experiences, and that created a sense of calm throughout the training camp that then carried into competition,” he said.
Ultimately, Johnston believes all of the above gave PRVN athletes “a clear competitive edge” that paid off at the Games. Big time.
The Big Picture
PRVN Fitness and Brute Strength delivered the most dominant performances by two training camps combined at the 2025 CrossFit Games, and both Torres and Johnson are determined they have no plans to settle now.
- “For all of our athletes, we’ll go back to the drawing board to figure out where we fell short, so we can strengthen and come back better,” Torres said.
“What this group built together is going to carry them into the next year with even greater momentum,” Johnston added. “Our coaches are already back at work fine-tuning every detail, addressing weaknesses, and preparing each athlete to come back with a higher skill set and a deeper level of fitness. I have no doubt we will see even [higher] performances next year from this group.”
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Featured Image: Scott Freymond
