Photo: The USA won the Pan American team title in women’s freestyle. Photo by Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com.
Official release courtesy of Taylor Miller/USA Wrestling.
2018 World silver medalist and Tokyo Olympian Sarah Hildebrandt secured her sixth Pan American gold medal on Saturday while seven other Americans medaled, including six more golds and one bronze, in Guatemala City.
The USA also claimed its second team title of the weekend, winning women’s freestyle with nine champions, and one bronze winner for 240 points. In second place, Brazil scored 144 points, and Canada took third with 115 points.
Picking up wins in addition to Hildebrandt for the United States were Ronna Heaton (53 kg WFS), Kayla Miracle (62 kg WFS), Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg WFS), Adeline Gray (76 kg WFS), Tommy Gantt (79 kg MFS) and Nate Jackson (92 kg MFS).
Wrestling at 50 kg, Hildebrandt won all three of her matches by technical fall. In the finals, Hildebrandt was relentless over 2014 Junior Pan Am champion and 2020 Senior Pan Am bronze winner Jacqueline Mollocana Eleno, 10-0.
Competing at 68 kg, 2019 World champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock won her fourth-consecutive Pan American gold medal. She won three matches on the day, including two technical falls and one pin. In the finals, Mensah-Stock outlasted Yessica Oviedo Perez of Dominican Republic, 10-4. The American adds to her 2019 and 2020 Pan Am Championships titles and her 2020 Pan Am Games gold.
Five-time World champion and two-time Adeline Gray put together a perfect 4-0 record at 76 kg, including one technical fall, one pin, one decision and one forfeit. For gold, Gray dominated 2014 World silver medalist Aline da Silva Ferreira from Brazil, 8-0. This is Gray’s third Pan American Championships gold. She also has a 2015 Pan Am Games title.
Olympian Kayla Miracle scored a win over 2019 Pan Am champion Lais Nunes de Oliveira of Brazil in the finals at 62 kg, 6-0. Because she was competing in a Nordic-style bracket, it was the second time today that she defeated the Brazilian, who was fifth at the 2018 World Championships. In her four matches, Miracle outscored her opponents 36-0 for her second Pan Am gold medal.
At 53 kg, Olympic Trials runner-up Ronna Heaton triumphed over 2011 Junior World bronze medalist and 2020 Pan American champion Luisa Valverde Melendres of Ecuador in the finals, 9-6. Down 6-0 early in the match, Heaton stormed back, scoring nine unanswered points to win the gold. She avenged the loss from earlier in the day, when Valverde won 10-0 in pool action.
Cameron Guerin, who competed at 57 kg, bounced back from a semifinal loss to defeat Mexico Olympian and 2020 Pan American champion Alma Jane Valencia in the bronze-medal match, 7-2. Guerin finished the day with a 3-1 record.
Men’s freestyle competition started today with two weights, both of which the USA won.
Receiving the call to wrestle less than a week ago, Tommy Gantt showed out at the Pan Am Championships at 79 kg, going 4-0 and only surrendering one point on the day. In the finals, Gantt defeated Colombia’s Nestor Tafur with an 8-0 win to secure the gold.
Making his debut at the Pan American Championships, Nate Jackson collected four wins in round-robin action for the 92 kg title. He defeated Angel Bautista Lopez of Mexico, 10-0, in his first round before getting back-to-back forfeits. In his gold match, Jackson downed Jeremy Poirier from Canada, 10-0, in just 1:48.
The tournament wraps up tomorrow with the last eight men’s freestyle weights (57, 61, 65, 70, 74, 86, 97 and 125). Wrestling starts at 12 p.m. ET live on FloWrestling.org.
2021 PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Guatemala City, Guatemala | May 27-30
U.S. women’s freestyle results
50 kg: Sarah Hildebrandt (USOPTC/NYAC) – GOLD
WIN Patricia Bermudez (Argentina), 10-0
WIN Madison Parks (Canada), 10-0
WIN Jacqueline Mollocana Eleno (Ecuador), 10-0
53 kg: Ronna Heaton (Wisconsin RTC/Sunkist Kids) – GOLD
WIN Jayd Davis (Canada), 6-4
LOSS Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador), 10-0
WIN Yineth Romero Guataquira (Colombia), 10-0
WIN Laura Peredo Torres (Mexico), 10-0
WIN Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador), 9-6
57 kg: Cameron Guerin (McKendree Bearcat WC/TMWC) – BRONZE
WIN Leydi Almeyda Fonce (Colombia), fall 1:35
WIN Alma Jane Valencia Escoto (Mexico), 8-6
LOSS Alexandria Town (Canada), 10-0
WIN Alma Valencia Escoto (Mexico), 7-2
62 kg: Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids) - GOLD
WIN Lais Nunes De Oliveira (Brazil), 10-0
WIN Jessica Torres Rodriguez (Colombia), 10-0
WIN Leonela Ayovi Parraga (Ecuador), 10-0
WIN Lais Nunes De Oliveira (Brazil), 6-0
68 kg: Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USOPTC/TMWC) – GOLD
WIN Alexia Sherland (Canada), 10-0
WIN Grabriela Pedro da Rocha (Brazil), fall 0:29
WIN Yessica Oviedo Perez (Dominican Republic), 10-4
76 kg: Adeline Gray (Beaver Dam RTC/NYAC) – GOLD
WIN Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador), 12-2
WIN Josselyn Portillo Mejia (El Salvador), 0:54
WIN Luisa Mosquera Parra (Colombia), forfeit
WIN Aline Da Silva Ferreira (Brazil), 8-0
U.S. men’s freestyle results
79 kg: Tommy Gantt (Wolfpack RTC/TMWC) - GOLD
WIN Samuel Barmish (Canada), 11-1
WIN David Choc Huoc (Guatemala), 10-0
WIN Jorge Llano (Argentina), 12-0
WIN Nestor Tafur (Colombia), 8-0
92 kg: Nate Jackson (NJ RTC/NYAC) – GOLD
WIN Angel Bautista Lopez (Mexico), 10-0
WIN Gilberto Ayala Rodriguez (Venezuela), win by injury default
WIN Eric Ramos Mojica (Panama), win by forfeit
WIN Jeremy Poirier (Canada), 10-0
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE RESULTS
50 kg
GOLD – Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) df. Jacqueline MOLLOCANA ELENO (ECU), 10-0
BRONZE – Kamila BARBOSA VITO DA SILVA (BRA) df. Yusmy CHAPARRO URREGO (COL), 3-0
BRONZE – Patricia BERMUDEZ (ARG) df. Madison PARKS (CAN), 5-2
53 kg
GOLD – Ronna HEATON (USA) df. Luisa VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU), 9-6
BRONZE – Sabrina GAMA TAPAJOS (BRA) df. Laura PEREDO TORRES (MEX), 2-2
57 kg
GOLD – Giullia RODRIGUES PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Alexandria TOWN (CAN), fall 3:40
BRONZE – Cameron GUERIN (USA) df. Alma VALENCIA ESCOTO (MEX), 7-2
62 kg
GOLD – Kayla MIRACLE (USA) df. Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA), 6-0
BRONZE – Alejandra ROMERO BONILLA (MEX) df. Leonela AYOVI PARRAGA (ECU), 11-0
68 kg
GOLD – Tamyra STOCK MENSAH (USA) df. Yessica OVIEDO PEREZ (DOM), 10-4
BRONZE – Luz Clara VAZQUEZ (ARG) df. Ambar GARNICA FLORES (MEX), fall 4:23
BRONZE – Grabriela PEDRO DA ROCHA (BRA) df. Alexia SHERLAND (CAN), 10-0
76 kg
GOLD – Adeline GRAY (USA)
SILVER – Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU)
BRONZE – Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA)
MEN’S FREESTYLE
79 kg
GOLD – Thomas GANTT (USA) df. Nestor TAFUR BARRIOS (COL), 8-0
BRONZE – Samuel BARMISH (CAN) df. Jorge LLANO (ARG), 6-0
92 kg
GOLD – Nathan JACKSON (USA)
SILVER – Jeremy POIRIER (CAN)
BRONZE – Angel BAUTISTA LOPEZ (MEX)
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