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Olympic medalists Burroughs, Scott and all U.S. freestylers get draws for Pan Am Championships

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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling

Olympic champion and three-time World champion Jordan Burroughs will compete at 74 kg at the Pan American Championships on Sunday.


FRISCO, Texas – The U.S. men’s freestyle team has weighed in and received its draws for Saturday’s action at the Pan American Championships at the Dr. Pepper Arena.


“We have a solid team. It is always an adventure to represent your country. It’s important for us to do well at the Pan American Championships. We brought a team that will be ready to perform,” said National Freestyle Coach Bruce Burnett.


2012 Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids/Nebraska RTC) will compete at 74 kg/163 lbs., opening against 2013 Central American champion Pedro Orlando Martinez Chen of Guatemala.


Burroughs was the 2012 Olympic champion and has won three World Championships gold medals (2011, 2013, 2015). He was also a 2014 World bronze medalist. His career Senior freestyle record is 118-2. Burroughs won two NCAA titles and was a Hodge Trophy winner for Nebraska


2012 Olympic bronze medalist Coleman Scott (Chapel Hill, N.C./Sunkist Kids) will compete at 61 kg/134 lbs., opening against Jefferson Walter Mayea Figueroa of Ecuador, who was third in the 2014 and 2015 Pan American Championships,


Scott was an NCAA champion at Oklahoma State and trained there until taking a coaching job at the University of North Carolina, where he now serves as head coach.


2015 World bronze medalist James Green (Lincoln, Neb./Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska RTC) will compete at 65 kg/143 lbs. where he will first face 2014 Canada Cup runner-up Dillon Williams of Canada,


2012 Olympian Sam Hazewinkel, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) will open at 57 kg/125.5 lbs. against Eliesar Guevera Abrines of Cuba


2013 U.S. World Team member Keith Gavin (Charlottesville, Va./Titan Mercury WC) is facing2015 South American champion Edison Omar Paladines Alberca of Ecuador at 86 kg/189 lbs.


Also competing are 2009 Junior World champion Dom Bradley (Blue Springs, Mo./Sunkist Kids) at 120 kg/275 lbs., past NCAA champion Frank Molinaro, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) at 70 kg/154 lbs. and 2016 U.S. Open runner-up Scott Schiller, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) at 97 kg/213 lbs.


Bradley will face 2008 Pan American Championships runner-up. Antoine Braga Abou Jaoude of Brazil. Molinaro faces 2014 South American Games champion Hernan Guzman Ipuz of Colombia.


Schiller has the winner of the preliminary bout between Nathaniel Rose of Trinidad and Tobago and Jose Daniel Diaz Robertty of Venezuela. Rose, a resident of New York City who attends the University at Buffalo, was fifth in the 2015 Pan American Championships. Diaz was third in the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games.


A number of World medalist Cuban wrestlers are competing in higher weight classes. Yowlys Rodriguez Bonne, who is normally at 57 kg, weighed in at 66 kg. Livan Lopez Azcuy, normally at 74 kg, is up at 86 kg. Reineris Salas Perez, normally at 86 kg, weighed in at 97 kg.


All of the U.S. freestyle wrestlers are using this event in preparation for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa, April 9-10


“This is very good timing. Put yourself in the situation. How could you get better training six weeks out from the Olympic Trials. To control your weight, your anxiety gets up, your preparation has to get right. It’s a really good opportunity to get your weight under control, get match ready, to test yourself. You will get a down week after the competition and you have lots of time to get ready. The timing for this is really good for us,” said Burnett.


Men’s freestyle competition begins with preliminaries and repechage at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, with the medal match finals at 6:00 p.m. The event is being broadcast by Flowrestling.

PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Frisco, Texas



U.S. Men’s freestyle draws for Saturday



57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Sam Hazewinkel, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids)

Vs. Eliesar Guevera Abrines (Cuba)


61 kg/134 lbs.- Coleman Scott, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Sunkist Kids)

Vs. Jefferson Walter Mayea Figueroa (Ecuador), 3rd in 2014 and 2015 Pan American Championships, 2008 Pan American Junior champion


65 kg/143 lbs. - James Green, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska RTC)

Vs. Dillon Williams (Canada), 3rd in 2015 Canada Cup, 2nd in 2014 Canada Cup, 5th in 2012 Cadet World Championships


70 kg/154 lbs. - Frank Molinaro, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)

Vs. Hernan Guzman Ipuz (Colombia)m 5th in 2015 Pan American Games, 2014 South American Games champion, 3rd in 2013 Pan American Championships


74 kg/163 lbs - Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska RTC)

Vs. Pedro Orlando Martinez Chen (Guatemala), 2013 Central American Tournament champion


86 kg/189 lbs. - Keith Gavin, Charlottesville, Va. (Titan Mercury WC)

Vs. Edison Omar Paladines Alberca (Ecuador), 2015 South American Championships champion, 3rd in 2010 Pan American Junior Championships


97 kg/213 lbs. - Scott Schiller, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)

Vs. winner of

Nathaniel Rose (Trinidad and Tobago), 5th in 2015 Pan American Championships, attends Univ. at Buffalo

Jose Daniel Diaz Robertty (Venezuela), 3rd in 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games, 2012 Olympian, 3rd in 2012 Pan American Championships


125 kg/275 lbs. - Dom Bradley, Blue Springs, Mo. (Sunkist Kids)

Vs. Antoine Braga Abou Jaoude (Brazil), 2nd in 2015 Brazil Cup, 5th in 2007 Pan American Games, 2nd in 2008 Pan American Championships

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