Olympians Provisor, Smith lead U.S. Greco-Roman team to Pan American Championships in Brazil
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Photo: 2016 Olympian and three-time U.S. World Team member Robby Smith gives the “Thumbs-up” after winning the Olympic Trials last year. Photo by Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com.
The U.S. Greco-Roman team is set for the 2017 Pan American Championships to be held at the Pan American Judo Center in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, May 5-7.
A mix of established veterans and up-and-coming talents fill the U.S. lineup assembled by National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland.
Leading the charge will be the Olympian duo of Ben Provisor (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) and Robby Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC). The two represented the U.S. at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Provisor was also a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team that competed in London, England.
In Provisor’s last international outing, he finished in fifth place at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open. He was the 85 kg/187 lbs. champion at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in February and finished in third place at the U.S. Senior Nationals back in December.
Smith has competed one time since winding up in 12th place at the Olympics. He took the 130 kg/286 lbs. gold medal at the Thor Masters Tournament held in Nykobing Falster, Denmark, in early March. Smith owns two fifth-place finishes from the World Championships.
Also on board for the Pan American Championships is Olympic Trials champion RaVaughn Perkins (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) who will compete at 71 kg/156 lbs. Perkins has won two international medals in 2017, gold at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and bronze at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open.
Three of this year’s U.S. Senior Nationals champions will make the trek to Brazil for Team USA.
2016 Junior World bronze medalist G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), who won Senior Nationals at 98 kg/215.5 lbs., will compete at his first Pan American event. Hancock sports gold medals from the Bill Farrell International, Dave Schultz Memorial International and Austria Junior Open this season. He was the third-place finisher at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials one year ago.
Hayden Tuma (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) picked up his first U.S. Senior Nationals title this year at 59 kg/130 lbs. He will bump up to 66 kg/145 lbs. for the Pan Ams. Tuma was a four-time U.S. World Team member at the age-group levels, two as a junior and two as a cadet.
The electrifying Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) is set to compete at 75 kg/165 lbs. in Brazil. Since finishing in eighth place at the Junior World Championships last summer, Bey has reeled off gold medals at the Bill Farrell International, U.S. Senior Nationals, Dave Schultz Memorial International and Austria Junior Open. Most recently, Bey picked up a bronze at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open.
Reigning Pan American champion at 75 kg Geordan Speiller (Oviedo, Fla./Florida Jets) is moving up to 80 kg/176 lbs. in search of a repeat effort. Speiller secured gold at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and grabbed silver at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2017. He was the U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up at 75 kg last year.
The remaining American entrant is U.S. Senior Nationals runner-up Ryan Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) at 59 kg. Mango has been on the cusp of making a U.S. World Team multiple times. He was runner-up at the 2013 U.S. World Team Trials and finished in third place at last year’s Olympic Trials. In addition, Mango was a two-time NCAA All-American at Stanford University.
Greco-Roman will be the first of three international styles to compete at the Pan American Championships. Every Greco-Roman bracket will be wrestled on Friday, May 5, with the qualification rounds and repechage scheduled for 10 a.m. local time followed by the medal matches at 5:30 p.m. local time. Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, is situated one hour ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.
United World Wrestling will provide a live stream of the event and complete results on its website unitedworldwrestling.org.
The men’s and women’s freestyle rosters for the U.S. Pan American Team will be announced in the coming weeks.
2017 PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, May 5-7
Event Schedule (All times local)
Friday, May 5
10 a.m. – Greco-Roman Qualification Rounds and Repechage
5 p.m. – Opening Ceremony
5:30 p.m. – Greco-Roman Medal Matches
Saturday, May 6
10 a.m. – Women’s Freestyle Qualification Rounds and Repechage
5 p.m. – Women’s Freestyle Medal Matches
Sunday, May 7
10 a.m. – Men’s Freestyle Qualification Rounds and Repehcage
5 p.m. – Men’s Freestyle Medal Matches
U.S. Greco-Roman Roster
59 kg/130 lbs. – Ryan Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
66 kg/145 lbs. – Hayden Tuma, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
71 kg/156 lbs. – RaVaughn Perkins, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
75 kg/165 lbs. – Kamal Bey, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
80 kg/176 lbs. – Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets)
85 kg/187 lbs. – Ben Provisor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
98 kg/215.5 lbs. – G’Angelo Hancock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
130 kg/286 lbs. – Robby Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
Coach – Matt Lindland, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach – Kevin Bracken, Castle Rock, Colo.
The U.S. Greco-Roman team is set for the 2017 Pan American Championships to be held at the Pan American Judo Center in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, May 5-7.
A mix of established veterans and up-and-coming talents fill the U.S. lineup assembled by National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland.
Leading the charge will be the Olympian duo of Ben Provisor (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) and Robby Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC). The two represented the U.S. at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Provisor was also a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team that competed in London, England.
In Provisor’s last international outing, he finished in fifth place at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open. He was the 85 kg/187 lbs. champion at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in February and finished in third place at the U.S. Senior Nationals back in December.
Smith has competed one time since winding up in 12th place at the Olympics. He took the 130 kg/286 lbs. gold medal at the Thor Masters Tournament held in Nykobing Falster, Denmark, in early March. Smith owns two fifth-place finishes from the World Championships.
Also on board for the Pan American Championships is Olympic Trials champion RaVaughn Perkins (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) who will compete at 71 kg/156 lbs. Perkins has won two international medals in 2017, gold at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and bronze at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open.
Three of this year’s U.S. Senior Nationals champions will make the trek to Brazil for Team USA.
2016 Junior World bronze medalist G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), who won Senior Nationals at 98 kg/215.5 lbs., will compete at his first Pan American event. Hancock sports gold medals from the Bill Farrell International, Dave Schultz Memorial International and Austria Junior Open this season. He was the third-place finisher at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials one year ago.
Hayden Tuma (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) picked up his first U.S. Senior Nationals title this year at 59 kg/130 lbs. He will bump up to 66 kg/145 lbs. for the Pan Ams. Tuma was a four-time U.S. World Team member at the age-group levels, two as a junior and two as a cadet.
The electrifying Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) is set to compete at 75 kg/165 lbs. in Brazil. Since finishing in eighth place at the Junior World Championships last summer, Bey has reeled off gold medals at the Bill Farrell International, U.S. Senior Nationals, Dave Schultz Memorial International and Austria Junior Open. Most recently, Bey picked up a bronze at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open.
Reigning Pan American champion at 75 kg Geordan Speiller (Oviedo, Fla./Florida Jets) is moving up to 80 kg/176 lbs. in search of a repeat effort. Speiller secured gold at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and grabbed silver at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2017. He was the U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up at 75 kg last year.
The remaining American entrant is U.S. Senior Nationals runner-up Ryan Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) at 59 kg. Mango has been on the cusp of making a U.S. World Team multiple times. He was runner-up at the 2013 U.S. World Team Trials and finished in third place at last year’s Olympic Trials. In addition, Mango was a two-time NCAA All-American at Stanford University.
Greco-Roman will be the first of three international styles to compete at the Pan American Championships. Every Greco-Roman bracket will be wrestled on Friday, May 5, with the qualification rounds and repechage scheduled for 10 a.m. local time followed by the medal matches at 5:30 p.m. local time. Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, is situated one hour ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.
United World Wrestling will provide a live stream of the event and complete results on its website unitedworldwrestling.org.
The men’s and women’s freestyle rosters for the U.S. Pan American Team will be announced in the coming weeks.
2017 PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, May 5-7
Event Schedule (All times local)
Friday, May 5
10 a.m. – Greco-Roman Qualification Rounds and Repechage
5 p.m. – Opening Ceremony
5:30 p.m. – Greco-Roman Medal Matches
Saturday, May 6
10 a.m. – Women’s Freestyle Qualification Rounds and Repechage
5 p.m. – Women’s Freestyle Medal Matches
Sunday, May 7
10 a.m. – Men’s Freestyle Qualification Rounds and Repehcage
5 p.m. – Men’s Freestyle Medal Matches
U.S. Greco-Roman Roster
59 kg/130 lbs. – Ryan Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
66 kg/145 lbs. – Hayden Tuma, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP)
71 kg/156 lbs. – RaVaughn Perkins, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
75 kg/165 lbs. – Kamal Bey, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
80 kg/176 lbs. – Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets)
85 kg/187 lbs. – Ben Provisor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
98 kg/215.5 lbs. – G’Angelo Hancock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
130 kg/286 lbs. – Robby Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
Coach – Matt Lindland, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach – Kevin Bracken, Castle Rock, Colo.
