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World medalist Ragan, Olympian Augello to lead U.S. women's team at Pan American Championships

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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling

Photo: Haley Augello (USA) competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo by John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com.


World medalist Alli Ragan (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) and Olympian Haley Augello (Lockport, Ill./New York AC) headline a talented U.S. women’s freestyle roster that will compete at the 2017 Pan American Championships in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, May 5-7.


Ragan won the 60 kg/132 lbs. silver medal at last year’s World Championships held in Budapest, Hungary. She has competed on four U.S. World Team’s on top of winning two bronze medals at the Junior World Championships. This season, Ragan has picked up two international medals, a silver from the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial and a bronze from the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix.


Last April, Ragan finished in second place at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at 58 kg/128 lbs., but has since moved to 60 kg with much success. She will hold the 60 kg spot for Team USA in Brazil.


Augello was the U.S. representative at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she turned in a ninth-place finish. Like Ragan, Augello has moved up in weight to compete this season. She will represent the U.S. at 53 kg/116.5 lbs. at the Pan Ams.


She is coming off a college season where she won her third WCWA national title as a junior for King University. In Augello’s most recent outing, she earned a bronze medal at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial at 53 kg.


Two reigning U.S. Senior Nationals champions will take the mat for the U.S. women’s freestyle team in Brazil.


Two-time Junior World champion Victoria Anthony (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) will hold down the 48 kg slot. Anthony has amassed a long list of credentials on the Senior level, including a World-Team berth in 2013, two U.S. Open titles, and gold-medal performances at nine different international events, including a Pan American Championships gold in 2014. She was runner-up at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to Augello last April.


U.S. Senior Nationals champion Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville, Ky./Sunkist Kids) will compete at 58 kg/128 lbs. for the U.S., and enters the Pan American Championships with some momentum behind her. Following her win in Las Vegas in December, Miracle has earned a silver medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International, gold at the University Nationals and her third WCWA national title for Campbellsville University.


Miracle is a two-time bronze-medal winner at the Junior World Championships, a silver medalist at the Cadet World Championships, and a five-time age group U.S. World Team member.


Two-time Pan American champion Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) will be in search of title No. 3 in May. Hildebrandt made her first Senior-level U.S. World Team in 2016 and finished in 10th place at the World Championships at 55 kg/121 lbs.


This year, Hildebrandt has competed twice internationally where she earned a silver medal at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix and took fifth place at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial. She was a member of two Junior World Team’s and a two-time WCWA national champion at King.


U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up Victoria Francis (Litchfield, Ill./Titan Mercury WC) is set to go at 75 kg/165 lbs. Francis was a Junior World bronze medalist in 2014 and owns two University Nationals titles. She was a two-time WCWA national champion for Lindenwood University.


Talented prospect Mallory Velte (Sacramento, Calif. /Titan Mercury WC) will compete at 63 kg/152 lbs. for the U.S. squad. She finished in third place at last year’s Olympic Trials and was second at the World Team Trials. Velte is a two-time University Nationals champion and two-time WCWA national champion for Simon Fraser University. She also finished in fifth place at the 2015 Junior Worlds.


Rounding out the list of U.S. competitors is Jessica Kee (Laurinburg, N.C./New York AC) who will wrestle at 69 kg/152 lbs. Kee finished in fifth place at the U.S. Senior Nationals down at 63 kg in December. She is a two-time WCWA runner-up and three-time All-American for King.


The U.S. women will compete on the second day of competition in Brazil. The tournament will begin at 10 a.m. local time with the qualification rounds and repechage. The finals are set for 5 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.

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 Repechage

5 p.m. – Men’s Freestyle Medal Matches

U.S. Women’s Freestyle Roster

48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Victoria Anthony, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids)

53 kg/116.5 lbs. – Haley Augello, Lockport, Ill. (New York AC)

55 kg/121 lbs. – Sarah Hildebrandt, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)

58 kg/128 lbs. – Kayla Miracle, Campbellsville, Ky. (Sunkist Kids)

60 kg/132 lbs. – Alli Ragan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)

63 kg/152 lbs. – Mallory Velte, Sacramento, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC)

69 kg/152 lbs. – Jessica Kee, Laurinburg, N.C. (New York AC)

75 kg/165 lbs. – Victoria Francis, Litchfield, Ill. (Titan Mercury WC)

Coach – Terry Steiner, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Coach – Israel Silva, Fresno, Calif.

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