USA in search of seven Pan Am medals Saturday night in Lima

LIMA, Peru – Five Americans advanced to tonight’s gold-medal match at the 2018 Pan American Championships in Lima, Peru. There are three from women’s freestyle and two from men’s freestyle.

Representing the USA in the women’s finals is three-time World champion Adeline Gray at 76 kg, two-time World Team member Whitney Conder at 50 kg and 2016 World Team member Sarah Hildebrandt at 53 kg.

Gray spent only 3:28 on the mat today, pinning both of her opponents in the first period. Against Cuba’s Mabelkis Capote, who finished fifth at the U23 World Championships, Gray led 8-0 before securing the pin in 2:52. In the semifinals, the 2016 Olympian breezed past 2016 World Military champion and 2014 World silver medalist Aline da Silva Ferreira of Brazil with a fall in just 35 seconds.

Tonight, Gray will take on Andrea Olaya Gutierrez of Colombia, who has two fifth-place finishes at the World Championships. Gray seeks his first Pan American Championships gold. She won the Pan Am Games title back in 2015.

Conder impressed at 50 kg, picking up a solid decision over Evelin Sosa of Argentina, 12-6, before tallying a 14-1 tech fall, sealed by a blast double, in the semifinals against Jade Dufour of Canada. Her run to the finals guaranteed the American her third Pan Am Championships medal.

In tonight’s gold match, Conder, who won the 2015 Pan Am Games, will do battle with Carolina Castillo Hidalgo of Colombia, who is a two-time Olympian and won silver at last year’s Pan Ams.

2015 Pan Am champion Hildebrandt finds herself in the finals once again after picking up three falls in the morning session, all of which came in the first period. The first fall came over Kristina McLaren of Canada in 2:40, followed by a pin against Helena Leite of Brazil in 2:07.

In the semis, Hildebrandt made work of two-time Pan Am bronze medalist Betzabeth Arguello Villegas of Venezuela. The two were only on the mat for 2:40 before Hildebrandt stuck Arguello, who took fifth at the 2016 Olympics.

Looking for her second Pan Am title, Hildebrandt will face Junior World bronze medalist Luisa Valverde of Ecuador in the finals.

Two other women, Michaela Beck at 57 kg and Kayla Miracle at 62 kg, will wrestle for bronze tonight in their respective weights. Randi Beltz, who wrestled at 68 kg, did not qualify for a medal match.

Representing the Red, White and Blue in men’s freestyle finals are two-time Junior World champion Mark Hall and two-time Greco Olympian Ben Provisor.

Primarily a Greco wrestler, Provisor stepped in for the U.S. at 92 kg as World and Olympic bronze medalist J’den Cox fell ill as was not able to compete.

Provisor, who won bronze in yesterday’s Greco competition, showed he can compete with the best of them in freestyle, battling in round robin action. The 2017 Greco World team member didn’t give up a single point in the morning session, recording to tech falls and one win by forfeit.

Going against him tonight for freestyle gold is Esdras Lopez Perez of Mexico, who is also 3-0 in the pool.

Hall, an NCAA champion for Penn State, was 2-0 on the morning. His first match was won by forfeit, but in his quarterfinals match, Hall dominated Santiago Martinez Restrepo of Colombia with a 10-1 decision.

Tonight he’ll take on fellow NCAA wrestlers and New Jersey native Ethan Ramos, who is competing for Puerto Rico. Ramos is an All-American for North Carolina, who just wrapped up his collegiate career in March.

The medal matches are set for Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET and can be watched live on Trackwrestling.com.

2018 SENIOR PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Lima, Peru, May 3-6

Finals matchups

Men’s freestyle

79 kg
GOLD - Ethan Adrian RAMOS (PUR) vs. Mark John HALL II (USA)
BRONZE - Rashji Leonardo MACKEY (BAH) vs. Santiago MARTINEZ RESTREPO (COL)
BRONZE - Shawn Kenneth DAYE FINLEY (CAN) vs. Marcos Roberto QUESADA MARTINEZ (PER)

92 kg
ROUND 5 - Dalton James WEBB (CAN) vs. Kensil Alexander GRAJALES HERNANI (PER)
ROUND 5 - Esdras Carlos LOPEZ PEREZ (MEX) vs. Benjamin Errol PROVISOR (USA)Women’s freestyle

Women’s freestyle

50 kg
GOLD - Whitney CONDER (USA) vs. Carolina CASTILLO HIDALGO (COL)
BRONZE - Jacqueline Del Rocio MOLLOCANA ELENO (ECU) vs. Mariana DIAZ MUNOZ (MEX)
BRONZE - Evelin del Carmen SOSA (ARG) vs. Jade Marie DUFOUR (CAN)

53 kg
GOLD - Luisa Elizabeth VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU) vs. Sarah Ann HILDEBRANDT (USA)
BRONZE - Kristina Katelyn MCLAREN (CAN) vs. Betzabeth Angelica ARGUELLO VILLEGAS (VEN)
BRONZE - Dannia Stefanny FIGUEROA DUQUE (COL) vs. Lilianet DUANES ANDRES (CUB)

57 kg
GOLD - Lianna de la Caridad MONTERO HERRERA (CUB) vs. Alejandra ROMERO BONILLA (MEX)
BRONZE - Yessica Coraima OVIEDO PEREZ (DOM) vs. Alexandria Rebekkah TOWN (CAN)
BRONZE - Nes Marie RODRIGUEZ TIRADO (PUR) vs. Michaela Hope BECK (USA)

62 kg
GOLD - Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) vs. Yaquelin ESTORNELL ELIZASTIGUE (CUB)
BRONZE - Kayla Colleen Kiyoko MIRACLE (USA) vs. Linda MORAIS (CAN)
BRONZE - Karla Johanna CAMPOS GONZALEZ (ECU) vs. Jackeline RENTERIA CASTILLO (COL)

68 kg
GOLD - Soleymi Antonieta CARABALLO HERNANDEZ (VEN) vs. Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (CUB)
BRONZE - Yanet Ursula SOVERO NINO (PER) vs. Temitope Lydia OGUNJIMI (CAN)
BRONZE - Diana Paulina MIRANDA GONZALES (MEX) vs. Leonela Aleyda AYOVI PARRAGA (ECU)

76 kg
GOLD - Adeline Maria GRAY (USA) vs. Andrea Carolina OLAYA GUTIERREZ (COL)
BRONZE - Andrimar Daniela LAZARO DIAZ (VEN) vs. Gracelynn DOOGAN (CAN)
Mabelkis CAPOTE PEREZ (CUB) vs. Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA)

U.S. men’s freestyle results

79 kg/174 lbs. – Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn./Nittany Lion WC)
WIN Rashji Mackey (Bahamas), win by forfeit
WIN Santiago Martinez Restrepo (Colombia), 10-1
vs. Ethan Ramos (Puerto Rico)

92 kg/202 lbs. – Ben Provisor (State College, Pa. /New York AC/Nittany Lion WC)
WIN Dalton Webb (Canada), 11-0
WIN Fabio Conceicao Rodrigues (Brazil), 11-0
WIN Grajales (Peru), win by forfeit
vs. Esdras Lopez Perez (Mexico)

U.S. women’s freestyle results

50 kg/110 lbs. – Whitney Conder (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP)
WIN Evelin Sosa (Argentina), 12-6
WIN Jade Dufour (Canada), 14-1
vs. Carolina Castillo Hidalgo (Colombia)

53 kg/117 lbs. – Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC)
WIN Kristina McLaren (Canada), fall 2:40
WIN Helena Leite (Brazil), fall 2:07
WIN Betzabeth Arguello Villegas (Venezuela), fall 2:07
vs. Luisa Valverde (Ecuador)

57 kg/125 lbs. – Michaela Beck (New York, N.Y./New York AC)
WIN Janette Mallqui Peche (Peru), 10-0
LOSS Lianna Montero Herrera (Cuba), 10-0

62 kg/136 lbs. – Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville, Ky./Sunkist Kids)
WIN Nathaly Griman Herrera (Venezuela), 14-6
LOSS Yaquelin Estornell (Cuba), 6-2
WIN Isidora Diaz Martinez (Chile), 10-0

68 kg/150 lbs. – Randi Beltz (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP)
LOSS Yanet Sovero Nino (Peru), 13-8

76 kg/167 lbs. – Adeline Gray (New York, N.Y./New York AC)
WIN Mabelkis Capote Perez (Cuba), fall 2:53
WIN Aline da Silva Ferreira (Brazil), fall 0:35
vs. Andrea Olaya Gutierrez (Colombia)