Seven of eight Americans advance to Pan Am men's freestyle finals

LIMA, Peru – The United States men’s freestyle team went 18-1 on Sunday afternoon of the 218 Pan American Championships, sending seven wrestlers to the gold-medal finals.

Four of tonight’s matchups pit Cuba against the USA, including bouts at 74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg and 125 kg.

Representing the U.S. at 74 kg, Nazar Kulchytskyy made his way to the finals with two tech falls, dominating Jorge Llano of Argentina, 10-0, and Carlos Romero Millaqueo of Chile, 11-0.

For gold, he will face 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and three-time World medalist Livan Lopez Azcuy of Cuba.

In his first appearance at the Pan American Championships, David Taylor will do battle with two-time Pan Am champion Yurieski Torreblanca Queralta of Cuba in the finals at 86 kg.

Fresh off a 2018 U.S. Open title, Taylor cruised to the finals collecting two tech falls and a pin.

At 97 kg, Kyven Gadson, a two-time National Team member, pulled out a 3-3 win on criteria against Jose Diaz Robertti of Venezuela in the semifinals to earn a chance at gold.

Waiting for him on the other side of the bracket is Cuba’s Reineris Salas Perez, who owns two World silver medals and one World bronze medal.

The final USA/Cuba matchup will come at 125 kg, where 2017 World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski will take on two-time Pan Am silver medalist Yudenny Alpajon Estevez for the crown at 125 kg.

Gwiazdowski had a pair of tech fall shutouts in his morning of competition, defeating Catriel Muriel of Argentina and Carlos Felix Garcia from Dominican Republic.

Logan Stieber outlasted 2017 Senior World bronze medalist Alejandro Valdes Tobier of Cuba in the 65 kg semifinals. Down 7-0 in the second period, Stieber stormed back with a flurry of points to cut Valdes’ lead to 9-8. A takedown with six seconds left gave the American a 10-9 lead. Valdes then injury defaulted out of the match.

Stieber will take on Abel Herrera Pastor of Peru for 65 kg gold.

Navigating their way through six-man brackets to put themselves in position for gold was two-time World medalist James Green at 70 kg and U.S. Open champion Joe Colon at 61 kg.

Both went 3-0 in this morning’s action. Colon dominated with two technical falls and pin, while Green recorded a decision, tech fall and pin.

Colon will face Joshua Bodnarchuk of Canada, who he defeated earlier in pool play, 13-2. Green has Hernan Guzman of Colombia, who he also defeated, 11-1.

Wrestling for bronze tonight is 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman, who fell in a tough match to U23 World champion Reineri Andreu Ortega of Cuba, 7-4, in the 57 kg semifinals. For bronze, Gilman will wrestle Pedro Mejias Rodriguez of Venezuela.

With a slight schedule change, the medal matches are set to begin at 6 p.m. ET live on trackwrestling.com.

2018 SENIOR PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Lima, Peru, May 3-6

Men’s freestyle matchups
57 kg
GOLD - Oscar Eduardo TIGREROS URBANO (COL) vs. Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB)
BRONZE - Pedro Jesus MEJIAS RODRIGUEZ (VEN) vs. Thomas Patrick GILMAN (USA)
BRONZE – Victor Manuel BARRON CARDENAS (MEX) vs. Juan Rubelin RAMIREZ BELTRE (DOM)

61 kg
GOLD - Joseph Daniel COLON (USA) vs. Joshua BODNARCHUK (CAN)
BRONZE - Juan Antonio RODRIGUEZ JOVEL (ESA) vs. Alexis OLVERA MAGALLANES (MEX)

65 kg
GOLD - Abel Gerald HERRERA PASTOR (PER) vs. Logan Jeffery STIEBER (USA)
BRONZE - Michael Stanley David ASSELSTINE (CAN) vs. Alejandro Enrique VALDES TOBIER (CUB)
BRONZE – Albaro RUDESINDO CAMACHO (DOM) vs. Freddy Leonardo VERA FAJARDO (ECU

70 kg
GOLD - James Malcolm GREEN (USA) vs. Hernan Dario GUZMAN IPUZ (COL)
BRONZE - Marcos PEREIRA DE OLIVEIRA JUNIOR (BRA) vs. Alexander CHAVES (CAN)

74 kg
GOLD - Nazar KULCHYTSKYY (USA) vs. Livan LOPEZ AZCUY (CUB)
BRONZE - Jevon BALFOUR (CAN) vs. Nestor Joaquin TAFUR BARRIOS (COL)
BRONZE – Jorge Ivan LLANO (ARG) vs. Carlos Eduardo ROMERO MILLAQUEO (CHI)

86 kg
GOLD - Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA (CUB) vs. David Morris TAYLOR III (USA)
BRONZE - Julio Rafael RODRIGUEZ ROMERO (DOM) vs. Pool Edinson AMBROCIO GREIFO (PER)
BRONZE – Carlos Arturo IZQUIERDO MENDEZ (COL) vs. Pedro Francisco CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN)

97 kg
GOLD - Kyven Ross GADSON (USA) vs. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB)
BRONZE - Charles Zachary MERRILL (PUR) vs. Jordan STEEN (CAN)
BRONZE – Miguel Javier SANCHEZ GERALDO (MEX) vs. Jose Daniel DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN)

125 kg
GOLD - Yudenny ALPAJON ESTEVEZ (CUB) vs. Nicholas Edward GWIAZDOWSKI (USA)
BRONZE - Catriel Pehuen MURIEL (ARG) vs. Carlos Jose FELIX GARCIA (DOM)
BRONZE - Jose Noel ERAZO HENRIQUEZ (ESA) vs. Korey JARVIS (CAN)

U.S. men’s freestyle results
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Thomas Gilman (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC)
WIN Andre Quispe Fajardo (Chile), 10-0
WIN Alexander Moher (Canada), 10-0
LOSS Reineri Andreu Ortega (Cuba), 7-4
vs. Pedro Mejias Rodriguez (Venezuela)

61 kg/134 lbs. – Joe Colon (Fresno, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) 
WIN Luis Mallqui Suazo (Peru), 12-0
WIN Joshua Bodnarchuk (Canada), 13-2
WIN Juan Rodriguez Jovel (El Salvador), fall 0:34
vs. Joshua Bodnarchuk (Canada)

65 kg/143 lbs. – Logan Stieber (Columbus, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)
WIN Michael Asselstine (Canada), 10-0
WIN Brandon Diaz Ramirez (Mexico), 10-0
WIN Alejandro Valdes Tobier (Cuba), injury default
vs. Abel Herrera Pastor (Peru)

70 kg/154 lbs. – James Green (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids)
WIN Anthony Montero Chirinos (Venezuela), 4-1
WIN Hernan Guzman Ipuz (Colombia), 11-1
WIN Marcos Pereira de Oliveira (Brazil), fall 0:38
vs. Hernan Guzman Ipuz (Colombia)

74 kg/163 lbs. – Nazar Kulchytskyy (Stoughton, Wis./Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Jorge Ivan Llano (Argentina), 11-0
WIN Carlos Romero Millaqueo (Chile), 10-0
vs. Livan Lopez Azcuy (Cuba)

86 kg/189 lbs. – David Taylor (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) 
WIN Eduardo Garjardo Meneses (Chile), 12-2
WIN Pool Ambrocio Greifo (Peru), 11-0
WIN Julio Rodriguez Romero (Dominican Republic), fall 0:51
vs. Yurieski Torreblanca Queralta (Cuba)

97 kg/213 lbs. – Kyven Gadson (Waterloo, Iowa/Sunkist Kids)
WIN Miguel Sanchez Geraldo (Mexico), 10-0
WIN Jose Diaz Robertti (Venezuela), 3-3
vs. Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba)

125 kg/275 lbs. – Nick Gwiazdowski (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack WC)
WIN Catriel Muriel (Argentina), 10-0
WIN Carlos Felix Garcia (Dominican Republic), 11-0
vs. Yudenny Alpajon Estevez (Cuba)