U.S. Greco-Roman team ready for 2019 Pan American Championships in Argentina

The United States is sending a strong Greco-Roman lineup to the 2019 Pan American Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 18-21.

Leading the team is 2018 Senior World silver medalist Adam Coon, who will compete for the U.S. at 130 kg, which is the only Greco-Roman weight the U.S. has qualified so far for August’s Pan American Games.

In addition to his 2018 Senior World silver, Coon also has a 2011 Cadet Freestyle World title, a 2014 Junior Greco bronze and a 2014 Junior Freestyle bronze.

Next week will be Coon’s first competition since the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Kamal Bey, a 2017 Junior World champion, will represent the Red, White and Blue at 77 kg. At last year’s Pan Ams, Bey suffered an injury that ended his tournament.

Since then, Bey competed at the 2018 Junior World Championships and 2018 Senior World Championships, registering top-10 finishes at both. He also won the Dave Schultz Memorial International up weight class at 82 kg.

2016 Junior World bronze medalist G’Angelo Hancock will compete next week at 97 kg.

Over the last few months, Hancock has strung together an impressive season, winning four international medals, including golds at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and Grand Prix of Hungary as well as bronzes at the Grand Prix of Zagreb and Thor Masters.

Hancock has represented the U.S. on the World stage multiple times, with two appearances as a Junior, two as a U23 and two as a Senior.

In addition to Coon, Bey and Hancock, there are four other 2018 Senior World Team members on the Pan Am squad, counting Dalton Roberts, Ellis Coleman, RaVaughn Perkins and Patrick Martinez.

Roberts, who made his Senior World debut this fall, is a four-time U.S. World Team member across several age-groups. He also owns four Senior-level international medals. His most recent was bronze at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in January.

Next week marks his first Pan Am Championships. Roberts will be competing at 60 kg.

Coleman, an Army WCAP athlete, is a three-time Senior World Team member, 2012 Olympian and two-time Junior World bronze medalist. He has competed at three Senior Pan Ams, winning medals in 2010 and 2014.

Perkins is the returning Pan Am champion at 72 kg. So far this season, Perkins has two top-10 finishes this year in international competition, wrestling the Grand Prix of Zagreb and the Grand Prix of Hungary.

Martinez is a three-time Senior World Team member and has collected several international medals, including a bronze from the 2016 Pan American Championships.

Cheney Haight, a two-time Pan American champion, will represent the U.S. at 87 kg. The two-time World Team member has not competed much internationally over the last two years, but in the two tournaments that he entered, Haight claimed a silver and a fourth-place finish.

In addition to Coleman, the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program will be well represented at the tournament as WCAP is sending two other athletes to Buenos Aires.

Max Nowry will compete at 55 kg, and Ryan Mango will wrestle at 63 kg.

Both took second at the World Team Trials last year to make the U.S. Greco-Roman National Team.

Nowry is a two-time Pan Am medalist, winning the event in 2013 and taking silver in 2018.

Mango won the Pan Am title last year at 63 kg and was fifth at the 2017 Pan Ams.

The tournament will serves two big purposes. First, it is a ranking tournament for the 2019 Senior World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, where the points go to the individual, not the country.

Also it is a qualifier for the 2019 Pan American Games in August, where only Olympic weights will be contested. The three highest-placing athletes at each weight from countries that have not yet qualified, will earn spots at the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru. Since this event will have two bronze winners, those two will face off for true-third to qualify their nation, if necessary.

The U.S. Greco-Roman team has one weight qualified (130 kg) and aims to receive bids at 60 kg, 67 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg and 97 kg.

According to the 2019 USA Wrestling World Team Trials Qualification and Procedures for Greco-Roman, USA Pan American Championships Greco representatives at Olympic weights who qualify the U.S. for the Pan Am Games will receive a bye to the best-of-three finals series at the the World Team Trials in May in Raleigh, N.C.

The Greco-Roman tournament will open the Pan American Championships on April 18-19. Women’s freestyle follows on April 19-20, and men’s freestyle will wrap up the tournament on April 20-21. For all four days, 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 each day.

Buenos Aires, Argentina, is situated one hour ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

Fans can watch all the action live on Trackwrestling.com and keep up with live updates on Twitter @USAWrestling.

2019 SENIOR PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 18-21

U.S. Greco-Roman roster
55 kg: Max Nowry (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP/Illinois RTC)
60 kg: Dalton Roberts (Fowlerville, Mich./New York AC)
63 kg: Ryan Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP/California RTC)
67 kg: Ellis Coleman (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP)
72 kg: RaVaughn Perkins (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC)
77 kg: Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids)
82 kg: Cheney Haight (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC)
87 kg: Patrick Martinez (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC)
97 kg: G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids)
130 kg: Adam Coon (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC/Cliff Keen RTC)

National Greco-Roman head coach – Matt Lindland, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coach – Herb House, Castle Rock, Colo.
Coach – Lucas Steldt, Blue River, Wisc.

Team leader – Elison Dantas, Garanhuns, Brazil

Medical – Jodi Loecke, Windsor, Colo.
Medical – Dr. Vermon Esplin, Chubbuck, Idaho
Nutritionist – Rob Skinner, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Referee – Casey Goessl, Osceola, Wisc.
Referee – Sammy Julian, Schuylkill Haven, Pa.
Referee – Jason Babi, Centennial, Colo.
Referee – Danny Blackshear, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Communications – Taylor Miller, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Schedule
Thursday, April 18
10 a.m. – Qualification rounds (GR 55-60-63-67-72-97-130kg)
4:30 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
5 p.m. – Finals (GR 55-60-63-67-72-97-130kg)

Friday, April 19
10 a.m. – Qualification rounds (GR 77-82-87kg & WW 55-59-65-72kg)
5 p.m. – Finals (GR 77-82-87kg & WW 55-59-65-72kg)

Saturday, April 20
10 a.m. – Qualification rounds (WW 50-53-57-62-68-76kg & FS 79-92kg)
5 p.m. – Finals (WW 50-53-57-62-68-76kg & FS 79-92kg)

Sunday, April 21
10 a.m. – Qualification rounds (FS – 57-61-65-70-74-86-97-125kg)
5 p.m. – Finals (FS – 57-61-65-70-74-86-97-125kg)