USA wins nine medals and Greco team title at Junior Pan Ams

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – The United States began the Junior Pan American Championships with nine medals in Greco-Roman on Wednesday in Guatemala City.

USA’s medal count included two gold, five silver and two bronze.

Winning Junior Pan Am titles on Wednesday were Hunter Lewis at 63 kg and Lee Herrington at 130 kg.

Lewis not only wrestled his way to a gold medal but also the Outstanding Wrestler recognition.

In five matches, Lewis did not surrender a single point and collected all his victories by either technical fall or pin.

This marks his third Pan Am title as he won the freestyle and Greco divisions in the 2018 Cadet Pan American Championships.

At heavyweight, Herrington also did not give up a point on the day, winning an international gold medal in his first attempt.

Wrestling three bouts, the UNK Loper tallied a 6-0 decision, a first-period pin and an 8-0 tech fall, respectively.

Claiming silver medals for the Red, White and Blue were Haiden Drury at 60 kg, Isaiah Alford at 77 kg, Max Wohlabaugh at 82 kg, Keaton Fanning at 87 kg and Braxton Amos at 97 kg.

After impressive morning sessions, Alford and Wohlabaugh fell short in their finals matches, but both walked away with their first international medals.

Drury and Fanning dropped matches in the morning session but finished strong with wins to claim second place.

Amos went up against 2019 Senior Pan American champion Gabriel Rosillo Kindelan twice on the day in a six-man pool/bracket. Although both matches resulted in a loss for Amos, he showed major improvements between their first-round matchup and the finals.

Bronze-medal winners included Billy Sullivan at 55 kg and Benji Peak at 67 kg.

Both wrestlers dropped tough battles in the semifinals and bounced back to secure spots on the podium as well as crucial team points.

The United States won the Greco-Roman team title with 190 points, defeating second-place Mexico, which had four champions, by 60 points. Rounding out the top-three was Colombia with 122 points.

The women’s freestyle tournament begins Thursday at 12 p.m. CT live on Trackwrestling.com.

2019 JUNIOR PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Guatemala City, Guatemala, June 5-7

Final team standings
1. USA - 190
2. Mexico - 130
3. Colombia - 122
4. Ecuador - 84
5. Peru – 80
6. Guatemala - 60
7. Cuba - 50
8. Panama - 48
9. Chile - 45
10. Argentina - 30

Final results

55 kg
GOLD - Duvan SANCHEZ CAICEDO (COL) dec. Antonio RUIZ MORA (ECU), 4-2
BRONZE – Billy SULLIVAN (USA) TF Luis MENDOZA JIMENEZ (BOL), 9-0
BRONZE – Oseas LORENZO BAUTISTA (GUA) df. Richard GARCIA ANDRADE (PAN), fall 4:41

60 kg
GOLD – Andres CORTES HERRERA (COL)
SILVER – Haiden DRURY (USA)
BRONZE – Emerson FELIPE ORDONEZ (GUA)

63 kg
GOLD – Hunter LEWIS (USA) TF Carlos GONZALEZ VAHOS (COL), 8-0
BRONZE - Cristian MEJIA TEPEN (GUA) TF Jose ESPINOSA MOSQUERA (PAN), 8-0

67 kg
GOLD - Damian SOLENZAL LOPEZ (CUB) TF Diego MARTINEZ DE LEIJA (MEX), 8-0
BRONZE – Benji PEAK (USA) TF Lucas BELTRAN (ARG), 10-1
BRONZE - Julian HORTA ACEVEDO (COL) TF Juan PALMA FRANCIS (ECU), 12-3

72 kg
GOLD – Evaristo HERNANDEZ REYNA (MEX) TF Franco CHIALANZA (ARG), 9-0
BRONZE – Ryan CUBAS CASTILLO (PER) TF Haner RAMIREZ RAMIREZ (COL), 16-8

77 kg
GOLD – Emmanuel BENITEZ Castro (MEX)
SILVER – Isaiah ALFORD (USA)
BRONZE – Miguel Genaro SILVA COC (PER)

82 kg
GOLD – Arturo CAMACHO VALENCIANO (MEX) TF Max WOHLABAUGH (USA), 8-0
BRONZE – Fabian CASTILLO PAVEZ (CHI) TF Max MADRID DE LEON (PAN), 10-1

87 kg
GOLD – Jesus LOPEZ NINO (MEX)
SILVER – Keaton FANNING (USA)
BRONZE - Johan NAVEDA VARGAS (PER)

97 kg
GOLD – Gabriel ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUBA) TF Braxton AMOS (USA), 12-4
BRONZE – Fabio CONCEICAO RODRIGUES (BRA) df. Juan CANTILLO TORRES (PAN), fall 0:27

130 kg
GOLD – Lee HERRINGTON (USA)
SILVER – Diego ALMENDRAS RODRIGUEZ (CHI)
BRONZE –  Samir VARGAS VALOR (COL)

U.S. Greco-Roman results

55 kg: Billy Sullivan (Las Vegas, Nev./Legends of Gold) – BRONZE
WIN Juan Gonzales Sanabria (Peru), 10-2
LOSS Duvan Sanchez Caicedo (Colombia), 12-10
WIN Luis Mendoza Jimenez (Bolivia), 9-0

60 kg: Haiden Drury (Toppenish, Wash./Takedown Express WC) – SILVER
WIN Bryan Mora Valenzuela (Ecuador), fall 1:39
LOSS Andres Cortes Herrera (Colombia), 5-2
WIN Emerson Felipe Ordonez (Guatemala), 4-0
WIN Pedro Gutierrez Urrutia (Chile), 9-0

63 kg: Hunter Lewis (Stoughton, Wisc./Advance/Ringers) – GOLD
WIN Jharold de la Torre Santillan (Ecuador), 9-0
WIN Jose Espinosa Mosquera (Panama), fall 0:21
WIN Enzo Jaurez Vila (Peru), 9-0
WIN Cristian Mejia Tepen (Guatemala), 1:36
WIN Carlos Gonzalez Vahos (Colombia), 8-0

67 kg: Benji Peak (Elkhorn, Wisc./NMU-OTS) – BRONZE
WIN Marlon Pavon Funes (Honduras), 8-0
LOSS Diego Martinez de Leija (Mexico), 7-5
WIN Lucas Beltran (Argentina), 10-1

72 kg: Calvin Germinaro (Ramsey, Minn./Minnesota Storm) – FIFTH
WIN Haner Ramirez (Colombia), 5-5
LOSS Franco Chialanza (Argentina), fall 1:50

77 kg: Isaiah Alford (Lincoln, Neb./MWC) – SILVER
WIN Jhonny Arias Berdugo (Colombia), 8-0
WIN Jean Carlos Cordova Guzman (Ecuador), 9-0
WIN Miguel Silva Coc (Peru), 8-0
LOSS Emmanuel Benitez Castro (Mexico), 14-3

82 kg: Max Wohlabaugh (Winter Springs, Fla./Clarion RTC) – SILVER
WIN Arturo Camacho Valenciano (Mexico), 8-0
WIN Adrian Ayaucan Mendriel (Peru), fall 0:45
LOSS Arturo Camacho Valenciano (Mexico), 8-0

87 kg: Keaton Fanning (Bedford, Texas/NMU-OTS) – SILVER
LOSS Jesus Lopez Nino (Mexico), 3-0
WIN Johan Naveda Vargas (Peru), 8-0
WIN Wanderson da Silva Lima (Brazil), 8-0

97 kg: Braxton Amos (Mineral Wells, W.V./Team Miron) – SILVER
LOSS Gabriel Rosillo Kindelan (Cuba), 10-0
WIN Edson Acuna Salazar (Mexico), fall 2:26
WIN Fabio Conceicao (Brazil), 8-0
LOSS Gabriel Rosillo Kindelan (Cuba), 12-4

130 kg: Lee Herrington (Kearney, Neb./Nebraska Golden Eagles WC) – GOLD
WIN Diego Almendras Rodriguez (Chile), 6-0
WIN Steeven Yepez Penafiel (Ecuador), fall 0:55
WIN Samir Vargas Valor (Colombia), 8-0