Three champions help lead USA to Junior Pan Am title in women's freestyle

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – The United States picked up its second Junior Pan American team title of the weekend as the women’s freestyle team collected 10 medals, including three gold, six silver and one bronze, on Thursday.

Winning Pan Am titles were Alisha Howk at 55 kg, Cara Broadus at 65 kg and Kenya-Lee Sloan at 76 kg.

Howk, a two-time age-group World Team member, made her Pan Am debut today. Of her four wins, two of them were pins that combined for a total time of 63 seconds.

At 65 kg, Broadus bookended her tournament with pins over Thaissa Anibal Ribeiro of Brazil in 1:51 and Jamilex Cumbicos Castillo of Ecuador in 1:04.

Sloan put together an impressive performance with three pins and one technical fall. In her fourth bout of her round robin bracket, Sloan knocked off 2018 Youth Olympic Games champion Milaimys Marin Potrille of Cuba with a second-period fall.

Six women collected silver, including Emily Shilson at 50 kg, Tiare Ikei at 53 kg, Gabrielle Skidmore at 57 kg, Alex Liles at 62 kg, Alma Mendoza at 68 kg and Dymond Guilford at 72 kg.

With Skidmore, Liles and Mendoza all won their final bouts in round-robin action to claim second place at their respective weights.

In the 50 kg finals, 2018 Youth Olympic Games champion and Cadet World champion Shilson dropped a tough back-and-forth battle against 2017 Cadet World bronze medalist Lucia Yepez Guzman, 5-4. Her silver medal marks her third overall Pan Am medal and first at the Junior level.

2018 Cadet World bronze medalist fell to 2018 Senior Cerro Pelado champion Laura Herin Avila of Cuba, 10-0, in her last bout of the day.

At 72 kg, Guilford fought back from a 7-0 deficit at the break against Taitana Renteria of Colombia, but it was not enough as she eventually lost 8-4 to finish with silver.

Mia Macaluso pulled through at 59 kg to earn on spot on the podium, finishing with a bronze medal in her first UWW international event.

The Pan Am Championships wrap up tomorrow with men’s freestyle action beginning 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 – 210
2. Canada – 134
3. Brazil – 102
4. Ecuador – 72
5. Cuba – 70
6. Colombia – 50
7. Peru – 42
8. Panama – 31
9. Guatemala – 24
10. Argentina – 22

Finals results

50 kg
GOLD – Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU) df. Emily SHILSON (USA), 5-4
BRONZE – Evelyn MATOS SANTOS (BRA) df. Alexia SEAL (CAN), fall 2:27

53 kg
GOLD – Laura HERIN AVILA (CUB)
SILVER – Tiare IKEI (USA)
BRONZE – Becky CORNEJO MUNOZ (ECU)

55 kg
GOLD – Alisha HOWK (USA)
SILVER - Nathaly HERRERA HUACRE (PER)
BRONZE - Virginie KAZE GASCON (CAN)

57 kg
GOLD – Ana PEREIRA FRANCA (BRA)
SILVER – Gabrielle SKIDMORE (USA)
BRONZE – Jolie BRISCO (CAN)

59 kg
GOLD – Katherine RENTERIA CUERO (COL)
SILVER – Emma PARKER (CAN)
BRONZE – Mia MACALUSO (USA)

62 kg
GOLD – Dayselis RODRIGUEZ GARCIA (CUB)
SILVER – Alex LILES (USA)
BRONZE – Meiriele CHARAMBA SANTOS HORA (BRA)

65 kg
GOLD – Cara BROADUS (USA)
SILVER – Jamilex CUMBICOS CASTILLO (ECU)
BRONZE – Katie MULKAY (CAN)

68 kg
GOLD – Thamires MARTINS MACHADO (BRA)
SILVER – Alma MENDOZA (USA)
BRONZE – Berit JOHNSON (CAN)

72 kg
GOLD – Tatiana RENTERIA (COL)
SILVER – Dymond GUILFORD (USA)
BRONZE – Lily FRENCH (CAN)

76 kg
GOLD – Kenya-Lee SLOAN (USA)
SILVER – Milaimys MARIN POTRILLE (CUB)
BRONZE – Jasmine THEBEAU (CAN)

U.S. women’s freestyle results

50 kg: Emily Shilson (Maple Grove, Minn./Titan Mercury) - SILVER
WIN Gloria Asca Vilcapoma (Peru), 10-0
WIN Karla Hernandez Gonzalez (El Salvador), 10-0
WIN Alexia Seal (Canada), 9-6
WIN Evelyn Matos Santos (Brazil), fall 1:35
LOSS Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador), 5-4

53 kg: Tiare Ikei (Colorado Springs, Colo./EAP) - SILVER
WIN Victoria Seal (Canada), fall 1:23
WIN Becky Cornejo Munoz (Ecuador), 10-0
LOSS Laura Herin Avila (Cuba), 10-0

55 kg: Alisha Howk (River Falls, Wisc./Sunkist Kids) - GOLD
WIN Nathaly Herrera Huacre (Peru), 10-4
WIN Neidy Vasquez Gomez (Guatemala), fall 0:44
WIN Leonelly Brito Roca (Bolivia), fall 0:19
WIN Virginie Kaze Gascon (Canada), 14-6

57 kg: Gabrielle Skidmore (Spooner, Wisc.) – SILVER
LOSS Stefania Ceballos (Argentina), fall 1:24
LOSS Ana Pereira Franca (Brazil), 6-0
WIN Antonia Valdez Arriagada (Chile), 6-0
WIN Jolie Brisco (Canada), fall 4:13

59 kg: Mia Macaluso (Minisink, N.Y./Venom WC) – BRONZE
WIN Silvia Hernandez Gonzalez (Guatemala), fall 0:56
LOSS Emma Parker (Canada), 12-2
LOSS Katherine Renterina Cuero (Colombia), fall 2:05
WIN Christina Arauz Flores (Panama), fall 0:44

62 kg: Alex Liles (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) – SILVER
WIN Meiriele Charamba Santos Hora (Brazil), 10-4
LOSS Dayselis Rodriguez Garcia (Cuba), fall 0:41
WIN Chaneth Simmonds Campos (Panama), fall 0:21

65 kg: Cara Broadus (Plymouth, Conn./KT Kidz) – GOLD
WIN Thaissa Anibal Ribeiro (Brazil), fall 1:51
WIN Katie Mulkay (Canada), 6-5
WIN Jamilex Cumbicos Castillo (Ecuador), fall 1:04

68 kg: Alma Mendoza (Sequim, Wash./Colorado Mesa) – SILVER
WIN Krizia Roa Ortega (Peru), 4-0
LOSS Thamires Martins Machado (Brazil), 11-1
WIN Berit Johnson (Canada), 5-0

72 kg: Dymond Guilford (Lancaster, Calif./Missouri Baptist) – SILVER
WIN Linda Machuca (Argentina), fall 3:47
WIN Lily French (Canada), 12-2
LOSS Tatiana Renteria (Colombia), 8-4

76 kg: Kenya-Lee Sloan (Knoxville, Tenn./Campbellsville) – GOLD
WIN Jasmine Thebeau (Canada), fall 1:10
WIN Beatriz Rodrigues Dos Santos (Brazil), fall 1:10
WIN Milaimys Marin Potrille (Cuba), fall 4:03
WIN Nathaly Medina Corozo (Ecuador), 10-0