Cruz, Ashnault, Nolf, Campbell, Louive will earn Olympic Trials berths with Pan Am Championships gold medals
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Photo of Anthony Ashnault of the USA at the 2019 Pan American Championships courtesy of Lucruzphoto/United World Wrestling.
There is a lot at stake at this year’s Pan American Championships in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada this weekend.
National pride is on display in this annual Senior continental championship. This tournament will also score points in the UWW Ranking Series standings, which will determine the seeds at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
All four of the U.S. wrestlers who won 2019 World medals and qualified the USA for the Olympics at their weight will wrestle in the Pan American Championships to pick up Ranking Series points: 2012 Olympic champion and four-time World champion Jordan Burroughs (74 kg/MFS), 2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Kyle Snyder (97 kg/MFS), five-time World champion and Olympian Adeline Gray (76 kg/WFS) and 2018 World champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg/WFS).
For five wrestlers in the U.S. lineup, even more will be up for grabs, a spot in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Penn State, April 4-5.
According to USA Wrestling Olympic Trials selection procedures, an athlete who wins a gold medal at the 2020 Pan American Championships who has not already qualified for the Olympic Trials will earn a spot in the field at Penn State.
The five U.S. Pan American Championships entries who would get into the Olympic Trials with victories in Ottawa are Darian Cruz of the Lehigh Valley AC (57 kg/MFS), Anthony Ashnault of the New York AC/NJRTC (70 kg/MFS), Jason Nolf of the Nittany Lion WC (79 kg/MFS), Kelsey Campbell of the Sunkist Kids (57 kg/WFS) and Lauren Louive of the New York AC/USOPTC (59 kg/WFS).
All five are members of the 2019-20 Senior National Team, after making the top three in their weight class on the Senior ladder last year. Louive is No. 2, while Cruz, Ashnault, Nolf and Campbell are No. 3.
These athletes are not in the Olympic Trials yet for different reasons.
The top five at the U.S. Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas earned spots in the Olympic Trials. Campbell and Cruz placed eighth there, and Louive did not place. Nolf did not enter the U.S. Senior Nationals. Ashnault, who was injured late last year, also did not enter the U.S. Senior Nationals, and has returned to health in time for his Olympic run.
While Cruz and Campbell are wrestling at Olympic weight classes, Ashnault, Nolf and Louive are entered in the Pan American Championships at non-Olympic weight classes. 2020 Pan American Championships gold medalists can get into the Olympic Team Trials, regardless of whether it is an Olympic or non-Olympic weight class.
Campbell was a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team, which competed in London, England.
Campbell will be competing in her seventh Pan American Championships. Campbell has won the Pan American Championships twice in her career, in 2011 and 2016. Ashnault was a 2019 Pan American Championships gold medalist. Louive has one previous Pan American Championships appearance, winning silver in 2012. Cruz and Nolf will be entering their first Pan American Championships.
If any of these five wrestlers do not win gold in Ottawa, they must compete at the 2020 Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier at Millersville, Pa., March 26-28 in order to join the Olympic Trials field.
Louive wrestles Saturday, Campbell and Nolf wrestle Sunday, while Cruz and Ashnault wrestle on Monday at the Pan American Championships.
The 2020 Pan American Championships will be broadcast live within the United States by Trackwrestling.
Check out all of USA Wrestling’s coverage from Taylor Miller on TheMat.com and USA Wrestling’s social media platforms.
There is a lot at stake at this year’s Pan American Championships in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada this weekend.
National pride is on display in this annual Senior continental championship. This tournament will also score points in the UWW Ranking Series standings, which will determine the seeds at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
All four of the U.S. wrestlers who won 2019 World medals and qualified the USA for the Olympics at their weight will wrestle in the Pan American Championships to pick up Ranking Series points: 2012 Olympic champion and four-time World champion Jordan Burroughs (74 kg/MFS), 2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Kyle Snyder (97 kg/MFS), five-time World champion and Olympian Adeline Gray (76 kg/WFS) and 2018 World champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg/WFS).
For five wrestlers in the U.S. lineup, even more will be up for grabs, a spot in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Penn State, April 4-5.
According to USA Wrestling Olympic Trials selection procedures, an athlete who wins a gold medal at the 2020 Pan American Championships who has not already qualified for the Olympic Trials will earn a spot in the field at Penn State.
The five U.S. Pan American Championships entries who would get into the Olympic Trials with victories in Ottawa are Darian Cruz of the Lehigh Valley AC (57 kg/MFS), Anthony Ashnault of the New York AC/NJRTC (70 kg/MFS), Jason Nolf of the Nittany Lion WC (79 kg/MFS), Kelsey Campbell of the Sunkist Kids (57 kg/WFS) and Lauren Louive of the New York AC/USOPTC (59 kg/WFS).
All five are members of the 2019-20 Senior National Team, after making the top three in their weight class on the Senior ladder last year. Louive is No. 2, while Cruz, Ashnault, Nolf and Campbell are No. 3.
These athletes are not in the Olympic Trials yet for different reasons.
The top five at the U.S. Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas earned spots in the Olympic Trials. Campbell and Cruz placed eighth there, and Louive did not place. Nolf did not enter the U.S. Senior Nationals. Ashnault, who was injured late last year, also did not enter the U.S. Senior Nationals, and has returned to health in time for his Olympic run.
While Cruz and Campbell are wrestling at Olympic weight classes, Ashnault, Nolf and Louive are entered in the Pan American Championships at non-Olympic weight classes. 2020 Pan American Championships gold medalists can get into the Olympic Team Trials, regardless of whether it is an Olympic or non-Olympic weight class.
Campbell was a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team, which competed in London, England.
Campbell will be competing in her seventh Pan American Championships. Campbell has won the Pan American Championships twice in her career, in 2011 and 2016. Ashnault was a 2019 Pan American Championships gold medalist. Louive has one previous Pan American Championships appearance, winning silver in 2012. Cruz and Nolf will be entering their first Pan American Championships.
If any of these five wrestlers do not win gold in Ottawa, they must compete at the 2020 Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier at Millersville, Pa., March 26-28 in order to join the Olympic Trials field.
Louive wrestles Saturday, Campbell and Nolf wrestle Sunday, while Cruz and Ashnault wrestle on Monday at the Pan American Championships.
The 2020 Pan American Championships will be broadcast live within the United States by Trackwrestling.
Check out all of USA Wrestling’s coverage from Taylor Miller on TheMat.com and USA Wrestling’s social media platforms.
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