Gray, Mensah-Stock, Velte, Anthony and Nolf to wrestle for gold at Pan Am C'Ships

Photo of Tamyra Mensah-Stock by Justin Hoch, jhoch.com.

OTTAWA, Canada – The USA has five athletes going for gold tonight, including four women’s freestylers and one men’s freestyle wrestler, at the Pan American Championships in Ottawa, Canada.

In the finals in women’s freestyle for the Red, White and Blue is five-time World champ Adeline Gray at 76 kg, 2019 World champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock at 68 kg, 2018 World bronze medalist Mallory Velte at 62 kg and two-time World Team member Victoria Anthony at 50 kg.

Gray pinned her way to the finals at 76 kg, spending just over three minutes on the mat this morning. Tonight, she aims for her third-straight Pan Am title. Gray also owns a 2015 Pan Am Games gold.

In her first bout, Gray stuck Andrimar Lazaro Diaz of Venezuela in 39 seconds. Against Andrea Olaya Gutierrez of Colombia in the semifinals, Gray racked up 11 points before getting the pin in 2:29. Among her 11 points was an impressive five-point throw.

In the finals, she’ll face 2018 World champion at 72 kg Justina DiStasio of Canada. Earlier in the day, DiStasio defeated 2019 Junior and U23 World champion Milaimys Marin Potrille from Cuba and 2014 World silver medalist Aline da Silva Ferreira from Brazil.

Reigning Pan Am champion Mensah-Stock collected a tech fall and two pins to advance to the 68 kg finals.

She recorded a first-period fall over Ambar Garnica Flores of Mexico, and followed it up with an 11-0 victory against Tatiana Renteria Renteria from Colombia. In the semis, Mensah-Stock bested 2017 Pan Am champion Olivia Di Bacco of Canada with a fall in the second period from a double-leg takedown.

For gold, Mensah-Stock will face 2018 U23 World champion Yudari Sanchez Rodriguez of Cuba, whom she defeated in the 2019 Pan Am Championship finals.

Competing in a Nordic bracket at 62 kg, Velte had a strong morning, winning all four of her morning matches.

She opened the day with a victory against Lais Nunes de Oliveira of Brazil in a pool-action bout that came down to the buzzer. Velte led 5-2 with just seconds left, when Nunes scored on a double and was awarded two points. Brazil’s corner challenged, asking for four points, but it failed, giving Velte another point and a 6-4 win.

Velte went on to defeat Yessica Oviedo Perez of Dominican Republic, 15-4, and Alejandra Bonilla Romero of Mexico, 7-0, to wrap up pool play. She then defeated Nathaly Griman Herrera from Venezuela with a first-period pin in the semis to move onto the gold-medal bout.

In the finals, Velte will take on Nunes again as they both advanced to different semifinals based on their pool performances.

Velte and Nunes have gone back and forth over the last couple of years. Velte defeated Nunes in the 2018 World bronze match, while Nunes got the best of the American in last year’s Pan Am finals. Velte aims for her first Pan Am gold.

At 50 kg, Anthony seeks her third Pan Am title and first since 2017.

She went 2-0 in the morning session, recording quick technical falls in both bouts.

Anthony opened with a 10-0 win against Genesis Milano Olivio of Venezuela, before repeating a 10-0 effort against Kamila Barbosa Vito da Silva of Brazil in the semifinals.

In the title match, Anthony will go head-to-head with three-time Pan Am Games medalist Carolina Castillo Hidalgo of Colombia.

Haley Augello, who wrestled in a five-person round-robin, went 1-2 in the morning session. Tonight, she will face Jade Parsons of Canada. If she wins, Augello will put herself in the mix for a medal.

Competing in a three-man round-robin, Jason Nolf rolled up Guesyn Ruslanzada of Canada with a 10-0 tech fall in just 2:16 in his only match of the morning session.

Tonight, he will face Victor Hernandez Luna from Mexico for gold. Should Nolf win tonight, he will earn a bid to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in April.

At 57 kg, Kelsey Campbell was eliminated from competition after going 1-1 in pool action of the Nordic style bracket. She won her first bout on criteria, 2-2, over Giullia Rodrigues Penalber de Oliveira of Brazil, but in the next round, she fell to Hannah Taylor of Canada, 3-0, ending her tournament.

Medal matches begin Sunday at 5 p.m. ET live on Trackwrestling.com.

2020 PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Ottawa, Canada (March 6-9)

Women’s freestyle results
50 kg: Victoria Anthony (Sunkist Kids)
WIN Genesis Milano Olivio (Venezuela), 10-0
WIN Kamila Barbosa Vito Da Silva (Brazil), 10-0
vs. Carolina Castillo Hidalgo (Colombia)

53 kg: Haley Augello (New York AC/USOPTC)
LOSS Lianna Montero Herrera (Cuba), 6-2
LOSS Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador), 12-2
WIN Zeltzin Hernandez Guerra (Mexico), 12-1
vs. Jade Parsons (Canada)

57 kg: Kelsey Campbell (Sunkist Kids) – eliminated
WIN Giullia Rodrigues Penalber de Oliveira (Brazil), 2-2
LOSS Hannah Taylor (Canada), 3-0

62 kg: Mallory Velte (Titan Mercury WC)
WIN Lais Nunes de Oliveira (Brazil), 6-4
WIN Yessica Oviedo Perez (Dominican Republic), 15-4
WIN Alejandra Bonilla Romero (Mexico), 7-0
WIN Nathaly Griman Herrera (Venezuela), fall 2:19
vs. Lais Nunes de Oliveira (Brazil)

68 kg: Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Titan Mercury WC/USOPTC)
WIN Ambar Garnica Flores (Mexico), fall 2:26
WIN Tatiana Renteria Renteria (Colombia), 11-0
WIN Olivia Di Bacco (Canada), fall 3:54
vs. Yudari Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba)

76 kg: Adeline Gray (New York AC/USOPTC)
WIN Andrimar Lazaro Diaz (Venezuela), fall 0:39
WIN Andrea Olaya Gutierrez (Colombia), fall
vs. Justina DiStasio (Canada)

Men’s freestyle results
79 kg: Jason Nolf (Nittany Lion WC)
WIN Guesyn Ruslanzada (Canada), 10-0
vs. Victor Hernandez Luna (Mexico)