Kyle Snyder pushing the action at the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
U.S. draws released in all three styles at Pan American Games
by Richard Immel
The draws have been announced in all three Olympic styles of wrestling for the 2023 Pan American Games being held Nov. 1-4 at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico in Santiago, Chile.
The U.S. has 17 wrestlers taking the mats over the next week—six in men’s freestyle, six in women’s freestyle and five in Greco-Roman. Only the six Olympic weight categories in each of the international disciplines will be contested.
Men’s freestyle outlook
The men’s freestyle unit gets the festivities going on Wednesday, led by Olympic champion and three-time World champion Kyle Snyder. Now a two-time Olympic medalist and seven-time World medalist, Snyder begins his quest for a third Pan American Games title against the winner between Ricardo Baez of Argentina and Nishan Randhawa of Canada in the 97 kg bracket. Snyder outplaced both men at the Pan American Championships earlier this year in a gold medal effort. He also defeated Randhawa in the first round of the World Championships, 11-0.
Newly minted World bronze medalist Mason Parris, the reigning Dan Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s top college wrestler, is competing in his first Pan American event. He will begin his tournament at 125 kg against Elison Adames Garcia of Dominican Republic.
Reigning 57 kg U.S. World Team representative Zane Richards is up against seven-time Pan American medalist Juan Ramirez Beltre of Dominican Republic in his first bout of the tournament. Ramirez Beltre won this event in 2011 and was runner-up in 2019.
Current U.S. National Team members Nahshon Garrett, Tyler Berger and Mark Hall round out the men’s freestyle roster. Garrett, who is a past Final X champion, is set to face two-time Pan American silver medalist Joseph Silva of Peru at 65 kg. Berger holds the 74 kg spot and will wrestle Anthony Montero Chirinos of Venezuela off the bat. Three-time age-group World champion Mark Hall opens against 2019 U20 World bronze medalist Hunter Lee of Canada at 86 kg.
Snyder, Parris, Richards and Berger are scheduled to compete on Wednesday with Garrett and Hall going the following day.
Women’s freestyle outlook
The women’s freestyle competition will be held on Thursday and Friday with World medalists Kayla Miracle and Forrest Molinari at the helm. Both women have winnable matches in round one—Miracle against Leonela Ayovi Parraga of Ecuador at 62 kg and Molinari against Saidy Chavez Figueroa of Honduras at 68 kg.
Reigning Pan American champion Xochitl Mota-Pettis, who is fresh off a fifth-place performance at the U23 World Championships, has drawn seven-time Pan American medalist Giullia Rodrigues Penalber De Oliveira of Brazil at 57 kg in what promises to be one of the more exciting opening round matches of the tournament.
2021 U20 World champion and three-time age-group World medalist Kylie Welker awaits the winner between Emelyn Bautista Corcino of Dominican Republic and Genesis Reasco Valdez of Ecuador. Reasco Valdez is the clear favorite to make it to Welker given her track record of four Pan American medals and two fifth place finishes at the World Championships.
Three-time U20 World medalist Erin Golston opens in Group B at 50 kg, a three-person pool including two-time Olympian Patricia Bermudez of Argentina and four-time Pan American medalist Jacqueline Mollocana Eleno of Ecuador. The top two placers in this pool will advance to the semifinals to take on the top two finishers in Group A.
U.S. National Team member Samara Chavez has a challenging opener at 53 kg against 2020 Olympian and three-time U20 Pan American champion Laura Herin Avila of Cuba.
Golston, Mota-Pettis and Molinari will take the mats on Thursday with Chavez, Miracle and Welker wrestling on Friday.
Greco-Roman outlook
Five members of the U.S. World Team will represent in the Greco-Roman division at the Pan American Games—Ildar Hafizov, Kamal Bey, Zac Braunagel, Josef Rau and Cohlton Schultz.
Hafizov, a two-time Olympian and Pan American Games bronze medalist, and Bey, a U20 World champion and three-time Senior World Team member, compete on Friday alongside the U.S. women. Hafizov opens his tournament against Samuel Gurria Vigueras of Mexico at 60 kg. Bey will see David Choc Huoc of Guatemala in round one at 77 kg. Both U.S. opponents are two-time Pan American silver medalists.
The three-time age-group World medalist Schultz is competing at a Pan American event on the Senior level for the first time. He squares off against four-time Pan American medalist Edgardo Lopez Morell of Puerto Rico to start things off at 130 kg.
Rau, a three-time World Teamer, and Braunagel, the new kid on the block, complete the list of Greco-Roman entries for Team USA. Rau will begin his run at 97 kg against Jose Jourdan Calderon of Puerto Rico. Likewise, Braunagel will open against Ronisson Brandao Santiago of Brazil at 87 kg.
The trio of Schultz, Rau and Braunagel compete on Saturday, the final day of action in Santiago. The 67 kg weight class will also be contested on Saturday, but the U.S. was unable to get an entrant into the bracket during the qualification process.
Follow along at home
The Panam Sports Channel will broadcast over 1,900 of coverage from the Pan American Games at panamsportchannel.org, including complete coverage of all four days of wrestling. Brackets and updated results from this event can be found at arena.uww.org. USA Wrestling will provide complete coverage of the event through TheMat.com and its social media channels using #Santiago2023.
More information about the Pan American Games can be found at santiago2023.org.
2023 Pan American Games
At Santiago, Chile, Nov. 1-4
Quick links
Event schedule
Wednesday, Nov. 1
10 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechage (MFS 57-74-97-125 kg)
5 p.m. – Finals and awards (MFS 57-74-97-125 kg)
Thursday, Nov. 2
10 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechage (MFS 65-86 kg and WFS 50-57-68 kg)
5 p.m. – Finals and awards (MFS 65-86 kg and WFS 50-57-68 kg)
Friday, Nov. 3
10 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechage (WFS 53-62-76 kg and GR 60-77 kg)
5 p.m. – Finals and awards (WFS 53-62-76 kg and GR 60-77 kg)
Saturday, Nov. 4
10 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechage (GR 67-87-97-130 kg)
5 p.m. – Finals and awards (GR 67-87-97-130 kg)
U.S. men’s freestyle draws
57 kg – Zane Richards (Champaign, Illinois/Titan Mercury WC/Illinois RTC)
VS Juan Ramirez Beltre (Dominican Republic), Seven-time Pan American medalist
65 kg – Nahshon Garrett (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania/Titan Mercury WC/Lehigh Valley WC)
VS Joseph Silva (Peru), Two-time Pan American silver medalist
74 kg – Tyler Berger (Lincoln, Nebraska/Sunkist Kids WC/Pennsylvania RTC)
VS Anthony Montero Chirinos (Venezuela), Two-time Pan American medalist
86 kg – Mark Hall (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/Titan Mercury WC/Pennsylvania RTC)
VS Hunter Lee (Canada), 2019 U20 World bronze medalist
97 kg – Kyle Snyder (State College, Pennsylvania/Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC)
VS Ricardo Baez (Argentina) or Nishan Randhawa (Canada)
125 kg – Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Indiana/Titan Mercury WC/Cliff Keen WC)
VS Elison Adames Garcia (Dominican Republic)
U.S. women’s freestyle draws
50 kg – Erin Golston (Lake In The Hills, Illinois/New York AC)
VS Patricia Bermudez (Argentina), Two-time Olympian, Nine-time Pan American medalist
VS Jacqueline Mollocana Eleno (Ecuador), Four-time Pan American medalist
53 kg – Samara Chavez (Arlington, Texas/Team Tornado WC)
VS Laura Herin Avila (Cuba), 2020 Olympian, three-time U20 Pan American champion
57 kg – Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Humble, Texas/Rise RTC)
VS Giullia Rodrigues Penalber De Oliveira (Brazil), Seven-time Pan American medalist
62 kg – Kayla Miracle (Tempe, Arizona/Sunkist Kids WC)
VS Leonela Ayovi Parraga (Ecuador), 2018 Pan American Championships bronze medalist
68 kg – Forrest Molinari (Tempe, Arizona/Sunkist Kids WC)
VS Saidy Chavez Figueroa (Honduras)
76 kg – Kylie Welker (Franksville, Wisconsin/Titan Mercury WC/Iowa Women’s WC)
VS Emelyn Bautista Corcino (Dominican Republic) or Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador), Four-time Pan American medalist
U.S. Greco-Roman draws
60 kg – Ildar Hafizov (Colorado Springs, Colorado/U.S. Army WCAP)
VS Samuel Gurria Vigueras (Mexico), Two-time Pan American Championships silver medalist
77 kg – Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colorado/U.S. Army WCAP)
VS David Choc Huoc (Guatemala), Two-time Pan American Championships silver medalist
87 kg – Zac Braunagel (O’Fallon, Illinois/Illini WC/Illinois RTC)
VS Ronisson Brandao Santiago (Brazil), Two-time Pan American Championships bronze medalist
97 kg – Josef Rau (Chicago, Illinois/Titan Mercury WC/Wildcat WC)
VS Jose Jourdan Calderon (Puerto Rico)
130 kg – Cohlton Schultz (Parker, Colorado/Sunkist Kids WC)
VS Edgardo Lopez Morell (Puerto Rico), Four-time Pan American medalist