Kelly wins women’s freestyle gold, Hays takes silver, Gonzalez, Cosme get bronzes at Junior Pan American Games

ASUNCION, Paraguay – Four of the five U.S. women’s freestyle wrestlers entered in the 2025 Junior Pan American Games claimed medals, led by gold medalist Tristan Kelly at 76 kg, at the Olympic Training Center of the Paraguayan Olympic Park on Thursday.

Kelly capped off a dominant performance with a pin over Poala Rodriguez Guzman of Puerto Rico in just 38 seconds in the finals. Kelly scored first on a step out point to lead 1-0. Back in the center, Kelly quickly powered Rodriguez down to the mat right onto her back and finished off the fall.

Kelly was dominant in her preliminary wins, scoring a pair of 10-0 technical falls in less than a minute. In the quarterfinals, she stopped Melanie Sanchez Morales of Chile in 42 seconds, and in the semifinals, she took out Edna Jimenez Villalba of Mexico in 39 seconds. In her three matches at the Junior Pan American Games, Kelly competed for less than two minutes, for a combined 1:59 time of wrestling.

Kelly was a 2022 U20 World bronze medalist, a 2024 CISM Military World silver medalist, and also won the 2025 NCWWC national title for McKendree University.  

Claiming an individual silver medal was Brooklyn Hays (68 kg). Hays lost a hard-fought 4-2 decision to Gilbery Garcia Franco of Venezuela in the finals. Hays led 1-0 at the break after getting a shot clock point. In the second period, Hays was put on the shot clock and could not score, making it 1-1. Garcia was placed on the shot clock for a second time and did not score, giving Hays a 2-1 lead, but Garcia forced a step out to knot it at 2-2 and hold criteria. Hays gave up a two-point counter exposure in the closing seconds attempting to score.

Hays was in control of two decisions on the way to the gold-medal match. She opened with a 7-1 win over Debanhi Tapia Garcia of Mexico in the quarterfinals, then shut out Leilani Hernandez of Puerto Rico in the semifinals, 4-0

Hays was second in 2025 Final X, making her No. 2 on the Women’s Senior National Team. She was a 2024 Senior Pan American Championships champion and won the 2025 U23 Pan American Championships.

Two U.S. wrestlers claimed individual bronze medals: Brianna Gonzalez (53 kg) and SaVannah Cosme (62 kg). Both were defeated in the semifinals, but came back to reach the podium

Gonzalez struck quickly in her bronze-medal match against Kailane Araujo de Sousa of Brazil, securing a pin in 2:22. Gonzalez led 6-0 when she was able to finish off the fall. Brianna Gonzalez was second in Final X and was the 2025 U.S. Senior Open champion. Araujo was fourth in 2025 U20 Pan American Championships.

Cosme won her bronze-medal bout by forfeit. She won her quarterfinals match over Mayara Ramos Pereira of Brazil by pin but was defeated in the semifinals by eventual champion Astrid Montero Chirinos of Venezuela.  Cosme was third at the 2025 Senior U.S. Open and was a member of two U.S. age-group World Teams.

Placing fifth for Team USA after falling in the bronze-medal match was Emilie Gonzalez (50 kg). Gonzalez was defeated by 2025 Senior Pan American bronze medalist Nohalis Loyo Jimenez of Venezuela in a 13-2 technical fall. Gonzalez scored the opening takedown, but Loyo got a reversal and locked up an ankle lace, which she turned Gonzalez six times to end the bout. Emilie Gonzalez was a 2024 NCWWC national champion for Iowa.

Using the UWW team scoring system, Venezuela scored the most points in women’s freestyle with 106, followed by Cuba and the United States with 85. There were 15 nations which scored points in the women’s division.

The wrestling competition of the Junior Pan American Games will conclude on Friday with the men’s freestyle tournament. The United States will have a full team of six athletes entered.

Competition begins on Friday at 10:00 a.m. local time, with the qualification rounds, followed by the championship finals at 6:00 p.m. Asuncion is one hour ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone.

Brackets and results for the tournament can be found on UWW Arena.

Live video from the Junior Pan American Games will be posted on the Pan Am Sports Channel at https://www.panamsportschannel.org/

JUNIOR PAN AMERICAN GAMES

At Asunción, Paraguay, August 20-22

Women’s freestyle results

50 kg

Gold – Greili Bencosme Carvajal (Cuba)

Silver - Ana Sales Lima (Brazil)

Bronze - Nohalis Loyo Jimenez (Venezuela)

Bronze – Ana Palacios Hernandez (Mexico)

5^th - Emilie Gonzalez (USA)

5^th - Antuaneth Casusol Casas (Peru)

7^th - Vicky Leon Gomez (Ecuador)

8^th - Arami Cespedes Servin (Paraguay)

Gold – Greili Bencosme Carvajal (Cuba) tech fall Ana Sales Lima (Brazil), 11-0, 5:37

Bronze - Nohalis Loyo Jimenez (Venezuela) tech fall Emilie Gonzalez (USA), 13-2, 2:11

Bronze – Ana Palacios Hernandez (Mexico) dec. Antuaneth Casusol Casas (Peru), 5-2

53 kg

Gold – Alexa Alvarez Valenzuela (Venezuela)

Silver - Yusmy Chaparro Urrego (Colombia)

Bronze - Brianna Gonzalez (USA)

Bronze – Yusneiry Agrazal West (Panama)

5^th - Kailane Araujo de Sousa (Brazil)

5^th - Shammilka Miranda Diaz (Puerto Rico)

7^th - Serena Di Benedetto (Canada)

8^th - Ingrid Rodriguez Rodriguez (Paraguay)

Gold – Alexa Alvarez Valenzuela (Venezuela) tech fall Yusmy Chaparro Urrego (Colombia), 11-0, 4:26

Bronze - Brianna Gonzalez (USA) pin Kailane Araujo de Sousa (Brazil), 2:22

Bronze – Yusneiry Agrazal West (Panama) dec. Shammilka Miranda Diaz (Puerto Rico), 6-4

57 kg

Gold – Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia (Cuba)

Silver - Bertha Rojas Chavez (Mexico)

Bronze – Mia Friesen (Canada)

Bronze –Camila Amarilla (Argentina)

5^th - Jessymar Torres Lucena (Venezuela)

5^th - Allison Valdez Obando (Guatemala)

7^th - Eliana White Vega (Puerto Rico)

8^th - Jeanice Mejia Hawes (Panama)

Gold – Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia (Cuba) dec. Bertha Rojas Chavez (Mexico), 4-2

Bronze – Mia Friesen (Canada) tech fall Jessymar Torres Lucena (Venezuela), 12-2, 2:36

Bronze –Camila Amarilla (Argentina) dec. Allison Valdez Obando (Guatemala), 9-1

62 kg

Gold – Astrid Montero Chirinos (Venezuela)

Silver - Maria Santana Garcia (Cuba)

Bronze - SaVannah Cosme (USA)

Bronze – Carina Giangeruso (Puerto Rico)

5^th - Leiddy Acuna Penaranda (Ecuador)

6^th - Mayara Ramos Pereira (Brazil)

7^th - Maria Rojas Coronel (Paraguay)

Gold – Astrid Montero Chirinos (Venezuela) tech fall Maria Santana Garcia (Cuba), 12-1, 3:42

Bronze - SaVannah Cosme (USA) won by forfeit

Bronze – Carina Giangeruso (Puerto Rico) dec. Leiddy Acuna Penaranda (Ecuador), 5-4

68 kg

Gold - Gilbery Garcia Franco (Venezuela)

Silver - Brooklyn Hays (USA)

Bronze – Dailianis Canales Cosme (Cuba)

Bronze – Debanhi Tapia Garcia (Mexico)

5^th - Thais Tertuliano Sales (Brazil)

5^th - Leilani Hernandez (Puerto Rico)

7^th - Leonela Gruezo Ortiz (Ecuador)

8^th - Martina Lujan Meza Estigarriba (Paraguay)

Gold - Gilbery Garcia Franco (Venezuela) dec. Brooklyn Hays (USA), 4-2

Bronze – Dailianis Canales Cosme (Cuba) dec. Thais Tertuliano Sales (Brazil), 11-8

Bronze – Debanhi Tapia Garcia (Mexico) dec. Leilani Hernandez (Puerto Rico), 4-2

76 kg

Gold - Tristan Kelly (USA)

Silver - Poala Rodriguez Guzman (Puerto Rico)

Bronze – Edna Jimenez Villalba (Mexico)

Bronze – Maria Ceballos Cuenu (Colombia)

5^th - Melanie Sanchez Morales (Chile)

5^th - Genifer Casco Gonzalez (Paraguay)

7^th - Ilorrany Prado Batista (Brazil)

8^th - Karla Castillo Garcia (Venezuela)

Gold - Tristan Kelly (USA) pin Poala Rodriguez Guzman (Puerto Rico), 0:38

Bronze – Edna Jimenez Villalba (Mexico) pin Melanie Sanchez Morales (Chile), 2:01

Bronze – Maria Ceballos Cuenu (Colombia) pin Genifer Casco Gonzalez (Paraguay), 1:07

U.S. Women’s Freestyle results

50 kg: Emilie Gonzalez, El Monte, Calif. (Iowa Women’s WC/TMWC), 5^th place

WIN Arami Cespedes Servin (Paraguay), pin 0:11

LOSS Greili Bencosme Carvajal (Cuba), tech fall, 11-0, 2:00

LOSS Nohalis Loyo Jimenez (Venezuela), tech fall, 13-2, 2:11

53 kg: Brianna Gonzalez, El Monte, Calif. (Iowa Women’s WC/TMWC), bronze medal

WIN Serena Di Benedetto (Canada), 7-1

LOSS Alexa Alvarez Valenzuela (Venezuela), 6-0

WIN Kailane Araujo de Sousa (Brazil), pin 2:22

62 kg: SaVannah Cosme, Denver, Colo. (Atreus WC), bronze medal

WIN Mayara Ramos Pereira (Brazil), pin, 1:23

LOSS Astrid Montero Chirinos (Venezuela), tech fall, 11-0, 1:18

Bronze bout – Melanie Jimenez Villalba (Mexico)

68 kg: Brooklyn Hays, Colorado Springs, Colo. (USOPTC/TMWC), silver medal

WIN Debanhi Tapia Garcia (Mexico), 7-1

WIN Leilani Hernandez (Puerto Rico), 4-0

LOSS Gilbery Garcia Franco (Venezuela), 4-2

76 kg: Tristan Kelly, Erie, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP), gold medal

WIN Melanie Sanchez Morales (Chile), tech fall, 10-0, 0:42

WIN Edna Jimenez Villalba (Mexico), tech fall, 10-0, 0:39

WIN Poala Rodriguez Guzman (Puerto Rico), pin 0:38

Women’s freestyle team standings

1. Venezuela, 106 pts.

2. Cuba, 85

3. United States, 85

4. Mexico, 65

5. Puerto Rico, 63

6. Brazil, 57

7. Paraguay, 36

8. Colombia, 35

9. Ecuador, 26

10. Canada, 23

11. Panama, 21

12. Argentina, 15

13. Paru, 10

13. Guatemala, 10

13. Chile, 10