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Strong 22-Person U.S. Squad Heads to Panama City for 2026 U17 Pan American Championships

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by David Gerhart, USA Wrestling

Olivia Hernandez competing in the women's freestyle finals at the 2026 U17 Pan American Team Trials in North Liberty, Iowa

Olivia Hernandez competing in the women's freestyle finals at the 2026 U17 Pan American Team Trials in North Liberty, Iowa

Team USA is sending a formidable 22-person roster to the 2026 U17 Pan American Championships in Panama City, Panama, April 2-5 at Centro de Alto Rendimiento "Luis Tejada".


The men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman rosters were established based on the results of the two disciplines at the 2026 U17 Pan American Team Trials earlier this month in North Liberty, Iowa. The U.S. entrant at each weight class will compete in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at next week’s U17 Pan American Championships. The women’s freestyle roster was also decided at the U17 Pan American Team Trials, where the winner of each weight class earned their spot on Team USA.


During the women’s freestyle portion of the trials, Aleia Apostol, Landri VonGonten and Eve Skrocki all pinned their way to the titles and on to Team USA.


Rylen Wax, Lucas Forman, Evan Restivo, Cooper Mathews, Justus Heeg and Salah Tsarni were all double champions during the two men’s tournaments at the team trials to earn their spots to represent the U.S.


Of the 22-person U.S. side, six are set to return to Pan American Championships action. Wax, Restivo, Heeg, Abigail Peterson, Olivia Hernandez and Hailey Delgado all participated in previous U15 Pan American Championships.


Hernandez is set to make her third appearance after winning gold at the 2024 and 2025 U15 Pan American Championships. Delgado won the continental title at the 2023 championships, and Peterson won gold in 2024.


Restivo returns to the Pan American circuit after winning a double championship at the 2024 U15 tournament, taking gold in freestyle and Greco-Roman. Heeg also picked up two medals in 2024, finishing with silver in Greco-Roman and bronze in freestyle. At last year’s U15 Pan American Championships, Wax took home the championship in Greco-Roman and was the silver medalist in freestyle.


The U.S. will also have seven competitors in the beach wrestling tournament. Joaquin Chacon and Ryder Schulte will pull triple duty, competing in freestyle, Greco-Roman and beach over the four-day event. The trio of Apostol, Aubree Gutierrez and Matilda Hruby will compete in both women’s freestyle and beach wrestling in Panama City.


Rodney Sabin and U17 Beach World team member Talon Worden round out the U.S. squad competing in the beach wrestling at the 2026 U17 Pan American Championships.


The complete U.S. roster and delegation list is available below.


The tournament spans four days, with each discipline concluding within a single day. Men’s freestyle kicks action off on Thursday, followed by women’s freestyle on Friday. Greco-Roman competition is set for Saturday, and beach wrestling caps off the tournament on Sunday.


The full event schedule is listed below.


A live stream of the 2026 U17 Pan American Championships will be available to the U.S. audience through FloWrestling. Brackets and results will be hosted on UWW Arena.

2026 U17 Pan American Championships

At Panama City, Panama, April 2-5


Quick Links


Event Schedule


Thursday, April 2
Men’s Freestyle

10 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechages

5 p.m. – Finals and award ceremonies


Friday, April 3
Women’s Freestyle

10 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechages

5 p.m. – Finals and award ceremonies


Saturday, April 4
Greco-Roman

10 a.m. – Qualification rounds and repechages

5 p.m. – Finals and award ceremonies


Sunday, April 5
Men’s and Women’s Beach

1 p.m. – Qualification rounds, repechages, finals and award ceremonies


*All times listed are U.S. Eastern Time.


U.S. Men’s Freestyle and Greco-Roman Roster

45 kg – Rylen Wax (Chillicothe, Ohio/Beast Mode Wrestling)

48 kg – Lucas Forman (Kingston, Pa./ Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory High School Wrestling)

51 kg – Evan Restivo (State College, Pa./M2 Training Center)

55 kg – Jeremy Carver (Muncie, Ind./Contenders Wrestling Academy)

60 kg – Cooper Mathews (Aurora, Colo./Black Fox Wrestling Academy)

65 kg – Joaquin Chacon (Laveen, Ariz./Valiant Wrestling Club)

71 kg – Justus Heeg (Lemont, Ill./Providence)

80 kg – Ryder Schulte (Glendale, Ariz./Grindhouse Wrestling Club)

92 kg – Salah Tsarni (Montgomery Village, Md./Capital Wrestling Club)

110 kg – Lucas Feuerbach (Solon, Iowa/Big Game Wrestling Club)


U.S. Women’s Freestyle Roster

40 kg – Sophia Valdez (Colorado Springs, Colo./Betterman Elite Wrestling)

43 kg – Abigail Peterson (Denver, Iowa/Big Game Wrestling Club)

46 kg – Olivia Hernandez (Philomath, Ore./Beaver Dam Wrestling Club)

49 kg – Hailey Delgado (El Paso, Texas/NXT Level Wrestling Academy)

53 kg – Aubree Gutierrez (Norwalk, Calif./Surfside X Wrestling)

57 kg – Aleia Apostol (Poway, Calif./Poway RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

61 kg – Landri VonGonten (Conroe, Texas/Boneyard Wrestling Academy)

65 kg – Eve Skrocki (Dubuque, Iowa/Valiant Wrestling Club)

69 kg – Matilda Hruby (Brighton, Colo./Brighton Wrestling)

73 kg – Alexis Penley (Aurora, Ill./ Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory High School Wrestling)


Men’s Beach Roster

70 kg – Joaquin Chacon (Laveen, Ariz./Valiant Wrestling Club)

90 kg – Talon Worden (Farmington, Mo./Technical Edge)

90 kg – Rodney Sabin (Vernal, Utah/Uintah Wrestling)

90 kg – Ryder Schulte (Glendale, Ariz./Grindhouse Wrestling Club)


Women’s Beach Roster

55 kg – Aleia Apostol (Poway, Calif./Poway RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

55 kg – Aubree Gutierrez (Norwalk, Calif./Surfside X Wrestling)

75 kg – Matilda Hruby (Brighton, Colo./Brighton Wrestling)


U.S. Support Staff

National Freestyle Development and Resident Coach – J’Den Cox

Coach – Pat Smith

Coach – John Meyers

Coach – Randi Miller

Coach – Whitney Cox

Coach – Tim Box

Personal Coach – Nikko Triggas

Personal Coach – Donald Reynolds

Personal Coach – Michael Restivo

Personal Coach – Reggie Wax

Personal Coach – Tomas Gutierrez

Personal Coach – Lawrence Cain

Personal Coach – Luke Morris

Personal Coach – Dylan Carew

Personal Coach – Michael Carbonaro

Personal Coach – Angel Cejudo

Personal Coach – Jeremie Peterson

Personal Coach – Brandon Kaylor

Personal Coach – Pete Escandon

Personal Coach – Jordin Humphrey

Personal Coach – Erik Spjut

Personal Coach – Mike Douglas

Personal Coach – Eric Heinz

Personal Coach – Steve Penley

Medical (ATC) – Elizabeth Del Re

Media – David Gerhart

Official – Sophia Matthews

Official – Carter Kroll

Official – Kerry Ghanie

Official – Jose Delgado

Official – Kenneth Timbs