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Welker Defeats Two Olympic medalists to Earn Position in 76 kg Gold Medal Match

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by Zack Chavez, USA Wrestling

76kg WW - Kylie Renee Welker (USA) df. Milaimy De La Caridad Marin Potrille (CUB) from the 2026 Pan Am Championships Day 3 semifinals at the Xtreme Arena in Coralville, IA, USA on Saturday, May 9, 2026.

CORALVILLE, Iowa – Saturday’s opening session at the 2026 Pan American Championships was another hot start for the U.S., which saw its women’s freestyle team combine for six wins. The U.S. men’s freestyle team also stepped onto the mats in three weight classes and sent each of those athletes into gold-medal matches. The evening session will also see three women contend for gold medals inside Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.


Kylie Welker, a two-time World bronze medalist, defeated two Paris Olympic bronze medalists to earn a spot in the 76 kg finals. She opened the day with an 11-0 technical fall over Colombia’s Tatiana Renteria. She then pinned Cuba’s Milaimy Marin Potrille at 4:41 in the semifinals to earn a spot in the title match. Welker will now face Ecuador’s Genesis Reasco Valdez, a fifth-place finisher at the Paris Olympic Games and a gold medalist at the 2025 World Championships.


Zahid Valencia, a 2025 World Championships gold medalist, also made quick work of his 86-kilogram bracket, earning two technical falls to secure his spot in the finals. He opened with a 10-0 victory over Colombia’s Nestor Tafur Barrios and followed up with an 11-0 win over Brazil’s Pedro Goncalves Da Silva. Valencia will take on the Dominican Republic’s Christopher Foca Mejia in the gold-medal match.


Abigail Nette is unbeaten in her four-woman bracket at 59 kg after earning a technical fall and a pin in the first session. She scored the 12-2 decision over Canada’s Laurence Beauregard, a 2025 Senior World Championships bronze medalist, before pinning Mexico’s Daniela Martinez Vargas in just 36 seconds. Nette will face Brazil’s Mayara Ramos Pereira with a gold medal on the line.


Two-time Olympian Kayla Miracle is one of three athletes in the 65-kilogram bracket and captured a 10-0 technical fall over Mexico’s Alexis Gomez. She will need a win over Canada’s Miki Rowbottom to close out her division and earn gold.  


U20 World champion Cristelle Rodriguez went 1-1 in the 53-kilogram division, defeating Mexico’s Sofia Ocegueda Gonzalez 10-0 in her first match. She then lost via technical fall to Ecuador’s Olympic silver medalist, Lucia Yepez Guzman. Rodriguez will contend for a bronze medal against Venezuela’s Alexa Alvarez Valenzuela.


Austin DeSanto opened the day for the men’s freestyle team and earned a 10-0 decision over Canada’s Garette Saunders. He then duplicated that score in his next two matches against Jamaica’s Irie Jackson and Guatemala’s Alex Vega Tun. He will face Puerto Rico’s Caleb Smith for the gold medal in the 61-kilogram bracket.


Kannon Webster was also dominant in the 74-kilogram division, earning three technical falls of his own. He began with a 10-0 win over Colombia’s Arbey Alarcon Tovar and followed with a 12-1 victory over Venezuela’s Ibsen Aguilar Canizalez. In the semifinals, he downed Honduras’ Luis Barrios Rochez 10-0 to set up a title match against Cuba’s Geannis Garzon Tamayo.


For a complete match-by-match breakdown of the morning session for Team USA, browse our day three match notes.


Session two begins at 5 p.m. CT inside Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, and will feature finals competition for four women’s freestyle and three men’s freestyle weight classes.


The 2026 Senior Pan American Championships are streaming live on FloWrestling. Brackets and live results are available on UWW Arena.

2026 Senior Pan American Championships

May 9, Coralville, Iowa

Reference Links


Women’s Freestyle Results | Group Two

Medal Match Pairings
53 kg

Gold – Serena Di Benedetto (Canada) vs. Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador)

Bronze – Cristelle Rodriguez (United States) vs. Alexa Alvarez Valenzuela (Venezuela)

Bronze – Antonia Valdes Arriagada (Chile) vs. Sabrina Gama Tapajos (Brazil)


76 kg

Gold – Kylie Welker (United States) vs. Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador)

Bronze – Neirili Banguero Martinez (Venezuela) vs. Edna Jimenez Villlalba (Mexico)

Bronze – Milaimy Marin Potrille (Cuba) vs. Tatiana Renteria Renteria (Colombia)


Semifinal Results
53 kg

Serena Di Benedetto (Canada) dec. Sabrina Gama Tapajos (Brazil), 8-0

Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) tech. fall Alexa Alvarez Valenzuela (Venezuela), 12-2


76 kg

Kylie Welker (United States) tech. fall Milaimy Marin Potrille (Cuba), 11-0

Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador) dec. Neirili Banguero Martinez (Venezuela), 4-0


Round Robin Bracket Results
59 kg

R2 | Abigail Nette (United States) fall Daniela Martinez Vargas (Mexico), 0:36

R2 | Laurence Beauregard (Canada) tech. fall Mayara Ramos Pereira (Brazil), 10-0

R1 | Mayara Ramos Pereira (Brazil) tech. fall Daniela Martinez Vargas (Mexico), 10-0

R1 | Abigail Nette (United States) tech. fall Laurence Beauregard (Canada), 12-2


Round robin records after session one: Nette (2-0), Beauregard (1-1), Ramos Pereira (1-1), Martinez Vargas (0-2)

65 kg

R2 | Miki Rowbottom (Canada) dec. Alexis Gomez (Mexico), 6-4

R1 | Kayla Miracle (United States) tech. fall Alexis Gomez (Mexico), 10-0


Round robin records after session one: Miracle (1-0), Rowbottom (1-0), Alexis Gomez (0-2)


Men’s Freestyle Results | Group One

Medal Match Pairings
61 kg

Gold – Austin DeSantos (United States) vs. Caleb Smith (Puerto Rico)

Bronze – Alex Vega Tun (Guatemala) vs. Garette Saunders (Canada)

74 kg

Gold – Kannon Webster (United States) vs. Geannis Garzon Tamayo (Cuba)

Bronze – Adam Thomson (Canada) vs. Raul Palacios Dominguez (Mexico)

Bronze – Luis Barrios Rochez (Honduras) vs.


86 kg

Gold – Zahid Valencia (United States) vs. Christopher Foca Mejia (Dominican Republic)

Bronze – Pedro Goncalves Da Silva (Brazil) vs. Nestor Tafur Barrios (Colombia)

Bronze – Ethan Ramos (Puerto Rico) vs. Jose Pinero Segueri (Venezuela)


Semifinal Results
61 kg

Caleb Smith (Puerto Rico) tech. fall Garette Saunders (Canada), 10-0

Austin DeSanto (United States) tech. fall Alex Vega Tun (Guatemala), 10-0

74 kg

Kannon Webster (United States) tech. fall Luis Barrios Rochez (Honduras), 10-0

Geannis Garzon Tamayo (Cuba) dec. Adam Thomson (Canada), 6-5


86 kg

Zahid Valencia (United States) tech. fall Pedro Goncalves Da Silva (Brazil), 11-0

Christopher Foca Mejia (Dominican Republic) dec. Ethan Ramos (Puerto Rico), 10-8

U.S. Women’s Freestyle Results | Group Two

53 kg – Cristelle Rodriguez (Crete, Neb./Tiger WC/Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal match

WIN Sofia Ocegueda Gonzalez (Mexico), tech. fall, 10-0

LOSS Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador), tech. fall, 11-0

VS Alexa Alvarez Valenzuela (Venezuela)


59 kg – Abigail Nette (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP), round robin

WIN Laurence Beauregard (Canada), tech. fall, 12-2

WIN Daniela Martinez Vargas (Mexico), fall 0:36

VS Mayara Ramos Pereira (Brazil)


65 kg – Kayla Miracle (Phoenix, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC), round robin

WIN Alexis Gomez (Mexico), tech. fall, 10-0

VS Miki Rowbottom (Canada)


76 kg – Kylie Welker (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC), gold medal match

WIN Tatiana Renteria (Colombia), tech. fall, 11-0

WIN Milaimy Marin Potrille (Cuba), tech. fall, 11-0

VS Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador)


U.S. Men’s Freestyle Results | Group One

61 kg – Austin DeSanto (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC), gold medal match

WIN Garette Saunders (Canada), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Irie Jackson (Jamaica), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Alex Vega Tun (Guatemala), tech. fall, 10-0

VS Caleb Smith (Puerto Rico)


74 kg – Kannon Webster (Washington, Ill./Illinois RTC/New York AC), gold medal match

WIN Arbey Alarcon Tovar (Colombia), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Ibsen Aguilar Canizalez (Venezuela), tech. fall, 12-1

WIN Luis Barrios Rochez (Honduras), tech. fall, 10-0

VS Geannis Garzon Tamayo (Cuba)


86 kg – Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC), gold medal match

WIN Nestor Tafur Barrios (Colombia), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Pedro Goncalvez Da Silva (Brazil), tech. fall, 11-0

VS Christopher Foca Mejia (Dominican Republic)