Seven Americans vie for gold, one goes for bronze at Pan American Championships in Guatemala

Photo of Kayla Miracle competing at 62 kg. Photo by Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com.

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Team USA is gunning for seven more gold medals as five women’s freestylers and two men’s freestylers are in Saturday’s finals of the Senior Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala. One athlete will also compete for bronze tonight.

Medal matches begin at 7 p.m. ET live on FloWrestling.org.

Going for gold is Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg WFS), Ronna Heaton (53 kg WFS), Kayla Miracle (62 kg WFS), Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg WFS), Adeline Gray (76 kg WFS), Tommy Gantt (79 kg MFS) and Nate Jackson (92 kg MFS), while Cameron Guerin (57 kg WFS) will wrestle for third place.

2019 World champion Mensah-Stock and 2018 World silver medalist Hildebrandt competed in eight-woman brackets this morning. Olympian Miracle and Olympic Trials runner-up Heaton as well as Gantt and Guerin wrestled in Nordic-style brackets, while five-time World champion Gray and Senior Nationals champion Jackson had five-person round robins.

Here’s a quick breakdown of who each American will face in the medal matches:

• 50 kg WFS gold: Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Jacqueline Mollocana Eleno (Ecuador), 2020 Senior Pan Am bronze, 2014 Junior Pan Am champion
• 53 kg WFS gold: Ronna Heaton vs. Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador), 2011 Junior World bronze medalist, 2020 Pan Am champion
• 57 kg WFS bronze: Cameron Guerin vs. Alma Valencia Escoto (Mexico), 2020 Olympian, Pan Am Olympic Qualifier champion, 2019 Pan Am Games silver medalist
• 62 kg WFS gold: Kayla Miracle vs. Lais Nunes De Oliveira (Brazil), 2019 Pan Am champion, fifth at 2018 World Championships
• 68 kg WFS gold: Tamyra Mensah-Stock vs. Yessica Oviedo Perez (Dominican Republic), 2013 and 2017 Pan Am silver medalist
• 76 kg WFS gold: Adeline Gray vs. Aline Da Silva Ferreira (Brazil), 2014 Senior World silver medalist, 2011 and 2019 Pan Am Games silver medalist
• 79 kg MFS gold: Tommy Gantt vs. Nestor Tafur (Colombia), 2017 Pan Am silver medalist, 2018 Pan Am bronze medalist
• 92 kg MFS gold: Nate Jackson vs. Jeremy Poirier (Canada), 15th at 2019 U23 World Championships

2021 PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Guatemala City, Guatemala | May 27-30

U.S. women’s freestyle results
50kg: Sarah Hildebrandt (USOPTC/NYAC) – FINALS
WIN Patricia Bermudez (Argentina), 10-0
WIN Madison Parks (Canada), 10-0
vs. Jacqueline Mollocana Eleno (Ecuador)
53kg: Ronna Heaton (Wisconsin RTC/Sunkist Kids) – FINALS
WIN Jayd Davis (Canada), 6-4
LOSS Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador), 10-0
WIN Yineth Romero Guataquira (Colombia), 10-0
WIN Laura Peredo Torres (Mexico), 10-0
vs. Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador)
57kg: Cameron Guerin (McKendree Bearcat WC/TMWC) – BRONZE MATCH
WIN Leydi Almeyda Fonce (Colombia), fall 1:35
WIN Alma Jane Valencia Escoto (Mexico), 8-6
LOSS Alexandria Town (Canada), 10-0
vs. Alma Valencia Escoto (Mexico)
62kg: Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids) - FINALS
WIN Lais Nunes De Oliveira (Brazil), 10-0
WIN Jessica Torres Rodriguez (Colombia), 10-0
WIN Leonela Ayovi Parraga (Ecuador), 10-0
vs. Lais Nunes De Oliveira (Brazil)
68kg: Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USOPTC/TMWC) – FINALS
WIN Alexia Sherland (Canada), 10-0
WIN Grabriela Pedro da Rocha (Brazil), fall 0:29
vs. Yessica Oviedo Perez (Dominican Republic)
76kg: Adeline Gray (Beaver Dam RTC/NYAC) – FINALS
WIN Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador), 12-2
WIN Josselyn Portillo Mejia (El Salvador), 0:54
WIN Luisa Mosquera Parra (Colombia), forfeit
vs. Aline Da Silva Ferreira (Brazil)
U.S. men’s freestyle results
79kg: Tommy Gantt (Wolfpack RTC/TMWC) - FINALS
WIN Samuel Barmish (Canada), 11-1
WIN David Choc Huoc (Guatemala), 10-0
WIN Jorge Llano (Argentina), 12-0
vs. Nestor Tafur (Colombia)
92kg: Nate Jackson (NJ RTC/NYAC) – FINALS
WIN Angel Bautista Lopez (Mexico), 10-0
WIN Gilberto Ayala Rodriguez (Venezuela), win by injury default
WIN Eric Ramos Mojica (Panama), win by forfeit
vs. Jeremy Poirier (Canada)