USA Men Make History Sweeping All 10 Gold Medals At Pan American Championships

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – The United States men’s freestyle team won all 10 Pan American Championships gold medals over the last two days, collecting eight titles on Sunday evening in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

It is the first time in the history of the event that a team has gone undefeated, winning every weight. Team USA went 34-0 over the weekend in men’s freestyle action and claimed the team title, racking up 250 points.

Four-time World champion and 2012 Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs won his third overall Pan Am Championships title (fifth including Pan Am Games) on Sunday night, defeating 2015 Pan Am silver medalist Jevon Balfour of Canada in the 74 kg finals.

While the score was one-sided, the match featured a lot of action with several exciting scrambles. Burroughs took a 5-0 lead in to the break with a takedown and leg lace and scored one more takedown in the final frame for a 7-0 win.

Winning his second-straight Pan Am title was 2018 World champion David Taylor, who was the Ohio and national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2009, at 86 kg.

Taylor spent minimal time on the mat en route to a dominating 10-0 tech fall over Pedro Ceballo Fuentes of Venezuela. Overall, Taylor finished the day with two pins and two tech falls. Because of his performance, Taylor was recognized as the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler.

2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Kyle Snyder picked up his second-career Pan Am championship on Sunday, winning by injury default over two-time World silver medalist Reineris Salas Perez from Cuba.

Though he didn’t have to wrestle his finals match, Snyder still put together a great performance earlier in the day with a pair tech falls.

Two-time World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski, who was the New York winner of the DSHSEA in 2011, surrendered only one point the entire day on his way to his second Pan Am title, winning all four bout by tech falls and outscoring his opponents 41-1.

In his final, Gwiazdowski put up a 10-0 first-period tech over nine-time Pan American medalist Korey Jarvis of Canada.

At 61 kg, 2018 World bronze medalist Joe Colon went 3-0 on the day in round-robin action to win his first Pan American title.

Colon ended his tournament with a 10-0 win against Scott Schiller from Canada, using his signature gut wrench to tally three turns.

The highlight of Colon’s performance came in the first round, when he defeated 2018 World champion Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez of Cuba, 9-3.

2019 NCAA champion for Rutgers Anthony Ashnault, who was the New Jersey winner of the DSHSEA in 2013, completed an impressive day with four wins to claim the crown at 70 kg in his first Senior-level outing, spending a total of only 4:05 on the mat.

In his last match, Ashnault defeated Cristian Karlikowski of Argentina in only 24 seconds with a 10-0 tech fall, thanks to a takedown and a trapped-arm gut.

Josh Rodriguez won the 57 kg title with ease, taking out 2018 Pan American silver medalist Oscar Tigreros Urbano from Colombia.

Rodriguez used a variety of takedowns, including a four-point double to spur him to a 10-0 win for his first international Senior-level international gold medal.

Despite a slow start in the first period of the 65 kg finals, 2018 U23 World Team member Colton McCrystal scored 12 points in the second period for a 12-1 technical fall over Damian Solenzal of Cuba, who was fifth at the 2019 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix.

Canada finished second in the team race with 129 points, followed by third-place Cuba with 115 points.

Over the weekend, the USA won the team title in all three styles.

Also of note, U.S. referee Casey Goessl was named the 2019 Pan Am Championships Outstanding Referee.

2019 SENIOR PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 18-21


Final team standings
1. USA – 250
2. Canada – 129
3. Cuba – 115
4. Puerto Rico – 72
5. Venezuela – 68
6. Argentina – 53
7. Colombia – 48
8. Brazil – 41
9. Dominican Republic – 37
10. Peru – 37

Final results

57 kg
GOLD - Joshua RODRIGUEZ (USA) TF Oscar TIGREROS URBANO (COL), 10-0
BRONZE - Pedro MEJIAS RODRIGUEZ (VEN) TF Daniel ALVES DO NASCIMENTO (BRA), 10-0
BRONZE – Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB) dec. Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN), 4-0

61 kg
GOLD – Joe COLON (USA)
SILVER – Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB)
BRONZE – Scott SCHILLER (CAN)

65 kg
GOLD - Colton MCCRYSTAL (USA) TF Damian SOLENZAL LOPEZ (CUB), 12-1
BRONZE - Mauricio SANCHEZ SALTOS (ECU) dec. Daniel BRIOSO (DOM), 9-5
BRONZE – Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) TF Sixto AUCCAPINA PEDRAGAS (PER), 16-5

70 kg
GOLD - Anthony ASHNAULT (USA)
SILVER - Nicholas ROWE (CAN)
BRONZE - Mitchel TAIPE DUANAMA (PER)

74 kg
GOLD - Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) dec. Jevon BALFOUR (CAN), 7-0
BRONZE - Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) TF Adonis ARROYO (VEN), 10-0
BRONZE – Julio RODRIGUEZ ROMERO (DOM) TF Jorge DESPAIGNE LAGAR (CUB), 10-0

79 kg
GOLD - Chandler ROGERS (USA)
SILVER - Santiago MARTINEZ RESTREPO (COL)
BRONZE - Jasmit PHULKA (CAN)

86 kg
GOLD - David TAYLOR III (USA) TF Pedro CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN), 10-0
BRONZE - Lazaro HERNANDEZ LUIS (CUB) TF Meruzhan NIKOYAN (ARG), 10-0
BRONZE – Alexander MOORE (CAN) TF Christian ANGUIANO FLORES (MEX), 11-0

92 kg
GOLD - J'den COX (USA)
SILVER - Jaime ESPINAL (PUR)
BRONZE - Diego RAMIREZ FLORENTIN (PAR)

97 kg
GOLD - Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB), injury default
BRONZE - Jose DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN) TF Maxwell LACEY GARITA (CRC), 10-0
BRONZE – Evan RAMOS (PUR) dec. Jordan STEEN (CAN), 8-5

125 kg
GOLD - Nicholas GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) TF Korey JARVIS (CAN), 10-0
BRONZE - Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) df. Eduardo GARCIA BETANZOS (MEX), fall
BRONZE - Antoine BRAGA ABOU JAOUDE (BRA) TF Jorge MEDINA ARROYO (ECU), 12-1

U.S. Men’s Freestyle finals results
57 kg: Josh Rodriguez (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) – GOLD
WIN Reineri Andreu Ortega (Cuba), 7-2
WIN Lucas Navarrete Vidal (Ecuador), 10-0
WIN Darthe Capellan (Canada), 6-4
WIN Oscar Tigreros Urbano (Colombia), 10-0

61 kg: Joe Colon (Fresno, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/Valley RTC) – GOLD
WIN Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba), 9-3
WIN Juan Rodriguez Jovel (El Salvador), 10-0
WIN Scott Schiller (Canada), 10-0

65 kg: Colton McCrystal (Lincoln, Neb./Nebraska WTC) – GOLD
WIN Sixto Auccapina Pedragas (Peru), 11-0
WIN Augustin Destribats (Argentina), 15-6
WIN Damian Solenzal Lopez (Cuba), 12-1

70 kg: Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J./NJRTC) – GOLD
WIN Nick Rowe (Canada), 12-2
WIN Mitchel Taipe Duanama (Peru), fall 0:43
WIN Hugo de Lima Viana (Brazil), 10-0
WIN Cristian Karlikowski (Argentina), 10-0

74 kg: Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) – GOLD
WIN Freddy Vera Fajardo (Ecuador), 10-0
WIN Franklin Gomez (Puerto Rico), 5-2
WIN Adoins Arroyo (Venezuela), 10-0
WIN Jevon Balfour (Canada), 7-0

79 kg: Chandler Rogers (Stillwater, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/Cowboy RTC) - GOLD
WIN Jasmit Phulka (Canada), 10-0
WIN Santiago Martinez Restrepo (Colombia), 8-6
WIN Francisco Guzman Velasquez (Puerto Rico), fall 0:20

86 kg: David Taylor (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) – GOLD
WIN Rashi Mackey (Bahamas), fall 0:58
WIN Meruzhan Nikoyan (Argentina), fall 1:03
WIN Lazaro Hernandez Luis (Cuba), 10-0
WIN Pedro Ceballos Fuentes (Venezuela), 10-0

92 kg: J’den Cox (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/USOTC) - GOLD
WIN Jamie Espinal (Puerto Rico), 8-0
WIN Diego Ramirez Florentin (Paraguay), fall 0:13

97 kg: Kyle Snyder (Columbus, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) - GOLD
WIN Evan Ramos (Puerto Rico), 11-1
WIN Jordan Steen (Canada), 10-0
WIN Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba), injury default

125 kg: Nick Gwiazdowksi (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC) – GOLD
WIN Marcos Santos Bonnet (Puerto Rico), 10-0
WIN Eduardo Garcia Betanzos (Mexico), 10-0
WIN Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba), 11-1
WIN Korey Jarvis (Canada), 10-0

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