Sledzianowski Takes Gold in Freestyle; Boyden and Stiffler Bronze at U15 Pan Ams
RIONEGRO, Colombia – The U.S. men’s freestyle scored 10 more medals with eight gold and two bronze to close out competition at the U15 Pan American Championships on Sunday in Rionegro, Colombia.
Winning titles for the USA were Liam Collins (38 kg), Jensen Boyd (41 kg), Henry Aslikyan (44 kg), Lincoln Sledzianowski (48 kg), Thomas Verrette (57 kg), Mikel David Uyemura (68 kg), Terrell McFarland (75 kg) and Dreshaun Ross (85 kg). It was the second gold of the weekend for all eight athletes, who also competed in Greco-Roman.
Josiah Boyden (52 kg) and Blue Stiffler (62 kg) secured podium finishes, winning bronze.
U.S men’s freestyle earned the team title with 230 points, followed by Mexico for second place with 143 points and Colombia for third place with 139 points.
“Of all the U15 trips I’ve taken, this group of kids ranks among the best,” Coach Danny Struck said. “The future of this group is bright gold. Their coachability and willingness to learn from each other and coaches is there. The way they warmed up and cooled down was the way you see champions do it. The mindsets they got in pre-match were signs of their success, and last but not least, the amazing supportiveness of their parents was there every bit of the way.”
Throughout the weekend, the USA won team titles in each style and collected 31 medals, including 26 golds, one silver and four bronzes.