Brad Vering (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for May 15-21.

Each week, TheMat.com will select an Athlete of the Week, based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level. The announcement will be made each week on Wednesday.

Vering won the Pan American Championships Greco-Roman title at 84 kg/185 lbs. on Friday, May 18 in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Vering, who won the U.S. Nationals last month in Las Vegas, won three bouts on his way to the gold medal at the Pan American Championships. He opened with a 1-1, 3-0 win over Cuba's Pablo Shorey. In the semifinals, Vering pinned Eddy Bartolozzi of Venezuela. He then scored a 6-0, 7-0 technical fall over Cristian Mosquera of Colombia in the finals. Vering won his first Pan American Championships title, after he won a silver medal in 2003.

Vering, a past NCAA champion for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, will be the No. 1 seed at 185 lbs. for the U.S. World Team Trials on June 9 in Las Vegas. If he wins his weight class, he will advance to the World Championships on Sept. 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Vering, a 2004 Olympian, is looking to make his fourth U.S. World Team. He placed fifth in the 2002 and 2003 World Championships. He also competed in the 2005 World Championships.

Note: To nominate a wrestler for TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week, send the athlete's name, accomplishments for the week and career accomplishments to Craig Sesker at csesker@usawrestling.org