MONTERREY, Mexico – Jenna Burkert of Middle Island, N.Y. won a gold medal at 60 kg/132 lbs. at the Pan American Youth Olympic Games Qualifier in women’s freestyle held on Tuesday.

Burkert won three matches by pin, including a fall over Miriam Elizabeth Flores of Mexico in the finals.

By winning the gold medal, Burkert has secured a spot in the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) which will be held in Singapore, August 14-26. 

Burkert is a junior at Marquette High School in Michigan, where she trains as part of the U.S. Olympic Education Center program at Northern Michigan University.

Winning a silver medal at 70 kg/154 lbs. was Julia Salata of Canton, Mich. Salata won her semifinal match over Maria Fernanda Muños of Mexico, 4-3, 3-0 but was defeated in the gold-medal finals by Dorothy Yates of Canada, 1-4, 0-2.

Burkert and Salata were both Junior National Championships last summer in Fargo, N.D.

The two other U.S. competitors in the event won bronze medals, Erin Golston of Lake in the Hills, Ill. at 46 kg/101 lbs. and Kayla Brendlinger of Slippery Rock, Pa. at 52 kg/112.25 lbs.

"The girls wrestled very well although most of them had very little international experience going into the event," said U.S. coach Tony DeAnda. "This tournament has better prepared them as they start on very promising international careers as the move onto the FILA Junior and Senior levels. 

The United States won the team standings with 35 points, followed by Mexico with 30 points and Venezuela with 28 points.

The U.S. team was coached by Tony DeAnda of Marquette, Mich., the assistant coach for the women’s freestyle team at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan Univ. 

In women’s freestyle, only one athlete from each weight class from the Pan American nations will advance to YOG. The most women’s freestyle wrestlers that any nation can bring to YOG is one, so Burkert will be the only U.S. women’s freestyle wrestler in Singapore.

She becomes the second U.S. athlete to qualify for the Youth Olympic Games. Greco-Roman wrestler Luke Sheridan of Concord, Calif. earned a spot at 85 kg/185 lbs. with a gold-medal effort on Monday.

The final day of the Pan American Youth Olympic Games Qualifier is on Wednesday, when the men’s freestyle event is hosted.

PAN AMERICAN YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES QUALIFIER
At Monterrey, Mexico, May 4

Women’s freestyle results

46 kg/101 lbs.
Gold - Oriannys Segura (Venezuela)
Silver - Mariana Diaz (Mexico)
Bronze - Jacqueline del Rocio Mollonca (Ecuador)
Bronze - Erin Golston (USA)
5th - Dannia Estefanny Figueroa (Colombia)
6th - Josee Tremblay (Canada)
7th - Priscila Firmino (Brazil)

52 kg/112.25 lbs.
Gold - Linda Morais (Canada)
Silver - Sayury Yormary Cañon (Colombia)
Bronze - Kayla Brendlinger (USA)
Bronze - Carolina Natividad Gonzalez (Dominican Republic)
5th - Angelica Elvira Bustos (Ecuador)
5th - Terenia Limonta (Cuba)
7th - Caterine Michel Alvarez (Mexico)
8th - Pamela Mariflor Moreno (Peru)
9th - Natacha Griman (Venezuela)
10th - Cristina Giselle Corea (El Salvador)

60 kg/132 lbs.
Gold - Jenna Burkert (USA)
Silver - Miriam Elizabeth Flores (Mexico)
Bronze - Jessica Gloria Olivares (Peru)
Bronze - Greisy Reyes (Venezeula)
5th - Yessica Oviedo (Dominican Republic)
5th - Karina Elizabeth Villeda (El Salvador)
7th - Natalia Rodriguez (Puerto Rico)
8th - Brigitte Sabogal (Colombia)
9th - Yasleny Fizz (Cuba)
10th - Nicole Roach (Canada)

70 kg/154 lbs.
Gold - Dorothy Yates (Canada)
Silver - Julia Salata (USA)
Bronze - Maria Fernanda Muños (Mexico)
Bronze - Besibeth Hora (Venezuela)
5th - Andrea Olaya (Colombia)
6th - Daniele Brandao (Brazil)

U.S. Women’s Freestyle performances

46 kg/101 lbs. - Erin Golston, Lake in the Hills, Ill., 3rd
WIN Jesee Trembley (Canada), 1-1, 4-1
LOSS Mariana Diaz (Mexico), 2-3, 1-4
WIN Dannia Estefanny Figueroa (Colombia), 2-1, 7-0

52 kg/112.25 lbs. - Kayla Brendlinger, Slippery Rock, Pa., 3rd
LOSS Sayury Yormary Cañon (Colombia), pin
WIN Angelica Elvira Bustos (Ecuador), pin

60 kg/132 lbs. - Jenna Burkert, Middle Island, N.Y., 1st
WIN Karina Elizabeth Villeda (El Salvador), pin
WIN Greisy Reyes (Venezeula), pin
WIN Miriam Elizabeth Flores (Mexico), pin

70 kg/154 lbs. - Julia Salata, Canton, Mich., 2nd 
WIN Maria Fernanda Muños (Mexico), 4-3, 3-0
LOSS Dorothy Yates (Canada), 1-4, 0-2

Team standings
1 UNITED STATES (USA), 35 
2 MEXICO (MEX), 30 
3 VENEZUELA (VEN), 28 
4 CANADA (CAN), 26 
5 COLOMBIA (COL), 24 
6 DOMINICAN REPUBLICS (DOM), 14 
6 ECUADOR (ECU), 14 
8 PERU (PER), 11 
9 BRAZIL (BRA), 9 
10 CUBA (CUB), 8 
11 EL SALVADOR (ESA), 7 
12 PUERTO RICO (PUR), 4 
13 HONDURAS (HON), 0