KLIPPAN, Sweden – Jenna Burkert (Rocky Point, N.Y./USOEC) remains alive in the repechage rounds after the first day at the Klippan Lady Open on Saturday.

Burkert will face Emese Barka of Hungary on Sunday morning, and still has a chance to wrestle back for a bronze medal.

She opened the tournament with a pin over Marzena Michalik of Poland in 1:54. In the quarterfinals, she lost to Gabriella Sleisz of Hungary, 0-1, 0-2. 

When Sleisz reached the gold-medal finals, Burkert was drawn back into the repechage rounds.

"This tournament was a good test against tough foreign competition that we rarely see and will help our athletes prepare for the national tournaments, Junior Pan Am, and Junior World competitions,” said USOEC women’s head coach Shannyn Gillespie. “Jenna has an opportunity to earn a medal tomorrow and this is exciting.”

Burkert is a senior at Marquette High School in Michigan, where she trains with the USOEC program at Northern Michigan University. She was the 2010 ASICS High School Girls Wrestler of the Year. Burkert competed at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, where he placed fifth.

Two of her USOEC teammates were defeated in their first match and were eliminated when their opponent did not reach the gold-medal finals: Erin Golston (Lake of the Hills, Ill./USOEC) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. and Schuyler Brown (Montpelier, Va./USOEC) at 55 kg/121 lbs.

KLIPPAN LADY OPEN
At Klippan, Sweden, March 5

U.S. performances

48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Erin Golston, Lake of the Hills, Ill. (USOEC)
LOSS Patricia Bermodez (Argentina), 0-3, 2-3

55 kg/121 lbs. – Schuyler Brown, Montpelier, Va. (USOEC)
LOSS Sylwia Bilenska (Poland), 1-7, 1-4

59 kg/130 lbs. – Jenna Burkert, Rocky Point, N.Y. (USOEC)
WIN Marzena Michalik (Poland), pin 1:54
LOSS Gabriella Sleisz (Hungary), 0-1, 0-2
Vs. Emese Barka (Hungary) on Sunday

Finals pairings
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Yuki Irie (Japan) vs. Iwona Matkowska (Poland)
51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Anzhela Dorogan (Azerbaijan) vs. Honoka Saito (Japan)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Kanako Murata (Japan) vs. Ida-Theres Nerell (Sweden)
59 kg/130 lbs. – Yuliya Ratkevich (Azerbaijan) vs. Gabriella Sleisz (Hungary)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Monika Michalik (Poland) vs. Hanna Johansson (Sweden)
67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Nadezhda Sementsova (Azerbaijan) vs. Jenny Aardelen (Norway)
72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Epp Mae (Estonia) vs. Jenny Fransson (Sweden)