Sam Hazewinkel landed a spot in the Pan American Championships finals on Sunday. Terry Kness photo.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – There will be plenty of red, white and blue in the freestyle finals of the Pan American Championships.

Americans Sam Hazewinkel, Phillip Simpson, Trent Paulson, Raymond Jordan, Dustin Kilgore and Tervel Dlagnev each advanced to the finals on Sunday afternoon at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The U.S. went 13-2 in the first session.

The finals are set for 6 p.m. Sunday.

Hazewinkel delivered with a clutch win over Cuba’s Alredo Cisnero Gomez in the semifinals at 55 kg/121 lbs. Hazewinkel prevailed 1-0, 0-1, 2-0. Hazewinkel lost to the Cuban earlier this month at the Cerro Pelado International in Havana.

“He’s real tough,” Hazewinkel said. “He has long arms and he’s hard to get around. He beat me down in Cuba, so it was good to come back home and get a win over him.”

Hazewinkel will face Canada’s Jacob Hergenhein in the finals. Hergenhein was ninth at the 2010 Junior World Championships.

Simpson swept Puerto Rico’s Pedro Soto Cordero 3-0, 4-2 in the semifinals at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Simpson will face Elvis Fuentes Blanco of Venezuela in the finals. Blanco was third in this event last year. Simpson is still looking to earn a spot in April’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

“The Olympic Trials are only 55 days away, so any match you can get internationally is huge,” Simpson said. “Wrestling here builds my confidence. It gives you a different feel than what you are used to. This is an important tournament for me.”

Paulson earned a gritty 1-0, 1-4, 7-1 win over Pan American Games runner-up Yunierki Blanco Mora of Cuba in the semifinals at 74 kg/163 lbs. Paulson, a past World Team member, will battle Brazil’s Daniel Alvares in the finals.

Dlagnev swept Puerto Rico’s Edgardo Lopez 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. He will face Canada’s Sunny Dhinsa in the finals. Dlagnev, a past World bronze medalist, beat the 18-year-old Dhinsa in the 2011 Pan American Games finals. Dlagnev won this event in 2010.

Jordan reached the finals by downing Venezuela’s Jose Diaz Robertti 1-0, 2-1 in the semifinals at 84 kg/185 lbs. Jordan will face Cuba’s Luis Miranda Mazar in the finals. Mazar placed third in the Cerro Pelado International earlier this month.

Kilgore defeated Marcos Santos Bonnet of Puerto Rico 1-0, 6-0 in the semifinals. Kilgore pulled out a wild quarterfinal win over Cuba’s Javier Cortina Lacerra, prevailing 4-1, 0-5, 4-2 at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. 

Kilgore will face Argentina’s Yuri Alexei Maier in the finals. Maier placed third in the 2011 Pan American Games.

American Troy Nickerson fell to Cuba’s Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez in the first round at 60 kg/132 lbs. Nickerson fell short of a medal after dropping a match to Peru’s Abel Pastor Herrera in the repechage round.

This is the final day of the three-day event.

FINALS MATCHUPS

55 kg/121 lbs.
Sam Hazewinkel (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids) vs. Jacob Hergenhein (Canada)

60 kg/132 lbs.
Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba) vs. Luis Portillo (El Salvador)

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Phillip Simpson (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) vs. Elvis Fuentes Blanco (Venezuela)

74 kg/163 lbs.
Trent Paulson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) vs. Daniel Alvares (Brazil)

84 kg/185 lbs.
Raymond Jordan (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) vs. Luis Miranda Mazar (Cuba)

96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Dustin Kilgore (Berea, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) vs. Yuri Alexei Maier (Argentina)

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Tervel Dlagnev (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) vs. Sunny Dhinsa (Canada)

U.S. RESULTS

55 kg/121 lbs. – Sam Hazewinkel, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids)
WIN Jefferson Mayea Figueora (Ecuador), 6-0, 1-0
WIN Harold Torres (Puerto Rico), 6-0, 7-0
WIN Alredo Cisnero Gomez (Cuba), 1-0, 0-1, 2-0
vs. Jacob Hergenhein (Canada) in finals

60 kg/132 lbs. – Troy Nickerson, Ithaca, N.Y. (New York AC)
LOSS Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba), 0-2, 1-1
LOSS Abel Pastor Herrera (Peru), 0-1, 0-2

66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Phillip Simpson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
WIN Juan Carlos Lopez (Colombia), 2-1, fall 0:26
WIN Pedro Soto Cordero (Puerto Rico), 3-0, 4-2
vs. Elvis Fuentes Blanco (Venezuela) in finals

74 kg/163 lbs. – Trent Paulson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
WIN Edinson Ambrosio Greifo (Peru), 6-0, 6-0
WIN Yunierki Blanco Mora (Cuba), 1-0, 1-4, 7-1
vs. Daniel Alvares (Brazil) in finals

84 kg/185 lbs. – Raymond Jordan, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
WIN Jarlys Mosquera (Colombia), 3-0, 1-0
WIN Jose Diaz Robertti (Venezuela), 1-0, 2-1
vs. Luis Miranda Mazar (Cuba) in finals

96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Dustin Kilgore, Berea, Ohio (Sunkist Kids)
WIN Luis Vivenes Urbaneja (Venezuela), 7-0, 7-0
WIN Javier Cortina Lacerra (Cuba), 4-1, 0-5, 4-2
WIN Marcos Santos Bonnet (Puerto Rico), 1-0, 6-0
vs. Yuri Alexei Maier (Argentina) in finals

120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Tervel Dlagnev, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids)
WIN Edgardo Lopez (Puerto Rico), 6-0, 6-0
vs. Sunny Dhinsa (Canada) in finals