Guerrero and Sanderson advance to the semifinals; U.S. men’s freestyle wrestlers go 9-1 in first ses

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John Fuller (USA Wrestling)
08/07/2003


Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - The U.S. men's freestyle team was dominant in the first session of the Pan American Games, winning nine of 10 matches overall and outscoring their opponents 76-11.    Eric Guerrero (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) and Cael Sanderson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) both won two matches, winning their pools and advancing to the semifinals.    Guerrero defeated Geovanny Mora of Mexico 9-2 and Nelson Rene Crisanto of Honduras by a 10-0 technical superiority at 60 kg/132 lbs. to advance    Sanderson recorded two 10-0 technical superiority wins at 84 kg/185 lbs. to move on to the next round.    Both wrestlers will not know their semifinal opponent until tomorrow morning when repechage matches will be complete.    2001 World bronze medalist Joe Williams (Coralville, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) defeated Esteban Vera of Puerto Rico 11-0 in his first pool match at 74 kg/163 lbs. Williams will now face Andy Cubas of Peru. The winner will advance to the semifinals.    2000 Olympian Kerry McCoy (Bethlehem, Pa./New York AC) wasted no time in getting his first match in the records books at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. McCoy pinned Marcos Vinicius Oliveira of Brazil in 19 seconds. McCoy's next match will be against Pan American Championships runner-up Colbie Bell of Canada.    Also winning their first pool matches were Stephen Abas (Fresno, Calif./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs. and Daniel Cormier (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.    Abas defeated Mischa Japaridze of Canada 9-2 and will now face Oscar Ruano of Guatemala, who Japaridze defeated 11-0 in the second round.    Cormier pinned Matthew White of Puerto Rico in his first pool match. Cormier will next face Randeep Sodhi of Canada in pool competition.    The only U.S. wrestler to drop a match was Jamill Kelly (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC), who lost his first pool match to Serguei Rondon of Cuba, 7-6 in overtime.    The match was a back-and-forth affair. Trailing 6-3 late in the second period, Kelly scored two takedowns and one more point on a fleeing the mat call to send the bout to overtime.    In the extra period, both wrestlers traded shots and counters, but in the end, Rondon was able to get deep on a single-leg and finish for the win.    If Kelly places second in his pool and wins the repechage, he can still advance to the gold-medal match.    The next round of pool competition will begin at 5:00 p.m. (EST) this evening at the Pebellon de Combate in the Olympic Park.    Pan American Games  at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic  August 7-8, 2003  U.S. Men's Freestyle Individual Results  55 kg/121 lbs. - Stephen Abas, Fresno, Calif. (Sunkist Kids)  dec. Mischa Japaridze (Canada), 9-2    60 kg/132 lbs. - Eric Guerrero, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)  dec. Geovanny Mora (Mexico), 9-2; tech. fall Nelson Rene Crisanto (Honduras), 10-0, 1:55    66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Jamill Kelly, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)  lost dec. Serguei Rondon (Cuba), 7-6, ot, 6:56; tech. fall Eddy Agramonte (Dominican Republic), 11-0, 2:38    74 kg/163 lbs. - Joe Williams, Coralville, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)  tech. fall Esteban Vera (Puerto Rico), 11-0, 5:47    84 kg/185 lbs. - Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)  tech. fall Dario Garcia (Dominican Republic), 10-0, 2:46; tech. fall Daniel Iglesia (Argentina), 10-0, 3:00    96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)  pin Matthew White (Puerto Rico), 1:57    120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Kerry McCoy, Bethlehem, Pa. (New York AC)  pin Marcos Vinicius Oliveira (Brazil), 0:19