The Pan American Championships in Acapulco, Mexico are shaping up to be quite the tournament for Team USA. With several Greco-Roman wrestlers already bagging podium finishes at the tournament, the freestyle and folkstyle stars are itching to get in on the action in the coming days. And some extra preparations ahead of the events wouldn’t hurt, either!

Along with the nation’s top talents, the Nittany Lions Wrestling Club also has significantly high stakes at this year’s Pan Am Championships with multiple members from their roster vying to start their journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics in style from the Mexican city. Naturally, the NLWC athletes are proving to be excellent sparring partners for their national teammates.

Effort to put the best foot forward at the Pan American Championships

In a recent social media update, Kyle Dake gave fans behind-the-scenes snippets of how he and other wrestlers are gearing up for the next few days at Acapulco. In his latest Instagram story, the four-time World Championships gold medalist Dake can be seen practicing his moves with NLWC wrestler Alex Facundo. Facundo is the 2022 U20 US Open champ and took a redshirt this year to compete in the Olympics.

Both Snyder and Facundo are members of the coveted NLWC that has asserted its dominance in the country’s college wrestling scene over a long period. With Cael Sanderson’s current stellar reign in Division I wrestling, it’s expected that NLWC athletes will also maintain their form at the Pris Olympics later this year. Interestingly, visible in Dake’s story was also another worthy contender.

Dake’s namesake and the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Kyle Snyder is also spotted training for the upcoming matches. While Dake will be competing in the 74kg weight class, Snyder is expected to make his mark in the 97kg category. However, before that happens, they have to kick off their journey Latin American city. And the Greco-Roman compatriots set the tone right on the first day of the tournament.

Greco-Roman wrestlers show their mettle

While the freestyle and folkstyle wrestlers await their turn on the mat, the GR folks are already getting a head start. In the 60kg category, Randon Miranda secured a silver medal after his defeat to Raiber Orozco in the final match of the weight class. Hayden Tuma, on the other hand, won the gold medal in the 63kg after triumphing over Mexico’s own Hector Zapata. It does not end here.

Read more: Road to Paris 2024: USA Wrestling Champion David Taylor Makes an Open Promise Months Ahead of Olympics

US Army wrestler Alex Sancho also bagged another gold for Team USA in the 67kg weight class. Kamal Bey and Cohlton Schultz both finished the Pan American Championships with bronze medals in the 77kg and 130kg weight classes respectively. Now, it remains to be seen if Dake & Co. can replicate their Greco-Roman peers’ success in the upcoming days as well.