Miracle finishes with Bronze medal for second straight year; USA claims Pan American Championship

Information from this release was provided by USA Wreslting

LIMA, Peru — For the second straight season, Campbellsville's Kayla Miracle earned a Bronze medal at the Pan American Championships.

In bronze-medal matches, Michaela Beck and Kayla Miracle were both victorious at 57 kg and 62 kg, respectively.

Beck won by forfeit to pick up her first Senior Pan Am medal, while Miracle put up a solid second-period performance against 2016 World bronze medalist Linda Morais of Canada for a 6-1 win and her second-consecutive Pan Am bronze prize.

Miracle and Beck each had to wrestle a true-third match in order to qualify the U.S. for the 2019 Pan Am Games at those respective weights.

To qualify USA at 62 kg, Miracle had to go through two-time Olympic bronze medalist Jackie Renteria of Colombia. With the two tied at the break, Miracle pulled away in the second period for an eventual impressive 13-5 win.

Beck lost her bout in a 10-0 tech to Alexandria Town of Canada.

The U.S. women's freestyle team ran away with the Pan American Championships team, thanks to the help of five medalists on Saturday night.

Going five-for-five in its medal matches in the final day of women's competition, USA scored 198 points, which was 43 points ahead of runner-up Canada, who had the lead in the team race after day one. Rounding out the top five was Cuba with 106 points, Brazil with 72 points and Ecuador with 70 points.

Leading the way for the Red, White and Blue on Saturday were gold medalists Whitney Conder, Sarah Hildebrandt and Adeline Gray.

On the eve of her 30th birthday, Conder, a two-time World Team member, won her first Pan Am Championships, powering through the 50 kg finals. For gold, Conder, who won the 2015 Pan Am Games, dominated two-time Olympian Carolina Castillo Hidalgo of Colombia, shutting her out 9-0.

Hildebrandt claimed her third Pan Am title on Saturday night with an easy 10-0 technical fall over Luisa Valverde of Ecuador. A 2016 World Team member, Hildebrandt wraps up an awesome showing in Peru, highlighted by three falls and one tech fall. Because of her performance, Hildebrandt was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. It is her second Outstanding Wrestler honor within the last week as she was recognized for her efforts at the U.S. Open.

Three-time World champion Gray was dominant as always in the 76 kg finals, collecting her third fall of the day over Andrea Olaya Gutierrez of Colombia, who has two fifth-place finishes at the World Championships. Gray led Olaya, 10-1, at the time of the fall, grabbing a takedown and tilt in the moments before the pin.

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Players Mentioned

Kayla Miracle: Senior; Campbellsville, Ky.

Players Mentioned

Kayla Miracle
: Senior; Campbellsville, Ky.