PRTC Wrestling

PRTC Athletes Earn Multiple Medals at 2026 Pan Am Championships

2026-05-11

Coralville, Iowa - The Pennsylvania Regional Training Center sent four athletes to compete at the 2026 Senior Pan American Championships this weekend in Coralville, Iowa, as some of the top wrestlers from across North, Central, and South America took to the mat in one of the premier international events on the wrestling calendar.

Hosted by United World Wrestling and USA Wrestling, the Pan American Championships featured elite competition across all three Olympic disciplines. Team USA captured the men's freestyle team title with 240 points, while Puerto Rico earned an impressive runner-up finish with 150 points.

Representing Puerto Rico at 57kg, Darian Cruz advanced to the gold medal match with strong wins over Venezuela's Pedro Mejias, 4-1, and the Dominican Republic's Juan Ramirez, 13-11. Cruz ultimately dropped a narrow 5-44 decision to Team USA's Liam Cronin in the championship bout to earn a silver medal.

At 74kg, Adam Thomson represented Canada and battled to a bronze medal finish. Thomson opened the tournament with a 5-3 victory over the Dominican Republic's Carlos Rodriguez before falling in a tight 6-5 match to Cuba's Garzon-Tamay. He rebounded in dominant fashion with a 10-0 technical fall over Mexico's Palacios to secure his place on the podium.

Competing at 92kg for Puerto Rico, Shane Jones put together one of the strongest performances of the weekend. Jones earned victories over Canada's Johnson, 8-2, and Brazil's Bordeaux, 11-1, before falling to reigning World Champion and eventual gold medalist Trent Hidlay of the United States. Jones closed the event with a medical forfeit victory over Peru's Ambrocio to claim a bronze medal.

At 97kg, Edwin Morales opened his tournament with a dominant 10-0 technical fall over Mexico's Valverde. Morales later dropped matches to Cuba's Arturo Silot-Torres and the Dominican Republic's Perez in a competitive international bracket that featured several of the top wrestlers in the Americas.

The Pennsylvania RTC continues to make an impact on the international stage, with athletes representing multiple nations while competing against World and Olympic level talent. The event in Coralville showcased the growth of wrestling throughout the Pan American region and provided high level competition ahead of the upcoming World Championship season.

PRTC Senior Athletes to Compete at Pan Ams

2026-05-07

Coralville, Iowa - The Pennsylvania RTC is set to have strong representation on the international stage this weekend at the 2026 Pan American Championships in Coralville, Iowa, as four athletes will compete agains some of the top freestyle wrestlers in the Western Hemisphere. Hosted by USA Wrestling, the event will feature elite competitors from across North, Central, and South America, with all matches streamed live on FloWrestling.

Representing Puerto Rico will be Darian Cruz at 57kg, Shane Jones at 92kg, and Edwin Morales at 97kg. Representing Canada at 74kg will be Adam Thomson. Thomson is scheduled to compete on Saturday, May 9th, while Cruz, Jones, and Morales will all take the mat on Sunday, May 10th.

Cruz continues to be one of the most accomplished athletes training with the PRTC. A former NCAA Champion and All-American at Lehigh University, Cruz represented Puerto Rico internationally on multiple occasions and brings extensive experience to the Pan American stage. Cruz is a three-time Pan American medalist.

Jones has steadily developed into a dangerous upper-weight freestyle competitor through his work at the PRTC. Competing at 92kg, Jones has built a reputation for his physical style and offensive pressure while continuing to gain valuable international experience representing Puerto Rico. Jones is also a three-time Pan American medalist.

Morales enters the championships at 97kg after continuing to progress within the RTC system and international freestyle circuit. His size, athleticism, and commitment to development have helped him emerge as an important representative for Puerto Rico on the senior level. This will be Morales' first time competing at the Pan American Championships.

Thomson, representing Canada at 74kg, has become a key training partner and competitor within the PRTC room. A technically skilled freestyle wrestler with strong positional awareness, Thomson continues to compete at a high level internationally while helping elevate the daily training environment within the program. Thomson is a two-time Pan American medalist.

The Pennsylvania RTC is proud to support its athletes as they compete internationally and represent both their countries and the RTC community on one of the premier stages in Pan American wrestling.

Mckenna And Burroughs Win Pan American Gold

2022-05-09

Acapulco, Mexico – The PRTC earned two more gold medals this past weekend helping Team USA dominate the competition at the Pan American Championships. Joey McKenna (65kg) won his second Pan Am title while Jordan Burroughs (79kg) won his fifth.

Coach Brandon Slay, having coached Mark Hall and David McFadden to US Open titles a week earlier, made the trip south to corner Burroughs and McKenna while they represented the United States. “I’m very happy with the way our guys are wrestling right now,” said Slay. “Our par terre offense is getting better every day!”

McKenna won in the finals with a dominating 10-0 performance over Sebastian Rivera(Scarlet Knight Wrestling Club) from Puerto Rico. He used a leg lace from transition with several rolls to seal the match and the technical superiority win.

In the semi-finals, McKenna was also dominant in defeating 2020 Tokyo Olympian Agustin Destribats of Argentina. After several intense scramble situations, McKenna came away with the 13-5 victory.

Burroughs surrendered just one point while winning at 79kg. With just five competitors in the weight class, a round robin format was used. He outscored his opponents 40-1 with three technical superiority wins and one fall.

Following the US Women’s Freestyle Team’s Championship title on Saturday, the men’s team added a first place trophy of their own. Outscoring Canada by 91 points, Team USA won the Men’s Freestyle title.

The PRTC and Team USA results:

65kg: Joey McKenna – Gold Medal

Quarterfinal: VSU Andre Renato QUISPE FAJARDO (CHI)

Semifinal: VPO1 Agustin Alejandro DESTRIBATS (ARG)

Final: VSU Sebastian RIVERA (PUR), 10-0

79 kg: Jordan Burroughs – Gold Medal

Round Robin 1: VSU Samuel Jacob BARMISH (CAN), 12-1

Round Robin 2: VFA Victor J SANTOS ACOSTA (PUR), 8-0

Round Robin 3: VSU Juan Sebastian RIVERA GARCIA (COL), 10-0

Round Robin 4: VSU Miguel Angel ORNELAS REYNOSO (MEX), 10-0

Team Results

United States, 229
Canada, 138
Puerto Rico, 120
Mexico, 101
Cuba, 76
Argentina, 56
Brazil, 55
Colombia, 54
Dominican Republic, 38
Venezuela, 37

Pictures courtesy of Levi Ventura

Joey Mckenna Becomes Prtc’s First Pan American Champion

2021-06-01

Team USA brought home 10 gold medals in men's freestyle including McKenna's title at 65 kg

Outscoring his opponents 46-6, Joey McKenna became the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center’s first Pan American Champion. McKenna won all his matches, finishing with a perfect 4-0 record at 65 kg.

On the way to his first Senior international gold medal, McKenna defeated Brazil’s Marcos De Brito Siqueira 10-0 in the finals. He also beat NCAA All-American Sebastian Rivera, who competes internationally for Puerto Rico in the semifinals by a score of 10-0.

McKenna was part of a historic performance by Team USA, which won all 10 weight classes and did not give up a point in the finals. Overall, Team USA outscored its opponents 367-9 and won the team title with 250 team points, followed by Canada with 116 points and Mexico with 114 points.McKenna will next compete at the Poland Open, which takes place Tuesday, June 8 – Sunday, June 13.

2021 Pan American Championships

Guatemala City, Guatemala | May 27-30

Joey McKenna (65 kg) – FIRST

WIN Juan Rodriguez Jovel (El Salvador), 10-0

WIN Albaro Rudecindo Camacho (Dominican Republic), 17-6

WIN Sebastian Rivera (Puerto Rico), 10-0

WIN Marcos De Brito Siqueira (Brazil), 10-0