17U Pan-American Championships NEW ENGLAND RECAP
- Jun 29, 2023
- 3 min read
Last weekend weekend there were four talented wrestlers from New England who took one step closer to reaching their Olympic dreams.
The 17U Pan-American Championships were held in Mexico City, Mexico. This is an official UWW tournament and part of the cumulative continental championships for North and South America.
Sarah Henckel (USA) 69kg, 1st Place
This Southbury, CT product wrestles top competition with Blair Academy (NJ) and it shows she’s no stranger to a tough match. Henckel outscored her opponents 30-0 winning by a 10-0 technical fall in all three of her matches. Her first Opponent was Rose LaCoste (Canada), her second Angie Cruz (Colombia). In the finals she blanked Mexico’s Zashka Carrizelles to win Pan-American gold.
“Competing in Mexico and representing the USA was truly a special experience and opportunity. I represented the USA on the women’s freestyle team at 69kg (152.1lbs). Wrestling three matches, I competed against Canada, Colombia, and Mexico in the finals. I teched each girl 10-0, having a record of 30-0 for the competition.
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the huge support system that I have. My coaches, family, and training partners are a huge part of my ongoing success, and I don’t know what I would do without them. They are a true blessing!
“It was an honor to be a part of such an amazing group of people who will definitely be lifelong friends, and winning the title together!
“Team USA on top!! 🇺🇸”
—Sarah Henckel (Blair Academy ’26) special to The Schwartz Report
Gabe Bouyssou (USA) 65kg, FS: 2nd Place, GR: 3rd Place
Gabe Bouyssou (Scituate, RI) is the only wrestler from New England to have made a Pan-American team in both styles. Heading into the 65kg freestyle finals, Bouyssou was 4-0, outscoring opponents 28-0. However, in the finals he lost a very close 8-6 match to Puerto Rico’s Elis Solis.
In Greco, the Rhode Island native was again off to a hot start winning his first match by 8-0 technical superiority. In his next match, Bouyssou dropped a tight one 8-4 to Mexico’s Nelson Gonzalez, the eventual winner. The New England Champ, nevertheless, had one match left—one more medal to earn. His next opponent was Bagner Beleton from Guatemala, and Bouyssou made quick work winning the match by fall earning his second medal of the tournament.
Yandel Morales (Puerto Rico) 51kg, Freestyle: 2nd Place
Andover, Massachusetts’ Yandel Morales was the Puerto Rican rep for 51kg in the tournament. In his first match, he beat Moises Gonzalez of Ecuador 10-0 and followed that performance up with a semi-final win over Hugo Lopez of Guatemala by the same score.
He was then up against the United States representative Czar Quintanilla from Washington. Quintanilla is the 16th ranked 113lb wrestler in the country according to FloWrestling. The match ended with a very close score of 12-11 with Yandel Morales taking the silver medal in the Pan-American Championship
“I had a great time in Mexico. I was able to take a little tour and learn about the history before I joined everyone with Team Puerto Rico. We had 3 days of practice and getting use to the weather there. My first match was a little nerve wracking because I wasn’t sure what to expect with the high evaluation. That match, I won against Ecuador. 10-0. The next one I felt better and more confident against Guatemala winning 10-0. My finals match was against a kid from USA. It was a good intense match but I come up short and l lost 12-11.”
—Yandel Morales (Andover’ 26) special to The Schwartz Report
Lucas Alvan (Brazil) 71kg, Freestyle: 1-2
Another Massachusetts wrestler qualifying for this iconic event was Ludlow’s Lucas Alvan. Alvan represented Brazil at 71kg. In his first match, he came away victorious against Colombia’s Adrian Sachez by a score of 10-2. His next opponent was USA’s Vince Bouzakis, the 6th ranked 152lb wrestler in the country according to FloWrestling. Bouzakis came away with the 10-0 win sending Alvan to the bronze medal match.
Unfortunately, shortly into the match Alvan suffered an injury and he was not able to continue, defaulting him to third place.
“It feels good, I mean this is definitely a top-tier tournament that not everyone goes to. Unfortunately, 20 seconds into my third-place match, I got injured and was unable to continue the match. I ended up in 5th place which was upsetting, but things happened. As an athlete you need to learn to deal with situations—and getting injured is one of them.
“Overall being a top-6 wrestler in the Americas is a huge achievement and I am very proud of that. I am definitely looking forward to the next!
“I’d like to take the opportunity to thank my team, training partners, and coaches at Ludlow High School, Metrowest and Team Link. And also the CBW for this great opportunity!”
—Lucas Alvan (Ludlow ‘25) special to The Schwartz Report
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