Rau wins Pan-Am Gold

Joe Rau won his third Pan-American Championship yesterday in Greco-Roman at 97kg. He won his first three matches to reach the final where he won by forfeit to take the gold. He opened the day with 5-1 and 2-1 decisions before winning by technical fall in the semifinals. He was set to wrestle 2x Pan-Am champ Kevin Mejia Castillo of Honduras who instead chose to forfeit. Rau was an NCAA Champion for Elmhurst College and won the 2023 US Open title at 97kg the previous week.

Donny Longendyke, a former Augsburg NCAA champ, represented the US at 130kg in the Greco-Roman tournament as well. He won his first match but fell in the quarterfinals, leaving him in the bronze medal match. He dropped his final match to finish in 5th place. He did qualify the US for the 2023 Pan-American Games to be held in Chile in November. Longendyke finished in 6th place at last week’s US Open.

Results (links go to video replay on Flowrestling)
Joe Rau, 1st place at 97kg
Rau dec. Yurisandy Hernandez Rios (Cuba) 5-1
Rau dec. Luillys Perez Mora (Venezuela) 2-1
Rau tech fall Carlos Adames Palmer (Dominican Republic) 8-0
Rau win by forfeit over Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras)

Donny Longendyke, 5th place at 130kg
Longendyke pin Leo Santana Heredia (Dominican Republic) 3:53
Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba) tech fall Longendyke 9-0
Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (Chile) tech fall Longendyke 8-0