Member News

April 14, 2007

Team USA Wins Silver and Bronze in Team Competition at Pan Am Juniors

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Team USA concluded the Pan American Juvenile Championships with two medals in the team division on Saturday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The men’s team won the silver team while the women took the bronze.

The men defeated Argentina in the first round, followed by a win over the Dominican Republic in the semifinals before losing to Brazil in the final round.

Members of the team were:

• Jean-Pierre Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami / 60kg)
• Ross Nakamura (Mission Hills, Calif. / Valley Judo / 66kg)
• Wesley Thomas (San Mateo, Calif. / Palo Alto Judo / 81kg)
• Jacob Larsen (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen / 90kg)
• Mike Kannianen (Northglenn, Colo. / Northglenn Judo / 100kg)

The women’s team fought in a round robin division and won matches against Argentina and the Dominican Republic, but lost to Brazil and Venezuela to finish third overall.

Jeanette Rodriguez (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami / 48kg) was named to the Pan American Junior Women’s All-Star Team for her results during the day that included wins against three of her four opponents.

The women’s team also included:

• Tara Clark (Hercules, Calif. / Amador Judo / 52kg)
• Angelica Delgado (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North  Miami / 63kg)
• Natalie Laursen (Livermore, Calif. / Amador Judo / 70kg)
• Katie Sell (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen / 78kg)