Pan American Games Roster Announced

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COLORADO SPRINGS - USA Weightlifting has announced its team for the 2023 Pan American Games. Five women and four men will compete Oct. 21-24 in Santiago, Chile, at the Gimnasio Chimkowe in the Peñalolén district. The roster includes 2023 IWF World Championship medalists Olivia Reeves (81kg) and Mary Theisen-Lappen (+81kg) along with 59kg Olympic hopeful Taylor Wilkins. Competition throughout the games (Oct. 20-Nov. 5) will stream exclusively for free via the Panam Sports Channel. The Panam Sports Channel will have nine simultaneous live-feeds every day. The Pan American Games are not an Olympic qualifying event.


2023 Pan American Games Weight Classes:

Men: 61kg, 73kg, 89kg, 102kg, +102kg

Women: 49kg, 59kg, 71kg, 81kg, +81kg


USA Weightlifting 2023 Pan American Games Full Roster

Name

Wt Class

Hometown

Best Snatch

Best CJ

Best Total

Taylor Wilkins

59

Sebastian, Fla.

98

124

221

Meredith Alwine

71

Altamonte Springs, Fla.

107

139

243

Shacasia Johnson

81

Blue Springs, Mo.

111

135

246

Olivia Reeves

81

Chattanooga, Tenn.

111

142

253

Mary Theisen-Lappen

+87

Eau Claire, Wisc.

119

163

278

Travis Cooper

73

Saunderstown, R.I.

143

173

316

Brandon Victorian

89

Monroe, La.

152

190

342

Morgan McCullough

102

Knoxville, Tenn.

152

200

352

Keiser Witte

+109

Phoenix, Ariz.

192

220

412

Mike Gattone, USA Head Coach






Mark Lavallee, Team Doctor








The Team at a Glance:

Olivia Reeves (81kg):

  • Reeves had the highest total at the Cali 2021 Junior Pan American Games (235kg) which earned her a 81kg qualifying spot for Santiago '23.
  • Fourth on the Olympic Qualifying Ranking at 71kg, top U.S. woman in her weight category by nine kilograms
  • Bronze total at the 2023 IWF World Championships (253 kg)
  • Dual Junior World Record holder (Clean & Jerk and Total)
  • Gold at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games, gold at the 2022 Pan American Junior Championships, bronze at the 2023 Pan American Championships

Mary Theisen-Lappen (+81kg):

  • Sixth in Olympic Qualifying Ranking at +81kg
  • Made her IWF World Championships debut at the 2023 rendition, earning silver (277kg)
  • Earned gold at both the 2021 and 2023 Pan American Championships at +87kg

Taylor Wilkins (59kg):

  • Ninth in Olympic Qualifying Ranking at 59kg, top U.S. women in her weight category by one kilogram (221kg).
  • Finished tenth at the 2023 IWF World Championships with a 220 total
  • Competed at the 2023, 2022 and 2021 Pan American Championships, earning bronze overall in 2021 and 2022.

Meredith Alwine (71kg):

  • Has competed in the 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020 Pan American Championships, earning gold in 2020 (71kg, 238 T), 2021 (71kg, 237 T) and 2023 (76kg, 238 T).
  • 2021 IWF World Champion at 71kg. Registered a 100kg SN and 135kg CJ for 235kg total to beat Great Britain's Sarah Davies by one kilogram.

Travis Cooper (73kg):

  • Enters his first international competition at 73kg after previously competing at 81kg and 89kg.
  • Competed in the 2013, 2014, and 2016 Pan American Championships and 2015 Pan American Games. Earned bronze at the 2013 and 2014 Pan Am Championships
  • Featured at the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021 and 2022 IWF World Championships, topping out a 13th in 2013 (330kg) and 2022 (324kg).

Morgan McCullough (102kg):

  • Competed in three junior Pan American Championships, earning bronze in 2019 (310kg) and silver in both 2020 (333kg) and 2022 (344kg)
  • Finished seventh and eighth at the 2021 (326kg) and 2022 (330kg) IWF Junior World Championships, respectively.

Keiser Witte (+102kg):

  • Earned bronze (387kg) at the 2019 Pan American Championships and gold (396kg) at the 2021 Pan American Championships.
  • Finished 11th at the 2021 IWF World Championships (402kg).

Brandon Victorian (89kg) and Shacasia Johnson (81kg) both enter with limited international weight lifting experience. Johnson finished fifth at the 2019 IWF World Cup with a 223kg total and followed that with a silver medal finish at the 2019 IWF Grand Prix in Lima, Peru. Victorian earned bronze at the 2022 XL Torneo International "Manuel Suárez In Memoriam" meet (311kg).

Team USA Competition Schedule

This schedule has been updated since this article's original posting to reflect the final start lists.

October 21:

4:50 p.m. ET – M73 – Travis Cooper

October 22:

11:00 a.m. ET – W59 – Taylor Wilkins

2:45 p.m. ET – M89 – Brandon Victorian

6:00 p.m. ET – W71 – Meredith Alwine

October 23:

3:00 p.m. ET – M102 – Morgan McCullough

6:30 p.m. ET – W81 – Olivia Reeves & Shacasia Johnson

October 24:

3:00 p.m. ET – M+102 – Keiser Witte

6:00 p.m. ET – W+81 – Mary Theisen-Lappen

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