Americans Harry Lester, Brad Vering and Dremiel Byers each advanced to the gold-medal round as the U.S. went a combined 6-0 Tuesday morning in the first session of the wrestling competition at the Riocentro Sports Complex.

The finals are set for 6 p.m. Tuesday (5 p.m. Eastern) in Rio.

Lester (Akron, Ohio/Gator WC), a 2006 World bronze medalist, swept 2005 World bronze medalist Alain Milian of Cuba 3-1, 4-0 in the semifinals at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Lester now meets Anyelo Mota of the Dominican Republic in Tuesday night’s finals. The explosive Lester won by technical fall and by fall in his first two matches before looking very impressive against the Cuban in the semis.

Vering (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) continues to have an outstanding season at 84 kg/185 lbs. The past Nebraska Cornhusker star rolled to lopsided decisions over Mexico’s Rafael Aguilar and the Dominican Republic’s Jose Arias to reach the finals. Vering, a silver medalist in the 2003 Pan American Games, will meet Venezuela’s Eddy Bartolozzy in the finals.

Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) rolled to a 5-0, 6-0 semifinal win over Canada’s Ari Taub at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Byers will now face Cuba’s Mijail Lopez in the finals in a battle of past World champions. Byers placed second in the 1999 Pan Am Games.

This is the first of five consecutive days of wrestling competition at the Pan American Games. The two-day Greco-Roman competition concludes on Wednesday. It will be followed by women’s freestyle on Thursday and men’s freestyle on Friday and Saturday at the Riocentro Sports Complex.

American Greco-Roman wrestlers Lindsey Durlacher (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), T.C. Dantzler (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) and Justin Ruiz (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) are scheduled to compete Wednesday. Durlacher is bumping up a weight class to 60 kg/132 lbs. while Dantzler will wrestle at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Ruiz at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

American Joe Warren (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) is not competing here for personal reasons. Warren wrestles at 60 kg/132 lbs.

66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Harry Lester, Akron, Ohio (Gator WC)
WIN Renato Migliaccio (Brazil) 6-0, 6-0
WIN Ulises Barragan (Mexico) fall 1:13
WIN Alain Milian (Cuba) 3-1, 4-0

84 kg/185 lbs. – Brad Vering, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
WIN Aguilar Hernandez Rafael (Mexico) 5-0, 4-0
WIN Jose Arias (Dominican Republic) 4-2, 4-0

120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
WIN Ari Taub (Canada) 5-0, 6-0