2011 Pan Am Games Team Finalized

USA Taekwondo's 2011 Pan American Games Team Trials concluded on Saturday at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center with the naming of the final four team members. The first four team members were selected after Friday's trials.

Qualifying for the team on Saturday were Terrence Jennings (Woodbridge, Va.) in the male bantam/featherweight division, Stephen Lambdin (Woodland Hills, Calif.) in the male middle/heavyweight division, Nicole Palma (Lake Worth, Fla.) in the female bantam/featherweight class, and Lauren Cahoon (Miami, Fla.) in the female middle/heavyweight division.

They will join fin/flyweight team members Olie Burton (Accokeek, Md.) and Deireanne Morales (Lynwood, Calif.), and light/welterweight members T.J. Curry (El Sobrante, Calif.) and Paige McPherson (Sturgis, S.D.) in representing the U.S. at the 2011 Pan American Games Qualification Event early next year.

In Saturday's action, Jennings finished the round robin portion of the trials as the #2 seed and needed two straight victories over top-seeded Brian Gallagher (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) to win the division.

Lambdin was the top seed in the male middle/heavyweight division and he defeated Christian Suh (Astoria, N.Y.) to earn the team spot.

Palma earned the top seed in the female bantam/featherweight division after the round robin portion but lost to second-seeded Simone DeVito (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) in the first final to force a second and deciding match. Palma rebounded to win the match on a late head shot and qualify for the team.

In female middle/heavyweight action, Cahoon went undefeated throughout the day and made the team by beating #2-seed Adrienne Ivey (Ashburn, Va.) in the final match.

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