U.S. to send strong team to Beach World Series Final in Porec, Croatia, October 12-13

The United States will have an experienced and talented team entered in the Beach World Series Final, set for October 12-13 at Plava Laguna in Porec, Croatia.

This is the fifth and final UWW Beach World Series event for 2024. This event is the highest point-scoring event in the Beach World Series ranking system, and will determine the World champion and World medalists in each weight class for the year.

2023 Beach World champion Eliana Bommarito will compete at Over 70 kg in the women’s division. Heading into the final event of this year’s Beach World Series, Bommarito holds the No. 1 ranking in her weight class with 70,000 points, ahead of second place Liudmyla Pavlovets Tychyna of Ukraine with 51,500 points. A strong effort by Bommarito in Croatia could give her a Beach World Series championship for the second straight year.

Bommarito has won five career Beach World Series gold medals in her career, with 2023 victories in Turkey and Romania, and 2024 wins in France, Romania and now in Greece.

On the men’s side, Justin Benjamin holds a No. 3 ranking at 70 kg in the Beach World Series rankings. He became the first U.S. men’s Beach wrestler to win a Beach World Series gold medal, when he was the champion at Beach World Series Acapulco in Mexico, which was the first stop of this year’s tour.

Among those who will compete in the Beach World Series Final, there are two others who hold a current top-10 ranking in their weight class, Gabriel Rangel (No. 4 at Over 90 kg men) and Kyle Ferriter (No. 6 at Over 90 kg men). Ferriter won a bronze medal at the Beach World Series Saint Laurent du Var in France earlier this year.

In 2023, the USA had two Beach World medalists, gold-medalist Bommarito and bronze medalist Ty Loethen at 80 kg. Loethen, currently ranked No. 3, is not on the tour to Croatia.

Marilyn Garcia, a 2024 U.S. Senior Beach Nationals champion and a past U.S. Women’s National Team member in freestyle, will compete at 70 kg in Porec. Bommarito was also a 2024 Beach Nationals champion. A pair of 2022 U.S. Senior Beach Nationals champions are on the U.S. team,  Jabari Irons (90 kg men) and Mia Macaluso (60 kg women),

Athletes who were medalists at the 2024 U.S. Nationals who are competing in Croatia are Ferriter, Bryan Coll (70 kg men), Ruben Calderon (70 kg men), Rodrick Love (80 kg men) and Valerie Carreon (50 kg women).

The team also has seven champions from the 2024 Carolina Beach Nationals event on the tour, Benjamin, Irons, Ferriter, Macaluso, Bommarito, plus Mariah Anderson (50 kg women) and Olivia Pizano (70 kg women).

The event will be broadcast live on FloWrestling. https://flosports.link/3v37yKX

Session times each day are at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. local time. Porec is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone.

BEACH WORLD SERIES FINAL

At Porec, Croatia, October 12-13

U.S. Men’s Beach roster

70 kg: Justin Benjamin, St. Charles, Ill.  

70 kg: Ruben Calderon, Houston, Texas

70 kg: Bryan Coll, Bayville, N.Y.

80 kg: Rodrick Love, Springfield, Ill.   

90 kg: Jabari Irons, Fort Meyers, Fla.   

90 kg: James Medeiros, Granada Hills, Calif.  

Over 90 kg: Kyle Ferriter, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Over 90kg: Gabriel Rangel, Moline, Ill.  

U.S. Women’s Beach roster

50 kg: Mariah Anderson, Houston, Texas

50 kg: Valerie Carreon, Richmond, Texas

60 kg: Mia Macaluso, Otisville, N.Y.

70 kg: Olivia Pizano, Bethlehem, Pa.  

70 kg: Marilyn Garcia, Van Nuys, Calif.  

+70 kg: Eliana Bommarito, Brighton, Mich.

Coach: Tim Box, Oceanside, Calif.

Medical: Jenna Jackson, Marshall, Minn.   

Medical: Jon Duplessis, Wilmington, N.C.  

NF Delegate: Rusty Davidson, Grants, N.M.

Official: Larry Wajda, Spirit Lake, Iowa

UWW Beach Commission:  Ed Duncan, Spruce Pine, N.C. 

Team Leader: Jaimie McNab, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Event Schedule, local time

(Porec is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)

Saturday, October 12

10:00 a.m. – Group Round #1

3:00 p.m. – Group Round #2

Sunday, October 13

10:00 a.m. – Group Round #3

3:00 p.m. – Elimination Rounds and Finals