US track and field team named for Toronto 2015

US Paralympics has announced the 60 track and field athletes and four guides for visually-impaired athletes who will compete for Team USA at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games between 7-15 August.

Forty-four men and 20 women will run, sprint, throw and jump for Team USA at the multi-sport Games at the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletics Stadium. The event will serve as the largest international competition before October’s IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Representing the red, white and blue are 30 Paralympians, including 100m and 200m T44 world record holder Richard Browne, six-time T52 world champion Raymond Martin and discus F44 Paralympic and world champion Jeremy Campbell.

T53 racer Chelsea McClammer also features. Four years ago at the last Parapan American Games she was one of the most successful athletes winning five gold medals and one silver.

More than half of the Parapan Am team competed at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships with 32 US athletes on the roster in Lyon, France. The 2013 World Championships marked Team USA’s most successful track and field performance to date since the creation of US Paralympics in 2001. The US took home 52 medals in France - 17 gold, 18 silver and 17 bronze - in the nine days of competition to finish just one medal short of winning the overall medal count

“This is one of the most competitive groups we’ve sent to Parapan Ams,” Cathy Sellers, High Performance Director of US Paralympics Track and Field said. “We’re excited to bring a lot of younger athletes who we think will show well in Toronto and get the experience they need ahead of Rio. They’ll learn from our veterans but also push them, which will only make our team better.”

The fifth edition of the Games will feature a total of 145 track and field events—86 men’s and 59 women’s—at the Parapan Am Athletics Stadium, including a total of 54 field events. Competition begins Monday 10 August at 15:00 EST with 42 semi-final and final events.

The Parapan Am Games and will feature 1,608 athletes from 28 countries competing in 15 sports with the last Games taking place in 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The US track and field team contributed 56 medals to Team USA’s overall medal count in Mexico with 25 gold, 15 silver and 16 bronze medals won. Team USA finished second in the overall count behind Brazil with a total of 132 medals over eight days.

US roster for 2015 Parapan American Games

*Denotes US Paralympians

Name, Classification

Men

David Blair, F44

Michael Brannigan, T20

Mark Braun, T54

Jack Briggs, T46

*David Brown T11

*Jerome Avery Guide Runner

*Richard Browne, T44

*Jeremy Campbell, T44

*Tobi Fawehinmi, T46

*Rudy Garcia-Tolson,T42

Samuel Grewe, T42

*Lex Gillette, T11

*Wes Williams Guide Runner

Tyson Gunter, T13

Austin Handley, T38

*Erik Hightower, T54

Gianfranco Iannotta, T52

Desmond Jackson, T42

*Josiah Jamison, T12

*Rolland Slade, Guide Runner

Ayden Jent, T35

Spencer Kimbro, T53

*Blake Leeper, T43

*Ray Martin, T52

*Michael Murray, T20

*Paul Nitz, T52

*Markeith Price, T13

*David Prince, T44

*Austin Pruitt, T34

Isaiah Rigo, T52

*Josh Roberts, T52

Daniel Romanchuk, T54

James Senbata , T54

*Jeff Skiba, T44

Arturo Torres, T53

Roderick Townsend, T46

*Steven Toyoji, T52

*Shaquille Vance, T42

*Jarryd Wallace, T44

Ahkeel Whitehead, T37

Michael Wishnia, F57

Hunter Woodhall, T44

Regas Woods, T42

Women

Megan Absten, T46

Suzanne Arenal, T35

Natalie Bieule, F44

Kimberly Crosby, T13

Alexa Halko, T34

Aubrey Headon, T35

Kelsey Lefevour, T54

*Angela Madsen, F56

*Cheri Madsen, T54

*Chelsea McClammer, T53

*Hannah McFadden, T54

*Cassie Mitchell, F51

*Kerri Morgan, T52

Jill Moore, T53

Rachael Morrison, F51

Ivonne Mosquera-Schmidt, T11

TBA Guide Runner

*Shirley Reilly, T53

Allysa Seely, T36

Amy Watt, T46

Jasmine Rowe, T46