Fifteen Athletes set to Represent Team USA in Para-Cycling at the 2023 Parapan American Games

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO – U.S. Paralympics Cycling today announced the 15 athletes – six men, seven women and two pilots – who will don the Stars and Stripes at the 2023 Parapan American Games this November in Santiago, Chile.

Team USA showcases a host of experience and strong veteran leadership. Every athlete on the roster has world championships experience, and 10 of the 15 athletes have captured world championship medals.

“We are extremely excited to round out our 2023 season with this group of athletes in Chile,” Ian Lawless, Director of U.S. Paralympics Cycling, said. “Every single cyclist on this roster has proven themselves among the best in the world in their classification, and we cannot wait to see what they can do against the top athletes from North and South America.”

Taking place once every four years, the Parapan American Games bring together North and South American countries for a multi-sport competition less than a year out from the Paralympic Games. The 2023 edition will feature 18 sports and is set to run from November 17-26. At the 2019 Parapan American Games, U.S. Para-cyclists led all nations with 18 medals, including seven gold.

2019 Parapan American gold medalists Samantha Bosco (Claremont, California) and Joe Berenyi (Aurora, Illinois) return to the Parapan American stage seeking to defend their titles. Bosco recently led the U.S. team with five medals across road and track cycling at the 2023 UCI Para-Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. The two-time Paralympic medalist was also the overall world cup champion in the WC4 road race.

A 16-time world championships medalist, Berenyi won the MC3 1-kilometer time trial at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. The three-time Paralympian recorded a fourth-place finish on the track in the MC3 Omnium 200-meter time trial in Glasgow.

Joining Bosco on the women’s team are fellow upright cyclists Jamie Whitmore (Somerset, California), Elizabeth Mis Neag (Medina, Ohio) and Katie Walker (Wilmington, Ohio). The Paralympic champion Whitmore has racked up 21 world championship medals across her career in WC3 racing. Mis Neag and Walker, meanwhile, make their Parapan American debuts after both competing in Glasgow. Mis picked up two top-10 finishes on the world stage in WC5 road competition, while Walker competed in her second career track cycling world championships, where she finished sixth in the WC5 500-meter time trial.

Fresh off their first career world championships medal, the tandem duo of Hannah Chadwick (El Cerrito, California) and pilot Skyler Espinoza (Freeport, Maine) will team up in track cycling competition as Team USA’s only women’s tandem team in Santiago. Chadwick and Espinoza most recently won bronze at the 2023 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships, their first major international medal as a pair.

Rounding out the women’s squad are two handcyclists. Two-time world champion Kate Brim (Lowell, Michigan) is set for her first career Parapan American Games. One of the most dominant athletes in the world in the WH2 classification in the past few years, Brim is seeking her first Paralympic Team nomination next summer in Paris. Fellow handcyclist Jenna Rollman (HOMETOWN) makes her first Parapan American Games team after her world championships debut over the summer, where she finished 11th in the WH3 road race.

Headlining the men’s roster in addition to Berenyi are 2023 world championships medalists Dennis Connors (Beaverton, Oregon), Ryan Pinney (Phoenix, Arizona) and Brandon Lyons (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania). Connors has been among the best MT2 athletes this Paralympic quad as he looks to make his Paralympic debut next summer. The U.S. Marines veteran won the MT2 road race at the 2023 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in August and is making his first Parpan American Games appearance.

Pinney and Lyons each medaled in Glasgow as well, with Pinney bringing home silver in the MH3 time trial and Lyons competing as a member of the U.S. relay team that earned bronze. Santiago will be Lyon’s second Parapan American Games, while Pinney competes in his first. They will make up the men’s handcycling contingent for Team USA alongside Paralympic medalist Freddie De Los Santos (Hopewell Junction, New York), who will race in the MH5 road competitions.

The men’s tandem team of Michael Stephens (Colorado Springs, Colorado) and pilot Joe Christiansen (Lyons, Colorado) recently broke onto the international Para-cycling scene by qualifying for their first world championships team in Glasgow, where they snagged a top-six finish in their debut. They will compete in Santiago at their first Parapan American Games.

Follow U.S. Paralympics Cycling on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates and results as the team prepares for Santiago.

For media requests and photo inquiries, please contact Kristen Gowdy at Kristen.Gowdy@usopc.org.

U.S. Paralympics Cycling 2023 Parapan American Games Roster

Women

Samantha Bosco

Kate Brim

Hannah Chadwick

Skyler Espinoza (pilot)

Elizabeth Mis Neag

Jenna Rollman

Katie Walker

Jamie Whitmore

Men

Joe Berenyi

Joe Christiansen (pilot)

Dennis Connors

Freddie De Los Santos

Brandon Lyons

Ryan Pinney

Michael Stephens