Games-Mix of familiar and new names for Team USA at Pan Am

By Larry Fine NEW YORK, July 8 (Reuters) - A mix of established athletes and new faces will feature on a massive U.S. team for the Pan American Games in Toronto with the Americans aiming to dominate the medals again in the July 10-26 competition. A 623-member U.S. team will compete in 37 sports, skipping only women's soccer, by choice because of the recent World Cup, and team handball, because they failed to qualify. The Americans face a high bar after claiming 92 golds and 237 medals overall, 101 more than runner-up Cuba, at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. "Our 2015 team is shaping up not only to be our biggest team to date, but one of our best," Alan Ashley, U.S. chef de mission for the Games, told Reuters. U.S. swimmers won 46 medals of 102 medals awarded in the pool at Guadalajara and this Games' roster includes 10 Olympians and five Olympic gold medalists, including Natalie Coughlin, Cullen Jones, Allison Schmitt, Nick Thoman and Darian Townsend. Townsend, who previously represented South Africa at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics, became a U.S. citizen last July. "Our roster for the Pan American Games features a nice mix of veterans and up-and-coming swimmers," USA Swimming national team director Frank Busch told Reuters. "I'm looking forward to seeing some fast swims in Toronto. This event can be a springboard to success in 2016 for many athletes." World indoor pole vault record holder and Olympic champion Jenn Suhr headlines the athletics (track and field) team, which includes world high hurdles winner David Oliver. Eleven others who won national championships last month and long jumper Jeff Henderson, the favorite for August's world championships, also will represent the United States. A seasoned group will compete in men's gymnastics led by two-time reigning U.S. champion Sam Mikulik and Donnell Whittenburg, both members of the bronze medal-winning world championship team. The women's team is missing two-times world all-around champion Simone Biles and her world team title team mates but a worthy roster is eager to show what they can do. Madison Desch, an alternate for the world championships team that won gold, is one of the gymnasts to watch on a team that includes the promising Rachel Gowey. "These are still some of the best gymnasts in the world," gymnastics federation spokesman Scott Bregman told Reuters. "It's a great opportunity for them to step up and come out with a gold medal. I think we come in as the favorites." Jordan Burroughs, a London Olympics wrestling gold medalist and three-time world championships medalist, tops the U.S. team. Leading the women will be 2014 world champion Adeline Gray. The men's basketball team is short on big names and the first U.S. PanAm Games golf team will feature top amateurs. In several sports the U.S. is looking to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, including dressage and eventing. The dressage team is led by three-time Olympian and 2011 Pan Am champion Steffen Peters with five-time Olympian and 1996/2000 Olympic champion Phillip Dutton the leader of the eventing team. In archery, the U.S. men will include two-time Olympian Brady Ellison, who helped win the team silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics. The women will be led by five-time Olympian and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Khatuna Lorig. The Games will also serve as the main Olympic qualifying event for the U.S. men's water polo team, which will be paced by four-time Olympian Tony Azevedo, who was born in Rio and longs to return in 2016. (Editing by Gene Cherry)