Guayaquil, Ecuador – Three athletes from the Glenville, NY based, Jason Morris Judo Center (JMJC) reached the podium at the Guayaquil Open in Ecuador, May 23, 2021. Kell Berliner (26) had an outstanding day winning a silver in the 81kg weight class. This result catapulted Berliner into the top 100 on the World Ranking List (WRL) for the first time in his career as he sits at #93 up 13 slots. Nicole Stout (23) also cracked the top 100 on the WRL for the first time by capturing a silver medal in the 70kg division. Stout lost an overtime thriller in the final to Pan Am rival, Celinda Corozo (ECU) who is currently ranked #51 . Stout is now ranked #99 up 18 spots. Melissa Myers (25) also had a terrific day winning a bronze medal in the 70kg category Myers jumped 34 slots all the way up to a career high #118.
NEXT UP for JMJC: Ari Berliner (22) and Nate Keeve (25) will be competing at their first World Judo Championships, June 6-13 in Budapest, Hungary. Berliner is 66kg and Keeve will contest the 100kg division. The JMJC has now placed 35 athletes on USA Judo’s team to compete at the Worlds. Berliner and Keeve also represent the 12th Worlds in a row since 2005 that the JMJC has had a least one participant.
Photo L to R: Kell Berliner, Nicole Stout, Melissa Myers
