Howe named OW in winning Sunkist Open

By Craig Sesker USA Wrestling

TEMPE, Ariz. – Step on the wrestling mat against Andrew Howe and prepare for a hard-fought, all-out battle.

He still has two years of college eligibility remaining, but Howe is quickly establishing himself as a force on the Senior level in freestyle wrestling.

Howe, a 2010 NCAA champion for Wisconsin and a 2010 U.S. Open champion, swept Cyler Sanderson in the finals of the Sunkist Kids International Open on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Arena.

Howe downed Sanderson 1-0, 1-0 in the finals at 74 kg/163 lbs. He was a near-unanimous pick for Outstanding Wrestler. Howe will begin his junior season at Wisconsin next month.

“This was a great opportunity to get back on the mat and compete,” said Howe, who placed second in the 2010 U.S. “I haven’t wrestled since I went on a trip to Azerbaijan (in July), so I was excited to be wrestling again.”

Howe rallied for a tough 0-3, 2-1, 7-4 win over Moza Fay in the semifinal round.

“I got some good matches in against some tough guys,” he said. “There’s always room to learn and improve. I still have a lot of things I need to work on.”

The Sunkist Kids won the team title with Japan finishing second.

2007 World Team member Tommy Rowlands continued his comeback by sweeping Blake Gillis 6-0, 5-0 in the finals at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Rowlands took 20 months off after the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, before returning to the mat earlier this year.

In a battle of past NCAA champions, Matt Valenti downed Derek Moore 1-1, 1-0 in the finals at 60 kg/132 lbs. Moore opened the scoring with a takedown, but Valenti fought back to gain a takedown for the last point in the first period.

Brandon Halsey came back from an early deficit to beat Brent Jones 7-3, 4-0 in the finals at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

Canada’s Jeff Adamson defeated James Yonushonis 1-0, 2-1 to win the title at 84 kg/185 lbs.

Japan’s Yasuhiro Morita downed Ryak Finch of the Cyclone Wrestling Club 1-0, 6-0 in the first finals match at 55 kg/121 lbs. Finch, an Arizona native, is a true freshman at Iowa State.

Takafumi Kojima won an all-Japan final at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. after rallying past Kohei Fujimoto 2-3, 2-0, 4-0 in the title bout.

WOMEN’S FREESTYLE AND GRECO ROMAN NOTE …

TEMPE, Ariz. – The momentum Kelsey Campbell built during a breakthrough 2009-10 season already is carrying over into the new international wrestling season.

Fifth in the World Championships last month, Campbell returned to Arizona State University and won a women’s freestyle championship at the Sunkist Kids International Open on Saturday afternoon.

Campbell delivered by winning in a third-period leg clinch to down Japan’s Kayoko Shimada in the finals at 59 kg/130 lbs. She beat Japan’s Eriko Nakata in the semifinals.

“It was a good tournament for me. I had a good win in the semifinals and then again in the finals,” said Campbell, who wrestled collegiately for Arizona State. “Whenever you face a wrestler from Japan, you know it’s going to going to be a tough match. You know they take clean shots and they stay in good position. You have to beat them to the ties and beat them to the position. And you have to wrestle smart. That’s what I tried to focus on.”

Campbell was one of seven champions crowned in women’s freestyle. Sara Fulp-Allen was named Outstanding Wrestler in women’s freestyle after winning the title at 48 kg/105 lbs.

Oklahoma City University won the women’s team title.

Seven champions also were crowned in Greco-Roman on Saturday as USA Wrestling kicked off its 2010-11 season in Tempe. Past World Team member Joe Betterman was named Outstanding Wrestler in Greco-Roman after winning the title at 60 kg/132 lbs.

The U.S. Army won the team title in Greco-Roman.

Seven more gold medals will be awarded in the freestyle competition on Sunday in Tempe.

2009 World Team member R.C. Johnson turned in one of the biggest moves of the finals when he headlocked and pinned Pete Gounaridis in the Greco-Roman finals at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

Johnson missed much of last season with an injury before falling to past World bronze medalist Justin Ruiz in the finals of the 2010 World Team Trials. Ruiz finished fifth in the 2010 Worlds.

“I’m extremely motivated for this season,” Johnson said. “I’m in the room training hard every day. I want to win it all this year. I’ve been there and I’ve beaten some of the best guys in the World. I just need to step up and take it one notch higher.”

Fulp-Allen downed past World champion and long-time rival Clarissa Chun in three periods in the finals.

World champion Kristie Davis and World Team member Stephany Lee were among the women’s champions.

Betterman beat Yoshitaka Kido of Japan 5-0, 0-3, 1-0.

Also winning titles in Greco-Roman were Paul Tellgren, Andrew Bisek, Cheney Haight and Robbie Smith.

Smith bumped up a weight class and won the title at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.

1996 Olympic silver medalist Matt Ghaffari returned to the mat for the first time in 10 years. He placed fifth at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. The 48-year-old Ghaffari dropped his first two bouts before winning by forfeit.

FINALS RESULTS

Men’s Freestyle

55 kg/121 lbs.
Yasuhiro Morita (Japan) dec. Ryak Finch (Cyclone Wrestling Club), 1-0, 6-0

60 kg/132 lbs.
Matt Valenti (Lehigh Valley AC) dec. Derek Moore (U.S. Army), 1-1, 1-0

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Takafumi Kojima (Japan) dec. Kohei Fujimoto (Japan), 2-3, 2-0, 4-0

74 kg/163 lbs.
Andrew Howe (New York AC) dec. Cyler Sanderson (Nittany Lion WC), 1-0, 1-0

84 kg/185 lbs.
Jeff Adamson (Canada) dec. James Yonushonis (New York AC), 1-0, 2-1

96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Brandon Halsey (Sunkist Kids) dec. Brent Jones (Cavalier WC), 7-3, 4-0

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Tommy Rowlands (Sunkist Kids) dec. Blake Gillis (Lehigh Valley AC), 6-0, 5-0

By Craig Sesker USA Wrestling 10/23/2010

FINALS RESULTS

Greco-Roman

55 kg/121 lbs.
Paul Tellgren (Minnesota Storm) pinned Jesse Thielke (Ringers), 0-2, 1-0, 1:18

60 kg/132 lbs.
Joe Betterman (Sunkist Kids) dec. Yoshitaka Kido (Japan), 5-0, 0-3, 1-0

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Hiroyuki Shimizu (Japan) dec. Glenn Garrison (U.S. Army), 1-0, 2-0

74 kg/163 lbs.
Andrew Bisek (Minnesota Storm) dec. Kevin Lozano (Unattached), 4-0, 6-0

84 kg/185 lbs.
Cheney Haight (New York AC) dec. Chas Betts (Minnesota Storm), 1-0, 0-1, 1-0

96 kg/211.5 lbs.
R.C. Johnson (Sunkist Kids) pinned Pete Gounaridis (Sunkist Kids), 0:52

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Robbie Smith (New York AC) dec. Deon Hicks (U.S. Army), 5-0, 4-0

Women’s freestyle

48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Sara Fulp Allen (New York AC) dec. Clarissa Chun (Sunkist Kids), 0-4, 3-0, 3-0

51 kg/112.25 lbs.
Diana Ford (Canada) dec. Whitney Conder (Gator Wrestling Club), 0-3, 1-0, 1-0

55 kg/121 lbs.
Chikako Matsukawa (Japan) pinned Natasha Umemoto (OCU/Sunkist Kids), 1:42

59 kg/130 lbs.
Kelsey Campbell (Sunkist Kids) dec. Kayoko Shimada (Japan), 1-3, 1-0, 3-0

63 kg/138.75 lbs.
Kayoko Kudo (Japan) won by tech. fall over Vanessa Oswalt (U.S. Army), 2-2, 6-0, 8-2

67 kg/147.5 lbs.
Kristie Davis (OCU/Gator Wrestling Club) dec. Erin Clodgo (Sunkist Kids), 3-0, 3-0

72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Stephany Lee (Sunkist Kids) dec. Brittany Delgado (OCU/Gator Wrestling Club), 1-0, 6-0