U.S. WRESTLING OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS
Saturday-Sunday, April 21-22 • 9 a.m./6 p.m. CDT
Carver-Hawkeye Arena • Iowa City, Iowa
Live Results/Brackets | USA Wrestling | Tournament Site | Live Video
CKWC AT THE U.S. WRESTLING TEAM TRIALS
The Cliff Keen Wrestling Club hit the road this morning, heading to Iowa City, Iowa, to compete in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Wrestling Trials this weekend (Sat-Sun., April 21-22) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
All seven CKWC members — Jimmy Kennedy (60kg/132 pounds), Kellen Russell (60kg/132 pounds), Josh Churella (66kg/145.5 pounds), Andrew Howe (74kg/163 pounds), Mike Poeta (74kg/163 pounds), Jake Herbert (84kg/185 pounds) and Tyrel Todd (84/185 pounds) — earned qualifying bids for the trials and will vie for a coveted spot on the Olympic freestyle team that will represent the U.S. at the 2012 London Games.
WHEN TO CATCH THEM
Each day will feature two sessions and six weight divisions. Preliminary, quarterfinal, semifinal and challenge tournament final rounds will commence at 9 a.m. CDT each day, while the best-of-three championship series matches kick off at 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, APRIL 21
Men’s Freestyle: 60 KG, 74 KG, 96 KG
Greco-Roman: 55 KG, 66 KG, 84 KG, 120 KG
Women’s Freestyle: 55 KG, 72 KG
Session I: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. CDT
Session II: 6-9 p.m. CDT
SUNDAY, APRIL 22
Men’s Freestyle: 55 KG, 66 KG, 84 KG, 120 KG
Greco-Roman: 60 KG, 74 KG, 96 KG
Women’s Freestyle: 48 KG, 63 KG
Session III: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. CDT
Session IV: 6-9 p.m. CDT
Following the end of Session IV, there will be a special presentation leading up to the unveiling of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team. After the unveiling, the members of the 2012 team will be signing autographs on the concourse of Carver-Hawkeye Arena for one hour.
HOW TO CATCH THE ACTION
Live results and bracket updates from the trials will be posted on TrackWrestling.com, while full recaps will be available on TheMat.com, the official website of USA Wrestling.
NBCOlympics.com will provide a live webcast of all four mats of the Challenge Tournament on Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 9 a.m. CDT each day. NBC Sports Network will also air six hours of next-day coverage of the Olympic Trials on NBC Sports Network. The first day of action will be aired on Sunday (April 22) from 4-7 p.m. EDT, while the final day action will be aired on Monday (April 23) from 3-6 p.m. EDT.
Takedown Radio will host a live three-hour Olympic Trials special from 9 a.m.-noon CDT on Saturday (April 21). Listen on radio (KXNO 1460AM), on computer (KXNO.com, Takedownradio.com) or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the I Heart Radio App.
Ticket prices for the Olympic Trials range from $25 for a single-session ticket to $70 for an all-session pass. Tickets can be purchased online at iowacitytolondon.com or by calling the University of Iowa Ticket Office at 1-800-IA-HAWKS.
THE CKWC REPRESENTATIVES
Jimmy Kennedy — A three-time NCAA All-American at Illinois (2007-09, ’11), Kennedy is in his first full year of freestyle competition after graduating from college last spring. He placed fourth in his CKWC debut at the Sunkist Kids International (60kg/132 pounds) before earning his bid to the Olympic Trials with a third-place finish at the Las Vegas Qualifier in December. Kennedy also captured gold at the 2012 Guelph Open. During his prep years, Kennedy was a two-time Fargo Freestyle All-American (7th, 2005; 1st, 2003).
Kellen Russell — Russell received one of the final two freestyle wildcard selections for the Olympic Trials, just weeks after completing one of the most successful careers in Michigan wrestling history with his second straight NCAA 141-pound title. Russell excelled in freestyle during his prep career, capturing both junior (2006) and cadet (2005) national titles in Fargo, N.D., and more recently, he took seventh place at the 2008 FILA Junior National Championships. He is moving down a weight class to 60kg/132 pounds.
Josh Churella — A three-time NCAA All-American who has trained out of Ann Arbor since graduating in 2008, Churella is a two-year USA Wrestling freestyle national team member at 66kg/145.5 pounds after twice placing third at the World Team Trials (2010, ’11). He was the runner-up at the 2010 U.S. Open and captured medals at several international tournaments, including the NYAC International Open (gold, 2009) and Cuba’s Cerro Pelado Tournament (bronze, 2010).
Andrew Howe — An NCAA champion (2010) and three-time All-American at 165 pounds, Howe is taking an Olympic redshirt season from Wisconsin to focus on training freestyle for the Olympic Trials. He is a two-time USA Wrestling freestyle national team member at 74kg/163 pounds after back-to-back runner-up performances at the World Team Trials (2010, ’11). He captured the 2010 U.S. Open title following his sophomore year in college and won the 74kg title at last summer’s University National Championships. Internationally, Howe was a bronze medalist at the 2009 Junior World Championships and in his most recent competition, took silver at the 2012 Outstanding Ukrainian Athletes and Coaches Memorial in Kiev.
Mike Poeta — Following a successful collegiate career at Illinois (2006-09), where he was a three-time All-American and two-time NCAA finalist, Poeta made an immediate splash on the U.S. freestyle scene, winning the 2009 Sunkist Kids International and earning a spot on the 2010 World Cup team. After injuries largely hampered his training and competition in the succeeding years, Poeta is finally healthy heading into the Olympic Trials. He earned his spot in the 74kg/163-pounds field by posting a 5-0 record en route to first place at the Last Chance Qualifier three weeks ago in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Jake Herbert — Herbert is a two-time world team member at 84kg/185 pounds (2009, ’10) and was named the 2009 USA Wrestling Freestyle Wrestler of the Year after claiming the silver medal at World Championships in Herning, Denmark. He is a three-time U.S. Open champion, a two-time World University bronze medalist (2006, ’08), and most recently, captured gold at the 2011 Pan-American Games. As a collegiate wrestler at Northwestern (2005-07, ’09), Herbert captured back-to-back NCAA titles at 184 pounds and was a four-time All-American.
Tyrel Todd — A three-time NCAA All-American at Michigan (2006-09), Todd took fourth place at the 2008 Olympic Trials (84kg/185 pounds) after his junior year in college. Season-ending injuries wiped out two full years of freestyle training and competition for Todd, who spent last season on the Cal Poly coaching staff. He moved back to Ann Arbor last summer and has placed in several tournaments since, capturing gold at the 2012 Guelph Open before punching his ticket to the Olympic Trials with a first-place performance at the Last Chance Qualifier.
CKWC IN THE NEWS
AnnArbor.com: Cliff Keen Wrestling Club preparing Olympic hopefuls (4/19/12)
InterMat: One-on-One with Jake Herbert (4/19/12)
Detroit Free Press: Cliff Keen Club wrestles its way to U.S. Olympic trials (4/18/12)
CKWC Interview: Sean Bormet’s Olympic Trials Preview (4/17/12)
USA Wrestling: Last Chance 84kg Champion Tyrel Todd (3/31/12)
USA Wrestling: Last Chance 74kg Champion Mike Poeta (3/31/12)
USA Wrestling: Andrew Howe wins silver medal at Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial (2/16/12)
USA Wrestling: Jake Herbert on coaching at the Schultz (2/3/12)
USA Wrestling: On The Mat: Jake Herbert (1/19/12)
USA Wrestling: Cliff Keen WC’s Jimmy Kennedy making big gains in freestyle (1/11/12)
CKWC Interview: Jimmy Kennedy, Post-Olympic Trials Qualifier (12/5/11)
USA Wrestling: Jake Herbert after winning 84 kg freestyle gold at Pan American Games (10/23/11)
InterMat: Michigan looking to reach new heights (11/4/11)