GUELPH, Ontario — The Cliff Keen Wrestling Club went a perfect 4-for-4 at the annual Guelph Open on Saturday (Jan. 21), crowning four individual champions at the University of Guelph’s W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre. With the performance, New York AC also took second place in the team standings.
Competing in their first competition of the 2012 schedule, Jimmy Kennedy (60kg/132 pounds), Josh Churella (66kg/145.5 pounds), Andrew Howe (74kg/163 pounds) and Tyrel Todd (84kg/185 pounds) captured gold medals as the CKWC quartet combined for a flawless 15-0 record.
“I was very pleased with the way our team competed,” said CKWC coach Andy Hrovat. “This was an important tournament. Our goals are to make the Olympic team, and in order to do that, we need to win at every tournament. It’s very important to get wins in and keep the momentum going and the guys are excited for this upcoming trip to Ukraine.”
It was the first competition in five months for Churella, who went 4-0 with a decision victory over Guelph’s Ryan Luu, 2-0, 5-0, in the 66kg final. Churella did not sacrifice one point in the tournament, outscoring his opposition by a combined 29-0 margin. He is in his second year on the U.S. National Team after earning a third-place finish at last year’s World Team Trials.
“I felt good,” said Churella. “I have been away from competition for awhile, and I was eager to get back. I got my weight down and I was focused on my attacks from the start. I just want to continue to train hard and keep my intensity high. I’m looking forward to having a good training camp over there [in Ukraine], and get ready to compete at my highest level.”
Kennedy and Todd both captured the first gold medals of their respective senior-level freestyle careers. Kennedy posted a 3-0 record, earning a 2-1, 2-0 decision victory over James Mancini in the 60kg final. He previously defeated Mancini, 6-0, 1-1, 1-0, at the NYAC Holiday Open. Todd went 4-0 in the 84kg division, winning by injury default over Montreal’s Matt Miller in the final. He earned two technical falls on the day, outscoring his opponents by a combined 31-0 margin.
Howe rounded out the CKWC’s medalists, posting a 4-0 mark at 74kg with a 6-0, 1-0 decision over Guelph’s Chris Prickett in the championship final. He scored on a pushout, a takedown and a pair of leglaces in the first before sealing the victory in the second-period clinch. It was Howe’s second gold-medal performance in Canada in three months, adding to a 74kg title at the Hargobind International in November. Howe also claimed silver at the Olympic Test Event in December.
“I’m very confident going into the Ukraine tournament,” said Howe. “I feel that I have grown greatly as a freestyle wrestler since August, and I am excited to compete again. From the training camp, I expect to feel the foreign competition and become prepared to be the best in the world when my time comes.”
Todd and Mike Poeta (74kg/163 pounds) are scheduled to compete at the Dave Schultz Memorial International next month before joining the rest of the CKWC for a two-week training camp in Ukraine.
