STILLWATER, Okla. — The Cliff Keen Wrestling Club’s Jimmy Kennedy claimed second place in the 60kg/132-pound freestyle division at the U.S. World Team Trials on Friday evening (June 21) at Oklahoma State’s Gallagher-Iba Arena. Kennedy, who made his first national team with the effort, swept through the challenge tournament before dropping back-to-back matches to Reece Humphrey.
Kennedy couldn’t hang onto an early advantage in the first championship match, allowing six points in the second period to fall 6-3. He countered a Humphrey shot to score on a hard throw by early in the first period, but Humphrey evened the score with a duck under midway through the second. He was in deep on a single leg moments later, but Humphrey scrambled out to earn a pair of exposure points. After scoring on a late pushout, Kennedy pressed at the buzzer but gave up a counter takedown at the buzzer.
Humphrey jumped out to a sizable early lead in the first period of the second finals match, scoring a quick takedown and gutwrench. He added another takedown on the edge midway through the frame before Kennedy cut the gap with a pair of late pushouts. The match ended with some scoring controversy early in the second. Humphrey shot in on a single leg, and Kennedy tossed him before going to his back himself. Originally ruled a three-point takedown for Kennedy and three exposure points for Humphrey, a challenge instead yielded a non-unanimous decision of three-point takedown and one-point exposure for Humphrey — and no points for Kennedy — thereby ending the match with a 10-2 technical fall.
Kennedy advanced to the championship series after posting a 3-0 record in the challenge tournament. He opened the day with a quick 7-0 technical fall over Andrew Hochstrasser, scoring on an early knee pick and earning a two-point exposure. Action popped back to the feet, and Kennedy immediately drove Hochstrasser to the edge, dumping him to his back for a three-point takedown to end the bout after 50 seconds.
Kenned rallied to win each of his subsequent matches, using a big second period to edge Logan Stieber, 5-4, before knocking off Nick Simmons, 11-7, with two three-point takedowns in the challenge tournament final.
After giving up a passivity point in the first period, he took his first lead against Stieber, the two-two defending NCAA champion, on a double leg early in the second. Stieber tied the score on a pushout before Kennedy retook the lead on a pushout and broke it open with a hip toss counter for two. Kennedy gave up a takedown in the final 15 seconds of the match but allowed no turns to hang on for the one-point decision.
Kennedy scored a three-point takedown out of an early scramble with Simmons but trailed, 7-4, late in the first period after giving up a takedown and four exposure points. He scored on a double leg with a minute remaining in the frame and hit his second three-pointer in the waning seconds to bring an immediate end to the match.
CKWC RESULTS
Jimmy Kennedy, 60kg/132 pounds
Challenge Tournament
First Round – tech. fall Andrew Hochstrasser (Titan Mercury WC), 7-0
Semifinals – dec. Logan Stieber (NYAC), 5-4
Final – dec. Nick Simmons (Sunkist Kids), 11-7
Championship Series
Match 1 – dec. by Reece Humphrey (NYAC), 6-2
Match 2 – dec. by Reece Humphrey (NYAC), 10-2
Finished in second place with a 3-2 record
