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    Howe joins Rutt on FILA Junior World team

    Badger wrestler Andrew Howe finished first at the 2009 FILA Junior World Team Trials Saturday afternoon in Colorado Springs. The Cedar Lake, Ind., native captured the 74 kg/163 lbs. freestyle division and he will be joining fellow sophomore-to-be Travis Rutt on the U.S. FILA Junior World Team. Rutt placed first in the 84 kg/185 lbs. Greco-Roman division Friday and by winning their weight classes, Howe and Rutt earned the opportunity to compete at the FILA Junior World Championships in Ankara, Turkey from Aug. 4-9.

    Redshirt freshman Tyler Graff also wrestled in the freestyle competition but was unable to qualify for his third-straight Junior World Team. Graff placed second in the 60 kg/132.25 lbs. division.

    Howe received the No. 1 seed for his weight class and did not have to wrestle in the eight-person challenge tournament. Howe met Alex Meade in the best-of-three finals series and won the first two rounds to win the weight class. Howe dropped his first period in round one, 2-0 but bounced back with close 2-1 and 1-0 victories in the second and third periods, respectively. The Badger grappler then shutout Meade, who wrestles for Oklahoma State, 2-0, 1-0 in round two to qualify for his first Junior World Team.

    Graff earned a spot in the finals after winning the eight-person challenge tournament. He won three-straight bouts in the challenge tournament and only had one point scored on him. He opened up with a second period pin over Kade Moss, advanced with a 7-0, 3-0 decision against Nick Dardanes and then knocked off Anthony Valles, 4-1, 1-0 in the finals of the challenge tournament.

    Graff then met Jordan Oliver, who also wrestles for Oklahoma State, in the finals. Oliver won round one by a 2-0, 1-0 score and then secured the victory with a 2-0, 2-0 decision in round two. Graff was unable to qualify for the U.S. FILA Junior World Team this year but he was a two-time Junior World Team member in 2007 and 2008.

    Complete brackets and other information from the 2009 FILA Junior World Team Trials can be found on TheMat.com.

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