Oct. 14, 2006
Link to complete brackets is found here
TEMPE, Ariz. - The 2006 Sunkist Kids/Arizona State University International Open was conducted inside Wells Fargo Arena on the ASU campus over the weekend with 10 current and three former Sun Devils taking part in the longest-running international open tournament in the nation. Current Sun Devil Kenny Lester placed in two divisions while former All-Americans Eric Larkin and Kellan Fluckiger also placed in the event.
Lester, a true freshman from Oviedo, Fla., opened the weekend by finishing fifth in the 120kg (264.5 pounds) weight class of the Greco-Roman tournament, despite falling in both of his bouts on Friday. Lester came back Saturday, going 2-3 in the freestyle division to finish sixth with one of his losses coming to Fluckiger (3-0, 6-0) in the consolation semifinals. Lester ended his tournament with a tough 0-3, 3-0, 3-0 loss to AJ Brooks in the fifth-place bout.
Fluckiger went 3-1 on the day with his lone loss coming to eventual champion and fourth-ranked Tommy Rowlands. In the bout for third place, Fluckiger scored a dominating 6-0, 9-5 decision over Michael Irving, who is ranked seventh in the latest national rankings.
Larkin, the defending champion at 66kg/145.5 pounds, was unsuccessful in his title defense as he fell in the finals. Ranked seventh in the national rankings, Larkin easily won his first two bouts, including 4-0, 7-0 and 2-0, 7-0 decisions. In the semifinals, Larkin scored a huge victory as he upset fourth-ranked Chris Bono with a 1-0, 3-2 decision. In the championship bout, Larkin could not pull off his second upset in a row, falling to No. 2 Jared Fryer in a 1-1, 3-0, 3-0 decision.
ASU also saw Jason Robbins, the team's starter at 141 pounds last year, compete in both Greco-Roman and freestyle while other Sun Devils competing (freestyle only) included Angel Alegre and John Espinoza at 55 kg (121 pounds), Orlando Jimenez at 60 kg (132.5), Robert Galvan, Mark LaBeau and Chris Drouin at 66 kg (145.5), Greg Gifford at 84 kg (185) and Thor Moen at 96 kg (211.5). Former Sun Devil Jeremy Mendoza also competed at 60 kg in the freestyle competition.
The next event slated for the Sun Devils comes in two weeks as the team will hold the Maroon and Gold Wrestle-offs on Oct. 28 at 11 a.m. inside the Riches Wrestling Complex.