Entering hostile territory and performing at your best is one of the toughest things to do. But for Andrew Howe (74 KG) it was just another day in another venue as he grinded his way to a controversial second place finish at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix.

Howe recorded four straight decisions of 5-0, 5-1, 4-2 and 5-2 to advance to the final with three of those four victories coming against Russian opponents. In his gold medal match he trailed 2-0 early. Then in the waning seconds of the bout Howe looked as if he going to score the match-clinching takedown when the referee stopped the action for what he called was “an illegal hold.” It resulted in Howe's second one-point near takedown of the final seconds of the bout.

The USA coaches challenged the questionable call, but no change was made and Howe lost the match 2-2 on criteria. Nonetheless, Howe’s impressive run at arguably one of the toughest freestyle tournaments in the world, earns him our FloWrestler of the Week honor.

74 kg/163 lbs – Andrew Howe, Norman, Okla. (New York AC)
WIN Aslan Azizov (Kazakhstan), 5-0.
WIN Isa Daudov (Russia), 5-1.
WIN Zaur Makiyev (Russia), 4-2.
WIN Boris Makoev (Russia), 5-2.
LOSS Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov (Russia), 2-2 criteria.


74kg Finals Andrew Howe (USA) vs Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov (RUS)



Other FloWrestler of the Week Nominees:

Bratke’s pick: Brent Metcalf, (NYAC/Hawkeye WC)



Metcalf battled his way to a runner-up finish at 65 KG in the Yarygin tournament, which included dominating victories of 10-0, 9-1 and 13-2 before dropping an 8-6 decision to Ilyas Bekbulatov (Russia) in the gold medal bout.

Holmes’ pick: Mike McMullan, Northwestern



Prevented a shut out victory with a hard fought 3-1 overtime victory over top-ranked Bobby Telford in the final match of the bout between the Hawkeyes and Tigers resulting in a 38-3 dual meet victory for Iowa.

Willie’s pick: Brandon Sorensen, Iowa



Claimed a 3-2 UTB win over returning national champ Jason Tsirtsis. Sorensen managed to ride out Tsirtsis in the final overtime period after gaining an escape in the first to solidify the upset victory.

CP’s pick: Isaiah Martinez, Illinois



Shut out three-time All-American James Green, 2-0 as the Fighting Illini fell to Nebraska 22-9. Martinez used an escape and a riding time point, which came after he was able to ride Green for the entire third period, to get the win.

Vinny’s pick: Gunnar Robirts, Crook County



Robirts handed third-ranked Sammy Colbray of Hermiston a devastating 10-5 loss as he claimed the 195-pound Reser’s Tournament of Champions title. Going into the final Robirts recorded three straight pins all in the first period.