Post Trib article on Howe, Escobedo and even Hump

[Devils27]

Howe, Escobedo looking to pin down ultimate goal of making Olympic team

 

Each has a brilliant resume, with assorted international and domestic accolades, including an NCAA championship to his credit.

 

But those accomplishments, as grand as they are, serve as prelude for this weekend, as both Andrew Howe and Angel Escobedo stand on the precipice of realizing their ultimate dream.

 

Howe, the 2008 Hanover Central graduate, and Escobedo, the 2005 Griffith grad, will be competing in the Olympic Trials in Iowa City, with each New York Athletic Club-sponsored wrestler having a legitimate chance to qualify for this summer?s London Games.

 

Howe is the No. 2 wrestler in the United States in the 74 kilograms/163 pounds freestyle weight class.

 

?It?s really exciting for me,? said Howe, who wrestles on Saturday. ?I can?t wait to get out there and let it fly. You have to approach it like any other tournament, and take one match at a time.

 

?You have to wrestle smart, and have a high pace, and not leave any points on the mat.?

 

Escobedo expected to be seeded fourth at 55 kilograms/121 pounds.

 

?Obviously, there?s some nerves,? said Escobedo, who wrestles on Sunday. ?I?m nervous, excited, but ready. I?ve been training my whole life for this moment. I?ve always wanted to be an Olympian. Every workout has boiled down to this. I have to have the tournament of my life, wrestle better than I ever have before and put everything on the line. There?s a lot of emotions. But I know what needs to be done to win a tournament like this. The stars have to align, and you have to be mentally ready to beat anyone you wrestle.?

 

Howe ? the undefeated 165-pound NCAA champion at Wisconsin in 2010, and an All-American in each of his three seasons, after winning three state titles at Hanover with a 192-1 record ? ranks behind only 2011 world champion Jordan Burroughs, a two-time NCAA champion at Nebraska, including in 2011, when he won the Hodge Trophy as college?s outstanding wrestler.

 

?There are a lot of tough guys earlier in the day in the challenge tournament to get to the night, so you can?t look ahead,? said Howe, calling himself ?100 percent? after a torn hamstring hampered him during the 2010-11 season.

 

?I?m feeling great coming into the tournament. Training has been going really well. I?m looking to win this thing.?

 

Howe, taking an Olympic redshirt for what would have been his senior year in order to prepare for the trials, has been training in Ann Arbor, Mich., since August. Two of his coaches at the Michigan Regional Training Center are Sean Bormet, the founder/owner of the Overtime School of Wrestling in Naperville, Ill., where Howe practically grew up; and Donny Pritzlaff, who recruited Howe to Wisconsin and has served as his primary workout partner.

 

?There are a lot of senior-level guys to train with,? Howe said. ?There are six full-time guys, so you have a lot of great workout partners. It?s just a good situation.?

 

For the 2011-12 season, Bormet returned to his alma mater Michigan as an assistant coach, and Pritzlaff left the Badgers staff to join the Wolverines. Howe was undecided about where he would spend his final year of college eligibility.

 

Nick Simmons is ranked No. 1 in Escobedo?s 55 kilograms/121 pounds division, with comebacking Henry Cejudo, who won the gold medal in the Beijing Olympics, No. 2.

 

?I?ve wrestled practically all the guys in my weight class (except for Cejudo), and I?ve beaten all the guys in my weight class,? said Escobedo, who also participated in the 2008 Olympic Trials in Las Vegas. ?I think I have a great shot of making this team.

 

?We have one of the most competitive weight classes in the country. Every year since 2008, we?ve had a different guy represent the United States, whether it was the world championships or the Olympics. There?s always been a new face. So it?s a very competitive weight class, and anyone can win at any given time.?

 

He also pronounced himself ?the healthiest I?ve been in a while? after having dealt with shoulder problems.

 

Escobedo ? the 125-pound NCAA champion at Indiana in 2008, and the Hoosiers? only four-time All-American, after winning four state titles at Griffith with a 223-1 record ? has been training in Columbus, Ohio, since September, after having been at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Nine guys have been working out at the Ohio Regional Training Center ? including Ohio State product Reece Humphrey, the top-ranked wrestler in the U.S. at 60 kilograms/132 pounds, and a three-time state champion at Lawrence North, including his senior season by handing then-freshman Howe his only high school loss ? and eight have qualified for the trials, Escobedo said.

 

?They approached me,? he said. ?They have the No. 1 and No. 2 guys at 60 kilos, the weight above me, so they?re great training partners, and I get a monthly stipend, so I can just train and compete. I thought it was a fantastic opportunity to do what I do, do what I love and get paid for it. I can?t ask for anything more than that.?

 

Escobedo estimated he would have 30 family members with him in Iowa.

 

?That?s a lot of support for me,? said Escobedo, who comes from a renowned wrestling family. ?That?s always been an important key for me. Being able to share my championships with them has always made me push even harder.?

 

The runner-up in each weight class also makes the Olympic team, but neither Howe nor Escobedo was focused on anything but a trials championship.

 

?The alternate trains as if he?s on the team, too,? Escobedo said. ?They take the No. 2 guy to all the tournaments this summer, and then to London.?

 

[Devils27]

The Times didn't feel it was necessary to talk about the Olympic Trials that a few of our wrestlers have qualified for.