UNK All-Americans lead camp

Two All-Americans from the NCAA Division II national championship team led a wrestling clinic for nearly 35 participants in Creston last weekend.

University of Nebraska-Kearney redshirt juniors Jackson Kinsella of Creston and Crew Howard of Clarinda were instructors Saturday and Sunday at the Creston Express Wrestling clinic held in the Creston High School wrestling room.

A total of 34 wrestlers were part of the three sessions. Boys and girls in elementary grades participated in the morning, a girls wrestling clinic was held in the early afternoon, ending with sessions for grades 7-12 concentrating on techniques and movements for upper weight wrestlers. (Kinsella placed third at 197 pounds in this year’s NCAA Division II tournament. Howard placed fourth at 285 pounds after being ranked No. 1 much of the season. He battled back from an upset defeat in the opening round to earn All-American status.)

Howard also recently placed second in the Under-23 World Team Trials at 125 kilograms (275 pounds) at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio. Iowa State sophomore Daniel Herrera beat Howard in the best-of-three freestyle finals. Kinsella also competed in the U23 team trials, eliminated in the fourth round at 97 kilos (213 pounds).

Winners in the team trials join the U23 World Team and compete in Novi Sad, Serbia, in October.

Upper weight tips

Kinsella explained the focus of the high school clinic for upper weight wrestlers like themselves.

“The way wrestling is moving, as a big guy you have to be able to move like a wrestler,” Kinsella said. “We did show some snatch singles and drags, but a lot of it was just moving like a wrestler and being athletic on the wrestling mat. Upper weight wrestling requires you to be on your toes now and be more athletic to be successful.”

Howard said the elementary age clinic focused more on the basic movements of wrestling, and the afternoon session for girls had a mix of basic instruction and some more advanced techniques for the experienced participants.

Throughout high school and college, Howard and Kinsella have been competing in one weight class different from each other, except for one time in a youth tournament.

“We met one time at the Bedford-Lenox tournament in like third or fourth grade,” Kinsella said. “He won. He was much better than me back then.”

Now, the Southwest Iowa natives often travel together to put on clinics. They live together and train in Kearney while working at internships in the summer.

“Just a matter of fixing the little things,” Howard said. “We have one season left.”