Keddy sticks with strengths for freestyle success

Phil Keddy didn't return to basics. He basically went back to what works best.

The change resulted in freestyle success for the former University of Iowa three-time All-American.

Keddy will look to continue his winning ways at the U.S. Open men's freestyle tournament April 18-20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. Keddy was named USA Wrestling's Wrestler of the Week last week after winning the 185-pound gold medal at the Pan American Championships in Panama City, Panama, on April 7.

The qualifying tournament for 184 and 145.5 will be held Thursday with a championship tournament for both and 264.5 on Friday. The qualifying tournament for 132, 163 ad 211.5 will be Friday with their championship tournament, as well as 121, is set for Saturday. The top-eight finishers advance to the championship tournaments. The top-eight seeds, which includes Keddy, automatically qualify for Saturday's championship tournament.

Keddy is excited to maintain his recent momentum and contend for a national title, earning the early No. 3 seed.

"I wrestled well," said Keddy, highlighting a third-period win over Cuban Yuriesku Torreblanco Queralta and a championship win over Russian Tamerlan Tagziev, who competed for Canada. "Obviously, there are things I want to improve on, going into this meet, but it was good to get down to weight and compete at a high level. Now, just fine-tune things and springboard off that into this week."

The Hawkeye Wrestling Club member, who finished fourth at the NCAA tournament and was a two-time Big Ten Conference finalist at 184, has been able concentrate solely on freestyle since graduation, but he realized a different discipline doesn't mean a different approach.

"It took me a little while to make the adjustment, but I think one of my biggest problems was thinking I needed to make a big adjustment," Keddy said. "I tried to wrestle so differently than what I was good at. I was trying to hang on to leads and play a lot of defense when there was short time left."

Freestyle demands additional mat awareness and recognizing situations. Keddy still had to play to his strengths.

"The best style of wrestling for me is to wrestle a high pace," Keddy said. "When I'm moving a lot that's where I'm good offensively and defensively.

"I'm starting to understand that wrestling is wrestling and you just have to go out and win the way you know how."

It was a lesson taught to him by a familiar face in his career. Iowa Coach Tom Brands, a World Champion and 1996 Olympic gold medalist, provided some advice after a 1-2 effort at last year's Sunkist Open in Arizona. The discussion helped Keddy reinstate his previous style.

"He said some things to me that opened my eyes and a week and a half later I went to the NYAC and won that tournament and beat a lot of guys in my weight class that were important to beat."

Keddy has climbed to third in the U.S. senior freestyle rankings. He is rated behind top-two seeds Keith Gavin and Max Askren, and a spot ahead of former Iowa State national champion Jon Reader. Keddy hopes to be one of the top-seven finishers at each weight that qualifies for the U.S. World Team Trials on June 21-22 at Stillwater, Okla., and a representative at the 2013 World Championships on Sept. 16-22 in Budapest, Hungary.

"I have to go out and make everybody work for everything," Keddy said. "I have to stay at a high pace. I know that's where I'm good at. That's where my success increases. I feel if I wrestle at a high pace and keep it that way I can get what I want."

Former 2010 World Team member and Iowa two-time NCAA champion Brent Metcalf is the top seed at 145.5 and former Hawkeye All-American and Iowa's current strength and conditioning coach Luke Lofthouse is seeded 10th at 211.5.

Former Lisbon prep and Hawkeye assistant coach Ryan Morningstar is the sixth seed at 163, which is one spot back of two-time Anamosa state champion and University of Northern Iowa All-American Moza Fay.