San Jose State University Judo

09/02/06 - Fall Classic Tournament

Competition was stiff at the Fall Classic Tournament this year, held in Harlingen, Texas. Twelve San Jose State Judo team members competed in the tournament, with varying degrees of success.

In the Men's division, sophomore Travis Stevens had a great day, dominating the competition in the 81 kg division. Although a poor call from a ref in the semis dropped Travis into the loser's bracket, Travis made a strong comeback, eventually going on to beat opponent David Ellis twice in the Final rounds and taking the gold. Team captain Andy Hung also had good day, taking bronze behind Stevens and Ellis.

Also competing in the 81 kg division was Jose Bencosme, who unfotunately had to face team mate Travis Stevens twice, knocking him out of the medal rounds.

In the 90 kg division, Atsushi Yoshinaga also had a great day, winning all of his matches with spectacular ippons. However, a fractured hand in the semi-finals forced Atushi to settle for a silver medal at the tournament.

Other San Jose State University team members who competed in the Men's division were Joseph Aceto, Jacob Bell, Conor Driscoll, Jeff Fong, Louis Hung, and Takeshi Young. Although they all fought hard and won a number of matches, they did not manage to break into the medal rounds.

In the Women's Divsion, sophomore Tomoyo Yoshinga had some tough matches, ending the day with a third place finish in the 70 kg weight class. In the 48 kg divsion, sophomore Tabitha Lum had close bouts with rivals Brenna Clark and Ann Shiraishi, but unfortunately lost both matches.

All in all it was a tough tournament, and the team got to see a little of what the competition is like, as they prepare for the upcomming U.S. Open tournament in October. For full Fall Classic results, see the US Judo website.