Kicking off the dual with the marquee match of the evening at 165 pounds, senior/junior captain Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS), ranked fifth nationally in the latest NWCA poll, used a first-period takedown to earn a 3-1 decision over the Pride's fourth-ranked Mike Patrovich. The Wolverine scored the match's only offensive points with a single leg late in the opening frame. After quick escapes by both wrestlers early in the second and third periods kept point differential at two, Tannenbaum stayed on the attack with a deep single-leg shot midway through the final frame but could not convert on the edge of the match. With the win, Tannenbaum improved his season record to a perfect 11-0.
Michigan extended its advantage to 12-0 with wins by senior/juniors Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) and Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) in the subsequent two matches, including a quick first-period fall at 184 pounds. Luke needed just a pair of escapes to emerge with a 2-0 victory over 12th-ranked Alton Lucas. The U-M sophomore, ranked eighth, earned a quick escape at the start of the middle frame and another early in the third after the Pride wrestler took a second injury timeout.
Fourth-ranked Todd wasted little time before dumping Rich Muzikar to the mat, shooting in on a single leg 30 seconds into the match and finishing with a double along the edge of the mat. The Wolverine sophomore used an arm bar to turn Muzikar for two points midway through the frame and, just moments later, used head scoop to put the Pride wrestler flat on the mat, earning his third fall of the season at the 1:48 mark.
Hofstra claimed its first win of the evening at 197 pounds, where the Pride's third-ranked Chris Weidman used riding time to earn a 9-8 decision over junior/sophomore Casey White (Commerce, Mich./Walled Lake Central HS). White, in his first match in more than a month, trailed by five points after the opening two periods but rallied in the final frame with a takedown and two escapes. The Wolverine ran out of time, however, as Weidman's 4:00 in time advantage proved to be the tiebreaker.
Senior/junior heavyweight Omar Maktabi (Iowa City, Iowa/West HS) converted on a takedown midway through the overtime frame to secure a 3-1 decision against Hofstra's Matt Pollock and give the Wolverines a 15-3 advantage entering the halftime intermission. The wrestlers exchanged escapes during regulation, but neither was able to take advantage of scoring opportunities. In extra time, Maktabi used a front headlock to gain position behind Pollock, locked up his hands and used a trip to put the Pride heavyweight on the mat.
The Pride would claim the next three matches at the lightweights, including two with bonus points, to even the team score at 15-15 with two bouts remaining. Fifth-ranked Dave Tomasette initiated the rally in the first match out of the break, earning a 16-0 technical fall at 125 pounds against junior/sophomore James Shaheen (Troy, Mich./Athens HS) in the Wolverines' varsity debut. The Pride wrestler scored a pair of takedowns and 11 back points to end the bout at the 5:59 mark.
Freshman Chris Diehl (Burton, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) kept his 133-pound match close against 19th-ranked Lou Ruggirello, matching the Pride wrestler two takedowns with a pair of his own. Ruggirello, however, held the advantage in escapes and used three of them to claim a 7-4 decision. At 141 pounds, Hofstra's 19th-ranked Charles Griffin accumulated a pair of takedowns, a second-period revedrsal and five back points en route to a 12-2 major decision against sophomore/freshman Justin Chrzanowski (Metamora, Mich./Lapeer West HS).
The teams traded decision victories in the final two matches -- at 149 and 157 pounds -- to preserve the final 18-18 tie. Senior/junior captain Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) cruised 6-1 win over Mike Parziale behind single-leg takedowns in the first and third periods. He added 1:31 in riding time en route to his seventh consecutive victory. Senior/junior Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) hung close with fourth-ranked James Strouse through most of his 157-pound contest, but the Pride wrestler sealed his 6-3 victory midway through the final frame with a low single leg on the edge of the mat.
The Wolverines will compete in the prestigious Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals on Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 13-14) in Cedar Falls, Iowa. U-M will be one of 16 teams competing in the Division I field. Hosted by the University of Northern Iowa, all matches will be held at the UNI Dome.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now