Trailing 12-6 at the intermission break, Michigan claimed the last five matches to surge past the Wildcats and claim its third consecutive dual win.
Sophomore/freshman Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) initiated the Wolverine rally with a rally of his own at 165 pounds, controlling the second two periods to edge past Kevin Balka, 5-2. The Wildcat wrestler won the first period, scoring out of an extended scramble on the mat and riding out the frame to take the initial advantage. Yates countered a throw attempt in the second and immediately used a leg turk to add three back points. He nearly had Balka on his back again in the third with deep half but ran out of time at the final buzzer, settling instead for the decision win.
After missing the last two weekends with injury, senior/junior captain Justin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) was victorious in his return to the lineup, claiming a big 10-1 major decision against Robert Kellogg at 174 pounds. Zeerip converted on three takedowns, including two in the middle period, drew three stalling calls and built up 3:23 in riding-time advantage to secure his sixth bonus win of the season.
Junior/sophomore Hunter Collins (Gilroy, Calif./Gilroy HS) put the Wolverines in the driver's seat with a 7-3 decision over Aaron Jones in a swing match at 184 pounds. Collins used Jones' offense to gain the first lead, scrambling out of a single-leg shot and nearly settling back into a Peterson position before spinning around for the two-point takedown. With the score knotted a two apiece after two period, Collins started down in the third and was almost ridden for riding time before making the most of his third roll attempt to reverse Jones to his back, tacking on five points late to ice the match.
The Wolverines ended the dual with back-to-back decision victories from two of its most reliable performers. Fifth-year senior Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) used a takedown in the waning moments of the 197-pound contest to secure his 3-1 win over John Schoen. The wrestlers traded escapes and a couple flurries through the first six-plus minutes of action before Biondo finally converted on a deep single-leg attempt, sweeping the leg to return Schoen to the mat and claim his first lead with 30 seconds remaining on the clock.
Junior/sophomore heavyweight Ben Apland (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) put an exclamation point on his team's win with a commanding 7-3 decision over Ben Kuhar in the final bout. Apland finished on takedowns in the first and second periods and added points for stalling and 1:11 in time advantage to cruise to victory.
The Wildcats claimed three of the opening five bouts, earning bonus points from its top-10 wrestlers at 125 and 157 pounds, to build its six-point advantage midway through the dual. Senior/junior captain Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) and sophomore/freshman Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) secured back-to-back decisions at 141 and 197 pounds, respectively, to put U-M on the board at the lowerweights.
Grajales earned an upset in the latter match, rallying from an early deficit to roll past No. 11-ranked Andrew Nadhir, 11-5, and claim his third straight dual win. Nadhir struck first, scoring out of an early scramble, but the Wolverine responded with a win in another flurry moments later to break open the match, defending a deep single leg with a butt slide and subsequent guillotine to put Nadhir on his back for five quick points. Grajales countered another half shot to add another takedown in the third and despite giving up a late reversal, accumulated 1:41 in time advantage to cap the effort.
Russell, ranked No. 1 nationally at 141 pounds, similarly cruised in the preceding matchup, using a pair of first-period takedowns and a second-period reversal to knock off Kalev Friendly, 7-3. The Wolverine captain converted on an early single leg and added a duck under late to quickly build a three-point lead and riding time. Russell rolled to earn his reversal midway through the middle frame and rode out most of the third to accumulate 2:47 in time advantage. Russell is 23-0 on the season.
The Wolverines (7-2, 2-0 Big Ten) will hit the road next weekend for a pair of conference duals, traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to face rival Ohio State at 7 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 28) before wrapping up the weekend on Sunday (Jan. 30) with a 2 p.m. slate against Indiana in Bloomington, Ind.
Results:
125 -- #1 Brandon Precin (NU) major dec. Sean Boyle, 13-6
133 -- Levi Mele (NU) dec. Zac Stevens, 8-3
141 -- #1 Kellen Russell (U-M) dec. Kalev Friedly, 7-3
149 -- Eric Grajales (U-M) dec. #11 Andrew Nadhir, 11-5
157 -- #7 Jason Welch (NU) tech. fall Brandon Zeerip, 18-3 (7:00)
165 -- Dan Yates (U-M) dec. Kevin Balka, 5-2
174 -- Justin Zeerip (U-M) major dec. Robert Kellogg, 10-1
184 -- Hunter Collins (U-M) dec. Aaron Jones, 7-3
197 -- #13 Anthony Biondo (U-M) dec. John Schoen, 3-1
Hwt -- #10 Ben Apland (U-M) dec. Ben Kuhar, 7-3
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