Fifth-year senior captains Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) and sophomore/freshman Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) each tacked five points onto the U-M team score with dominant performances at 149, 165 and 197 pounds, respectively. Churella, ranked seventh in the latest NWCA/InterMat poll, put Michigan ahead for good with a 16-1 win over the Golden Flashes' Jake Kyle, rebounding from a disappointing finish at last weekend's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to end the bout late in the second period. Churella built up an early advantage with two double legs in the first and a two-point near fall at the buzzer. Starting down in the second, the Wolverine captain used a Peterson roll four points midway through the frame and added six more back points on a pair of high-leg turks.
Tannenbaum, the nation's top-ranked 165-pounder, found similar success against Kent State's John Pycraft two matches later, rolling to a 17-2 victory to claim his second technical fall of the season after riding time. Tannenbaum scored on three single legs in the first period and reversed the Golden Flash wrestler early in the second before going to work on top, adding eight back points to improve his season record to 10-0.
Biondo, in his varsity debut at Cliff Keen Arena, demonstrated his knack for scrambling in the 197-pound contest, scoring three takedowns and 11 back points to defeat Michael Blackwell by an 18-3 margin and end the match at the 6:23 mark. He scored on a single leg just three seconds in the opening frame and used a combination of cradles and tilts to ice the Wolverine victory.
Michigan also earned bonus points from fifth-year senior Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) and senior/junior Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS), who claimed major decisions at 157 and 174 pounds, respectively. Marsh, ranked 18th, fought for a double leg in the early in the first period against Sli Bostelman and added three more takedowns in the final two periods, including one in the final seconds of the match to secure the 11-3 major decision.
Luke, ranked second, similarly scored late in the 174-pound contest to lock up his bonus win over Chris Estep after riding time. The Wolverine, still displaying the after effects of a bloody match championship match at last weekend's Cliff Keen Invitational, used a bevy of single and double legs to register five takedowns in the bouts, including two each in the first and third periods, and accumulated 2:55 in riding time advantage to pick up his third major decision of the season.
With the Wolverines down by seven points after the opening two matches, freshman Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J/Blair Academy) keyed the U-M comeback with a decisive 7-2 victory over the Golden Flashes' 15th-ranked Drew Lashaway. Russell, ranked fourth, scrambled out of a deep single-leg shot in the opening seconds of the match and struck immediately on the restart, using a single leg to establish his control. After picking up an escape early in the second, the U-M rookie countered a pair of Lashaway shots late in the third to pad his advantage and secure his fourth win over a ranked opponent in just a week's time and remain undefeated in his collegiate career at 12-0.
Freshman Jason Lara (Midway City, Calif./Calvary Chapel HS) made his varsity debut in the evening's first contest at 125 pounds but never had an opportunity to get his offense going after giving up a quick takedown to the Golden Flashes' 20th-ranked Nic Bedelyon. Lara scored on a duck under in the third but, after allowing seven back points, including a four-point near fall at the end of the second, it would not prove enough in a 14-3 loss.
Sophomore Chris Diehl (Burton, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) struck first on a opening-period single leg against 11th-ranked Dan Mitcheff at 133 pounds but could not hold his advantage as Mitcheff scored takedowns in the second and third period to win 7-3.
Kent State also claimed victories at 184 pounds and heavyweight to narrow the final gap as Eric Chine and 19th-ranked Jermail Porter combined for seven points with a decision and a major. Chine scored three takedowns and a reversal against junior/sophomore Jordan Sherrod (Portage, Mich./Central HS), who was weighed in at 174 pounds, en route to a 9-4 win, while Porter used a takedown in each period and three back points to defeat sophomore/freshman Matt Guhn (Clyde, Ohio/Clyde HS) by a 10-1 margin.
The Wolverines will take a three-week hiatus before returning to the mat to host the Wolverine Quad on Sunday, Dec. 30, at Cliff Keen Arena. U-M will face Buffalo (noon), Eastern Michigan (2 p.m.) and Lehigh (4 p.m.).
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