Tannenbaum could not overcome an early deficit against Iowa's Mark Perry in the 165-pound championship match, losing 5-2 despite a late rally in the final period. The Hawkeye wrestler struck quickly in the opening frame, countering a U-M shot to score in the opening 20 seconds. Perry rode out the remainder of the period and picked up a quick escape in the second to essentially carry a four-point advantage into the final stanza. After choosing neutral, Tannenbaum -- who had failed to convert on several low single-leg shots in the opening two periods -- finished on a double leg with about a minute remaining. After cutting Perry loose on a restart late in the period, the Wolverine captain was unable to penetrate his opponent's defense as the Hawkeye held on to capture his second straight NCAA title.
A single-leg takedown proved the difference in the 174-pound final as Pittsburgh's top-seeded Keith Gavin scored the only offensive points en route to a 4-2 decision over Luke in the Wolverine junior's first career appearance in the NCAA finals. Luke took the match's first shot -- a deep single leg early in the opening period -- but failed to finish as he walked the opportunity out of bounds. The pair continued to trade shots, but only Gavin converted, scoring his winning single-leg takedown early in the second period. The Panther wrestler rode a majority of the final frame to accumulate 1:20 in riding-time advantage and remain undefeated on the season.
Senior/junior Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) earned back-to-back 3-2 decisions in the morning medal round to complete the trek back to third place, defeating Missouri's sixth-seeded Raymond Jordan in the consolation semifinals and fourth-seeded Christian Sinnott of Central Michigan in the placing bout. Todd took an early advantage against Jordan, converting on a high-crotch shot just 30 seconds into the opening frame. The Wolverine wrestler, seeded third, struck deep on two more single-leg opportunities in first and second period and fended off of couple Missouri shots in the third to maintain his advantage.
Todd's second match had a similar tone. After a scoreless first period, the U-M captain set the tone in the final two periods, finishing on a duck-under opportunity late in the second period. Sinnott's escape before the end of the frame knotted the two at two a piece, but Todd one of his own early in the third and avoided a couple late shots to hang on. After falling in the second round, Todd earned six consecutive victories to record his best finish in three appearances at the NCAA event.
Fifth-year senior Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) surpassed his seed at 149 pounds, placing fourth after splitting a pair of morning consolation matches. Churella lost a close 4-2 decision against fourth-seeded Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska in the third-place contest on a second-period reversal and a late takedown on the edge of the mat in the third.
The Wolverine captain, seeded fifth, avenged the only major-decision loss of his career with a 6-2 victory over North Carolina State's seventh-seeded Darrion Caldwell in the consolation semifinals. With the score knotted at one a piece -- after escapes -- early in the third, Churella shot in on a single leg and fought for nearly a full minute to get the call, making several adjustments on the mat before putting Caldwell to his back and picking up an additional three points in the closing 20 seconds of the match.
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