After claiming back-to-back victories in the preceding two bouts, Michigan trailed by two points entering the 197-pound contest. Todd established early control over the Quakers' Dan Zander, converting on an early single leg and ankle pick before going to work on top. The Wolverine captain, ranked third in the latest NWCA/InterMat poll, flattened Zander out, grabbed the nearside wrist and came around to scoop the head, where he threaded the needle to turn Zander to his back at 2:44. The pin was Todd's 13th of his collegiate career. He led the Wolverines with six falls last season.
Junior/sophomore Eddie Phillips (Lakewood, Mich./Woodland HS) then sealed the Wolverines' victory at heavyweight, battling back from an early deficit to beat Trey McLean 6-3 in the final bout. After knotting up the score with an escape early in the second, Phillips claimed his first and final lead late in the frame, maneuvering McLean off balance with a succession of shots before forcing him to mat and going behind to score. The Wolverine heavyweight continued to push the pace in the third period, and, after just missing on a takedown attempt on the edge of the mat, he countered an errant McLean shot in the closing seconds to ice his second-career dual victory.
Senior Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) kicked off the meet in decisive fashion, knocking off the Quakers' seventh-ranked Rollie Peterkin 10-4 in the opening bout at 125 pounds. The Wolverine wrestler hit his second first-period throw in as many days, using a cement mixer early in the frame to force Peterkin to his back and claim an early four-point advantage. After riding out the entirety of the second period, Watts added three back points with a cradle in the frame's closing seconds and countered a Penn shot late in the third to improve to 6-0 on the season.
Freshman Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) picked up his first collegiate dual win at 133 pounds, using a late takedown to overcome an early deficit and secure a 6-4 decision over Bryan Ortenzio. The Quaker wrestler struck first out of a scramble midway through the opening period, nearly putting Stevens to his back before the latter bellied out to allow the takedown. The U-M rookie controlled the final two frames, however, earning a quick reversal in the second before countering an Ortenzio shot early in the third, coming around on the edge to take the lead for good.
Penn's Rick Rappo evened the score, and kicked off a stretch of four straight Quaker wins at the middleweights, with an unexpected pin at the 141-pound match, catching fifth-ranked sophomore Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) in the closing seconds of the second period. Russell dominated the early portion of the bout, building up a 5-2 advantage with riding time after an explosive first-period double leg and a quick reversal in the second. But with Russell deep on a single leg late in the period, Rappo countered to force a scramble and force the Wolverine to his back, bringing a sudden end to the bout at the 4:50 mark.
After Penn's streak at the middleweights put the Wolverines down by nine points, fifth-year senior Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) initiated his team's comeback, putting on a takedown clinic at 174 pounds en route to a dominant 20-7 major decision over Cory Beaver. Luke, the nation's No.1-ranked 174-pounder, used a combination of single legs, double legs and fireman's carries to convert on nine different scoring attempts and accumulate nearly four minutes of riding-time advantage. The major decision extended Luke's dual-meet winning streak to 10, dating back to last season's Big Ten Conference opener.
Junior/sophomore Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) carried Michigan's momentum into the subsequent bout at 184 pounds, using a first-period single-leg takedown to claim the only offensive points en route to a 4-1 decision against Colin Hitscheler. Much of the contest was contained to action on the mat, but neither wrestler could produce points out of the situation. Biondo limited Hitscheler to a first-period escape and rode out the entire third frame to accumulate 2:01 in riding-time advantage.
The Wolverines will continue early-season action in two weeks at the 27th annual Cliff Keen Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6, in Las Vegas, Nev. Competition is slated to begin with pigtail rounds on Friday at 9 a.m. PST at the Las Vegas Convention Center. U-M returns to the prestigious tournament as the defending team champion.
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