Michigan
NCAA Day 1
Three Wolverines Advance to NCAA Quarterfinals
3/18/1999 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team turned in a solid first-day performance at the 69th NCAA Wrestling Championships on Thursday (March 18), advancing three individuals to Friday morning's quarterfinals. Michigan, with 13 points, is tied for 16th place in the team standings, with Iowa (30) leading a close battle for the team title.
Sophomore 141-pounder Damion Logan (Garfield, N.J./St. Joseph's Regional HS), sophomore 174-pounder Otto Olson (Everett, Wash./Everett HS) and freshman 184-pounder Andy Hrovat (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edward's HS) each remain in the hunt for a national title by winning two matches Thursday. Logan and Olson entered the tournament as No. 5 seeds, while Hrovat was unseeded.
Logan advanced by defeating two unseeded wreslers, beating Francky Francois of Delaware State (2-0) and Brett Tullo of Bloomsburg (11-5). As a high schooler, Logan defeated Tullo in the semifinals of the 1995 New Jersey state championships. Logan will face fourth-seeded Mark Perryman from Arizona State in Friday morning's quarterfinal match.
Olson opened the competition by pinning unseeded Kyle Klonizos of Boise State in 4:27. He then came from behind in typical Olson fashion, wearing down his opponent to the point of exhaustion, to beat 12th-seeded All-American Ryan Cunningham of Central Michigan, 13-9. It was the second time this season Olson has defeated Cunningham as he won by a 12-10 count in their Jan. 28 match at Cliff Keen Arena.
Several upsets occurred in the 174-pound bracket, including No. 1 seed Mark Smith from Oklahoma State and No. 4 seed Mark Bybee from Northwestern. The highest remaining seed remaining between Olson and the championship bout is Sam Kline from West Virginia, the No. 8 seed. Olson will face unseeded Perry Parks from Iowa State in the quarterfinal match.
Hrovat continued his outstanding rookie campaign as he advanced with a pair of upsets over seeded opponents. Hrovat decisioned Navy's Greg Gingeleskie, the No. 8 seed, 5-4 and Hofstra's Russell Jones, the No. 9 seed, 3-1 to move into the quarterfinals against top-seeded Cael Sanderson of Iowa State.
Michigan's other No. 5 seed, Joe Warren (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Kentwood HS), will compete in the wrestleback consolations Friday as he was defeated 8-5 in the second round by 12th-seeded Stan Greene of Fresno State. Warren will face Brandon York from Maryland in the consolation bracket.
"It was a heck of a first round," explained Michigan head coach Dale Bahr. "We had some disappointments, but we also had some great rounds. I think that was the case for almost every team and that's good for wrestling when there is a lot of parity. 174 pounds opened up quite a bit, so Otto has a great shot at a national championship. It's nice to see Hrovat and Logan doing so well. Warren got upset, but hopefully he can come back and wrestle for third."
Michigan's other three NCAA qualifiers -- 149-pounder Corey Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS), 197-pounder Frank Lodeserto (North Haledon, N.J./St. Joseph's Regional HS) and heavyweight Matt Brink (Muskegon, Mich./Fruitport HS) -- were eliminated on Friday.
Competition continues through Saturday (March 20), with the morning sessions beginning at 11 a.m. and evening session at 6:30 p.m. each day at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. Complete results are available on Penn State's NCAA Championships site.
Top Team Scores (After Day 1)
1. Iowa 30 2. Oklahoma State 29.5 3. Minnesota 29 4. Oklahoma 28 5. Cal State-Bakersfield 25 6. Iowa State 23.5 Penn State 23.5 8. Central Michigan 22.5 West Virginia 22.5 10. Illinois 19 11. Pennsylvania 18.5 12. Arizona State 16 Nebraska 16 14. Hofstra 15 15. Northern Iowa 13.5 16. MICHIGAN 13 North Carolina 13Michigan Results (Day 1)
#5 seed Joe Warren (133)
First Round -- pinned Bob Patnesky (West Virginia), 3:57
Second Round -- dec. by Stan Greene (Fresno State), 8-5
Consolations -- vs. Brandon York (Maryland), Friday morning
#5 seed Damion Logan (141)
First Round -- dec. Francky Francois (Delaware State), 2-0
Second Round -- dec. Brett Tullo (Bloomberg), 11-5
Quarterfinals -- vs. Michael Lightner (Oklahoma), Friday morning
Corey Grant (149)
First Round -- dec. by #9 Shawn Bradley (Cornell), 8-6
Wrestleback Consolations -- dec. by #8 John Mark Bentley (North Carolina), 11-6
Eliminated with an 0-2 record
#5 seed Otto Olson (174)
First Round -- pinned Kyle Klonizos (Boise State), 4:27
Second Round -- dec. #12 Ryan Cunningham (Central Michigan), 13-9
Quarterfinals -- vs. Perry Parks (Iowa State), Friday morning
Andy Hrovat (184)
First Round -- dec. #8 Greg Ginleleskie (Navy), 5-4
Second Round -- dec. #9 Russell Jones (Hofstra), 3-1
Quarterfinals -- vs. Cael Sanderson (Iowa State), Friday morning
Frank Lodeserto (197)
First Round -- dec. by #8 Tony Wieland (Northern Iowa), 3-1 (SV)
Wrestleback Consolations -- inj. default
Eliminated with an 0-1 record
Matt Brink (285)
First Round -- maj. dec. by #6 John Henry Ward (Oklahoma), 11-0
Wrestleback Consolations -- dec. by Matt Mueller (Pittsburgh), 6-1
Eliminated with an 0-2 record
Players Mentioned
