Weekly Release #8
2/15/2000 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Friday, Feb. 18 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 20 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 2 p.m.
Wolverines Close Out Regular Season on the Road
The ninth-ranked Michigan wrestling team will travel to State College, Pa., to face the 21st-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday (Feb. 18) at 7:30 p.m. The Wolverines will finish their regular-season schedule in Columbus, Ohio, against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday (Feb. 20) at 2 p.m.
Series History Against Penn State and Ohio State
Penn State has a 19-15 all-time record over Michigan. The Nittany Lions are one of two teams in the Big Ten -- Iowa being the other -- that have a winning mark over the Wolverines. The Maize and Blue are 2-5 against Penn State since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten during the 1992-93 season. Last season Michigan defeated PSU 20-19 at Cliff Keen Arena.
Michigan's last Big Ten contest of the season will be against Ohio State, against whom the Wolverines have an overwhelming 58-13-4 advantage in the all-time series. The Maize and Blue have won the last six matches with the Buckeyes by a combined score of 145-65, including last season's 24-9 victory at Cliff Keen Arena.
Marquee Matchups
The featured bouts between ranked opponents against Penn State will pit No. 14 Joe Degain (White Lake, Mich./Clarkston HS) and eighth-ranked Ross Thatcher at 197 pounds; Joe Warren (Grand Rapids, Mich./E. Kentwood HS), ranked fourth at 133, will face 16th-ranked Scott Moore; and seventh-ranked Damion Logan (Garfield, N.J./St. Joseph Regional HS) will battle 12th-ranked Jason Betz at 141.
In a return heavyweight match from last season, 14th ranked Matt Brink (Muskegon, Mich./Fruitport HS) will try to avenge a 6-1 loss to Mark Janus. A.J. Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS) will take on his third top five opponent in as many matches at 125: No. 1 Jeremy Hunter, the defending Big Ten champion.
The featured match in 76th meeting between Michigan and Ohio State will be between 197-pounders Joe Degain, ranked 14th, and ninth-ranked Nick Preston.
In return matches, Tony Holifield (Mt. Morris, Mich./E.A. Johnson HS) will go for his third straight victory over Buckeye Josh Janson. Holifield defeated Janson 8-3 and 12-4 at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 14) and Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 3), respectively.
The heavyweight battle will pit 14th ranked Matt Brink and Tony Sylvester. Brink is 2-0 against Sylvester, with a 5-1 victory at the Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 3) and an 8-2 win during the 1997-98 season.
Michigan Tentative Lineup vs. Penn State, Ohio State
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Yr./Elig. |
| 125 | A.J. Grant | Fr./Fr. |
| 133 | #4 Joe Warren | Sr./Sr. |
| 141 | #6 Damion Logan or Mike Michalski | Sr./Jr. So./Fr. |
| 149 | #20 Mike Kulczycki | So./Fr. |
| 157 | Tony Holifield | So./Fr. |
| 165 | Jason Rawls | Sr./Jr. |
| 174 | Charles Martelli | So./So. |
| 184 | #9 Andy Hrovat | So./So. |
| 197 | #18 Joe Degain | Sr./Jr. |
| Hwt | #15 Matt Brink | So./So. |
Wolverine Split Two at Home
This past weekend the Michigan grapplers suffered their worst loss of the season, 32-6 against second-ranked Minnesota on Feb. 11, but the Wolverines bounced back the next night, defeating Indiana 23-18. The Maize and Blue are 3-2-1 in the Big Ten and 10-3-1 overall.
The bright spots in the Minnesota dual were the return of Joe Warren, who after a six-week layoff due to a knee injury, defeated 11th -ranked Brett Lawrence 9-4 in overtime at 133, and Joe Degain, ranked 14th at 197, scoring an upset victory over 10th-ranked Owen Elzen.
Jason Rawls (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg HS) and Andy Hrovat (Gates Mills, Ohio/St. Edwards HS) were the stars against Indiana, earning major decisions over Matt Nichwitz and 20th-ranked Ty Matthews, respectively.
Mike Kulczycki (N. Royalton, Ohio/St. Edwards HS) at 149, Matt Brink at heavyweight, Charles Martelli (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North HS) at 174 and Joe Warren at 133 all marked in the win column against the Hoosiers.
Warren Returns
Joe Warren returned to action after being idled with a knee injury he suffered at the Midlands Championships on Dec. 30. The fourth-ranked 133-pounder came back in style with a 9-4 overtime victory against 11th-ranked Brett Lawrence of Minnesota. The following night Warren was honored as part of Senior/Alumni Night and earned via forfeit his 94th career victory.
Prime-Time Player
All-American Andy Hrovat has been ranked as high as sixth by Amateur Wrestling News this season, his highest ranking of his career. The 184-pounder shook off his first dual-meet loss of the season against Minnesota's third ranked Brandon Eggum and scored a major decision over 20th-ranked Ty Matthews of Indiana. Hrovat could go to 7-1 in the Big Ten with wins this weekend against Penn State and Ohio State, which should secure the second seed behind Eggum in the upcoming Big Ten Championships (March 4-5) in West Lafayette, Ind..
Keeps Knocking Them Down
Joe Degain, ranked 14th at 197, electrified the Michigan crowd with his 14-9 overtime win against 10th-ranked Owen Elzen of Minnesota on Feb. 11. Degain is 3-3 in the Big Ten with two of those wins coming to higher ranked opponents.
Stepping Up
Charles Martelli earned his second victory of the year this past weekend against Indiana's Mingo Morrison at 174. Martelli was expecting to be redshirted this season, but was pressed into action to replace injured Otto Olson (Everett, Wash./Everett HS), No. 1 ranked at the time of his injury. Martelli's first three matches of the year were losses to third-ranked Rick Springman of Penn (12-3) and two defeats via fall to Central Michigan's Ryan Cunningham, ranked fifth, and Northwestern's Mark Bybee, ranked seventh. Since then Martelli has been competitive in every bout, winning two and losing three matches by a total of four points.
Offensive Showing
Not known for big offensive showings, 165-pounder Jason Rawls scored his first major decision (13-4) of the season and fourth of his career against Indiana's Matt Nichwitz. Of Rawls' nine victories this year, eight have come by decision.
Top-Notch Addition
Redshirt freshman Mike Kulczycki, ranked 19th at 149, has been a solid new starter this season for the Wolverines. He scored a last-second victory with a two-point reversal as time expired to defeat Indiana's Tim Myers 8-7. The win put his Big Ten record at 4-2, which ranks second on the team.
An Education for Grant
True freshman A.J. Grant will face Penn State's No. 1 Jeremy Hunter, defending Big Ten champion, this weekend at 125. This will be Grant third match in a row against a top five opponent. This past weekend he lost 15-7 to third-ranked Leroy Vega of Minnesota and was pinned by Indiana's Pat Cassidy, ranked fifth.
AWN Top 10 (as of Feb. 9)
| | Team | Record | LW |
| 1. | Iowa | 15-0 | 1 |
| 2. | Minnesota | 14-1 | 2 |
| 3. | Iowa State | 15-2 | 3 |
| 4. | Oklahoma State | 10-4-1 | 4 |
| | Oklahoma | 14-3-1 | 5 |
| 6. | Illinois | 12-0 | 6 |
| 7. | Nebraska | 7-5-1 | 7 |
| 8. | Edinboro | 11-0 | 8 |
| 9. | Michigan | 9-2-1 | 10 |
| 10. | Northern Iowa | 9-3-2 | 9 |
Individual Rankings by AWN (as of Feb. 14th)
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Rank | LW |
| 133 | Joe Warren | 4th | 4th |
| 141 | Damion Logan | 7th | 6th |
| 149 | Mike Kulczycki | 19th | 20th |
| 184 | Andy Hrovat | 9th | 6th |
| 197 | Joe Degain | 14th | 16th |
| Hwt | Matt Brink | 14th | 15th |
Contact: Jason Binge (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
