Weekly Release #9
2/29/2000 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Sat-Sun., March 4-5 -- at Big Ten Championships (West Lafayette, Ind.)
(10 a.m./7 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m./3 p.m. on Sunday)
Thu-Sat., March 16-18 -- at NCAA Championships (St. Louis, Mo.)
Michigan Heads to Big Ten Championships
The eighth-ranked Wolverines will head to West Lafayette, Ind., for the Big Ten Conference Championships hosted by Purdue University on Saturday and Sunday (March 4-5) at Mackey Arena. Final seeds for the tournament will be announced on Friday (March 3). Michigan finished the regular season with a 12-3-1 overall record and was 5-2-1 in the Big Ten.
The first session of the championships will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. for the first round and quarterfinal matches, with the semifinal and consolation matches resuming at 7 p.m. The consolation finals will highlight the third session started at 11 a.m. Sunday, with the championship finals slated for 3 p.m.
Big Ten Championships History
The Maize and Blue has won the 11 Big Ten Championships (1929, '38, '44, '53, '55, '56, '60, '63, '64, '65, '73) and has produced the second-most individual champions (108) in the conference (Iowa is first with 168). The highest team finish in the past 10 seasons was a second-place showing (92.50) in 1991. The last individual U-M champions came in 1998 with triumphs by 150-pounder Bill Lacure and heavyweight Airron Richardson.
Last season, the Wolverines hosted the Big Ten meet and finished in fifth place (76.5) behind Minnesota (139), Iowa (121), Penn State (109) and Illinois (82.5). Minnesota's victory ended Iowa's 25-year reign as Big Ten champion.
Individually at last season's tournament, Joe Warren (Grand Rapids, Mich./E. Kentwood HS) and Damion Logan (Garfield, N.J./St. Joseph Regional HS) were runners-up at 133 and 141, respectively. Also placing and qualifying for the NCAA Championships were Corey Grant, fourth at 149; Otto Olson (Everett, Wash./Everett HS), third at 174; Andy Hrovat (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edwards HS), seventh at 184; Frank Lodeserto (N. Haledon, N.J./St. Joseph Regional), sixth at 197; and heavyweight Matt Brink (Muskegon, Mich./Fruitport HS) came in sixth.
Last 10 Michigan Finishes and Points
1999 Fifth 76.50 1998 Fourth 77.50 1997 Fifth 59.50 1996 Seventh 57.00 1995 Fifth 73.00 1994 Fourth 65.50 1993 Fifth 75.50 1992 Sixth 66.25 1991 Second 92.50 1990 Sixth 53.00
Individual Records at Big Ten Championships
Wrestler Wgt. Record (years, place) Joe Warren 126, 133 6-2 (1998-2nd, '99-2nd) Damion Logan 141 3-3 (1998, '99-2nd) Jason Rawls 158, 165 1-5 (1998-99) Charles Martelli 157 0-2 (1999) Andy Hrovat 184 2-2 (1999-7th) Joe Degain 177 1-5 (1997-98) Matt Brink Hwt 1-3 (1999-6th)
Big Ten Final Standings
Team Big Ten Overall 1. Iowa 8-0-0 18-0-0 2. Minnesota 7-1-0 14-1-0 Illinois 7-1-0 17-2-0 4. Michigan 5-2-1 12-3-1 5. Michigan State 4-3-1 10-5-1 6. Wisconsin 4-4-0 11-5-1 7. Penn State 3-5-0 6-11-0 8. Indiana 2-6-0 15-8-0 9. Ohio State 2-6-0 9-9-0 10. Northwestern 1-7-0 6-12-1 11. Purdue 0-8-0 8-12-0
Michigan's Weight Class Preview
125 Pounds: A.J. Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS), the only true freshman starter for Michigan, comes into the postseason having lost to his last six Big Ten opponents. He has key wins this season over Northwestern's Steve Cordova (6-2) on Jan. 21 and Michigan State's 17th-ranked Chris Williams (7-5) on Jan. 23. He had a very strong showing at the Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 5), winning five matches.
Grant's overall record is 14-19 and 2-6 in the Big Ten. He will be in for a battle in 125-pound weight class because the conference has four of the top five wrestlers -- Jeremy Hunter (1st) of Penn State, Jody Strittmatter (2nd) of Iowa, Leroy Vega (4th) of Minnesota and Pat Cassidy (5th) of Indiana -- ranked by the Amateur Wrestling News. Grant has squared off with all of the ranked competitors besides Strittmatter.
133 Pounds: Joe Warren has been a runner-up the past two seasons at 126 and 133. The fourth-ranked senior is having another stellar season, winning 19 matches to only one defeat, with a 4-0 record in the Big Ten. He started the season on a roll with victories at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 14) and Las Vegas Invitational (Dec.5), but was injured at the Midlands Championships (Dec. 30) in the third-place match.
After a six-week layoff, Warren returned to action on Feb. 11 with a 9-4 overtime victory over 11th-ranked Brett Lawrence of Minnesota, and he has won four straight going into the postseason.
The 133-pound division boasts three of the top four ranked wrestlers in the country by AWN, with Warren ranked fourth behind Iowa's No. 1 Eric Juergens and Michigan State's Pat McNamara, ranked second. Warren lost to Juergens this season at the Midlands, but was 2-1 against the Hawkeye in last year's campaign. Warren and McNamara wrestled to 12-10 decision in the Spartan's favor at the 1999 Big Ten final.
141 pounds: Damion Logan will be up against familiar foes in the 141 class, as the top four wrestlers who placed in last year's Big Tens are again the four highest ranked grapplers in this season's championship -- Logan (7th) behind Iowa's Doug Schwab (1st), Northwestern's Scott Schatzman (3rd) and Illinois' Carl Perry (6th).
Logan has won and lost to all three of the higher ranked grapplers throughout his career, boasting a 6-6 record against them. In last season's Big Ten final he lost a 6-4 decision to Schwab. Logan owns a 4-2 record against Perry, while splitting two matches this season. Logan has faced Schatzman three times in his career with 21-21 being the total outcome of the bouts, with the Wildcat notching two of the matches.
After an All-America campaign last season, Logan continues to be an excellent performer for the Wolverines. He leads his team in overall wins (22) and falls (5) and is second in team points (48), major decisions (5) and dual wins (11). He didn't compete in the last three dual meets this season, but will compete in the postseason for the third time in his career.
149 pounds: Redshirt freshman Mike Kulczycki (N. Royalton, Ohio/St. Edwards HS) has been the most consistent of the new starters this year for the Maize and Blue, winning 13 matches to four defeats with a 8-2 record in duals.
Kulczycki, ranked 15th, started the season off with a win at the Eastern Michigan Open (Nov. 6), but lingering injuries sidelined him for six weeks. Upon his return he won eight of 10 matches, with his only setbacks coming to second-ranked Adam Tirapelle of Illinois and fourth-ranked Jared Lawrence of Minnesota.
This 149 weight class is the thinnest in the conference with only four ranked wrestlers. Kulczycki, currently fourth in the Big Ten coaches poll, has a 6-2 record in the Big Ten and has the fourth highest ranking behind Tirapelle, Lawrence and Iowa's Mike Zadick (5th), which should solidify him as a fourth seed in the championship.
157 Pounds: Peaks and valleys can describe the season Tony Holifield (Mt. Morris, Mich./E.A. Johnson HS) is having. The redshirt freshman started the year off with a second-place showing at the Eastern Michigan Open (Nov. 6) and a win at the Michigan State Open (Nov.14). His 8-1 open tournament performances led to a No. 20 ranking by Intermat in the Dec. 8 poll, but since then he has gone 8-15 and 2-6 in the Big Ten.
Despite a minor slide, Holifield has come up big for the Maize and Blue. He scored a fall to give the Wolverines a 20-17 victory over Penn State (Feb. 18) in the last match of the night, and he is one of two wrestlers -- heavyweight Matt Brink being the other -- who have started every dual meet and team tournament this season.
165 Pounds: Jason Rawls (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg HS) will be heading into his third postseason. The veteran has a 10-12 overall record and is 3-3 in the Big Ten. The redshirt junior's forte is close matches, with all of his conference losses coming by one point (2-1 overtime loss to 15th-ranked Greg Degrand of Michigan State, 3-2 loss to seventh-ranked Brad Pike of Minnesota and a 8-7 loss to 14th-ranked Peter Rogers of Ohio State).
The three-year Wolverine starter placed third at the Eastern Michigan Open (Nov. 6) and he scored a 6-2 upset of then 12th-ranked Greg Degrand of Michigan State on Dec. 10. Rawls competed in the championships the past two seasons at 158 and 165 pounds
174 Pounds: Charles Martelli (Naperville, Ill./Naperville HS) has done a noble job for the Wolverines stepping in for Otto Olson, who was ranked No. 1 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Martelli, who was originally scheduled to be a redshirt, is 2-8 overall, losing his first three matches by major decision and two falls against top 10 opponents Rick Springman (2nd) of Pennsylvania, Ryan Cunningham (4th) of Central Michigan and Mark Bybee (10th) of Northwestern.
Since the three defeats to start his season, Martelli has victories over Purdue's Jon Fitch and Indiana's Mingo Morrison, and his five losses were by a total of nine points. This will be his second appearance at the Big Ten meet. Last season he was 0-2 at 157 pounds.
184 Pounds: All-American Andy Hrovat answered his 31-15 rookie season with a stellar follow-up year, winning 20 matches to only six defeats, and he was an outstanding 15-1 in duals. He enters his second Big Ten tournament as the Wolverines' leader in team points (59), dual wins (15) and conference wins (7).
The sophomore is 7-1 in the Big Ten, with his only setback to third-ranked Golden Gopher Brandon Eggum, the defending Big Ten champion. Hrovat is second in the conference coaches poll and has victories over six ranked opponents this season, including conference foes fifth-ranked Nate Patrick of Illinois, No. 17 Jeff Knupp of Penn State and two wins over No. 1 Ty Mattews of Indiana.
197 Pounds: Joe Degain (White Lake, Mich./Clarkston HS), ranked 15th, is in one of deepest divisions in the conference, with nine of the 11 wrestlers ranked in AWN's top 20. Degain's 14-16 overall record is skewed by the 15 ranked competitors he has faced this season.
The redshirt junior has huge wins this season against Cornell's Ross Aizenburg, ranked 18th at 184; Rider's Shawn Scannell, ranked 12th at 184; 17th-ranked Chris Vike of Central Michigan; eighth-ranked Pat Quirk of Illinois; and 11th-ranked Owen Elzen of Minnesota.
Degain is entering his third postseason for the Wolverines. He competed in 1997 and '98 and was redshirted last season because of a shoulder injury. He will take a 3-5 conference record into the championship.
Heavyweight: Matt Brink, ranked 15th, has been one of the most consistent Wolverines this season, starting in every match and tournament while producing 20 wins to nine defeats. He won the Eastern Michigan Open (Nov. 6) and placed fourth at the Las Vegas Invitational, pinning 10th-ranked Jason Cooley of Oregon State at 2:20 in the quarterfinals.
The redshirt sophomore is second on the team in falls (4) and dual wins (11), and is third in team scoring (38), conference wins (5) and overall wins (20). His 5-3 Big Ten record includes victories over 18th-ranked Mark Lamb of Michigan State and ninth-ranked Jake Vercelli of Purdue.
Brink will be entering his second conference championships. He was a sixth-place finisher and NCAA qualifier last season.
Wolverines Close Out Regular Season with Two Road W's
Michigan finished the regular season with a 20-17 victory over 21st-ranked Penn State on Feb. 18 and a 22-15 triumph over Ohio State on Feb. 20. The wins took the Wolverines' final record to 5-2-1 in the Big Ten and 12-3-1 overall.
Tony Holifield was the hero of the Penn State dual, pinning Nate Wachter at 1:53 of the last match at 157 to give the Maize and Blue the come-from-behind 20-17 victory. 149-pounder Mike Kulczycki executed six takedowns in his four-point 24-8 technical fall victory over Dave Martini. The victory put Michigan in striking distance at 17-14, setting up Holifield's valiant effort in the final match.
Joe Warren, wrestling in his last collegiate dual meet, pinned Jesse Lang at 3:27 and Andy Hrovat pinned Donovan True at 2:20, at 133 and 184 pounds, respectively, to lead the team to a 22-15 win over the Buckeyes. Senior Matt Michalski (Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington HS) earned his first dual meet victory of his career with a 14-3 thrashing of Sean Peterson.
Warren Aims at 100-Victory Club
Senior Joe Warren finished the regular season with 96 career wins, putting him four shy of becoming the 17th member of Michigan's prestigious 100-win club. A six-week layoff due to a knee injury Warren suffered at the Midlands Championships (Dec. 30) slowed down his pursuit of the century mark during the regular season. With a strong showing at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships, he should chalk his name in the record books before he ends his collegiate career.
Going Out a Winner
Senior Matt Michalski has been a role player throughout his collegiate wrestling career. This season he finally got to compete in dual-meet action for the first time for the Maize and Blue, filling in for Damion Logan at 141 and Joe Warren at 133. He lost the first eight dual matches he was in, but defeated Ohio State's Sean Peterson 14-3 in his last match as a student-athlete.
Injury-Plagued Season
Despite the Wolverines' injury woes this year, they have had a successful season with a 12-3-1 overall record and a No. 8 national ranking. Here's a list of U-M starters who have missed dual matches this season due to injury (* out for season):
Wrestler Wgt. Duals Missed Otto Olson 174 12* Joe Warren 133 11 Mike Kulczycki 149 6 Damion Logan 141 3 Jason Rawls 165 2
Kudos to the Redshirts
Some of Michigan freshmen that were redshirted this season excelled in unattached tournaments throughout the year.
Wrestler Wgt. Place Tourney, Date Foley Dowd 133 2nd Michigan State Open, Nov. 14 133 1st Capital Crusader Open, Jan. 9 Clark Forward 149 1st Eastern Michigan Open, Nov. 6 149 4th MSU Open, Nov. 14 149 1st Crusader Open, Jan. 9 149 3rd Edinboro Open, Feb. 12 Pat Owen 157 5th EMU Open, Nov. 6 157 7th MSU Open, Nov. 13 157 3rd Crusader Open, Jan. 9 157 1st Cleveland State Open, Jan. 29
Undefeated on Senior Night
The Wolverines had a perfect 3-0 record on Senior Nights this season. The Maize and Blue defeated Indiana 23-18 on their own honoring event and spoiled Penn State and Ohio State's festivities, winning 20-17 and 22-15, respectively.
AWN Top 10 (as of Feb. 23)
| | Team | Record | LW |
| 1. | Iowa | 18-0 | 1 |
| 2. | Minnesota | 17-2 | 2 |
| 3. | Iowa State | 19-2 | 3 |
| 4. | Oklahoma | 16-4-1 | 5 |
| 5. | Illinois | 14-1 | 6 |
| 6. | Oklahoma State | 12-5-1 | 4 |
| 7. | Michigan State | 9-4-1 | 10 |
| 8. | Michigan | 12-3-1 | 7 |
| 9. | Northern Iowa | 10-5-2 | 8 |
| 10. | Nebraska | 10-7-1 | 9 |
Individual Rankings by AWN (as of Feb. 28)
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Rank | LW |
| 133 | Joe Warren | 4th | 4th |
| 141 | Damion Logan | 7th | 7th |
| 149 | Mike Kulczycki | 15th | 16th |
| 184 | Andy Hrovat | 10th | 10th |
| 197 | Joe Degain | 15th | 15th |
| Hwt | Matt Brink | 15th | 15th |
Contact: Jason Binge (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
