Weekly Release #3
12/31/2001 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Friday, Jan. 4 -- vs. Lehigh (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 5 -- at Cleveland State (Cleveland, Ohio), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 11 -- at Oregon (Eugene, Ore.), 7:30 p.m. PST
Saturday, Jan. 12 -- at Oregon State (Corvallis, Ore.), 1 p.m. PST
Wolverines Look to Resume Their Winning Ways
After nearly a one-month hiatus, the No. 3-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will continue its dual meet schedule with a pair of matches against No. 13-ranked Lehigh and Cleveland State. On Friday night (Jan. 4), the Wolverines will host the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh at Cliff Keen Arena at 7 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Mich. On Saturday (Jan. 5), the Wolverines will travel to the Woodling Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio, to take on the Cleveland State Vikings (1-1, 0-1 EWL) at 7:30 p.m. Before the break, U-M was on a roll, with dominant victories over Michigan State (Dec. 7, 27-6) and Central Michigan (Dec. 8, 28-8).
The Series vs. Lehigh
Michigan leads the all-time series with Lehigh by an 18-9 margin, dating back to 1936. In the last 10 meetings, Michigan holds an 7-3 record. In the last 10 meetings at Cliff Keen Arena, Michigan owns a 8-2 record. Michigan head coach Joe McFarland owns a 3-0 record against the Mountain Hawks since taking the helm of the Wolverine squad.
Last Season vs. Lehigh
The Wolverines squared off against Lehigh twice during the 2000-01 season. In the first meeting, Michigan traveled to the Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa., in early January and defeated the Mountain Hawks by a 22-12 margin. U-M collected wins in six of the individual matches, with 125-pounder A.J. Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS) earning a 20-4 technical fall and 133-pounder Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School) and 174-pounder Otto Olson (Everett, Wash./Everett HS) both recording major decisions. Two weeks later, the Wolverines again met the Mountain Hawks at the Cliff Keen National Duals in State College, Pa. The second time around, Michigan again won six individual matches to earn the 22-16 victory over Lehigh.
About the Mountain Hawks
With two returning All-Americans, the Mountain Hawks look to improve on their 13th-place finish at last season's NCAA Championships. The young Lehigh squad is led by fifth-year senior 165-pounder Chris Vitale and 197-pounder John Trenge, two of the team's three seniors. In his seventh season at Lehigh, head coach Greg Strobel holds a 77-39 career record and is 2-6 against the Wolverines. Lehigh on the Internet: www2.lehigh.edu.
The Series vs. Cleveland State
Michigan leads the all-time series by a 2-1 margin, dating back to 1980. In the Wolverines' only meet at the Woodling Gymnasium, U-M lost 18-25. Michigan head coach Joe McFarland owns a 1-0 record against the Vikings.
Last Meeting vs. Cleveland State
Last season, the Wolverines met Cleveland State in U-M's final meet at the Wendy's Classic (Jan. 14) in Ashland, Ohio. Michigan won all 10 individual matches en route to a 48-0 domination over the Vikings. A.J. Grant, Foley Dowd, 165-pounder Charles Martelli (Naperville, Ill./North HS) and Otto Olson all collected technical falls for U-M, and 157-pounder Pat Owen (Polson, Mont./Polson HS) posted a fall at the 0:56 mark in his match.
About the Vikings
Following a seventh-place finish at last season's Eastern Wrestling League Championships, Cleveland State has shown its potential this season with strong showings at the Cornell Invitational and a 36-3 win over John Carroll. In their last dual meet, the Vikings were narrowly edged out by 14th-ranked Edinboro. Head coach Jack Effner holds a 20-30-3 career record in his fourth season at Cleveland State and is 0-1 against the Wolverines. CSU on the Internet: www.csuvikings.com.
Marquee Matches
#15 Charles Martelli (165 Pounds) vs. #6 Chris Vitale (Lehigh)
Charles Martelli and Chris Vitale are split at one win apiece in their previous two meetings. At the Cliff Keen Invitational last season, Vitale defeated Martelli by 6-3 margin en route to a third-place finish. Later in the season, Martelli earned an upset victory over Vitale at the Cliff Keen National Duals, winning by a 12-7 margin. Martelli has compiled a 5-3 record this season and is coming off a 3-2 decision over Central Michigan's Kevin Carr. Vitale finished second at the Cliff Keen Invitational and currently owns a perfect 5-0 dual meet record.
#4 Andy Hrovat (184 Pounds) vs. #13 Rob Rohn (Lehigh)
In the four previous matches between Andy Hrovat and Lehigh's Rob Rohn, Hrovat owns a 3-1 record. Rohn's only victory over Hrovat came at the 1999 NCAA Championships when Rohn earned a 6-5 decision in the second-round match. Last season, Hrovat earned a 3-1 decision at the dual meet in Bethlehem and a 3-2 decision at the Cliff Keen National Duals. This season, Hrovat is off to an explosive start with first-place finishes at the Eastern Michigan Open and the Cliff Keen Invitational and currently holds a 2-0 dual meet record. Rohn finished with a 4-3 record at the Cliff Keen Invitational and holds a 4-0 dual meet record.
#11 Kyle Smith (197 Pounds) vs. #3 Jon Trenge (Lehigh)
Coming off of the first two dual meet wins of his career, Kyle Smith looks to carry his momentum into his next dual match against third-ranked Jon Trenge. Smith broke into the InterMat rankings following major decisions over Central Michigan's Brett Faustman and then-ninth- ranked Nik Fekete of Michigan State. Trenge holds a perfect 10-0 record this season, earning individual titles at the Central Jersey Open and the Cliff Keen Invitational.
#10 Foley Dowd (133 Pounds) vs. #12 Phillip Mansueto (CSU)
This will mark the first meeting between Michigan's Foley Dowd and Cleveland State's Phillip Mansueto. Both wrestlers are off to solid starts this season and look to continue their success against each other. Dowd earned a first-place finish at the Michigan State Open and finished second with a 5-1 record at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Mansueto finished with a 3-2 record at the Penn State Open and is coming off a decision over Edinboro's Cory Ace.
#10 Clark Forward (141 Pounds) vs. #20 Nick Boucher (CSU)
At the 141-pound weight class, Michigan's Clark Forward will take on Nick Boucher of Cleveland State in the first meeting between the two wrestlers. Forward lost a disappointing 12-4 major decision to Derek Phillips of Central Michigan in his last match, but has shown strong performances this season at the Eastern Michigan Open and Cliff Keen Invitational. Last season, Boucher was an NCAA qualifier following a thrid-place finish at the EWL Championships. This season, Boucher is coming off a 7-5 victory over Chad Caros of Edinboro, and earlier this season, he finished with a 3-1 record at the Oklahoma Gold Showcase Classic.
#4 Matt Brink (Hwt) vs. #6 Russ Davie (CSU)
The heavyweight match should prove to be a hard-fought battle between fourth-ranked Matt Brink and sixth-ranked Russ Davie of Cleveland State. This will mark the first time these two wrestlers face off against each other on the mat. Brink did not compete in the previous dual meets at Michigan State and against Central Michigan, but then earned inidividual titles at the Eastern Michigan Open and the Michigan State Open earlier in the season. Davie holds a 7-1 record this season and is coming off of a 3-0 decision over Edinboro's Josh Pearce.
Wolverines Kick Off Dual Season with Pair of Wins
Michigan started the dual season strong with a pair of victories over intrastate rivals Michigan State and Central Michigan. The Wolverines traveled to East Lansing on Dec. 7, and won eight individual matches en route to a 27-6 team victory over the Spartans. 197-pounder Kyle Smith earned the most impressive victory of the night with a 13-5 upset win over then ninth-ranked Nik Fekete. The following night (Dec. 8), Michigan hosted the Chippewas of Central Michigan in the home opener at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines looked dominant and rolled to a 28-8 team victory after taking eight of the 10 individual matches.
Starting with a Bang
By earning victories in their first two dual meets of the season, the Wolverines added to their historical success early in the season. In 80 years of Michigan wrestling, the Wolverines have compiled a 53-25-2 record in their first dual meet of the season. In their first home dual meet, Michigan is 63-14-3, and since moving into Cliff Keen Arena in 1989, the Wolverines are 11-2 in their first home dual meet.
On a Tear
Michigan's wins over Michigan State and Central Michigan extended the Wolverines' dual meet winning streak to nine meets, starting Jan. 28, 2001, with a 20-12 victory over Michigan State. The last time the Wolverines lost a dual meet was a 29-6 loss to eventual NCAA champion Minnesota on Jan. 26 of last season.
On a Tear at Home
Michigan's 28-8 win over Central Michigan also extended the Wolverines' winning streak at Cliff Keen Arena to eight meets, a streak that now spans over three seasons. The last time Michigan was defeated at home was on Feb. 11, 2000, when the University of Minnesota won by a 32-6 margin.
Michigan Takes the Title at Cliff Keen Invitational
The Wolverines captured their first first-place victory at the Cliff Keen Invitational held in Las Vegas, Nev., in Michigan's 19th appearance at the annual event (Dec. 1). U-M finished on top of the pack with 163 team points, head and shoulders above West Virginia, which finished in second place with 127 points. Individually, Michigan had two champions, Otto Olson at 174 and Andy Hrovat and 184, a second-place finisher in Foley Dowd at 133, a third-place finish by Ryan Bertin (Brodview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) at 157 pounds, a fourth-place finish by Mike Kulczycki (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward HS) at 149, and two fifth-place finishs by A.J. Grant at 125 and Kyle Smith at 197 pounds. Prior to this season, the Wolverines' highest finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational was fourth place, which was attained on seven occasions, most recently in 1998.
Oh Captain, My Captain
Andy Hrovat has been selected as the 2001-02 team captain. Hrovat, a two-time NCAA All-America, is the 87th captain in the program's history.
Climbing up the Charts
Collecting two victories in the dual meets against Michigan State and Central Michigan brought Otto Olson's career win to 149 total victories. Olson is in fourth place on Michigan's career wins list, 11 wins away from tying Jeff Catrabone (160, 1995-98) for the third spot. Olson finished last season in fifth place in career wins with 134 and passed Wolverine assistant coach Kirk Trost (139, 1981-86) for the fourth spot at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 17-18).
Century Club
Andy Hrovat earned his 100th career victory with a 7-6 decision over Michigan State's John Wechter at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 17-18). Hrovat is just the 19th wrestler in U-M history to accomplish the feat. After going undefeated at the Cliff Keen Invitational and winning his first two dual matches, Hrovat has 109 career victories.
Century Club (Part II)
With his two victories at the Cliff Keen Invitational, senior heavyweight Matt Brink (Muskegon, Mich./Fruitport HS) earned his 100th career win at U-M. Brink finished last season with 89 career wins, and with his 11 victories this season holds a current career record of 100-34. Brink is the 20th wrestler in Michigan history to hit the 100-victory mark.
Moving on Up
Redshirt freshman Steve Heleniak (Franklin, Mass./Franklin HS) competed at heavyweight in the dual meets against Michigan State and Central Michigan, marking the first time in 46 dual meets that Matt Brink did not wrestle for Michigan. Heleniak is the backup for Kyle Smith at 197 pounds, but moved up a weight class to fill in for Brink at heavyweight.
The Fall Guy
Jeremiah Tobias (Grass Lake, Mich./Manchester HS), whose 15 falls last season tie for the second most falls in one season by a Michigan wrestler, picked up where he left off by setting an Eastern Michigan Open (Nov. 4) record for falls with five and following up his performance with four more at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 17-18). Tobias has nine falls on the season and is seven away from setting the U-M single-season fall record (16) held by Rob Reichsteiner (1983-84). The redshirt freshman has already compiled 24 career falls at Michigan and needs just one more to tie Mike Rodriguez and Airron Richardson for 10th place on the career falls list with 25.
IronMan
Senior captain Andy Hrovat has not missed a dual meet match at 184 pounds in his four years at Michigan. In that time, Hrovat competed in 54 consecutive dual meets, compiling a career dual meet record of 43-11. Last season, Hrovat recorded 17 dual meet wins, which put him in a tie for ninth place for most dual meet wins in a season in Michigan wrestling history.
New Kids on the Block
The Cliff Keen Invitational marked the collegiate debut of redshirt freshman Ryan Bertin at the 157-pound weight class. Bertin, who compiled a 25-2 record in open events last season, wrestled his way to a third-place finish with a 6-1 record at the annual event. Junior Kyle Smith also showed tremendous potential, posting a 5-2 record en route to a fifth-place finish. Last season, Smith competed at the Cliff Keen Invitational at 184 pounds and compiled a 2-3 record. With the graduation of NCAA qualifier Joe DeGain, Smith looks to fill his shoes at 197 pounds this season.
The Veterans
This season the Michigan wrestling team returns five All-Americans -- A.J. Grant, Mike Kulczycki, Otto Olson, Andy Hrovat and Matt Brink -- to the starting lineup, which stands as the highest number of returning All-Americans a Michigan team has seen. In 1964, 1974 and 1997, the Wolverines returned four All-Americans.
Stiff Competition
Michigan faces a tough field of competitors this season, with 10 of the Wolverines' 13 dual meet opponents ranked among the top 25 teams in InterMat's preseason poll. No. 1 Minnesota leads the pack of ranked opponents, which also includes No. 5 Iowa, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 8 Lehigh, No. 9 Illinois, No. 17 Penn State, No. 18 Central Michigan, No. 19 Michigan State, No. 22 Wisconsin and No. 23 Oregon.
U-M, Palace to Host 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships
The NCAA Wrestling Committee has selected Detroit as the site of the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.This will be the first time the event has ever been held in the Detroit area. The University of Michigan, the Detroit Metro Sports Commission and the Palace of Auburn Hills partnered on the successful bid. U-M will serve as the NCAA host institution. The event will be held March 15-17, 2007.
NWCA Division I Coaches Poll (12/19/01)
Rank, Team Pts. 1. Minnesota 275 2. Oklahoma State 263 3. MICHIGAN 246 Oklahoma 246 5. Iowa 232 6. Iowa State 215 7. Ohio State 212 8. Arizona State 189 9. Pennsylvania 166 10. Edinboro 163 11. Lock Haven 158 12. West Virginia 152 13. Lehigh 142 14. Illinois 138 15. Missouri 132 16. Northern Iowa 122 17. Nebraska 103 18. Michigan State 86 19. Pittsburgh 81 20. Fresno State 56 21. Penn State 51 22. Central Michigan 43 23. Wisconsin 34 24. Hofstra 30 25. Oregon State 20
Rankings by Intermat and Amateur Wrestling News (12/18/01)
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Intermat | AWN |
| 125 | A.J. Grant | 13th | 7th |
| 133 | Foley Dowd | 10th | 8th |
| 141 | Clark Forward | 10th | 18th |
| 149 | Mike Kulcyzcki | 9th | 7th |
| 157 | Ryan Bertin | 6th | 6th |
| 165 | Charles Martelli | 15th | 18th |
| 174 | Otto Olson | 2nd | 2nd |
| 184 | Andy Hrovat | 4th | 2nd |
| 197 | Kyle Smith | 11th | 8th |
| Hwt | Matt Brink | 4th | 6th |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
