Michigan
Central Michigan
Michigan Wins Home Opener Against Central Michigan
12/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In front of 873 fans at Cliff Keen Arena, the fourth-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team defeated 22nd-ranked Central Michigan by a 28-8 margin Saturday (Dec. 8) in the first of six home meets. The Wolverines won eight of the 10 individual matches in the victory.
The meet started at the 174-pound weight class with second-ranked Otto Olson (Everett, Wash./Everett HS) squaring off against Russ Vanderheyden. Olson dominated throughout the match, recording 10 takedowns en route to a 23-8 technical fall at the 5:57 mark in match. Since he did not earn a near fall, Olson was awarded four team points, and Michigan jumped out to an early lead.
At 184 pounds, senior captain Andy Hrovat (Gates Mills, Ohio/St. Edward HS), ranked fourth by InterMat, held Alex Lammers to only four escapes and cruised to a 15-4 major decision. Kyle Smith (Butte, Mont./Butte HS) built on the Wolverines' lead with his victory over Central Michigan's Brett Faustman at the 197-pound weight class. Smith recorded seven takedowns and held Lammers to only escapes in his 16-7 major decision.
In the heavyweight match, redshirt freshman Steve Heleniak (Franklin, Mass./Franklin HS) got off to a rocky start against the Chippewas' Jack Leffler. Heleniak, filling in for All-American Matt Brink (Muskegeon, Mich./Fruitport HS), fell behind early and was bested by Leffler in an 11-3 major decision to put the Chippewas on the board.
At 125 pounds, 14th-ranked A.J. Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS) got off to an early lead over Central Michigan's Jason Borrelli. In the second period of the match, Borrelli held the advantage over Grant until late in the period when the Wolverine wrestler scored a reversal. Grant was able to carry his momentum into the third period to earn the 7-2 decision.
Ninth-ranked Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School) and Jordan Webster wrestled a close battle at 133 pounds, with Dowd emerging the victor in a 7-5 decision. The Chippewas were able to cut their deficit at the 141-pound weight class when unranked Derek Phillips upset 11th-ranked Clark Forward (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold HS) in a 12-4 victory. Phillips entered the third period with a five-point lead, and with a takedown and a point added at match's end for riding time, earned the major decision.
At 149 pounds, eighth-ranked Mike Kulczycki (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward HS) wrestled another close match against 20th-ranked Ty Morgan. With the match scoreless after the first period and tied at two points apiece entering the third period, Kulzcycki earned the 6-2 decision by recording an escape and a takedown in the third and holding Morgan scoreless.
Sixth-ranked Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) earned the 15-5 major decision over 15th-ranked David Bolyard with an explosive performance in the third period of the 157-pound bout. The match remained close through the first two periods, with a score of 6-2 entering the final period. Bertin recorded four takedowns and held Bolyard to three escapes to give the Wolverines four team points.
In the night's final matchup, 11th-ranked Charles Martelli (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North HS) squared off against 19th-ranked Kevin Carr. The match was tied at two points apiece going into the third period when Martelli recorded an early escape and was able to hold on for the 3-2 decision.
Michigan takes a break for final exams and the holidays before returning to action the first weekend in January. The Wolverines will host the Lehigh Mountain Hawks at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4, at Cliff Keen Arena before traveling to Cleveland State for a 7:30 p.m. match on Saturday, Jan. 5.
#4 Michigan 28, #22 Central Michigan 8
(Individual rankings from Intermat, 12/4/01)
| 174 -- #2 Otto Olson (U-M) tech. fall Russ Vanderheyden, 23-8 (5:57) | U-M, 4-0 |
| 184 -- #4 Andy Hrovat (U-M) major dec. Alex Lammers, 14-4 | U-M, 8-0 |
| 197 -- Kyle Smith (U-M) major dec. Brett Faustman, 16-7 | U-M, 12-0 |
| Hwt -- Jack Leffler (CMU) major dec. Steve Heleniak, 11-3 | U-M, 12-4 |
| 125 -- #14 A.J. Grant (U-M) dec. Jason Borrelli, 7-2 | U-M, 15-4 |
| 133 -- #9 Foley Dowd (U-M) dec. Jordan Webster, 7-5 | U-M, 18-4 |
| 141 -- Derek Phillips (CMU) major dec. #11 Clark Forward, 12-4 | U-M, 18-8 |
| 149 -- #8 Mike Kulczycki (U-M) dec. #20 Ty Morgan, 6-2 | U-M, 21-8 |
| 157 -- #6 Ryan Bertin (U-M) major dec. #15 David Bolyard, 15-5 | U-M, 25-8 |
| 165 -- #11 Charles Martelli (U-M) dec. #19 Kevin Carr, 3-2 | U-M, 28-8 |
N O T E S
Tonight's win extends Michigan's 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.
Tonight's win also extends the Wolverines' winning streak at Cliff Keen Arena to eight meets, a streak that now spans across 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.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Joe McFarland
On U-M's eight-match win streak at Cliff Keen Arena ... "It's a great venue to wrestle in. We always seem to have lots of support from the fans and they seem to know when we need their cheers. I have noticed that they get loud at the right time."
On having a month off from competition ... "We are going to do a lot of cross-training and hope to heal some injuries. We have to improve our conditioning to get ready for the Big Ten season and the NCAA Championships. There are some tough workouts ahead and we are going to train in specific areas that need work."
Junior 197-pounder Kyle Smith
On his level of confidence ... "Well, I have definitely improved, but I have a lot to work on still. I need to improve my conditioning and there are a lot of areas that need work. I'm not where I want to be, but I am getting there."
On wrestling in Cliff Keen Arena ... "It means a lot to have such a supportive crowd. I like the mat too. It's huge."
Redshirt Freshman 157-pounder Ryan Bertin
On his strong finish that included four takedowns in third period ... "It just took me a while to get my motor running. I just got better as the match went on."
On wrestling in front of the home crowd ... "It was fun. The arena is kind of small, so it is a good atmosphere for wrestling. I hope that more people come out as the season goes on and we pack the place."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
