Weekly Release #3

Upcoming Schedule
 Friday, Dec. 14 -- vs. Cleveland State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7:30 p.m.
 Sat-Sun., Dec. 28-29 -- at Midlands Invitational (Evanston, Ill.)
 Saturday, Jan. 4 -- vs. Oregon (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
 Sunday, Jan. 5 -- at Central Michigan (Mount Pleasant, Mich.), 2 p.m.

Wolverines Host Vikings in Home Opener
The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will host Cleveland State (2-0, 1-0 EWL) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 14) at Cliff Keen Arena for the Wolverines' first home dual of the 2002-03 season. Michigan returns home to Ann Arbor after last weekend's appearance at the Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 6-7) in Las Vegas, Nev., where Michigan finished seventh with 87 team points.
 
Pre-Match Clinic
Prior to Saturday night's dual meet against Cleveland State, the U-M coaching staff will hold a pre-match clinic from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena, concentrating on skills such as hand fighting and positioning, short attacks and front headlocks, leg attacks, set-up and finishes, and riding and pinning. Wrestlers will be able to participate, so those attending should bring all necessary gear.

The Series vs. Cleveland State
Michigan leads the all-time series with Cleveland State by a 3-1 margin, dating back to 1980. In the only meeting in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines defeated Cleveland State by a 25-15 margin on Jan. 20, 1982, and Michigan head coach Joe McFarland owns a 2-0 record against the Vikings.

Last Meeting vs. Cleveland State
Michigan traveled to Cleveland in its last meeting against the Vikings on Jan. 5, 2002, and cruised to a 29-9 win over the home squad. The Wolverines jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, winning eight of 10 individual matches. Redshirt freshman Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) collected a fall at 157 pounds, pinning the Vikings' Mike Smith at the 4:59 mark of his bout. Junior Mike Kulczycki (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward HS) and sixth-year senior Otto Olson earned major decisions at 149 pounds and 174 pounds, respectively.

About the Vikings
With three returning NCAA qualifiers on the 2002-03 squad, Cleveland State looks to improve on last season's 49th-place finish at the NCAA Championships and fifth-place finish at the Eastern Wrestling League Championships. Led by seniors Gerald Harris and twin brothers Phil and Rocco Mansueto, the Vikings are off to a solid start this season with early victories over cross-town rival John Carroll and conference foe Edinboro. Head coach Jack Effner holds a 26-37-3 career record in his fifth season at Cleveland State and is 0-2 against the Wolverines. CSU on the Internet: www.csuvikings.com.

Marquee Matches
#6 A.J. Grant vs. #20 Rocco Mansueto (Cleveland State)
Saturday's dual meet will feature the second meeting between A.J. Grant and Cleveland State's Rocco Mansueto. In the only previous meeting, at last season's dual, Grant rebounded from an early first-period deficit, scoring takedowns in each of the final two frames to win a 6-2 decision. In his senior season, Grant is off to a solid start, earning the first-place title at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 9-10) and most recently finishing fifth at last weekend's Cliff Keen Invitational. Also in his senior season, Mansueto earned a huge 18-0 victory over John Carroll's Brett Purcell but was narrowly edged by Edinboro's Cory Ace 3-0 in the Vikings' last dual meet.

#8 Foley Dowd (133 pounds) vs. #10 Phil Mansueto (Cleveland State)
Saturday will also mark the second meeting between Michigan's Foley Dowd and Cleveland State's Phil Mansueto. In their bout at last season's away dual meet, Dowd won a close 3-2 decision after earning a third-period takedown and holding Mansueto to only two escapes. This season both wrestlers are off to solid starts. Dowd is coming off a third-place finish at last weekend's Cliff Keen Invitational, while Mansueto earned a pair of dominant victories in the Vikings' first two duals of the season, defeating John Carroll's D.J. Vondruska 21-5 and Edinboro's Shawn Bunch 14-6.

Michigan Finishes Seventh at Cliff Keen Invitational
The Wolverines made their 20th appearance at the Cliff Keen Invitational last Friday and Saturday (Dec. 6-7) in Las Vegas, Nev., and took seventh place with 87 team points. Individually, four Michigan wrestlers placed in the top eight spots in their respective weight classes -- senior/junior Foley Dowd took third place at 133 pounds, senior captain A.J. Grant finished fifth at 125 pounds, junior/sophomore Ryan Bertin finished sixth at 157 pounds and fifth-year senior captain Kyle Smith took seventh place at 197 pounds. The Wolverines have never finished lower than 10th place in their 20 years competing at the annual tournament.

Trio of Captains Named to Lead in 2002-03
For the seventh time in Michigan wrestling history, the Wolverines will have tri-captains as senior A.J. Grant and fifth-year seniors Mike Kulczycki and Kyle Smith have been named by the U-M coaching staff to lead the 2002-03 squad. Grant and Kulczycki are three-year starters for Michigan at 125 and 149 pounds, respectively; both wrestlers earning All-America honors in the 2000-01 season. Smith returns to the Wolverines' starting lineup after a breakout season at 197 pounds, finishing the 2001-02 season with All-America honors after a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Non-Conference
In head coach Joe McFarland's brief tenure at Michigan, the Wolverines have posted an impressive 21-3-1 (.860) record against nonconference opponents, including this season's 26-12 victory over Lehigh (Nov. 22). All of Michigan's losses came at the annual Cliff Keen National Duals, with two against Iowa State (1999, '01) and one against Northern Iowa (2000).

Home Sweet Home
Since moving into Cliff Keen Arena in 1989, Michigan owns a record of 62-23-9 in home dual meets. With Michigan's only home loss last season coming against Minnesota at Crisler Arena, the Wolverines currently have a 12-meet winning streak at Cliff Keen Arena. In their first home dual meet of the season, the Wolverines are 63-14-3 overall and 11-2 in home openers at Cliff Keen Arena.

In the Bonus
At last weekend's Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 6-7), the Wolverines posted 11 falls, one technical fall and five major decisions, demonstrating the importance of bonus points in adding to a team's score. This season, nearly 40 percent of Michigan's overall wins have come with bonus points (40/111).

 U-M Leaders in Bonus-Point Wins (minimum four wins)

Wrestler	Overall  Wins	Wins w/   Bonus Points	Pct.
Ryan Bertin	4	4	1.000
Chase Metcalf	4	3	.750
Pat Owen	5	3	.600
Jeremiah Tobias	10	5	.500

The Fall Guy
With five falls already this season, junior/sophomore Jeremiah Tobias (Manchester, Mich./Manchester HS) has brought his career falls total to 37 pins in his brief time at Michigan. After posting 15 falls in his first season and a Michigan-record of 17 falls last year, Tobias ranks sixth on Michigan's career falls list, tied with Dave Porter (1966-68) and four falls shy of the fifth spot, held by Mark Churella (1975-79).

Season	Wins	Falls	Pct.
2000-01	19	15	.789
2001-02	24	17	.708
2002-03	10	5	.500
Career	53	37	.698

Strength of Schedule
Michigan faces a tough field of competitors again this season, with eight of the Wolverines' 12 dual meet opponents ranked among the top 25 teams in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's preseason poll. No. 1 Minnesota leads the pack of ranked opponents, which also includes No. 6 Ohio State, No. 8 Lehigh, No. 9 Illinois, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 19 Central Michigan, No. 20 Penn State and No. 23 Purdue.

Preseason NWCA Division I Coaches Poll (11/6/02)

 Rank, Team Points 1. Minnesota (11) 275 2. Oklahoma State 264 3. Iowa 245 Oklahoma 245 5. Michigan 224 6. Ohio State 219 7. Iowa State 213 8. Lehigh 185 9. Illinois 178 10. West Virginia 172 11. Missouri 160 12. Arizona State 154 13. Nebraska 136 14. Northern Iowa 124 15. Edinboro 109 16. Michigan State 104 17. Cornell 92 18. Boise State 83 19. Central Michigan 78 20. Penn State 74 21. Pennsylvania 60 22. Hofstra 44 23. Purdue 39 24. Lock Haven 33 25. Wisconsin 26

Individual Rankings by Intermat and Amateur Wrestling News (12/10/02)

Wgt.	Wrestler	Intermat	AWN
125	A.J. Grant	6th	8th
133	Foley Dowd	8th	7th
141	Clark Forward	17th	20th
157	Ryan Bertin	3rd	4th
197	Kyle Smith	8th	11th