Weekly Release #4
12/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Upcoming Schedule
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.
Sat-Sun., Jan. 18-19 -- at Cliff Keen National Duals (Columbus, Ohio)
Wolverines Set to Close Out 2002 at Midlands
The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will travel to Welsh-Ryan Arena on the Northwestern campus in Evanston, Ill., to compete in the 40th annual Midlands Invitational on Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 28-29). The Wolverines return to the mat after a two-week break for final exams and the holidays following a 25-6 victory over Cleveland State in their home opener at Cliff Keen Arena (Dec. 14).
The first session will begin at 9:30 a.m. CST on Saturday (Dec. 28) and feature all pigtail and first round matches. Wrestling will continue at 7 p.m. that evening with consolation and quarterfinal matches the second session. The second day of competition will start at noon on Sunday (Dec. 29) with consolation action as well as the semifinal round while the championship matches are slated for 7 p.m. in the fourth session later that evening.
The field at the Midlands Invitational features several of the top collegiate wrestling programs in the nation, including defending Midlands champion University of Iowa, Arizona State, Iowa State, Lehigh, Pennsylvania and West Virginia as well as other Big Ten rivals Illinois, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue.
Michigan Wrestlers Earn High Seeds
Several Wolverine wrestlers earned high pre-tournament seeds in their respective weight classes at this season's Midlands Invitational. Senior captain A.J. Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS) is seeded third at 125 pounds; senior/junior Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School) earned the fifth seed at 133 pounds; senior/junior Clark Forward (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold HS) is the eighth seed at 141 pounds; and fifth-year senior captain Kyle Smith (Butte, Mont./Butte HS) earned the 10th seed at 197 pounds. Joining the current Michigan wrestlers are former Wolverines John Fisher, who is the top-seed at 149 pounds and will be competing with the Sunkist Wrestling Club, and Andy Hrovat, who is seeded sixth at 184 pounds and will be representing the Wildcat Wrestling Club. Final brackets for the 40th Midlands Invitational will be determined Friday, Dec. 27.
Last Time at the Midlands Invitational
The Wolverines earned 51 team points en route to an eighth-place finish out of 17 teams in their last appearance at the Midlands Invitational on Dec. 29-30, 1999. Leading the Wolverines was junior Otto Olson, who finished as the 174-pound runner-up after collecting a 4-1 record. Also placing for Michigan were senior Joe Warren with a fourth-place finish at 133 pounds and junior Joe DeGain, who finished seventh at 184 pounds.
Michigan Defeats Vikings in Home Opener
The Wolverines continued their solid start to the 2002-03 season with their second dual win, cruising past Cleveland State 25-6 on Dec. 14 in their home opener at Cliff Keen Arena. After dropping the first two matches, the Maize and Blue rallied to win the final eight weight classes and earn the team victory. Junior/sophomore Foley Dowd, ranked eighth by InterMat, won a close 3-1 decision at 133 pounds over then 10th-ranked Phil Mansueto with a takedown in the final seconds of the overtime period to break the tied team score and give the Wolverines the lead for good.
Non-Conference
In head coach Joe McFarland's brief tenure at Michigan, the Wolverines have posted an impressive 22-3-1 (.865) record against non-conference opponents, including this season's 26-12 victory over Lehigh (Nov. 22) and 25-6 win over Cleveland State (Dec. 14). 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
With a 25-6 victory of Cleveland State in its home opener this season (Dec. 14), Michigan owns a record of 63-23-9 in home dual meets since moving into Cliff Keen Arena in 1989. With Michigan's only home loss last season coming against Minnesota at Crisler Arena, the Wolverines currently have a 13-meet winning streak at Cliff Keen Arena.
In the Bonus
Bonus points play a key role in dual meets and tournaments, often giving teams the deciding edge in the final outcome. This season, one-third of Michigan's overall wins have come with bonus points (41/121). U-M Leaders in Bonus-Point Wins (minimum four wins)
| Wrestler | Overall | Wins w/ | Pct. |
| 4 | 4 | 1.000 | |
| 4 | 3 | .750 | |
| 6 | 4 | .750 | |
| Jeremiah Tobias | 11 | 5 | .454 |
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 | 11 | 5 | .454 |
| Career | 54 | 37 | .685 |
Big Debut Joining the Ranks Strength of Schedule
Freshman Rob Sulaver (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn HS) made his varsity debut at 157 pounds in the Cleveland State dual meet (Dec. 14), earning a 10-8 decision over the Vikings Chris Kallai. Sulaver is the fifth Wolverine to compete in his first career dual meet this season (R.J. Boudro, Willie Breyer, Jeremiah Tobias and Greg Wagner) and the first true Wolverine freshman to start in a dual since the 1999-2000 season when A.J. Grant was the year-long starter at 125 pounds.
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. National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA Top 25 (12/17/02)
TEAM POINTS PRVS 1. Oklahoma State (9) 273 1 2. Iowa (2) 266 2 3. Minnesota 253 3 4. Oklahoma 238 4 5. Ohio State 228 5 6. Illinois 223 6 7. MICHIGAN 209 8 8. Lehigh 192 9 9. West Virginia 183 8 10. Arizona State 175 7 11. Nebraska 161 11 12. Missouri 149 12 13. Central Michigan 117 15 Purdue 117 13 15. Iowa State 113 16 16. Wisconsin 110 14 17. Northern Iowa 98 16 18. Cornell 92 20 Michigan State 92 17 20. Boise State 78 21 21. Hofstra 71 19 22. Penn State 60 22 23. Pennsylvania 29 25 24. Cleveland State 20 23 25. Edinboro 16 NR
Individual Rankings by Intermat and Amateur Wrestling News (12/24/02)
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Intermat | AWN |
| 125 | 6th | 8th | |
| 133 | 8th | 7th | |
| 141 | Clark Forward | 16th | 20th |
| 157 | 3rd | 4th | |
| 197 | 16th | 16th | |
| Hwt | 15th | 14th |
Players Mentioned
