Weekly Release #5
12/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Saturday, Jan. 4 -- vs. Oregon (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 5 -- at Central Michigan (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.), 2 p.m.
Sat-Sun., Jan. 18-19 -- at Cliff Keen National Duals (Columbus, Ohio)
Friday, Jan. 24 -- at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 7 p.m. CST
Wolverines Celebrate New Year with Pair of Duals
After finished 10th at last weekend's Midlands Championships (Dec. 28-29) in Evanston, Ill., the University of Michigan wrestling team (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will continue its dual season with a pair of non-conference meets. On Saturday night (Jan. 4), the Wolverines will welcome the Ducks of the University of Oregon (1-1, 0-0 Pacific-10) to Ann Arbor for a dual slated to begin at 7 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena. On Sunday (Jan. 5), U-M will travel to Mt. Pleasant, Mich., to square off against intrastate rival Central Michigan (2-0, 0-0 MAC) at 2 p.m. at Rose Arena.
Poster Night Scheduled
Wolverine wrestling fans that attend the Oregon dual meet on Saturday (Jan. 4) will be treated to free U-M wrestling items as a show of the university's appreciation of their tremendous support. Following the meet, Michigan wrestling posters will be given away to all remaining fans, who will have the opportunity to get autographs and chat with all Wolverine wrestlers.
The Series vs. Oregon
Michigan leads the all-time series by a 2-0 margin, and Saturday's meet will mark the first time that Oregon has traveled to Ann Arbor for a dual. Michigan head coach Joe McFarland owns a 1-0 record against the Ducks in his four seasons at the helm.
Last Meeting vs. Oregon
In only the second meeting between the two schools, Michigan hit the road on Jan. 11 of last season to square off against the Ducks in the team's first trip to Eugene, Ore. The Wolverines dominated Oregon, winning seven individual bouts to cruise to a 30-9 win. After dropping the first bout U-M rebounded with big bonus victories, including back-to-back falls by seniors Otto Olson and Andy Hrovat at 174 and 184 pounds and a 26-10 technical fall by redshirt freshman Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS).
About the Ducks
Oregon, which finished 24th at last season's NCAA Championships, has split its first pair of dual meets this season, earning an 18-15 victory over intrastate rival Oregon State (Dec. 13) before dropping a 30-3 meet to Nebraska the following night (Dec. 14). Last weekend, Oregon finished sixth at the Reno Tournament of Champions, boasting four individual placewinners. In his fifth season at Oregon, head coach Chuck Kearney owns a 33-30 record and a 0-1 record against the Wolverines.
The Series vs. Central Michigan
Michigan leads the all-time series by a 15-1 margin, dating back to the 1981-82 season, and currently owns a three-meet winning streak. At Rose Arena in Mt. Pleasant, the Wolverines are a perfect 7-0. Michigan head coach Joe McFarland owns a 3-0 record against the Chippewas.
Last Meeting vs. Central Michigan
The Wolverines defeated Central Michigan 28-8 in the last meeting between the two squads, on Dec. 8 of last season. Michigan jumped out to a commanding lead, earning a technical fall and two major decisions in the first three bouts. Adding another five victories, including a major decision by redshirt freshman Ryan Bertin, the Wolverines cruised to the dominant team win.
About the Chippewas
With four NCAA qualifiers returning from last season's squad that finished 34th at the NCAA Championships, Central Michigan is off to a solid start in 2002-03, having already earned two big dual victories this season with an upset over intrastate rival Michigan State (Dec. 13) and a come-from-behind defeat of Cleveland State (Dec. 14). Last weekend, five individual Chippewa wrestlers placed at the Midlands Championships as the team finished 12th with 51 points. Head coach Tom Borrelli is in his 12th season at Central Michigan and owns a 117-67-5 career record with the Chippewas. Against Michigan, Borrelli is 1-6.
Michigan Takes 10th Place at Midlands
Senior/junior Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School) collected the 133-pound titles and led the Wolverines to a 10th-place finish at the 40th annual Midlands Championships on Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 28-29) in Evanston, Ill. Also placing for the Wolverines were senior captains A.J. Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS), who finished fourth at 125 pounds, and Kyle Smith (Butte, Mont./Butte HS), who took sixth place at 197 pounds.
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.
On the Road Again
With a 21-9 victory against Lehigh in their first dual of the season (Nov. 22), the Wolverines extended their winning streak on the road to five meets, dating back to last season's National Duals (Jan. 19-20), when Michigan dropped a close 22-19 meet to Iowa State in the consolation bracket.
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 | 13 | 5 | .385 |
| Career | 56 | 37 | .661 |
Nearing the Century Mark
After posting a 4-2 record en route to his fourth-place finish at the Midlands Championships last weekend (Dec. 28-29), senior captain A.J. Grant brings his career record to 97-52, only three wins shy of becoming the 22nd member of Michigan's prestigious 100-wins club, where he will join current Wolverine and fellow captain, fifth-year senior Mike Kulczycki (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward HS). Kulczycki, who has yet to compete this season after suffering a preseason knee injury, owns a career record of 103-34 and ranks 20th of Michigan's all-time wins list.
Big Debut
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, and competed for the Wolverines at the Midlands Championships (Dec. 28-29). 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 Wolverine true freshman to start in a dual since the 1999-2000 season when A.J. Grant was the year-long starter at 125 pounds.
Joining the Ranks
With solid starts in their first season starting for the Wolverines, two Michigan wrestlers have made their own debuts over the past few weeks C in the national rankings. Redshirt freshman Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) premiered in the Dec. 17 InterMat heavyweight rankings, earning the 15th spot while taking the 14th position in the Amateur Wrestling News rankings the same week. In this week's polls, the heavyweight moved up to 12th in the AWN poll while remaining at 16th in the InterMat poll. Also making his first appearance in the national polls this week is junior/sophomore Jeremiah Tobias, who jumped to the17th spot in the AWN poll.
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.
NWCA Division I Coaches Poll (12/17/02)
Rank, Team Pts. Prev 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 (12/31/02)
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Intermat | AWN |
| 125 | A.J. Grant | 6th | 7th |
| 133 | Foley Dowd | 8th | 5th |
| 141 | Clark Forward | 16th | NR |
| 149 | Jeremiah Tobias | NR | 17th |
| 157 | Ryan Bertin | 3rd | 4th |
| 197 | Kyle Smith | 16th | 9th |
| Hwt | Greg Wagner | 15th | 12th |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
