Michigan
Oregon
Sulaver, Smith Earn Falls as Michigan Dominates Ducks
1/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
| | Smith ranks second on the squad with four falls. |
At 141 pounds, senior/junior Clark Forward (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold HS) jumped out to an early lead with a takedown and three-point near fall against Oregon's Casey Hunt, but when Hunt responded with his own takedown and two-point near fall of his own, Forward's advantage after the first period was cut down to just one point. In the second frame, Forward, starting in the top position, held Hunt to the mat for the entire period to give himself the guaranteed one-point of riding time advantage. After tying up the score with a takedown in the third, Hunt allowed Forward an escape but was unable to score any additional points, giving Forward the 9-7 victory.
The Ducks put themselves on the scoreboard following the 149-pound match, where Oregon's Tony Overstake defeated Jeremiah Tobias (Manchester, Mich./Manchester HS) by an 8-7 margin. Tobias had gained the first advantage in the match, scoring a quick first-period takedown, but Overstake rebounded with an escape and takedown of his own to gain the one-point lead heading into the second frame. Tobias collected a takedown and two-point near fall in the second period but was matched by Overstake's reversal and takedown, and, after the scoreless third period, the Duck held the one-point advantage at the final buzzer.
Sulaver sent the meet into its halftime intermission with a bang, earning his first fall of his collegiate career with a pin against Chet McBee at the 2:04 mark of the 157-pound match. After falling behind early on a quick takedown by McBee, Sulaver stormed back, scoring a takedown and three-point near fall before earning the fall and giving the Wolverines the commanding 18-3 team lead.
After the break, at 165-pounder Pat Owen (Polson, Mont./Polson HS) battled through a close bout with Oregon's Luke Larwin, earning a 5-3 decision and extending the Wolverines team lead. Larwin had gained the bout's first lead, scoring a takedown late in the first period, but Owen responded, scoring a reversal with three seconds remaining in the frame to tie it up. With each wrestler earning an escape to keep the score even, Owen scored a takedown with just 30 seconds left in the bout to earn the victory.
Oregon added three points to its team score at 174 pounds, where the Ducks' 11th-ranked Shane Webster earned a 7-3 decision over redshirt freshman R.J. Boudro (Richmond, Mich./Armada HS). Webster jumped out to the early lead, scoring two first-period takedowns and adding another in the third while holding Boudro to three escapes in his victory.
The Wolverines rebounded in the 184-pound bout as redshirt freshman Willie Breyer (Oxford, Mich./Oxford HS) wrestled a balanced attack against Tony Roland to earn a 12-2 major decision. Breyer posted a takedown in each period, earned two-point near falls in both the first and third period and collected nearly three minutes of riding time in the victory.
Smith collected Michigan's second fall of the meet, pinning the Ducks' Jake Leair at the 3:23 mark of the 197-pound match. Smith had dominated through the first period, scoring two takedowns and a two-point near fall while holding Leair to a pair of escapes. Smith continued his momentum in the second frame, scoring a quick escape and takedown before earning the fall.
Redshirt freshman Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) capped the Wolverines strong performance with a 9-0 major decision over Neil Phillips. In a balanced attack, Wagner scored a takedown in each period and collected 3:13 in riding time advantage en route to his shutout victory and the Wolverines' 35-6 team win.
The Wolverines will return to the mat tomorrow (Sunday, Jan. 5) when they will travel Mt. Pleasant, Mich., to face the 13th-ranked Central Michigan Chippewas in a dual slated to begin at 2 p.m. at Rose Arena.
#7 Michigan 35, Oregon 6
(Individual rankings from Intermat)
| 125 -- #6 A.J. Grant (U-M) won by forfeit | U-M, 6-0 |
| 133 -- #8 Foley Dowd (U-M) dec. Jason Harless, 9-8 | U-M, 9-0 |
| 141 -- #17 Clark Forward (U-M) dec. Casey Hunt, 9-7 | U-M, 12-0 |
| 149 -- Tony Overstake (Oregon) dec. Jeremiah Tobias, 8-7 | U-M, 12-3 |
| 157 -- Rob Sulaver (U-M) pinned Chet McBee, 2:04 | U-M, 18-3 |
| 165 -- Pat Owen (U-M) dec. Luke Larwin, 5-3 | U-M, 21-3 |
| 174 -- #11 Shane Webster (Oregon) dec. R.J. Boudro, 7-3 | U-M, 21-6 |
| 184 -- Willie Breyer (U-M) major dec. Tony Roland, 12-2 | U-M, 25-6 |
| 197 -- #9 Kyle Smith (U-M) pinned Jake Leair, 3:23 | U-M, 31-6 |
| Hwt -- Greg Wagner (U-M) major dec. Neil Phillips, 9-0 | U-M, 35-6 |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
