Michigan
Cliff Keen Invitational
Wolverines Claim Second Place at Cliff Keen Invitational
12/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Boasting four finalists and seven placewinners, the No. 7-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team claimed second place (134.5 points) at the two-day Cliff Keen Invitational, which concluded Saturday (Dec. 6) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Nebraska captured the team title with 157.5 points.
Sophomore/freshman Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS), seeded seventh, took second place at 125 pounds after suffering a close 4-2 decision against top-seeded Jason Powell from Nebraska. Moos gained the initial lead by scoring a takedown in the opening frame, and after starting the second period in the top position, earned nearly two minutes in riding time. With the Wolverine wrestler starting the final period on the mat, Powell was able to score a pair of back points and ride out the period to claim the victory.
Senior/junior Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) finished as the runner-up at 157 pounds after falling to Illinois' Alex Tirapelle 4-2 in a rematch of last season's 157-pound NCAA final. The match remained scoreless after the first period, and with Bertin choosing the down position in the second, Tirapelle was able to accumulate two minutes in riding time after holding Bertin without an escape. Bertin struck in the third period with a takedown but was penalized one point after accidentally grabbing Tirapelle's singlet. The Illini wrestler added a second escape late in the period to seal the victory.
Riding time proved the difference in the 165-pound final as fifth-year senior captain Pat Owen (Polson, Mont./Polson HS) suffered a 3-2 loss against second-seeded Matt R. King from Edinboro to place second in the tournament. After being taken down in the second period, Owen evened the score midway through the third with his second escape of the match, but King's 1:53 in riding time broke the tie and earned him the victory. In the semifinal round, Owen dominated Eastern Michigan's J.J. Holmes, scoring a pair of reversals and a three-point near fall and accumulating 2:24 in riding time to win 8-2.
Heavyweight junior/sophomore Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) finished second after falling 11-5 to Ohio State's top-seeded Tommy Rowlands. Wagner kept the score close in the first period, scoring a reversal midway through the frame, but was out-wrestled by the Buckeye, giving three more takedowns in the final two periods.
After being knocked into the consolation bracket with a 4-1 loss to Missouri's Jeremy Spates in the semifinals, junior/sophomore Ryan Churella (Nortville, Mich./Novi HS), the top seed at 149 pounds, rebounded with back-to-back wins to claim third place. In the consolation final, Churella collected the early lead against Arizona State's Patrick Williams with a takedown in the first period, and despite being taken down himself twice in the final two frames, held on to win 5-4.
Fifth-year senior Clark Forward (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold HS) claimed fourth place at 141 pounds after falling 7-2 against Missouri's top-seeded J.P. Reese in the third-place match. After a scoreless opening period, Reese struck first midway through the second period with a takedown and three-point near fall. The Missouri wrestler added a takedown in the third period to seal the victory. Forward was sent into the consolation bracket during the morning session after dropping a narrow 4-1 decision against Nebraska's Matt Murray in the semifinals. He rebounded in the wrestlebacks, earning a 5-3 victory over Harvard's Max Meltzer to advance into the consolation final.
Freshman Joshua Weitzel (Lincoln University, Pa./Oxford HS) was the seventh Wolverine to place in the tournament, taking eighth place at 184 pounds. Weitzel split a pair of matches in the consolation bracket, defeating Augustana's Tom Meester 3-2 before falling 9-3 to second-seeded Ryan Halsey from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo to head to the seventh-place match. Despite earning three near-fall points in the second frame, Weitzel was taken down three times in the third period to suffer his second loss of the tournament to Arizona State's Nick Frost 10-7 to take eighth place.
The Wolverines will compete in their final dual meet before the holiday break next Sunday (Dec. 14) when they square off against Eastern Michigan at Cliff Keen Arena. The non-conference dual is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
Final Team Standings
1. Nebraska 157.5 2. MICHIGAN 134.5 3. Missouri 118 4. Illinois 110 5. Arizona State 102.5 6. Ohio State 86 7. Minnesota 72 8. Cal State Bakersfield 63.5 Purdue 63.5 10. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo 63 11. Edinboro 61.5
Michigan Results
125 pounds - #7 Mark Moos
Semifinals - dec. #6 Efren Ceballos (Cal State Bakersfield), 10-4
Finals - dec. by #1 Jason Powell (Nebraska), 4-2
Finished second with a 5-1 record
141 pounds - #4 Clark Forward
Semifinals - dec. by #9 Matt Murray (Nebraska), 4-1
Consolations - dec. #6 Max Meltzer (Harvard), 5-3
Third place - dec. by #1 J.P. Reese (Missouri), 7-2
Finished fourth with a 4-2 record
149 pounds - #1 Ryan Churella
Semifinals - dec. by #4 Jeremy Spates (Missouri), 7-5
Consolations - dec. #7 Casey Olson (Fresno State)
Third place - dec. Patrick Williams (Arizona State), 5-4
Finished third with a 5-1 record
157 pounds - #1 Ryan Bertin
Semifinals - dec. #5 Kenny Burleson (Missouri), 4-1
Finals - dec. by #2 Alex Tirapelle (Illinois), 4-2
Finished second with a 4-1 record
165 pounds - #8 Pat Owen
Semifinals dec. #13 J.J. Holmes (Eastern Michigan), 8-2
Finals - dec. by #2 Matt R. King (Edinboro), 4-2
Finished second with a 4-1 record
184 pounds - #12 Joshua Weitzel
Consolations - dec. #11 Tom Meester (Augustana), 3-2
Consolations - dec. by #2 Ryan Halsey (Cal Poly), 9-3
Seventh place - dec. by Nick Frost (Arizona State), 10-7
Finished eighth with a 5-3 record
Heavyweight - #2 Greg Wagner
Semifinals - dec. #6 Cain Velasquez (Arizona State), 3-2
Finals - dec. by #1 Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State), 11-5
Finished second with 4-1 record
Day 1 Results
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
