Weekly Release #12
3/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Wolverines Prepare for the Big Ten Championships
The No.6-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team will head to Madison, Wis., to participate in the 2003 Big Ten Championships, hosted by the University of Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday (March 8-9) at the Kohl Center. The Wolverines finished their conference schedule on Feb. 22 with an 18-17 win over Purdue to post an 11-6 dual meet record and a 6-2 mark in Big Ten duals.
The Big Ten Championships will take place in three sessions over the course of two days. Wrestling will begin on Saturday (March 8) with the first session slated to begin at 11 a.m. CST with the first and quarterfinal rounds of all weights. Consolation action and semifinal matches will take place Saturday evening at 6 p.m. The Sunday (March 9) session will feature the finals in both consolation and championship brackets and will begin at noon.
Michigan at the Big Ten Championships
U-M has won 11 Big Ten team championships (1929, '38, '44, '53, '55, '56, '60, '63, '64, '65, '73) and has produced the second-most individual champions (110) in the conference (Iowa is first with 178). Michigan has finished in the top five nine of the past 10 seasons but has not finished higher than its second-place finish in the 1990-91 season.
Last season, the Wolverines were in Champaign, Ill., to square off against the Big Ten field after compiling a dual record of 16-3 and a Big Ten dual record of 7-1. Michigan finished in third place (121.5 points), behind champion Minnesota (174.0) and Iowa (129.0). Michigan was led by senior captain Otto Olson, who compiled a 3-0 mark to collect his second consecutive 174-pound title, the first Wolverine to win back-to-back conference crowns since Sean Bormet in 1994-95. Also placing high for U-M were A.J. Grant (4th, 125 pounds), Mike Kulczycki (3rd, 149), Ryan Bertin (2nd, 157), Andy Hrovat (2nd, 184), Kyle Smith (3rd, 197), and Matt Brink (4th, heavyweight).
2002 Final Team Standings
| Place | Team (NCAA Qualifiers) | Points |
| 1. | Minnesota (10) | 174.5 |
| 2. | Iowa (8) | 129.0 |
| 3. | MICHIGAN (9) | 121.5 |
| 4. | Ohio State (9) | 115.0 |
| 5. | Illinois (9) | 91.5 |
| 6. | Penn State (7) | 66.5 |
| 7. | Purdue (6) | 55.5 |
| 8. | Michigan State (6) | 54.5 |
| 9. | Wisconsin (5) | 50.0 |
| 10. | Indiana (4) | 48.0 |
| 11. | Northwestern (2) | 13.0 |
U-M in the Last 10 Big Ten Championships
| Year | Place | Points | Site |
| 2002 | Third | 121.50 | Champaign, Ill. |
| 2001 | Fourth | 109.00 | Evanston, Ill. |
| 2000 | Fifth | 73.00 | West Lafayette, Ind. |
| 1999 | Fifth | 76.50 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| 1998 | Fourth | 77.50 | State College, Pa. |
| 1997 | Fifth | 59.50 | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| 1996 | Seventh | 57.00 | East Lansing, Mich. |
| 1995 | Fifth | 73.00 | Bloomington, Ind. |
| 1994 | Fourth | 65.50 | Iowa City, Iowa |
| 1993 | Fifth | 75.50 | Columbus, Ohio |
Weight Class Preview
125 Pounds
In his final season at Michigan, senior captain A.J. Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS) is putting together his greatest campaign to date. Kicking off the season by capturing his first Michigan State Open title (Nov. 2) in three previous attempts, Grant has since climbed to the fourth position among nationally ranked 125 pounders. He led the Wolverines with an overall season mark of 28-6 and was a career-high 15-2 in duals. Grant earned his highest finish at the Big Ten Championships last with a fourth-place showing, a step up from his back-to-back fifth-place finishes in his first two seasons.
133 Pounds
As a solid and consistent force in the Wolverine lineup during the past two years, senior/junior Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School) is having a breakout season this year at 133 pounds. Posting a solid 12-3 record in dual meets, Dowd has also shown his ability for success in tournament competition, claiming the 133-pound title at the Midlands Championships (Dec. 28-29) and placing third at the Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 6-7). Dowd qualified for his first NCAA tournament last season after earning a seventh-place finish at the Big Ten Championships.
141 Pounds
Senior/junior Clark Forward (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold HS) has had somewhat of an up and down season in his third year starting at 141 pounds. The Wolverine wrestler appears to be hitting stride at the right time, however, with convincing wins over Penn State's Scott Moore (Feb. 15, 7-4) and Purdue's Doug Withstandley (Feb. 22, 7-3) in two of his last three matches. Forward will return to the Big Ten Championships after missing last season's tournament due to ankle injury. During the 2000-01 season, Forward placed eighth at 141 pounds.
149 Pounds
After sitting out the first part of the season with injury, redshirt freshman Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) hit the mat for the first time at the National Duals (Jan. 18-19), a tough place to make one's varsity debut. Churella posted a 1-4 mark against highly ranked opponents such as Boise State's Collin Robertson, Dustin Manotti of Cornell and Arizona State's top-ranked Eric Larkin. Since the National Duals, Churella has looked strong in the Wolverines' Big Ten schedule, winning six of his last eight matches en route to his first trip to the Big Ten Championships.
157 Pounds
Since returning from injury at the National Duals, Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) has shown his dominance on the mat with a perfect 4-0 mark at the annual dual meet tournament, a 22-7 technical fall over Indiana's Isaac Knable and a fall at 3:24 over Northwestern's Mike Kimberlin, but Bertin has also dropped close bouts to Minnesota's defending NCAA champion Luke Becker, Michigan State's Gray Maynard and top-ranked Keaton Anderson of Ohio State. In his first trip to the Big Ten Championships last season, Bertin cruised to the final bout, where he finished runner-up to Becker.
165 Pounds
Struggling with injury for a majority of the season, fifth-year senior captain Mike Kulczycki (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward HS) has looked strong when he has been on the mat. In his season debut at the National Duals (Jan. 18-19), Kulczycki posted a 4-1 mark, earning a 12-4 major decision over Boise State's Nathan Phloen and a 16-1 technical fall against Iowa's Jason D'Agata in his first two matches. The senior captain collected another technical fall against Indiana (Jan. 31), recording a 23-8 victory over Alex LaPointe before suffering his second injury of the season the following night. In his three previous seasons, Kulczycki earned three consecutive third-place finishes at the Big Ten Championships while competing at 149 pounds.
174 Pounds
After splitting time with Kulczycki at 165 pounds this season, senior/junior Pat Owen (Polson, Mont./Polson HS) will move to 174 pounds for the Big Ten Championships. Owen has been on fire since returning from injury in early February, posting a 4-1 mark and earning three falls over ranked opponents in his last five matches. Replacing season-long starter redshirt freshman R.J. Boudro (Richmond, Mich./Armada HS), Owen brings experience to the conference tournament -- he was an NCAA qualifier at 157 pounds two seasons ago after placing seventh at the Big Ten Championships.
184 Pounds
In his first season starting for the Wolverines, redshirt freshman Willie Breyer (Oxford, Mich./Oxford HS) has had a tough time against highly competitive opponents. Breyer, however, has shown his potential with an 12-2 win over Oregon's Tony Roland (Jan. 4) and a fall at 3:18 against Arizona State's Curtis Ray at the National Duals (Jan. 19). In Big Ten competition, Breyer posted back-to-back wins over Minnesota's Matt Nagel (Feb. 7, 4-0) and Michigan State's Nate Mesyn (6-4 OT, Feb. 9).
197 Pounds
In his final season at Michigan, fifth-year senior captain Kyle Smith (Butte, Mont./Butte HS) has shown moments of brilliance, including his 6-4 upset of then top-ranked Jon Trenge of Lehigh (Nov. 22), which led to Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors, but he has also been plagued by inconsistency, posting an 18-12 overall record and a 9-7 dual mark. Smith has looked strong of late, however, winning his last three matches, including an 11-6 upset over Ohio State's Anton Talamantes (Feb. 16). Smith placed third last season in his first trip to the Big Ten Championships and claimed All-America honors with an NCAA seventh-place finish.
Heavyweight
Redshirt freshman Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) made an immediate impact in his first season starting at heavyweight with a 21-10 overall record and a 10-4 mark in dual meets. Wagner missed the final three duals of the season while recovering from injury, but looks to be healthy and prepared for his first trip to the Big Ten Championships.
Michigan Finishes Third in Big Ten Standings
The Wolverines ended their conference schedule with three consecutive wins to post an overall season mark of 11-6 and 6-2 in Big Ten dual meets. Michigan finished tied for third in the Big Ten final standings, sharing the position with Michigan State.
2002-03 Big Ten Final Dual Standings
School Big Ten Overall 1. Iowa 7-1 17-3 Minnesota 7-1 16-5 3. MICHIGAN 6-2 11-6 Michigan State 6-2 10-6 5. Illinois 5-2 11-3 6. Ohio State 4-4 12-7 7. Purdue 3-5 15-6 Penn State 3-5 11-8 9. Indiana 1-6 16-9 10. Wisconsin 1-7 9-7 11. Northwestern 0-8 5-12
Big Ten Milestone
In what many consider the premiere collegiate wrestling conference, Michigan has always been a top contender among the Big Ten schools. With their win over Purdue (Feb. 22) to close out the dual meet season, the Wolverines collected their 400th Big Ten Conference victory in their 81st year as a varsity program. Michigan now owns an all-time conference record of 400-157-15.
Owen Shares Big Ten of the Week Honors
Pat Owen earned Big Ten co-Wrestler of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 17-23 after collecting his third fall over a ranked opponent in his last five matches, pinning Purdue's Oscar Santiago in the Wolverines' season finale. Down by one point after the first frame, Owen countered an early second-period shot by Santiago to put the Boilermaker on his back and take the pin at the 3:39 mark of the 165-pound bout. The fall gave Michigan a 15-point lead after the fourth match and proved pivotal in the Wolverines' victory, as Purdue won five of the remaining six matches to pull within one point in the team score.
Owen was the third Wolverine wrestler to garner the weekly award, joining fifth-year senior captain Kyle Smith and junior/sophomore Ryan Bertin. Smith earned the distinction for the week ending Nov. 24 following his upset of top-ranked Jon Trenge of Lehigh in his first match of the season. Bertin collected the award for the week ending Feb. 2 after dominating a pair of Big Ten opponents, recording a 22-7 technical fall against Indiana's Isaac Knable and pinning Northwestern's Mike Kimberlin at the 3:24 mark the following night.
Home Sweet Home
Collecting back-to-back wins over Penn State and Ohio State (Feb. 15-16), Michigan wrapped up its home schedule with a perfect 5-0 record at Cliff Keen Arena this season. Though they suffered a 22-10 home loss last season to Minnesota at Crisler Arena, the Wolverines have not been beaten in their regular home venue since Feb. 11, 2000, when they fell to Minnesota 23-18. Michigan holds a 16-meet winning streak within the confines of Cliff Keen Arena.
A Pair of Milestones for McFarland
After earning his 50th victory at Michigan with the Wolverines' 26-14 win over Northern Iowa in the consolation round of the National Duals (Jan. 18), head coach Joe McFarland collected his 75th career win with U-M's 19-13 upset victory over Illinois (Jan. 24) in the Big Ten opener. Prior to Michigan, McFarland was the head coach at Indiana University, where he compiled a 24-20 record in three seasons.
A Class Act
Demonstrating the depth of the Wolverine roster this season, at least one member of each class collected a dual-meet win this season and helped contribute to Michigan's success.
| Year | Overall | Dual |
| Senior (3) | 51-21 (.708) | 29-12 (.707) |
| Junior (4) | 53-29 (.646) | 25-16 (.610) |
| Sophomore (8) | 46-44 (.511) | 11-9 (.550) |
| RS Freshman (7) | 58-72 (.446) | 27-38 (.415) |
| Freshman (9) | 61-44 (.581) | 2-1 (.666) |
Fresh Faces in the Lineup
Nine different Wolverine wrestlers made their varsity debut this season by competing in their first collegiate dual meet. Most recently, redshirt freshman Tony Grygorzyk (Grand Rapids, Mich./West Catholic HS) started at heavyweight in Michigan's final three duals of the season against Penn State, Ohio State and Purdue. Other Wolverines who broke into the starting lineup for the first time are redshirt freshman R.J. Boudro (Richmond, Mich./Armada HS), redshirt freshman Willie Breyer (Oxford, Mich./Oxford HS), redshirt freshman Ryan Churella, redshirt freshman Tommy Garza (Southgate, Mich./Anderson HS), freshman Rob Sulaver (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn HS), senior/junior Matt Thomas (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Central) junior/sophomore Jeremiah Tobias (Manchester, Mich./Manchester HS) and redshirt freshman Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS).
Climbing up the Charts
Senior captain A.J. Grant collected his 100th career victory with a 4-0 decision over Iowa's Luke Eustice in the quarterfinal round of the National Duals (Jan. 18), making him the 22nd member of Michigan's prestigious 100-win club. Since then, Grant has posted 10 more wins to improve his career record to 110-54, which puts him in the 14th spot on Michigan's all-time wins list, tied with two-time All-American Bill Lacure (110-40, 1994-98). Fifth-year senior captain Mike Kulczycki also ranks among Michigan all-time greats, sharing the 16th spot on the list with a career record of 108-36. He is tied with Fritz Lehrke (108-43-5, 1987-91) and Brian Harper (108-53-2, 1991-94).
Big Bonus
Michigan wrestlers proved their ability to dominate opponents this season with big wins from major decisions, technical falls and pins. In dual meets this season, 31 of the Wolverines' 93 wins came with bonus points (33.3 percent). In those meets, Michigan earned 12 falls, four technical falls and 15 major decisions. On the other side of the coin, U-M only allowed 28.9 percent (22/76) of its losses in dual meets to come with bonus points.
| Wrestler | Overall Pct | Dual Pct |
| A.J. Grant | .286 (8/28) | .333 (5/15) |
| Foley Dowd | .348 (8/23) | .250 (3/12) |
| Clark Forward | .167 (2/12) | .000 (0/7) |
| Ryan Churella | .286 (2/7) | .286 (2/7) |
| Ryan Bertin | .583 (7/12) | .444 (4/9) |
| Mike Kulczycki | .600 (3/5) | .600 (3/5) |
| Pat Owen | .714 (10/14) | .667 (4/6) |
| Willie Breyer | .222 (2/9) | .400 (2/5) |
| Kyle Smith | .444 (8/18) | .444 (4/9) |
| Greg Wagner | .333 (7/21) | .200 (2/10) |
Pinning Down the Competition
The Wolverines have earned 17.6 percent (45/256) of their total victories this season by fall and 12.9 percent (12/93) of their dual meet wins. But as of late, Michigan has been pinning opponents left and right, collecting five falls in its last three meets -- two from Foley Dowd, two from Pat Owen and one from Kyle Smith.
Falls Leaders
| 1. | Jeremiah Tobias | 10 |
| 2. | Pat Owen | 6 |
| 3. | Kyle Smith | 5 |
| 4. | Ryan Bertin | 3 |
| | Jason Chase | 3 |
| | Foley Dowd | 3 |
| | Chase Metcalf | 3 |
| | Greg Wagner | 3 |
The Fall Guy
Junior/sophomore Jeremiah Tobias doubled his season falls mark by collecting five pins at the Edinboro Open (Feb. 8). With his first-place finish at the open tournament, Tobias brings his career falls total to 42 in his brief time at Michigan. After posting 15 falls in his first season and a Michigan-record 17 falls last year, Tobias ranks fifth on Michigan's career falls list, only one fall shy of the fourth spot, held by John Fisher (1985-89).
| Season | Wins | Falls | Pct. |
| 2000-01 | 19 | 15 | .789 |
| 2001-02 | 24 | 17 | .708 |
| 2002-03 | 18 | 10 | .556 |
| Career | 61 | 42 | .689 |
NWCA Division I Coaches Poll (2/18/03)
Rank, Team Points Prev. 1. Oklahoma State (11) 275 1 2. Iowa 260 2 3. Lehigh 248 4 Minnesota 248 3 5. Cornell 214 6 6. MICHIGAN 209 9 7. Ohio State 204 5 8. Illinois 201 8 9. Michigan State 194 7 10. West Virginia 170 13 11. Northern Iowa 148 15 12. Penn State 138 12 13. Oklahoma 133 10 14. Arizona State 108 11 15. Boise State 102 18 16. Purdue 98 15 17. Missouri 94 13 18. Iowa State 91 19 19. Nebraska 85 17 20. Northern Illinois 77 24 21. Central Michigan 73 20 22. Pennsylvania 70 21 23. Fresno State 49 25 24. Cleveland State 24 NR 24. Wisconsin 24 22
Individual Rankings by Intermat and Amateur Wrestling News (3/4/03)
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Intermat | AWN |
| 125 | A.J. Grant | 4th | 4th |
| 133 | Foley Dowd | 6th | 5th |
| 141 | Clark Forward | NR | 19th |
| 149 | Ryan Churella | 17th | 12th |
| 157 | Ryan Bertin | 8th | 5th |
| 165 | Pat Owen | NR | 12th |
| 165 | Mike Kulczycki | 20th | NR |
| 197 | Kyle Smith | 13th | 13th |
| Hwt | Greg Wagner | 15th | 9th |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
