Michigan
NCAA Championships
Churella, Bertin Charge into Semifinal Round at NCAAs
3/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Junior/sophomore Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and senior/junior Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) guaranteed themselves All-America honors by winning their respective quarterfinal matches to advance the semifinal round at the NCAA Championships on Friday (March 19). The Wolverines sit in 10th place (35.5 points) after the third session, only nine points out of third.
Churella, seeded fourth at 149 pounds, controlled his quarterfinal bout against Lock Haven's 12th-seeded Mike Maney from start to finish as the Wolverine earned a 5-1 victory to advance to the semifinals. Churella took the early lead just 30 seconds into the bout with a takedown on the edge of the mat. Churella rode Maney for the rest of the period to collect riding-time advantage. After earning his escape in the second frame, Churella scored another takedown midway through the final period to seal up the victory.
Bertin, the defending NCAA 157-pound champion, avenged one of his two losses during the regular season, defeating Oklahoma State's fifth-seeded Johny Hendricks 7-4 in the quarterfinals. Bertin, seeded third, shot in on a double-leg just seconds after the opening whistle, lifting Hendricks and dropping him to the mat to collect the early advantage. The Wolverine added a second takedown late in the period to lead 4-2 after the opening frame. After getting ridden for most of the second period, Bertin collected his escape late in the frame and immediatley turned to convert another single-leg takedown.
The Wolverines lost three close quarterfinal matches as fifth-year seniors Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School) and Pat Owen (Polson, Mont./Polson HS) and junior/sophomore Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) lost by a combined seven points to drop into the consolation bracket.
Dowd, seeded fourth, could not find a way to score against Iowa State's fifth-seeded Zach Roberson in the 133-pound quarterfinal round, falling to the Cyclone wrestler 3-1. After a scoreless opening period, Dowd gained the initial advantage with a quick escape to start the second frame. Roberson scored on a scramble later in the period to take the only lead he would need, adding an escape in the final period to lead the Wolverine to the consolation bracket.
Owen struggled to escape from the down position in his 3-0 loss to Minnesota's fourth-seeded Jacob Volkmann at 165 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Owen was ridden out for the entire second frame to give the Gopher wrestler a full two minutes of riding time. Owen started the third period on top and rode Volkmann for the first half of the frame but at the midway point gave up a reversal and was ridden for the remainder of the bout.
Wagner went to sudden-victory overtime against third-seeded Matt Feast from Pennsylvania after exchanging just a pair of escapes during regulation. Wagner, seeded sixth, fought off a near-takedown in the closing seconds of the third period to send the match into the extra frame. However, midway through the overtime, Feast converted a double-leg takedown to put Wagner on the mat and send the Wolverine to the wrestlebacks.
The Wolverines will return to the mat at 6 p.m. CST tonight (Friday, March 19) at the NCAA Championships at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Mo. The fourth session will feature semifinal matches and continued wrestleback competition. The ESPN-syndicated telecast of tonight's action will be carried on Comcast Cable channel 8 in the Ann Arbor area starting at 7 p.m. EST.
Top 10 Teams (after Session 3)
1. Oklahoma State 61 2. Iowa 55 3. Nebraska 44.5 Oklahoma 44.5 5. Illinois 42 6. Cornell 37.5 Lehigh 37.5 Minnesota 37.5 9. Iowa State 36 10. MICHIGAN 35.5
Michigan Results (Session 3)
#4 Foley Dowd (133)
Quarterfinals - dec. by #5 Zach Roberson (Iowa State), 3-1
Consolations - vs. Derek Moore (UC-Davis)
#4 Ryan Churella (149)
Quarterfinals - dec. #12 Mike Maney (Lock Haven), 5-1
Semifinals - vs. #1 Jesse Jantzen (Harvard)
#3 Ryan Bertin (157)
Quarterfinals - dec. #6 Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State), 7-4
Semifinals - vs. #2 Matt Gentry (Stanford)
#5 Pat Owen (165)
Quarterfinals - dec. by #4 Jacob Volkmann (Minnesota), 3-0
Consolations - vs. #11 Tim Foley (Virginia)
Nick Roy (174)
Consolations - dec. by Tyler Baier (Cornell), 9-2
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
#6 Greg Wagner (Hwt)
Quarterfinals - dec. by #3 Matt Feast (Pennsylvania), 3-1 SV
Consolations - vs. #7 Israel Blevins (Purdue)
Previous Results: Session 1 | Session 2
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
