2003-04 WRM at NCAA Championships -- Notes & Quotes
3/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
N O T E S
This season's 10th-place finish marks the fourth consecutive season in which the Wolverines have registered a top-10 showing at the NCAA Championships under head coach Joe McFarland. Michigan has not posted a streak of that caliber since notching four top-10 finishes between 1976-79.
With Foley Dowd, Ryan Churella, Ryan Bertin and Greg Wagner all placing among the top eight in their respective weight classes, the Wolverines have boasted at least three All-Americans each of the past seven season. The greatest number of U-M All-Americans in one season is six, at the 1965 NCAA Championships.
Junior Ryan Bertin earned his third All-America citation with his third-place showing at 157 pounds, adding to his sixth- and first-place finishes in his previous two seasons. Bertin becomes the 11th three-time All-American in Michigan wrestling history. Only four U-M wrestlers were four-time All-Americans.
Earning the first All-America citation of his career, sophomore Ryan Churella joins his father, four-time All-American Mark Churella, as the third father/son combination to garner the distinction in Michigan wrestling history. Jesse Rawls Sr. (1969-70) and Jesse Rawls Jr. (1994, '96) were both two-time All-Americans as well as Dan Brink (1974-75) and Matt Brink (1999-2002).
Fifth-year seniors Foley Dowd and Pat Owen each reached 100 career victories at the NCAA Championships. Dowd defeated Drexel's Joe Cristaldi 13-4 in the first round and finished his career with a 103-31 record, while Owen collected a 12-0 major decision against Eastern Michigan's J.J. Holmes in the second round to bring his career record to 100-39.
With a 5-1 record at the NCAA Championships, junior Ryan Bertin brought his career mark to 111-20 in just three seasons in the Maize and Blue singlet. Bertin now ranks 14th on Michigan's all-time wins list, five wins shy of two-time All-American A.J. Grant in the 13th spot.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Joe McFarland
On the team's performance ... "We've had a great season. I'm really proud of the way all seven guys competed this weekend. We pulled out a top-10 finish here this weekend. We would have liked to do a little better, but we came out with four All-Americans -- three of them will be returning next year. We're already looking forward to next season."
Sophomore 149-Pounder Ryan Churella
On finishing third at 149 pounds ... "I'm excited to be an All-American; that is a big honor. Nothing compares to winning an NCAA title; that's what everyone here trains for, but I'm proud of the way I fought back in the consolation bracket after losing a tough match last night. Overall, I feel really good about my performance."
Sophomore Heavyweight Greg Wagner
On his earning All-America honors ... "It's great to be an All-American. I think I wrestled pretty well here this weekend. I could have done better, but I think I learned a lot that I can build on."
On the team finish ... "We didn't have a bad tournament at all, it was just that several other teams had great tournaments. Overall, I think we're proud of our individual efforts. A few guys didn't do as well as they had expected, but sometimes you just have bad draws or bad days. Sometimes there's nothing you can do about it; this is just a tough place for that happen."
Players Mentioned
