Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Churella Claims Big Ten Title; Seven Qualify for NCAAs
3/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Junior/sophomore Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) captured the 149-pound individual title as the No. 3 University of Michigan wrestling team recorded a fourth-place finish (96 points) at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (March 7). Iowa claimed the team title with 129.5 points. Seven Wolverines qualified for the NCAA Championships by placing in the top seven in their respective weight classes.
| | Churella upheld his No. 1 seed with three convincing wins and the title at 149. |
Fifth-year senior captain Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School) suffered his first loss of the season in the 133-pound championship bout, falling to Illinois' Mark Jayne 5-4. Dowd held the initial lead in the match, scoring a takedown late in the first period and holding Jayne without the escape. The Illini wrestler scored takedowns in each of the final two periods to steal the lead, and he held off a near-takedown by Dowd late in the match to claim the title.
In a rematch of last season's NCAA 157-pound championship bout, senior/junior captain Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) could not recover from an early deficit against top-seeded Alex Tirapelle on Illinois, falling 6-0 to claim second place. Tirapelle used a scramble late in the first period to convert a takedown and three-point near fall for a quick five points at the buzzer. After collecting an escape early in the second frame, the Illini wrestler held Bertin scoreless through the remainder of the match.
Fifth-year senior Pat Owen (Polson, Mont./Polson HS) earned his best career finish at the conference tournament, claiming third place with a 7-2 victory over Illinois' Ben Hay in the deciding bout. After Owen broke a scoreless tie with an early second-period escape, a scramble late in the frame produced two points for the Wolverine, giving him a 3-0 lead heading into the third period. After giving up a quick reversal, the Wolverine captain added another takedown midway through the third and accumulated 1:06 in riding time for the victory.
In the consolation semifinals, Owen dominated Wisconsin's fifth-seeded Kelly Flaherty, scoring points in each period en route to a 12-3 victory. Owen controlled the match from the opening whistle, scoring his first takedown just seconds in and adding a three-point near fall while riding the Badger for the remainder of the period. Owen collected two more takedowns and a reversal in the second period to pick up the major decision and additional team point.
Sophomore/freshman heavyweight Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) finished fourth after suffering a 9-2 loss to Minnesota's fourth-seeded Cole Konrad. After a scoreless first period, Konrad struck late in the bout, scoring a takedown in the closing seconds of the middle frame and adding another takedown and three-point near fall in the third. In the consolation semifinals, Wagner's 2:12 in riding time proved the difference in his 10-9 victory over eighth-seeded Israel Blevins from Purdue. Wagner had built an early lead with three takedowns in the opening two periods before Blevins battled back to tie the score with eight points in the third period.
Sophomore/freshman Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) claimed sixth place at 125 pounds with a forfeit against Minnesota's Bobbe Lowe. Moos was bumped into the fifth-place match after falling to Illinois' third-seeded Kyle Ott in a 8-2 loss in the consolation semifinals. Moos trailed early in the match after getting taken down twice in the first period and could only score a pair of escapes.
Sophomore/freshman Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) rounded out the Wolverines' seven NCAA qualifiers, earning a seventh-place finish at 174 pounds with a 9-6 decision over Penn State's James Yonushonis in the deciding bout. Squaring off against the Nittany Lion for the second time in the tournament, Roy scored a takedown in each period and accumulated 1:05 in riding time to earn his first trip to the NCAA Championships.
The Wolverines will have a two-week hiatus to prepare for the NCAA Championships, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday (March 18-20) in St. Louis, Mo.
Final Team Standings
1. Iowa 129.5 2. Minnesota 124.5 3. Illinois 98.5 4. MICHIGAN 96 5. Penn State 90 6. Purdue 89 7. Wisconsin 85 8. Ohio State 74 9. Indiana 53.5 10. Michigan State 36 11. Northwestern 33.5
Michigan Results (Day 2)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
#5 Mark Moos (125)
Consolations - dec. by #3 Kyle Ott (Illinois), 8-2
Fifth Place - forfeited to #6 Bobbe Lowe (Minnesota)
Finished 6th with an 3-2 record
#1 Foley Dowd (133)
Finals - dec. by #3 Mark Jayne (Illinois), 5-4
Finished 2nd with an 2-1 record
#1 Ryan Churella (149)
Finals - dec. #3 Matt Storniolo (Penn State), 5-0
Finished as the 149-pound champion with a 3-0 record
#2 Ryan Bertin (157)
Finals - dec. by #1 Alex Tirapelle (Illinois), 6-0
Finished 2nd with an 2-1 record
#2 Pat Owen (165)
Consolations - major dec. #5 Kelly Flaherty (Wisconsin), 12-3
Third Place - dec. #7 Ben Hay (Illinois), 7-2
Finished 3rd with a 4-2 record
#7 Nick Roy (174)
Seventh Place - dec. James Yonushonis (Penn State), 9-6
Finished 7th with a 3-2 record
#2 Greg Wagner (Hwt)
Consolations - dec. #8 Israel Blevins (Purdue), 10-9
Third Place - dec. by #4 Cole Konrad (Minnesota), 9-2
Finished 4th with a 3-2 record
Day 1 Results
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Joe McFarland
On Michigan's performance ... "I'm disappointed that we let this tournament slip away. We were sitting well going into today, but we didn't win those matches that we needed to win. We weren't tough enough when we needed to be. We're sending seven guys to the NCAA Championships. We'll need to regroup this week and look ahead to that."
On sophomore Ryan Churella ... "Ryan had a great tournament; he wrestled hard in all of his matches. He never stopped attacking, and that's why he was able to accomplish what he did. I'm really proud of the way he competed."
Junior/Sophomore Ryan Churella
On winning the 149-pound title ... "This really means a lot to me. I've worked so hard in the weight room, and this weekend shows that it pays off. I took third last year and to win it all this season is a big step heading into the NCAAs. Right now, I'm feeling as good as I have all year. I have a lot of confidence coming out of this weekend, and I'm looking forward to competing at the NCAA tournament."
On the team race ... "Coming into this tournament we thought we had a really good chance to win, but it didn't work out that way. It's disappointing because of all the hard work we have put in this season. Now we just need to focus on nationals."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
