Michigan
Penn State
U-M Rallies Past PSU, Takes Seventh at National Duals
1/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team rallied to overcome an early 10-point deficit and claim seventh place on the second day of competition at the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals on Sunday (Jan. 23) with a 29-14 victory over No. 21 Penn State. It was a case of deja vu for the Wolverines as senior/juniors Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) registered falls at 165 pounds and heavyweight, respectively, to lead U-M past the Nittany Lions for the second consecutive weekend.
With the team score knotted at 10-10 at the dual's midway point, Churella put the Wolverines ahead for good with a fall against Jarrad Turner at the 1:06 mark. After gaining immediate control with a quick takedown, Churella applied a crossface turk to work the Nittany Lion wrestler to his back. When Turner tried to roll, Churella caught him to collect the pin and extend his winning streak to 21 matches.
The fall came in the midst of six straight U-M wins as sophomore/freshman Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) commenced the Wolverine comeback with a 6-1 decision over 13th-ranked DeWitt Driscoll at 141 pounds. Churella took the lead early and never trailed in the bout, scoring a first-period takedown and adding a reversal and another takedown in the third.
Fifth-year senior Jeremiah Tobias (Manchester, Mich./Manchester HS) claimed his second dual-meet victory of the season with an 8-0 major decision over the Nittany Lions' Jack Decker. Tobias built a substanial lead in the opening period, taking control with an early takedown and three-point near fall. After a scoreless second frame, Tobias added a reversal in the third and accumulated 2:50 in riding time.
Fifth-year senior captain Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edwards HS) posted an 11-7 decision over 12th-ranked Nathan Galloway at 157 pounds to register a perfect 5-0 mark in front of his hometown crowd at the National Duals. Bertin scored two takedowns, a reversal and three second-period back points while accumulating more than three minutes in riding time to improve his record to 17-0 this season. With his weekend performance, the Wolverine captain broke into the top 10 on Michigan's all-time wins list with a career mark of 128-20.
After a scoreless first period at 174 pounds, junior/sophomore Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) rallied late with a pair of takedowns and a two-point near fall in the second half of the bout en route to a 7-2 decision over James Yonushonis. Sophomore Joshua Weitzel (Lincoln University, Pa./Oxford HS) tallied his first win of the tournament with a dominant 11-0 shutout against Chad Unger at 184 pounds. Weitzel controlled throughout the bout, scoring points in each period with a takedown, two reversals and five back points to earn the bonus points necessary to seal the Wolverines' team victory.
After Penn State's 12th-ranked Phil Davis earned a 13-0 major decision at 197 pounds, Wagner capped the Wolverines' performance in similar fashion to last weekend's Big Ten opener, using a high leg turk to pin C.J. Wonstettler at 2:23 and tack on six additional points to the final U-M score.
The Maize and Blue will hit the road next weekend for a pair of Big Ten Conference dual meets. U-M squares off against Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., on Friday (Jan. 28) at 7 p.m. CST at the UW Field House before taking on Minnesota on Sunday (Jan. 30) at 1 p.m. CST at the Gophers' Sports Pavillon in Minneapolis, Minn.
#4 Michigan 29, #21 Penn State 14
(Individual rankings from Amateur Wrestling News)
| 125 -- Adam Smith (PSU) won by forfeit | PSU, 6-0 |
| 133 -- Bryan Heller (PSU) major dec. Craig Gillison, 14-6 | PSU, 10-0 |
| 141 -- #6 Josh Churella (U-M) dec. #13 DeWitt Driscoll, 6-1 | PSU, 10-3 |
| 149 -- Jeremiah Tobias (U-M) major dec. Jack Decker, 8-0 | PSU, 10-7 |
| 157 -- #4 Ryan Bertin (U-M) dec. #12 Nathan Galloway, 11-7 | Tie, 10-10 |
| 165 -- #2 Ryan Churella (U-M) pinned Jarrad Turner, 1:06 | U-M, 16-10 |
| 174 -- #12 Nick Roy (U-M) dec. James Yonushonis, 7-2 | U-M, 19-10 |
| 184 -- Joshua Weitzel (U-M) major dec. Chad Unger, 11-0 | U-M, 23-10 |
| 197 -- #12 Phil Davis (PSU) major dec. Steve Helenkiak, 13-0 | U-M, 23-14 |
| Hwt -- #2 Greg Wagner (U-M) pinned C.J. Wonsettler, 2:23 | U-M, 29-14 |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
