Michigan
NCAA Session II
Five Advance to NCAA Quarters; Two Others Still Alive
3/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team advanced five individuals to the quarterfinal round at the NCAA Championships on Thursday (March 17) as the Wolverines sit fifth (25.5 points) in the team standings after the first day of competition. With five wrestlers advancing in the championship bracket, the Wolverines tie Iowa State and Oklahoma for the second-most representatives in the quarterfinal round. Oklahoma State, which boasts eight, quarterfinalists, leads in the team race with 39.5 points.
Sophomore/freshman Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS), seeded third at 141 pounds, needed the round of tiebreakers to decide his second-session match against Rider's Don Fisch. With the score knotted at 8-8 at the end of the sudden-victory frame, Churella was ridden for the entire 30-second first tiebreaker and needed to do the same to to stay alive in the match. The Wolverine did one better, using a hip tilt to turn Fisch for a pair of back points and secure a 10-8 victory to advance. Churella had held the initial advantage behind a pair of takedowns early in the opening period, but Fisch responded with two takedowns of his own to steal the lead early in the second frame. Churella scored an escape and a reversal, but Fisch's 1:27 in riding time evened the score at the end of regulation.
Sophomore/freshman Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) used a balanced attack to cruise past Michigan State's 12th-seeded Darren McKnight 8-0 at 149 pounds. Tannenbaum, seeded fifth, scored a takedown in each frame and accumulated 2:56 in riding time to earn his third win of the season over the Spartan wrestler.
Just as they did in the first round, the Wolverine captains -- fifth-year senior Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) and senior/junior Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) -- tallied extra points for the Wolverines, scoring back-to-back major decisions at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. Bertin struck early against Pittsburgh's Matt Kocher, building an substantial early lead with a quick takedown and three-point near fall. The Wolverine added three more takedowns, including a pair in the third period, to roll to a 15-5 win.
Churella spent a vast majority of his second-round match against Oregon State's Matt Ellis in the top position, accumulating 5:13 in riding time behind four takedowns, two of which came in the third period. The Wolverine allowed Ellis just one escape in the 10-1 victory and extended his winning streak to 33 straight matches.
A single-leg takedown with just 10 seconds remaining in overtime earned senior/junior Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS), seeded fifth at heavyweight, his second win over Northwestern's 12th-seeded Dustin Fox in as many matches as the Wolverine broke a deadlocked score to squeeze past Fox 3-1. Wagner defeated the Wildcat wrestler 14-1 in the third-place match at the Big Ten Championships two weeks earlier.
After disappointing losses in the morning session, junior/sophomores Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) and Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) rebounded with dominant wins in the wrestlebacks to score important bonus points for Michigan at 125 and 174 pounds, respectively. With a narrow one-point advantage to start the second frame against Northern Illinois' Sam Hiatt, Moos scrambled from the bottom position to slide into a hip tilt, converting the five-point move with a reversal and three-point near fall. Just seconds later, Moos again pushed Hiatt to his back, using an arm bar to stick the fall at 3:36.
Roy used an explosive first period to gain momentum early in his bout against UC Davis' Ron Silva, scoring four takedowns and a pair of back points to hold a seven-point lead at the end of the opening frame. The Wolverine continued to roll with another three takedowns and a three-point near fall to end the match at the 5:11 mark with a 20-5 technical fall.
Sophomore Joshua Weitzel (Lincoln University, Pa./Oxford HS) was the lone Wolverine eliminated on the first day of competition after suffering his second loss of the tournament to Cleveland State's Ron Howard in the 184-pound wrestlebacks. Weitzel led early on after scoring a quick takedown and accumulating over two minutes of riding time in the first period. Momentum swung the other way when Howard rode the Wolverine for the entire middle frame and locked in a cradle midway through the third period to collect back points and earn a 5-2 decision.
The Wolverines return to the mat at 10 a.m. CST tomorrow (Friday, March 18) for the third session at the NCAA Championships at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Mo. The third session will feature quarterfinals and continued wrestleback competition with quarterfinal matches slated to air live on ESPNU.
Top 10 Teams (After Day 1)
1. Oklahoma State 39.5 2. Minnesota 28.5 3. Iowa State 27 4. Oklahoma 26.5 5. MICHIGAN 25.5 6. Cornell 23.5 Illinois 23.5 8. Iowa 20.5 9. Lehigh 17.5 10. Arizona State 17 Indiana 17
Michigan Results (Session II)
133 pounds -- Mark Moos
Consolation - pinned Sam Hiatt (Northern Illinois), 3:39
Consolation - vs. #12 Mario Galanakis (Iowa)
141 pounds -- #3 Josh Churella
Second Round - dec. Don Fisch (Rider), 10-8 TB
Quarterfinals - vs. #11 Michael Keefe (Tennessee-Chatanooga)
149 pounds -- #5 Eric Tannenbaum
Second Round - major dec. #12 Darren McKnight (Michigan State), 8-0
Quarterfinals - vs. #4 Matt Storniolo (Oklahoma)
157 pounds -- #2 Ryan Bertin
Second Round - major dec. Matt Kocher (Pittsburgh), 15-5
Quarterfinals - vs. #10 Brian Stith (Arizona State)
165 pounds -- #2 Ryan Churella
Second Round - major dec. Matt Ellis (Oregon State), 10-1
Quarterfinals - vs. #7 Jacob Klein (Nebraska)
174 pounds -- Nick Roy
Consolation - tech. fall Ron Silva (UC Davis), 20-5 (5:11)
Consolation - vs. #4 Jake Herbert (Northwestern)
184 pounds -- Joshua Weitzel
First Round - dec. by #7 Tyler Baier (Cornell), 3-0
Consolation - dec. by Ron Howard (Cleveland State), 5-2
Eliminated with an 0-2 record
Heavyweight -- #5 Greg Wagner
Second Round - dec. #12 Dustin Fox (Northwestern), 3-1 OT
Quarterfinals - vs. #4 Pat DeGain (Indiana)
Session I Results
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
