Michigan
NCAA Session I
Michigan Advances Five into Second Round at NCAAs
3/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Without any major surprises, the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team picked up five wins in the first session of the NCAA Championships on Thursday (March 17) at the Savvis Center, sending those bout winners to the second round. The Wolverines have an additional three competitors alive in the consolation bracket as U-M hangs to a ninth-place tie (12 points) in the tournament's early stages.
The Wolverines' redshirt freshmen -- Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) -- each tallied decision victories in their NCAA Championships debuts at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. Churella, seeded third, struck early and used a balanced attack to control throughout his bout against Maryland's Charlie Pinto, scoring a takedown in each frame and accumulating 4:00 in riding time en route to an 8-1 decision. Tannenbaum, the fifth seed at 149 pounds, used similar strategy to edge past Nebraska's Travis Shufelt -- a 2004 NCAA All-American -- by a narrow 6-4 margin, scoring a takedown in each period while holding the Husker wrestler to four escapes. Despite the close score, Tannenbaum dominated throughout the bout but just could not convert on four quality single-leg opportunities.
Fifth-year senior Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS), seeded second at 157 pounds, earned a couple bonus points for the Wolverines, using a leg turk late in the first period against Slippery Rock's Cory Mancuso to collect just his third fall of the season. Bertin dominated throughout the frame, taking the immediate advantage with a takedowns and three-point near fall. After allowing the escape, Bertin regained control with another double-leg takedown, putting Mancuso straight to his back for the fall at 2:23.
The Wolverines' second co-captain -- senior/junior Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) -- also picked up an extra point with an 11-0 first-round major decision over Wyoming's Gary Dack at 165 pounds. Churella, seeded second, held a 3-0 advantage after two periods but displayed difficulty pulling away from Dack in the middle frame, needing just over a full minute to earn his escape. With the Cowboy wrestler choosing the top position to begin the final period, Churella had an easier time coming up, scoring a reversal after just a few ticks before adding five back points late in the match for the shutout victory.
Senior/junior heavyweight Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) dominated on top in the third period, twice turning Cleveland State's Joe Dennis for six back points and the 12-1 major decision. Wagner, seeded fifth, held the advantage from early on, scoring takedowns in the first and second periods while accumulating 3:12 in riding time.
A trio of Wolverines suffered close first-round losses in the morning session and face a tough road back in the wrestlebacks. Trailing 8-4 late in the third period, junior/sophomore 133-pounder Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) struck in the closing seconds of the bout to nearly pull off the first-round upset against Edinboro's second-seeded Shawn Bunch, but riding time proved the difference in the 9-8 Fighting Scot victory. After giving up a pair of first-period takedowns and another early in the final frame, Moos used a scramble with just 10 seconds remaining to roll Bunch through to his back, earning a takedown and two-point near fall to knot the score at eight points apiece. The Wolverine needed three back points, however, but time ran out, and Bunch's 2:12 in riding time gave the Fighting Scot wrestler the final advantage.
Junior/sophomore Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) was outmatched against Oklahoma's 10th-seeded E.K. Waldhaus in the first round, dropping a 6-1 decision to fall into the 174-pound consolation bracket. Waldhaus controlled throughout the match, scoring takedowns late in the both the first and third periods while accumulating 2:28 in riding time. At 184 pounds, sophomore Joshua Weitzel (Lincoln University, Pa./Oxford HS) battled Cornell's seventh-seeded Tyler Baier through six scoreless minutes before giving up an escape midway through the third period to give the Big Red wrestler the only advantage he would need. Baier added a takedown in the closing moments of the frame to earn the final 3-0 decision.
U-M will return to the mat at 6:30 p.m. CST tonight (Thursday, March 17) for the second session of the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo. The evening session will feature second-round matches as well as two rounds of the consolation bracket. All bouts are held at the Savvis Center.
Team Standings (After Session 1)
1. Oklahoma State 23.5 2. Minnesota 23 3. Cornell 18 4. Illinois 16 Iowa 16 Iowa State 16 7. Northwestern 13 8. Lehigh 12.5 9. MICHIGAN 12 Hofstra 12 Indiana 12 Oklahoma 12
Michigan Results (Session 1)
133 pounds -- Mark Moos
First Round - dec. by #2 Shawn Bunch (Edinboro), 9-8
Consolation - vs. Sam Hiatt (Nortern Illinois)
141 pounds -- #3 Josh Churella
First Round - dec. Charlie Pinto (Maryland), 8-1
Second Round - vs. Don Fisch (Rider)
149 pounds -- #5 Eric Tannenbaum
First Round - dec. Travis Shufelt (Nebraska), 6-4
Second Round - vs. #12 Darren McKnight (Michigan State)
157 pounds -- #2 Ryan Bertin
First Round - pinned Cory Mancuso (Slippery Rock), 2:23
Second Round - vs. Matt Kocher (Pittsburgh)
165 pounds -- #2 Ryan Churella
First Round - major dec. Gary Dack (Wyoming), 11-0
Second Round - vs. Matt Ellis (Oregon State)
174 pounds -- Nick Roy
First Round - dec. by #10 E.K. Waldhaus (Oklahoma), 6-1
Consolation - vs. Ron Silva (UC Davis)
184 pounds -- Joshua Weitzel
First Round - dec. by #7 Tyler Baier (Cornell), 3-0
Consolation - vs. Ron Howard (Cleveland State)
Heavyweight -- #5 Greg Wagner
First Round - major dec. Joe Dennis (Cleveland State), 12-1
Second Round - vs. #12 Dustin Fox (Northwestern)
N O T E S
The Wolverines have a part in two of seven brother combinations at the NCAA Championships with teammates Josh and Ryan Churella as well as junior/sophomore Nick Roy and older sibling Andrew Roy of Rutgers. Had Nick won his first-round match, he would have squared off against his brother in the second round.
At the 2003 NCAA Championships -- when Ryan Bertin captured the 157-pound championships -- he earned a first-round fall against Sacred Heart's Rob Belville, pinning the opposing wrestler at the 2:01 mark. Bertin only has 17 falls in his five-year collegiate career.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
