Michigan
NCAA Session III
Three Wolverines Advance to Semifinals at NCAA Meet
3/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The middle weights paced the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team during the third session of the NCAA Championships on Friday (March 18) as sophomore/freshman Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS), fifth-year senior Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) and senior/junior Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich/Novi HS) earned victories to advance into the semifinal round. U-M holds a share of the third spot -- tied with Minnesota -- in the team standings (47.5 points) after the morning session.
The Wolverines have locked up three All-America honors as all U-M semifinalists are guaranteed to finish no worse that sixth. Michigan has another pair of competitors alive in the wrestlebacks; they will need to win one more consolation bout to ensure themselves an All-America plaque. It marks the eighth consecutive year that Michigan has boasted at least three All-Americans.
Tannenbaum fought off several third-period shots by Oklahoma's fourth-seeded Matt Storniolo to hang on for a 4-3 upset in the quarterfinals, avenging one of only three losses during the regular season. Scoring was limited to the second frame as Storniolo gained the brief advantage with an escape to open the period, but Tannenbaum came roaring back with a pair of single-leg takedowns -- while holding the Sooner to just two more escapes -- to steal away the one-point advantage lead.
A takedown in the first period gave Bertin the advantage he would need to squeeze past Arizona State's 10th-seeded Brian Stith 4-2 at 157 pounds. After a pair of escapes by Stith, the score was knotted at two points apiece heading into the final frame. The Wolverine captain, seeded second, quickly earned his escape to pull ahead for good and added 1:12 in riding time to seal the victory and advance to the semifinals for the third straight year.
Churella cruised to an 8-0 victory -- his third major decision of the tournament -- over Nebraska's seventh-seeded Jacob Klein in the quarterfinal round to make his second straight trip to the NCAA semifinals. Churella collected a takedown in each period to control throughout the match and accumulated 2:12 in riding time, claiming his 34th consecutive victory to match former Wolverine Snip Nalen (1952-54) for the second-longest winning streak in U-M history.
The Wolverines' first upset of the tournament came at 141 pounds, where Tennessee-Chatanooga's 12th-seeded Michael Keefe knocked third-seeded sophomore/freshman Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) into the consolation bracket with a narrow 6-5 decision. After a scoreless first period, the Wolverine wrestler took control with a quick escape and takedown to hold a two-point advantage heading into the final frame. Keefe rallied late in the match, scoring two takedowns in the period, including one in the waning seconds, to counteract Churella's 1:18 in riding time and pull out the one-point win. It was only Churella's second loss of the season.
Senior/junior heavyweight Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) also suffered a narrow quarterfinal loss, falling 4-2 to Indiana's fourth-seeded Pat DeGain. A second-period takedown proved the deciding factor in the match as DeGain added 1:18 in riding time to post his second win of the postseason over the fifth-seeded Wolverine wrestler.
Michigan lost a pair of competitors in the consolation bracket as junior/sophomores Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) and Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) were eliminated following their second losses of the tournament. At 133 pounds, Iowa's 12th-seeded Mario Galanakis controlled the bout against Moos early with a takedown midway through the opening frame and added two more points in the second behind an escape and a second stalling call on the Wolverine. A takedown in the closing seconds of the match was not enough for Moos as the Hawkeye earned a final point for riding time and collected the 5-2 decision. Northwestern's fourth-seeded Jake Herbert proved too much for Roy at 174 pounds as the Wildcat wrestler controlled the entire bout before ending early with a pin at 4:56.
Next up for the Maize and Blue will be the fourth session of the NCAA Championships, slated to begin at 6 p.m. CST tonight (Friday, March 18) in St. Louis, Mo. The evening round will feature all semifinal matches as well as continued wrestleback competition; the semifinals will be televised live on ESPNU.
Top 10 Teams (After Session III)
1. Oklahoma State 78.5 2. Cornell 55.5 3. MICHIGAN 47.5 Minnesota 47.5 5. Illinois 46.5 6. Oklahoma 43.5 7. Iowa State 42 8. Iowa 36 9. Indiana 33 10. Lehigh 32
Michigan Results (Session III)
133 pounds -- Mark Moos
Consolation - dec. by #12 Mario Galanakis (Iowa), 5-2
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
141 pounds -- #3 Josh Churella
Quarterfinals - dec. by #11 Michael Keefe (Tennessee-Chatanooga), 6-5
Consolation - vs. Juan Mora (Cal State Fullerton)
149 pounds -- #5 Eric Tannenbaum
Quarterfinals - dec. #4 Matt Storniolo (Oklahoma), 4-3
Semifinals - vs. #1 Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State)
157 pounds -- #2 Ryan Bertin
Quarterfinals - dec. #10 Brian Stith (Arizona State), 4-2
Semifinals - vs. #6 Trent Paulson (Iowa State)
165 pounds -- #2 Ryan Churella
Quarterfinals - major dec. #7 Jacob Klein (Nebraska), 8-0
Semifinals - vs. #3 Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State)
174 pounds -- Nick Roy
Consolation - pinned by #4 Jake Herbert (Northwestern), 4:56
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
Heavyweight -- #5 Greg Wagner
Quarterfinals - dec. by #4 Pat DeGain (Indiana), 4-2
Consolations - vs. Jake Hager (Oklahoma)
Previous Results: Session I | Session II
N O T E S
Fifth-year senior Ryan Bertin becomes just the fifth Wolverine to earn four career NCAA All-America citations, joining Jarrett Hubbard (1971-74), Mark Churella (1976-79), Joe McFarland (1981-85) and John Fisher (1985-89).
Sophomore/freshman Eric Tannenbaum is one of only three freshman wrestlers to advance into the semifinals. Minnesota's Mack Reiter (133) and Iowa's Mark Perry (165) are the other two.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
