2005-06 WRM vs Michigan State -- Notes & Quotes
1/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
N O T E S
With the win, the Wolverines improved to 60-33-5 in the all-time series against Michigan State. U-M has won seven of the last eight matchups.
The win earned Michigan a full point in the Challenge Cup competition. The Wolverines now lead the winter session by a 2.5-1.5 margin and need just a half point to retain the cup for the eighth straight session.
Fifth-year senior Ryan Churella's win gave him sole possesion of the 20th spot among Michigan's all-time wins leaders. The Wolverine captain improved his career mark to 107-34 and needs just one move win to move into 18th on the list, currently shared by Fritz Lehrke (108, 1987-91) and Brian Harper (108, 1991-94).
Former Wolverine great Dave Porter was in attendance at today's dual meet. Porter was a two-time NCAA champion and holds the U-M record for career winning percentage (.944).
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Joe McFarland
On Mark Moos' pin at 133 pounds ... "Michigan State started out strong; everyone knows how good Nick Simmons is. So Mark's pin was a nice counter to their pin at 125. It got us in motion; it kept us back up. He is so dangerous when he can wrestle the whole time; he can do some great things. He's really working hard in the practice room. He's had a couple great weeks of training. He's doing all the right things right now."
On Casey White's win ... "Casey wasn't feeling so good out there. He's been bumped and bruised up a little bit. My hat really goes off to him. He stayed tough when he needed to and came out with a great win for us at 197. The crowd loved that one, because it just showed a lot of grit. Seeing him fight through an injury and come out with a great win, that says a lot about him."
On the sellout crowd ... "We had a great crowd; we had to turn people away. It was a great dual meet. Every time you get Michigan and Michigan State together, there's a lot of emotions. There's no love lost between the two programs. Both teams are very competitive, so we're excited about getting the win. I love the Blue Crew. They get on the other team; they get on the official. That's what you call homecourt advantage. They're having fun with it, and hopefully it just continues to grow and grow."
On preparing for the upcoming Big Ten schedule ... "It was a nice weekend for us. We're going to break things down and just take them week by week. We've got a good next weekend down in Champaign. That's going to be a tough one for us. We'll see how these guys feel this week, and we'll be ready."
On 125-pounder Michael Watts ... "Michael Watts has not had an easy match all season. He beat the kid from Hofstra, who was ranked 20th, and everybody else has been ranked higher than that. I feel for him; he's definitely getting a taste of college wrestling pretty quickly. He's staying upbeat and positive; he's that kind of guy. Every match is a new match. That's what he needs to understand, and I think he does."
U-M Junior/Sophomore Josh Churella
On his match against fourth-ranked Andy Simmons ... "When I wrestled him last year, I wrestled a little timid even though I won 2-1. I needed to open up. I couldn't get my shot going in the first period. There were a couple flurries, but neither of us could score. Last year, I got ridden out by him, but I wanted to go down, because I wanted to get up. He actually caught me in a little half. I didn't even know I got near-falled. I got up and took him down, and I think that was probably the turning point in the match. I rode him out, and then he took down, and I rode him out again."
On his big weekend ... "I was a little flustered after the Lehigh match. I had a couple close matches at the National Duals, matches that I let stay close. I knew I needed to open up a little more. I knew I had these two big matches coming up, so we had a really good week of practice. That really prepared the whole team."
On staying focused through the Big Ten season ... "We just can't take anyone lightly and try to stay tough every match. We want to keep doing everything every week that we do in the prior weeks. If you win out, you get the good seed, which helps a little bit at Big Tens."
U-M Sophomore/Freshman Casey White
On his win ... "You get a lot of adrenaline going during the match. It feels pretty good right now, but I'll probably feel it tomorrow. Adrenaline can really get you through a lot of things. I was just thinking whoever scored last wins the match, so I kept pushing hard, kept working for those points and didn't give up. It feels good to come out here and get a win, especially in front of such a big crowd. My whole family was here, so it was a lot of fun. Our fans were great. We've got a new fan section, and we've got a lot of people over here cheering. It's exciting, and it gets you pumped up for the match."
On the grind of the season ... "It's important to remember that everyone else is in the same position. Wrestling season is almost six months long, and it's a long season for everyone. Everyone is going to get banged up. You just have to make sure that you're doing the right stuff to keep your body fresh and keep your sanity. You have to make sure that you're having fun too."
Players Mentioned
