Michigan
Body Bar Invitational
Trio of Champs Pace Wolverines to Second at Body Bar
11/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Site: Ithaca, N.Y. (Newman Arena)
Event: Body Bar Invitational
U-M Finish: 2nd Place of 10 Teams (114 Points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Dec. 1 -- Cliff Keen Invitational (Primm, Nev.)
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Led by three individual champions, the No. 7-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team claimed second place in its return to the Body Bar Invitational on Saturday (Nov. 18) at Cornell's Newman Arena. The Wolverines (114 points) finished one point behind team winner and host Cornell.
Senior/junior Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) and junior/sophomores Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) and Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) each tallied perfect records to capture the individual crowns at 165, 174 and 184 pounds, respectively, while U-M boasted six finalists and nine total placewinners.
Ranked as the top seed at 184 pounds, Todd dominated the competition with back-to-back first-period pins in the preliminary rounds before scoring a 10-2 major decision over Army's Kent State's Eric Chine in the championship bout. Todd boasted four takedowns, including two in the first period, and accumulated nearly three minutes of riding time to claim his first tournament crown in two years.
In his first tournament action since bumping up to 165 pounds, Tannenbaum continued to roll through the competition, posting a perfect 3-0 mark to capture the individual title -- his first tournament crown in two years. Tannenbaum, the No. 1 seed, outscored the competition 26-8, tallying a pair of lopsided victories before squeezing past Cornell's Steve Anceravage 3-2 in the final. The Wolverine used a first-period takedown and held in to claim the victory and push his season mark to an undefeated 4-0.
Luke remained perfect on the season with four straight wins en route to the 174-pound title, his second individual crown in three weeks after claiming the top prize at the EMU Open in his first action of the season. Top-seeded Luke picked up a major decision in the preliminary round and battled to three straight decision wins, including a 6-4 overtime victory against Pittsburgh's second-seeded Keith Gavin in the final. Luke rallied from an early deficit to force the match into extra time and used a double-leg takedown to end it.
Michigan also recorded a runner-up performances by senior/juniors Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) and junior/sophomore Casey White (Commerce, Mich./Walled Lake Central HS). All three Wolverines suffered decision losses in the championship round.
Top-seeded Churella compiled a 3-1 mark against the 149-pound field with all three wins earning extra points. The Wolverine junior tallied a fall and two major decisions, including a dominant 14-3 win over Sacred Heart's fifth-seeded Chris Davis, before narrowly falling to No. 2 seed Jordan Leed of Cornell.
Marsh, seeded fourth at 157 pounds, also scored a pair of bonus victories in the preliminary rounds and hung a 6-3 upset on Pittsburgh's Matt Kocher, ranked fourth in the nation by the NWCA, in the semifinals before suffering an 8-2 loss by Drexel's third-seeded Ryan Hluschak. White, the third seed, cruised into the 197-pound final after outscoring the opposition 21-2, including an 8-2 upset against second-seeded Hudson Taylor of Maryland. He fell 5-1 against Cornell's top-seeded Jerry Rinaldi in the final.
The Wolverines placed multiple wrestlers at a pair of weight classes as fifth-year seniors Rob Sulaver (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn HS) and Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) earned top-five finishes at 157 and 197 pounds, respectively, with a combined 8-3 record. Roy, unseeded in the tournament after bumping up to 197 just last weekend, posted a 4-1 record against seeded competition, including a 6-4 decision against Maryland's Taylor in the consolation final.
The Wolverines will continue early-season action in two weeks at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-2, in Primm, Nev. Competition is slated to begin with pigtail rounds on Friday at 9 a.m. PST at the Star of the Desert Arena. U-M returns to the prestigious tournament as the two-time defending team champion.
Final Team Standings
1. Cornell 115 2. MICHIGAN 114 3. Pittsburgh 98.5 4. Kent State 83.5 5. Army 83 6. Maryland 71 7. Drexel 61.5 8. Old Dominion 52 9. Sacred Heart 45 10. Ithaca 21
Michigan Results
125 pounds - #2 Mark Moos
First Round - tech. fall Jon Neafsey (Drexel), 16-1 (3:30)
Quarterfinals - dec. by Jimmy Conroy (Pittsburgh), 13-10
Consolations - dec. Jusstin Seifried (Ithaca), 15-10
Consolations - dec. James Knox (Maryland), 9-4
Consolations - dec. by #1 Steve Mytych (Drexel), 9-4
Finished sixth with a 3-2 record
133 pounds - Chris Diehl
First Round - dec. by #2 Matt Kyler (Army), 6-4
Consolations - major dec. John Paxos (Ithaca), 12-1
Consolations - major dec. Chad Winowich (Ithaca), 10-2
Consolations - dec. by #4 Adam Koballa (Old Dominion), 5-3
Eliminated with a 2-2 record
141 pounds - Brad Cusumano
Pigtail Round - tech. fall Mike Powers (Sacred Heart), 19-3 (7:00)
First Round - pinned by Alex Kron (Maryland), 6:17
Consolations - dec. by #4 Cam Watkins (Old Dominion), 7-3
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
149 pounds - #1 Josh Churella
First Round - pinned Dave Kapetanovich (Pittsburgh), 2:02
Quarterfinals - major dec. Kaylen Baxter (Old Dominion), 9-0
Semifinals - major dec. #5 Chris Davis (Sacred Heart), 14-3
Finals - dec. by #2 Jordan Leen (Cornell), 3-1
Finished second with a 3-1 record
157 pounds - #4 Jeff Marsh
First Round - major dec. Dan Gieb (Army), 11-0
Quarterfinals - major dec. #5 David Post (Cornell), 14-4
Semifinals - dec. #1 Matt Kocher (Pittsburgh), 6-3
Finals - dec. by #3 Ryan Hluschak (Drexel), 8-2
Finished second with a 3-1 record
157 pounds - Rob Sulaver
First Round - dec. by #2 Chris Brown (Old Dominion), 8-6
Consolations - dec. John Basting (Cornell), 5-1
Consolations - dec. #5 David Post (Cornell), 7-4
Consolations - major dec. Mike McGill (Maryland), 15-1
Consolations - pinned by #2 Chris Brown (Old Dominion), 5:50
Fifth Place - dec. Chriss Grill (Army), 11-5
Finished fifth with a 4-2 record
165 pounds - #1 Eric Tannenbaum
First Round - Bye
Quarterfinals - major dec. Joe Whalen (Kent State), 14-4
Semifinals - dec. #5 Sherwood Fendryk (Sacred Heart), 9-2
Finals - dec. #2 Steve Anceravage (Cornell), 3-2
Finished as the 165-pound champion with a 3-0 record
174 pounds - #1 Steve Luke
First Round - major dec. Brent Smith (Army), 15-3
Quarterfinals - dec. Kyle Deliere (Pittsburgh), 6-2
Semifinals - dec. #4 Aaron Miller (Kent State), 7-3
Finals - dec. #2 Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh), 6-4 SV
Finished as the 174-pound champion with a 4-0 record
184 pounds - #1 Tyrel Todd
First Round - Bye
Quarterfinals - pinned Justin Terbune (Drexel), 0:35
Semifinals - pinned #4 Scott Fergurson (Army), 1:46
Finals - major dec. Eric Chine (Kent State), 10-2
Finished as the 184-pound champion with a 3-0 record
197 pounds - #3 Casey White
First Round - major dec. A.J. Hunt (Pittsburgh), 11-0
Quarterfinals - dec. #6 Conner Sanders (Army), 2-0
Semifinals - dec. #2 Hudson Taylor (Maryland), 8-2
Finals - dec. by #1 Jerry Rinaldi (Cornell), 5-1
Finished second with a 3-1 record
197 pounds - Nick Roy
First Round - dec. #5 Ardian Ramadani (Kent State), 12-10
Quarterfinals - dec. #4 Jon Oplinger (Drexel), 5-3
Semifinals - dec. by #1 Jerry Rinaldi (Cornell), 2-1
Consolations - pinned #5 Ardian Ramadani (Kent State), 4:32
Third Place - dec. #2 Hudson Taylor (Maryland), 6-4
Finished third with a 4-1 record
Heavyweight - Omar Maktabi
First Round - dec. by John Price (Maryland), 4-2
Consolations - dec. by Jason Manross (Cornell), 5-1
Eliminated with an 0-2 record
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
