Four Wolverines Advance to NCAA Quarterfinal Round

Thursday, March 15

Auburn Hills, Mich.

Michigan

NCAA Championships

3/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team advanced four individuals into the quarterfinal round at the 2007 NCAA Championships Thursday (March 15) at The Palace of Auburn Hills. With another U-M wrestler also alive in the wrestlebacks, the Wolverines sit tied for 16th place (14 points) after the first day of competition. Minnesota leads the team race with 34 points.

Senior/juniors Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS), junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) and fifth-year senior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) all posted perfect 2-0 records to advance to the quarterfinal round.

The Wolverine captains set the early tone with first-day bonus wins. Churella dominated his first-round contest against Cal Bakersfield's Brandon Doyle, scoring eight takedowns en route to a 19-10 major decision. The Wolverine captain initiated a game of catch and release in the third period, scoring four takedowns with a series of single legs to secure the bonus point. In the evening session, Churella needed just a single takedown -- scored in the opening period -- to push past Cleveland State's Ryan Hurley 3-2.

Tannenbaum -- seeded third at 165 pounds -- also made little work of his opening-day competition, cruising past Andrew Rendos of Bucknell 12-4 in the second round after beating Virginia Tech's Eric Decker 9-3 in the morning round. Tannenbaum connected on five takedowns in his evening match against Decker, scoring the final one in the waning moments of the third period to secure the bonus point. In the opening round, Tannenbaum contained his scoring to the first period, earning three takedowns while building up 1:41 in riding time advantage.

Todd -- seeded fourth -- controlled his second-round bout against Lehigh's David Craig, scoring takedowns in the first and second periods to claim a 6-2 decision. Todd struck quickly with a go-behind in the opening frame and scored on a single soon after his second-period escape. The Wolverine allowed just two escapes while accumulating 2:20 in riding time. Todd put on a takedown clinic in the first round, using a combination of leg sweeps and double legs to score eight times en route to a 20-7 major decision over Tennessee Chattanooga's Josh Edmondson.

Roy earned a pair of 8-3 decisions on the day, defeating Bucknell's Eric Lapotsky in the morning session before battling past Cal State Bakersfield's Brandon Halsey -- who had upset top-seeded Max Askren of Missouri earlier in the day -- in the second round. In the latter contest, Roy took control early, converting a takedown on the edge of the mat just inside the opening whistle. After a quick escape, Roy added two single legs in the second, including one at the buzzer, and earned an additional point for a Halsey technical violation in the third to round out the commanding performance.

Junior/sophomore Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) rebounded in the evening wrestlebacks after his upset loss in the first round, earning a 2-1 decision against UNC Greensboro's Joseph Lowe on the strength of a second-period takedown. The Wolverine, seeded third, shot deep on several single and double-leg attempts but finished only on a single midway through the middle frame to claim the only lead he would need. Luke lost by the same margin in the morning round, falling 2-1 to Oklahoma State's unseeded Brandon Mason on riding time. The wrestlers traded points in the final period, as Mason earned an escape and Luke got one after two OSU stalling calls; but the Cowboy wrestler's two minutes of riding time from the second frame held up as give him the upset victory.

The Wolverines will return for the NCAA Championships' third session Friday (March 16) at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. The morning session begins at 10 a.m. EST, and will feature quarterfinal matches and continued wrestleback competition.

Team Standings (After Day 1)

 1. Minnesota 34 2. Missouri 29.5 3. Iowa State 27.5 4. Penn State 24 5. Iowa 20 6. Cornell 19 7. Oklahoma State 18 8. Edinboro 17.5 9. Penn State 17 Northwestern 17 -------------------------------- 16. MICHIGAN 14 Nebraska 14 Tennessee-Chattanooga 14

Michigan Results (Session II)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings

149 pounds -- #3 Josh Churella
First Round - major dec. Brandon Doyle (Cal State Bakersfield), 19-10
Second Round - dec. Ryan Hurley (Cleveland State), 3-2
Quarterfinals - vs. #6 J.P. O'Connor (Harvard)

165 pounds -- #3 Eric Tannenbaum
First Round - dec. Eric Decker (Virginia Tech), 9-3
Second Round - major dec. Andrew Rendos (Bucknell), 12-4
Quarterfinals - #6 Mike Patrovich (Hofstra)

174 pounds -- #3 Steve Luke
First Round - dec. by Brandon Mason (Oklahoma State), 2-1
Consolation - dec. Joseph Lowe (UNC Greensboro), 2-1
Consolation - Nick Hayes (Northwestern)

184 pounds -- #4 Tyrel Todd
First Round - major dec. Josh Edmondson (Tennessee Chattanooga), 20-7
Second Round - dec. David Craig (Lehigh), 6-2
Quarterfinals - vs. #5 Raymond Jordan (Missouri)

197 pounds -- Nick Roy
First Round - dec. Eric Lapotsky (Bucknell), 8-3
Second Round - dec. Brandon Halsey (Cal State Bakersfield), 8-3
Quarterfinals - vs. #9 Kurt Backes (Iowa State)