Churella Advances to 149-Pound Title Match at NCAAs

Friday, March 16

Auburn Hills, Mich.

Michigan

NCAA Championships

3/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Senior/junior Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) advanced to the 149-pound final to headline the No. 15-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team's performance Friday (March 16) on the second day of competition at the 2007 NCAA Championships at the Palace of Auburn Hills. With all five U-M representatives securing All-America status, the Wolverines sit in sixth place with 55.5 points.

Churella will face Edinboro's Gregor Gillespie in the 149-pound title match.

The Maize and Blue will have a Churella in the finals for the second consecutive season as Josh, the youngest of the reknown wrestling family, battled to a 5-2 decision over Ohio State's 10th-seeded Lance Palmer in the semifinals. The Wolverine captain struck first with a deep single-leg shot late in the first period and, after allowing a quick escape, shot in deep on another single off the restart but could not finish before the buzzer. The wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods before Churella locked up the win with a double leg in the waning moments of the match. He will face Edinboro's fifth-seeded Gregor Gillespie, who upset top-seeded Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota in the other semifinal, in tomorrow's final.

Churella cruised through his morning quarterfinal bout, scoring in each period to claim an 8-5 decision over Harvard's sixth-seeded J.P. O'Connor. After failing to convert a pair of early shots, the Wolverine tallied a pair of takedowns in the final minute of the first period -- both double legs -- to initiate his control. O'Connor rode Churella for more than a minute in the second period, but the U-M captain caught him out of position midway through the frame to scramble for a reversal before adding another double leg in the third to earn his first career trip to the semifinals.

Junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) fell short in his semifinal bout against Northwestern's top-seeded Jake Herbert as the Wildcat wrestler controlled the action for a 13-4 major decision. Herbert scored takedowns in each period and added a second-period reversal and two back points in the first.

In the morning quarterfinal round, Todd built up an early lead in his match against Missouri's fifth-seeded Raymond Jordan and held on to lock up a 7-4 decision and his first career NCAA All-America citation. Todd took an immediate advantage, countering a quick single leg with a front headlock and shooting off the headlock to score on the edge of the mat. The Wolverine cut Jordan loose after building up more than a minute of riding time and scored again with a single leg in the closing minute of the frame. The wrestlers traded quick escapes in the second and third periods, and Jordan cut the difference early in the final frame with a quick takedown. Todd, however, earned his escape and, with 2:16 in riding time, added another point at match's end to claim the victory.

Junior/sophomore Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) and fifth-year senior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) battled back through the consolation bracket to also secure their first career All-America citations, while senior/junior Eric Tannenbaum (Northville, Ill./North HS) netted his third in as many years.

Tannenbaum and Roy both rebounded in the wrestlebacks after close losses in the morning quarterfinals. Tannenbaum earned back-to-back consolation wins, defeating Illinois' Roger Smith-Bergsrud 2-0 behind an escape and riding time and ending the day with a 7-4 decision over Edinboro's seventh-seeded Deonte Penn. Tannenbaum scored on a four-point move just second into the first period, shooting in on a single and, after the ensuing scramble, putting Penn on his back for two more points. The Wolverine scored a late double leg to pad his lead and held on despite a late Penn takedown.

Roy, in his third and final appearance at the NCAA Championships, registered an electrifying win in his first consolation match, defeating Central Michigan's 10th-seeded Wynn Michalak 4-2 in the tiebreaker. The wrestlers traded escapes in regulation and again in the tiebreaker, but Roy, with just seconds left in the second 30-second frame, attacked while wrapped up in a front headlock, reaching across to pick Michalak's knee and score the winning takedown with just two seconds remaining on the clock. Roy lost his next bout, a 2-1 decision on riding time, to Cornell's fifth-seeded Jerry Rinaldi and will wrestle for seventh place.

Luke kept rolling through the wrestlebacks after his first-round upset, picking up four wins to earn a spot in tomorrow's consolation semifinals. After taking a pair of close overtime decisions in the morning session and a win by injury default to ensure his All-America honor, Luke closed out the busy day with a 3-2 decision over Central Michigan's seventh-seeded Brandon Sinnott. The Wolverine connected on an early blast double to secure the lead for good midway through the opening frame. Each wrestler earned his escape point as Luke held on to claim his fifth straight win in the tournament.

The Wolverines will return for the NCAA Championships fifth session at 10 a.m. on Saturday (March 17) at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. The morning session will feature third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches. The finals will kick off at 8 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN.

Top 10 Teams (After Day 2)

 1. Iowa State 83.5 2. Minnesota 80 3. Missouri 69.5 4. Oklahoma State 62.5 5. Northwestern 62 6. MICHIGAN 55.5 7. Penn State 50 8. Iowa 48.5 9. Hofstra 48 10. Ohio State 46.5

Michigan Results (Day 2)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings

149 pounds -- #3 Josh Churella
Quarterfinals - dec. #6 J.P. O'Connor (Harvard), 8-5
Semifinals - dec. #10 Lance Palmer (Ohio State), 5-2
Championship - vs. #5 Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro)

165 pounds -- #3 Eric Tannenbaum
Quarterfinals - dec. by #6 Mike Patrovich (Hofstra), 2-1
Consolation - dec. Roger Smith-Bergsrud (Illinois), 2-0
Consolation - dec. #7 Deonte Penn (Edinboro), 7-4
Consolation Semifinal - vs. #4 Travis Paulson (Iowa State)

174 pounds -- #3 Steve Luke
Consolation - dec. Nick Hayes (Northwestern), 3-1 SV
Consolation - dec. Gabriel Dretsch (Minnesota), 2-1 TB
Consolation - injury def. #10 Matt Herrington (Penn), 5:50
Consolation - dec. #7 Brandon Sinnott (Central Michigan), 3-2
Consolation Semifinal - vs. #5 Eric Luedke (Iowa)

184 pounds -- #4 Tyrel Todd
Quarterfinals - dec. #5 Raymond Jordan (Missouri), 7-4
Semifinals - major dec. by #1 Jake Herbert (Northwestern), 13-4
Consolation Semifinal - vs. #7 Alex Clemsen (Edinboro)

197 pounds -- Nick Roy
Quarterfinals - dec. by #9 Kurt Backes (Iowa State), 5-3
Consolation - dec. #10 Wynn Michalak (Central Michigan), 4-2 TB
Consolation - dec. by #5 Jerry Rinaldi (Cornell), 2-1
Seventh Place Match - vs. #3 Mike Tamillow (Northwestern)