Michigan
NCAA Championships
Luke, Tannenbaum Earn Spots in NCAA Championship Bouts
3/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Site: St. Louis, Mo. (Scottrade Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 2)
U-M Standing: 6th Place of 74 Teams (61 Points) After Day 2
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 22 -- at NCAA Championships (St. Louis, Mo.)
Notes & Quotes
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Fifth-year senior Eric Tannenbaum(Naperville, Ill./North HS) and senior/junior Steve Luke(Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) advanced to the 165- and 174-pound finals, respectively, to headline the No. 3-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team's performance Friday (March 21) on the second day of competition at the 2008 NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center. With four U-M representatives securing All-America status, the Wolverines sit in sixth place with 61 points.
Tannenbaum and Luke will both make their collegiate debut atop the raised platform and give Michigan two NCAA finalists in a season for the first time in 14 years. U-M is one of four schools with multiple finalists.
Tannenbaum set the early tone against Cornell's fourth-seeded Mack Lewnes in the 165-pound semifinal round and controlled the bout from start to finish en route to a 4-0 decision. The Wolverine captain, the No. 1 seed, struck with a single leg about 40 seconds into the opening period, converting it on the mat for the only offensive points of the match. Tannenbaum rode out the remainder of the period -- accumulating 2:05 in time advantage -- and added a quick escape in the third to claim his 16th straight win. He will face Iowa's second-seeded Mark Perry in tomorrow's championship match, which will be a rematch of the Big Ten final.
Tannenbaum locked up his fourth All-America honor in the morning session, defeating Northern Iowa's eighth-seeded Moza Fay 7-4 in the quarterfinals. Tannenbaum scored a takedown in each period and accumulated 3:10 in riding time advantage to control the bout from start to finish.
Luke needed overtime to defeat third-seeded Brandon Browne of Nebraska in his semifinal, scoring on a single-leg shot 21 seconds into the extra frame to claim a 3-1 decision. Luke, seeded second, controlled a majority of the match's shots but could not finish on several single- and double-leg attempts. The wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods but nothing more to force the sudden-victory period. The decision was Luke's third overtime win of the season. Luke, who has won 15 straight matches, will face Pittsburgh's top-seeded Keith Gavin in the 174-pound NCAA championship match.
Luke earned his first trip to the semifinals and sealed up his second straight All-America citation with a 6-2 decision over Navy's seventh-seeded Matt Stolpinski in the morning quarterfinal round. Luke converted on two double legs in the first round and built up 2:08 in riding time -- most of which came in the opening frame -- to cruise to the victory.
Fifth-year senior Josh Churella(Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and senior/junior Tyrel Todd(Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) picked up several big wins in the wrestlebacks to move into the consolation semifinal round and secure All-America honors for the second straight year.
Churella, seeded fifth, rebounded from a 3-2 quarterfinal loss to Nebraska's fourth-seeded Jordan Burroughs -- decided on a first-period takedown -- with a pair of wins in the evening session. He earned a decisive 6-2 win over Ohio State's ninth-seeded Lance Palmer in his final bout of the day, scoring takedowns in the first and third periods and building 2:17 in riding-time advantage. Churella used a pair of double legs and a second-period reversal to earn a 7-6 victory over Oklahoma's Will Rowe in his first consolation match.
Todd, seeded third, initiated his trek through the wrestlebacks, rallying quite well after last night's second-round defeat with four wins -- two in each session -- to advance into the consolation semifinal. The Wolverine scored the only offensive points in both of his evening-session matches, using a first-period takedown and 2:35 in riding time to battle past Rider's Doug Umbehauer 4-1 and a second-period takedown to defeat 10th-seeded Kirk Smith of Boise State 3-2.
Todd earned bonus points in both of his morning consolation bouts, pinning Arizona State's ninth-seeded Brent Chriswell at the 4:37 mark and claiming a 13-3 major decision over 11th-seeded Rocco Caponi of Virginia. The Wolverine captain dominated the shortened match vs. Chriswell, scoring three takedowns -- two in the opening period -- before using a cradle for three back points and a near wrist, head scoop combination just seconds later for the fall. Todd nearly stacked up Caponi several times in his second wrestleback bout but had to settle for the major decision. He scored four takedowns, needing to fight for each on the mat, and late in the first period emerged from a scramble to put the Cavalier on his back for an additional three points.
Freshman Kellen Russell(High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy), seeded third at 141 pounds, was eliminated from the competition after suffering a pair of close losses, including a 7-6 decision to Tennessee Chattanooga's 10th-seeded Cody Cleveland in the evening's All-America round. Russell pushed the pace throughout the contest, but it was Cleveland who scored off his shots, earning takedowns late in the first and final periods to take the one-point victory. Russell lost earlier in the day to Ohio State's sixth-seeded J Jaggers, 5-3, in the quarterfinals. The wrestlers traded scoring opportunities throughout the bout, but Jaggers monopolized the offensive points with takedowns -- both coming out of extended scrambles on the mat -- in the first and third periods.
The Wolverines will return for the NCAA Championships fifth session at 10 a.m. CDT on Saturday (March 22) at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. The morning session will feature third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches. The finals will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN.
Top Teams (After Day 2)
1. Iowa 102 2. Ohio State 71 3. Iowa State 68 4. Penn State 63 5. Central Michigan 61.5 6. MICHIGAN 61 7. Nebraska 58 Oklahoma State 58 9. Cornell 57.5 10. Minnesota 56.5
Michigan Results (Day 2)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
141 pounds -- #3 Kellen Russell
Quarterfinals - dec. by #6 J Jaggers (Ohio State), 5-3
Consolations - dec. by #10 Cody Cleveland (Tennessee Chattanooga), 7-6
Eliminated with a 2-2 record
149 pounds -- #5 Josh Churella
Quarterfinals - dec. by #4 Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska), 3-2
Consolations - dec. Will Rowe (Oklahoma), 7-6
Consolations - dec. #9 Lance Palmer (Ohio State), 6-2
Consolations - vs. #7 Darrion Caldwell (North Carolina State)
165 pounds -- #1 Eric Tannenbaum
Quarterfinals - dec. #8 Moza Fay (Northern Iowa), 7-4
Semifinals - dec. #4 Mack Lewnes (Cornell), 4-0
Final - vs. #2 Mark Perry (Iowa)
174 pounds -- #2 Steve Luke
Quarterfinals - dec. #7 Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 6-2
Semifinals - dec. #3 Brandon Browne (Nebraska), 3-1 SV
Final - vs. #1 Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh)
184 pounds -- #3 Tyrel Todd
Consolations - pinned #9 Brent Chriswell (Arizona State), 4:37
Consolations - major dec. #11 Rocco Caponi (Virginia), 13-3
Consolations - dec. Doug Umbehauer (Rider), 4-1
Consolations - #10 Kirk Smith (Boise State), 3-2
Consolations - vs. #6 Raymond Jordan (Missouri)
Day 1 Results
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
