Michigan
Cornell
Wolverines Eliminated from National Duals with 1-2 Mark
1/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Event: NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals
Score: #3 Cornell 23, #17 Michigan 9; #17 Michigan 29, #21 Northern Iowa 10; #14 Penn State 21, #17 Michigan 18
Records: U-M (4-5), Cornell (3-0), Northern Iowa (4-4), Penn State (7-6)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 24 -- vs. Binghamton (Cliff Keen Arena), 2 p.m.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team took an early exit from the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Saturday (Jan. 10) after posting a 1-2 opening-day record at the UNI Dome. The Wolverines earned a decisive 29-10 victory over host No. 21 Northern Iowa in the middle match but started and ended the day with defeats, falling to No. 3 Cornell (23-9) and No. 14 Penn State (21-18).
Despite rallying from a 12-point halftime deficit to even the score with one match remaining in the final competition of the day against Penn State, Michigan could not quite complete the comeback against the Nittany Lions as PSU heavyweight Stefan Tighe used a first-period penalty to edge junior/sophomore Eddie Phillips(Woodland, Mich./Lakewood HS) 2-1 in the final bout and knock the Wolverines from the event. The wrestlers traded shots and escape points, but the deciding point came midway through the opening frame when Phillips was called for unnecessary roughness. The Wolverine shot deep on a single leg in the third but could not finish as the wrestlers went out of bounds.
The Wolverines were in good position to win after similar first-period falls by fifth-year senior captains Steve Luke(Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) and Tyrel Todd(Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively. Top-ranked Luke struck immediately, converting on a high crotch to down Micah Bollinger before using a suck back to pull Bollinger to his back and end the match at 1:36, picking up his four pin of the season and matching his career high in the category. Todd, ranked fourth nationally, also claimed his fourth fall of the year, sticking the Nittany Lions' J.R. Brown with a nearside wrist-head scoop combination at 1:52.
Michigan came up short in the marquee match sandwiched by the two pins as junior/sophomore Anthony Biondo(Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS), ranked 11th at 184 pounds, lost a tie-break heartbreaker to the Nittany Lions' Quentin Wright. The two wrestlers traded points throughout the match. Biondo gained the early lead off a first-period double, but Wright, ranked 14th at 174 pounds, immediately reversed the position. Biondo used a pair of escapes to stay ahead, but Wright took his first lead on a third-period takedown and, despite Biondo's quick escape, used riding-time advantage to even the score and force overtime. After a scoreless sudden-victory frame, Biondo picked up a quick escape in the first 30-second tiebreaker to hold the edge. He rode Wright for most of the second go, but off a restart, the Nittany Lion wrestler scrambled for a reversal with just six seconds remaining on the clock.
Sophomore Kellen Russell(High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) and sophomore/freshman Justin Zeerip(Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) earned the Wolverines' other two individual wins against Penn State -- the latter initiating his team's comeback with a decision victory at 165 pounds. Zeerip hung onto an early advantage to claim a 4-2 decision against Mark Friend and earn his second dual win of the season. The Wolverine rookie scored on a single-leg attempt in the opening frame and rode out the period to gain significant time advantage. Friend countered a U-M shot in the third to cut the gap, but Zeerip got an escape and added a point at match's end for his 1:44 riding time.
Russell needed extra time to defeat Frank Molinaro at 141 pounds but converted on the match's lone takedown late in the sudden-victory frame to seal a 3-1 decision and extend his winning streak to nine matches. After the two wrestlers traded escapes and little else during regulation, Russell took control in overtime, shooting deep on a double leg and finishing with a single on the edge of the mat with just 12 seconds remaining on the clock.
Immediately preceding their dual with Penn State, the Wolverines claimed 7-of-10 bouts against the Panthers in the first round of consolations, earning bonus points in four contests.
Biondo picked up a first-period fall against 13th-ranked Alex Dolly at 184 pounds, using the splits to end the bout at 2:34. The Wolverines took the early lead out of a scramble, initiating the flurry on the mat with a single-leg shot before wrapping up Dolly's legs when the Panther wrestler tried to kick free. On a restart late in the period, Biondo split his opponent's legs, flipping him to his back for a quick-pin call.
Luke also added six points to the Wolverines' team score in the preceding match at 174 pounds, claiming the match via injury default when UNI's Jarion Beets threw in the towel at the 4:07 mark. Luke held a 10-4 edge at the time after converting on five takedowns, but the latter two paid an extraordinary toll on Beets as the wrestlers' heads cracked together when Luke finished through a pair of single legs. The Panther wrestler called for injury time after the first instance, but when it happened again just moments after the restart, he decided to end the contest.
Senior Michael Watts(Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) kicked off the match with a strong 11-2 effort against Cruse Aarhus at 125 pounds. The Wolverine senior, ranked 11th nationally, secured three takedowns, including two in the opening frame, and used a Peterson Roll to add five points late in the seconds to wrap up his first major-decision win of the year.
Junior/sophomore Mark Beaudry(Pueblo, Colo./South HS) and sophomore/freshman Dave Johnson(Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS) each picked up his first collegiate dual win on the same day they made their dual debut at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively. Beaudry won big over Jamal Lawrence, scoring a quick five points off a first-period cradle before adding a pair of takedowns in the third en route to an 11-3 major decision. Johnson sacrificed an early lead against Trevor Kittman, who scored two first-period takedowns, but the U-M wrestler finished in overtime, converting on a double leg just 12 seconds in to claim an 8-6 decision.
Michigan never led against the Big Red in the morning session's first round of duals and managed only three individual wins as Russell, Luke and Phillips claimed narrow decision victories. Russell used a double-leg takedown along the edge of the mat late in the first period to gain the edge against Cory Manson and, despite getting hit with a pair of stalling calls, controlled the pace throughout to hold on for a 3-2 win.
Luke took the reverse approach, converting on a takedown in the waning moments of his 174-pound bout against third-ranked Steve Anceravage to knock off the Big Red wrestler, 4-3. Luke sacrificed his first takedown of the season, a single leg, midway through the opening period and, after kicking Anceravage loose in the third, trailed by a point when he blew through a double leg in the final 25 seconds and rode out the period to remain perfect on the season. He concluded the day with a 15-0 season mark.
Michigan's other senior captain, Tyrel Todd, suffered his first loss of the year at 197 pounds, falling to Cornell's 17th-ranked Cam Simaz, 3-2, on a third-period single-leg takedown. Todd rebounded with back-to-back wins to improve to 8-1 on the season.
Phillips upset 13th-ranked Zach Hammond in the final bout of the contest, using a second-period escape and 1:56 in riding time to defeat the Cornell heavyweight, 2-0. Phillips rode out the entirety of the third period to claim his second dual win of the season.
The Wolverines (3-4) will take a two-week hiatus before returning to the mat against Binghamton and Virginia Tech on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan will face Binghamton at 2 p.m. before squaring off against the Hokies at 4 p.m. The two visiting teams will kick off the afternoon with a neutral-site meeting slated for noon.
#3 Cornell 23, #17 Michigan 9
Individual rankings from NWCA/InterMat
| 125 -- Troy Nickerson (Cornell) dec. #11 Michael Watts, 7-0 | Cornell, 3-0 |
| 133 -- #17 Mike Grey (Cornell) major dec. Zac Stevens, 12-2 | Cornell, 7-0 |
| 141 -- #4 Kellen Russell (U-M) dec. Corey Manson, 5-2 | Cornell, 7-3 |
| 149 -- D.J. Meagher (Cornell) dec. Mark Beaudry, 7-4 | Cornell, 10-3 |
| 157 -- #4 Jordan Leen (Cornell) major dec. Aaron Hynes, 8-0 | Cornell, 14-3 |
| 165 -- #1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) dec. Justin Zeerip, 5-1 | Cornell,17-3 |
| 174 -- #1 Steve Luke (U-M) dec. #3 Steve Anceravage, 4-3 | Cornell, 17-6 |
| 184 -- #17 Justin Kerber (Cornell) dec. #11 Anthony Biondo, 7-3 | Cornell, 20-6 |
| 197 -- #17 Cam Simaz (Cornell) dec. #4 Tyrel Todd, 3-2 | Cornell, 23-6 |
| Hwt -- Eddie Phillips (U-M) dec. #13 Zach Hammond, 2-0 | Cornell, 23-9 |
#17 Michigan 29, #21 Northern Iowa 10
Individual rankings from NWCA/InterMat
| 125 -- #11 Michael Watts (U-M) major dec. Cruse Aarhus, 11-2 | U-M, 4-0 |
| 133 -- Josh Baldridge (UNI) dec. Zac Stevens, 8-4 | U-M, 4-3 |
| 141 -- #4 Kellen Russell (U-M) dec. Trent Washington, 4-2 | U-M, 7-3 |
| 149 -- Mark Beaudry (U-M) major dec. Jamal Lawrence, 11-3 | U-M, 11-3 |
| 157 -- Dave Johnson (U-M) dec. Trevor Kittleson, 8-6 SV | U-M, 14-3 |
| 165 -- #2 Moza Fay (UNI) major dec. Justin Zeerip, 10-1 | U-M, 14-7 |
| 174 -- #1 Steve Luke (U-M) injury def. Jarion Beets, 4:07 | U-M, 20-7 |
| 184 -- #11 Anthony Biondo (U-M) pinned #13 Alex Dolly, 2:34 | U-M, 26-7 |
| 197 -- #4 Tyrel Todd (U-M) dec. #14 Andrew Anderson, 6-0 | U-M, 29-7 |
| 285 -- #20 Christian Brantley (UNI) dec. Eddie Phillips, 3-1 SV | U-M, 29-10 |
#14 Penn State 21, #17 Michigan 18
Individual rankings from NWCA/InterMat
| 125 -- Brad Pataky (PSU) dec. #11 Michael Watts, 7-5 | PSU, 3-0 |
| 133 -- #12 Jake Strayer (PSU) dec. Zac Stevens, 13-7 | PSU, 6-0 |
| 141 -- #4 Kellen Russell (U-M) dec. Frank Molinaro, 3-1 SV | PSU, 6-3 |
| 149 -- #2 Bubba Jenkins (PSU) tech. fall Mark Beaudry, 19-4 (6:58) | PSU, 11-3 |
| 157 -- #8 Dan Vallimont (PSU) major dec. Dave Johnson, 14-6 | PSU, 15-3 |
| 165 -- Justin Zeerip (U-M) dec. Mark Friend, 4-2 | PSU, 15-6 |
| 174 -- #1 Steve Luke (U-M) pinned Micah Bollinger, 1:36 | PSU, 15-12 |
| 184 -- #14 Quentin Wright (PSU) dec. #11 Anthony Biondo, 7-6 TB | PSU, 18-12 |
| 197 -- #4 Tyrel Todd (U-M) pinned JR Brown, 1:52 | Tie, 18-18 |
| Hwt -- Stefan Tighe (PSU) dec. Eddie Phillips, 2-1 | PSU, 21-18 |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
