Michigan
NCAA Championships
Todd, Luke Advance to Quarterfinals at NCAA Championships
3/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Site: St. Louis, Mo. (Scottrade Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 1)
U-M Standing: T-23rd Place of 76 Teams (11 Points) After Day One
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat., March 20-21 -- at NCAA Championships (St. Louis, Mo.)
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team advanced fifth-year senior captains Steve Luke(Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) and Tyrel Todd(Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) into the quarterfinal round at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively, at the 2009 NCAA Championships on Thursday (March 19) at Scottrade Center. With another two U-M wrestlers also alive in the wrestlebacks, the Wolverines sit tied for 23rd place (11 points) after the first day of competition. Iowa and Iowa State share the team lead with 33 points.
Luke, the top seed at 174 pounds, cruised to pair of shutout victories on the opening day of action, rolling past Luke Rebertus of Navy, 6-0, in the second round after beating Franklin & Marshall's Justin Herbert, 11-0, in the morning round. Luke connected on an immediate single leg and used a two-point suck back to pick up the early lead against Rebertus, adding a third-period escape and 2:40 in riding-time advantage to seal his 29th consecutive win. In the opening round, the Wolverine captain scored a takedown in each period and used another suck back to add three points in the first. His takedown midway through the final frame and 6:22 in riding-time advantage locked up the bonus point.
Todd, seeded fourth at 197 pounds, battled to his wins, using a late takedown to eke out a 3-1 decision against Oklahoma's Eric Lapotsky in the second round after claiming an 8-4 decision against South Dakota State's Tyler Sorenson earlier in the day. Lapotsky owned the bulk of the shots in the later bout, shooting in several single legs but never came near scoring off any opportunity. With the score knotted at one apiece late in the contest and both wrestlers appearing physically exhausted, Todd countered an Oklahoma shot and came around to convert the winning takedown with just 25 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Wolverine captain built an early against Sorenson in his earlier contest, using an ankle pick and the subsequent scramble to gain the initial edge. Todd added single legs in the second and third periods and, despite giving up a late reversal, added 2:20 in riding-time advantage to claim the win.
In an opening day that featured upsets all over the board, no weight class was more affected than 141 pounds, where three of the top four seeds all went down in the opening two rounds -- among them top-seeded sophomore Kellen Russell(High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy), who fell to Illinois' Ryan Prater via second-period pin in his second match of the day. Up by one after a quick escape in the second frame, Russell was driving through a single leg on the edge when Prater scrambled to collect the defensive fall at the 4:00 mark.
The Wolverine sophomore picked up bonus points in the morning session, using a combination of takedowns and turns to claim a dominant 13-1 major decision over UNC Greensboro's Christopher Bencivenga. After a scoreless first period, Russell struck with a single leg before going to work on top, twice tilting the Spartan wrestler for five back points. The Wolverine sophomore added two more takedowns in the third and accumulated 1:35 in riding time to ice his first match of the tournament.
After suffering an early first-round loss, junior/sophomore Aaron Hynes(Mt. Morris, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) rebounded in the wrestlebacks, winning a 14-12 decision over NC State's Kody Hamrah to stay alive in the tournament. After the Wolfpack wrestler gained the first advantage on an early takedown, Hynes surged away, using a pair of reversals and six back points to build a six-point edge after the opening frame. Hamrah followed suit in the second with a takedown and back points of his own before adding a reversal in the third to ride off Hynes' time advantage, but the Wolverine sophomore kept pace, scoring on a third-period single leg to seal the win.
The Wolverines lost three wrestlers on the first day as senior Michael Watts(Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS),sophomore/freshman Justin Zeerip(Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) and junior/sophomore Anthony Biondo(Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) were all eliminated after suffering a pair of losses.
The Wolverines continue action tomorrow for day two of the NCAA Championships. Things kick off at 10 a.m. CDT with the quarterfinal round and wrestlebacks, while semifinals and wrestlebacks begin session four at 6 p.m. CDT
Team Standings (After Day 1)
1. Iowa 33.0 Iowa State 33.0 3. Ohio State 30.0 4. Nebraska 24.0 5. Edinboro 22.5 6. Boise State 22.0 7. Illinois 20.5 8. Hofstra 20.0 9. Cornell 18.5 10. Missouri 18.0 Penn State 18.0 23. MICHIGAN 11.0 Maryland 11.0 Minnesota 11.0
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
125 - Michael Watts
First Round -- pinned by #2 Troy Nickerson (Cornell), 5:51
Consolations -- dec. by Brendan Byrne (Maryland), 5-1
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
141 - #1 Kellen Russell
First Round -- major dec. Christopher Bencivenga (UNC Greensboro), 13-1
Second Round -- pinned by Ryan Prater (Illinois), 4:00
Consolations -- vs. Keith Sulzer (Northwestern)
157 - Aaron Hynes
First Round -- dec. by Thomas Scotton (North Carolina), 6-1
Consolations -- dec. Kody Hamrah (North Carolina State), 14-12
Consolations -- vs. #8 Adam Hall (Boise State)
165 - Justin Zeerip
Pigtail Round -- dec. by #10 Chris Brown (Old Dominion), 4-0
Consolations -- dec. by #9 Brandon Mason (Oklahoma State), 3-0
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
174 - #1 Steve Luke
First Round -- major dec. Justin Herbert (Franklin & Marshall), 11-0
Second Round -- dec. Luke Rebertus (Navy), 6-0
Quarterfinals -- vs. #8 Christopher Henrich (Virginia)
184 - Anthony Biondo
First Round -- major dec. by #10 Louis Caputo (Harvard), 13-4
Consolations -- dec. by Mikal McKee (UNC Greensboro), 11-4
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
197 - #4 Tyrel Todd
First Round -- dec. Tyler Sorenson (South Dakota State), 8-4
Second Round -- dec. Eric Lapotsky (Oklahoma), 3-1
Quarterfinals -- vs. Jon Oplinger (Drexel)
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
