Michigan
NCAA Championships
Luke Secures Spot in 174-pound Final at NCAA Championships
3/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Site: St. Louis, Mo. (Scottrade Center)
Event: NCAA Wrestling Championships (Day 2)
U-M Standing: 12th Place of 76 Teams (38.5 Points) After Day Two
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 21 -- at NCAA Championships (St. Louis, Mo.)
Notes & Quotes
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Fifth-year senior Steve Luke(Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) advanced to the 174-pound final to headline the University of Michigan wrestling team's performance on Friday (March 20) on the second day of competition at the 2009 NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center. With three U-M representatives securing All-America status, the Wolverines sit in 12th place with 38.5 points.
Luke will head to the finals for the second consecutive season after using the first round of tiebreakers to battle to a 4-2 decision over Missouri's fifth-seeded Raymond Jordan in the semifinals. After the wrestlers traded escapes and little else through seven minutes of regulation action, Jordan took the first shot of significance early in the sudden-victory period, striking deep on a single leg. Luke spent much of the frame fighting off the shot, which he did successfully, eventually scooting out on the edge of the match. The Wolverine captain picked up a quick escape in the first of two 30-second tiebreakers and immediately shot in on a low double, converting the takedown on the edge to gain the advantage. He padded his lead when Jordan cut him loose in the subsequent 30-second go and stayed on the attack with another single shot while staving off a few late lockups. He will face Central Michigan's seventh-seeded Mike Miller, who upset third-seeded Brandon Browne of Nebraska in the other semifinal, in tomorrow's final.
Luke used a busy second period to pile on the points and roll to a 9-4 decision against Virginia's eighth-seeded Chris Henrich in the quarterfinal round. After fighting off a couple early single shots, Luke went on the attack himself, using an explosive double leg late to gain the early advantage. Starting on top in the second, the Wolverine captain sucked Henrich back for a quick two-count before giving up the escape. Luke immediately shot in again to score on the edge and added another on the edge, pulling the single leg back in bounds to finish, late in the frame. A quick Luke escape provided the only points in the third as the Wolverine clamped down on defense to seal the win.
Michigan's other semifinalist -- fifth-year senior captain Tyrel Todd(Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) -- sacrificed his early advantage in a heartbreaking 7-2 loss to Nebraska's top-seeded Craig Brester at 197 pounds. The Wolverine wrestler, seeded fourth, struck first, scoring on a single leg off an early restart before riding out much of the frame to accumulate time advantage. Brester escaped off a late restart and controlled the final two periods to roll to the win, scoring on a late counter in the third and accumulating 1:14 in riding-time advantage.
Todd cruised in the quarterfinals, breaking through with an 8-0 major decision over Drexel's Jon Oplinger after a pair of close affairs in day one. The Wolverine captain countered an early single shot, turning the corner to score and gain the only lead he needed. Adding a single of his own in the second and another counter in the third, Todd went to work on top but could not muscle Oplinger over with his head scoop and settled for the major after riding time (5:13).
Sophomore Kellen Russell(High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) will wrestle for seventh place tomorrow after posting a 3-1 mark on the day to secure the first All-America distinction of his career. Squaring off against Virginia's Nick Nelson in the All-America round, Russell dominated the final two frames, scoring a pair of takedowns and adding three back points in the third to win, 9-1. The Wolverine wrestler gained the only lead he needed on a counter midway through the second. Nelson shot in on a single along the edge of the mat, and Russell responded by crawling back in bounds over top to reverse the position and secure the takedown himself. Russell countered another single to score again midway through the third before using a quick suck back to add the near-fall points. He rode out the rest of the period, building 2:10 in riding time to earn the major at match's end. Russell lost his subsequent bout to Iowa State's sixth-seeded Nick Gallick, 3-2 on riding time, to drop into the seventh-place contest.
Russell picked up a pair of decisions in the morning session, earning a decisive 8-2 victory over Hofstra's Justin Accordino after eking past Northwestern's Keith Sulzer, 2-0, in his first wrestleback contest. The Wolverine sophomore converted on three takedowns, including two in the first period, to build a comfortable lead in the former bout, using a late double leg and ride out to gain his riding-time point and ice the win. Russell needed just a second-period escape and riding time to knock off Sulzer in the early nailbiter, riding out the entirety of the third period to accumulate 1:10 in time advantage for his second point.
Junior/sophomore Aaron Hynes(Mt. Morris, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) was eliminated from the competition after suffering his second loss -- a 7-3 decision against eighth-seeded Adam Hall from Boise State. Hynes held the early advantage, scoring on a quick takedown, and rode Hall for much of the opening period. But the Bronco wrestler took over late in the frame, scrambling for a reversal before adding another in the second and a third-period takedown to seal the victory.
The Wolverines will return for the NCAA Championships fifth session at 9:30 a.m. CDT on Saturday (March 21) 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 5:30 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN.
Team Standings (After Day 2)
1. Ohio State 84.5 2. Iowa 81.0 3. Iowa State 71.5 4. Nebraska 69.0 5. Edinboro 63.5 6. Cornell 63.0 7. Missouri 57.5 8. Illinois 49.5 9. Wisconsin 45.0 10. Boise State 43.0 12. MICHIGAN 38.5
Michigan Results (Day 2)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
141 - #1 Kellen Russell
Consolations -- dec. Keith Sulzer (Northwestern), 2-0
Consolations -- dec. Justin Accordino (Hofstra), 8-2
Consolations -- major dec. Nick Nelson (Virginia), 9-1
Consolations -- dec. by #6 Nick Gallick (Iowa State), 3-2
Seventh Place -- vs. Frank Molinaro (Penn State)
157 - Aaron Hynes
Consolations -- dec. by #8 Adam Hall (Boise State), 7-3
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
174 - #1 Steve Luke
Quarterfinals -- dec. #8 Christopher Henrich (Virginia), 9-4
Semifinals -- dec. #5 Raymond Jordan (Missouri), 4-2 TB
Final -- vs. #7 Mike Miller (Central Michigan)
197 - #4 Tyrel Todd
Quarterfinals -- major dec. Jon Oplinger (Drexel), 8-0
Semifinals -- dec. by #1 Craig Brester (Nebraska), 7-2
Consolations -- vs. #3 Brent Chriswell (Boise State)
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
