Michigan
Lehigh
Wolverines Unable to Hang On at No. 13 Lehigh
11/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 19, 2010
Site: Bethlehem, Pa. (Stabler Arena)
Score: #13 Lehigh 25, #16 Michigan 6
Records: U-M (1-1), Lehigh (3-1)
Attendance: 2,032
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat, Dec. 3-4 -- at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Las Vegas, Nev.), 9 a.m. PST
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team kept things close early at No. 13 Lehigh but let the dual slip away late, falling to the Mountain Hawks, 25-6, on Friday evening (Nov. 19) in front of 2,032 fans at Stabler Arena.
The two teams split the opening four matches, and junior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) and senior/junior Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) earned back-to-back wins at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively, to give the Wolverines a temporary lead after three bouts.
Stevens had to battle back from an early deficit after giving up a pair of first-period takedowns to 20th-ranked Frank Cagnina. Trailing by three points entering the final frame, the Wolverine junior earned a quick escape before striking on a single leg to pull within one point. He immediately cut Cagnina loose and shot deep on another single leg, securing the winning takedown with 14 seconds remaining on the clock to claim his second straight dual win.
Russell used the opposite approach, building an early lead and holding off a late surge en route to a 6-5 win against the Mountain Hawks' Stephen Dutton at 141 pounds. The U-M captain scored a pair of first-period takedowns -- first on a single leg and then wrapping up a double out of a scramble on the edge. The wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third before Dutton evened the score with a takedown off a late restart in the final period. Russell's quick escape proved the deciding point as neither wrestler posted a quality scoring opportunity in the match's final minutes.
Lehigh's victories in the opening bouts came with similarly narrow margins. Sophomore Sean Boyle (Lowell, Mass./Blair Academy) sacrificed an early lead in a 9-5 loss -- his first defeat of the season -- to Mitch Berger at 125 pounds. Boyle, ranked 17th in the latest InterMat poll, converted on two first-period single legs and was deep on a double in the second when Berger threw him by to score on the edge and claim his first lead. The Mountain Hawk wrestler added another takedown in the third and rode out the period to accumulate 1:43 in time advantage.
Late points also proved the different in the 149-pound bout, where Lehigh's Joey Napoli scored on a late reversal to edge sophomore/freshman Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) 4-2. Grajales struck first, scrambling for a quick takedown, and stayed offensive throughout the opening frame but couldn't finish on a few throws near the edge of the mat. After Napoli rode out the entire second period, Grajales tilted the Mountain Hawk wrestler for a two count in third before the official waved it off. The wrestlers kept scrambling, and Napoli came out on top for the go-ahead score with 20 seconds left.
Lehigh won six straight matches to the end the dual meet, including five in a row after the intermission break. Sophomore/freshman Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) had ninth-ranked Brandon Hatchett on his heels in the 165-pound contest, scoring first and drawing a Lehigh stall warning late, but could not overcome his one-point first-period deficit in a 6-5 defeat.
Fifth-year senior Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) fell to 14th-ranked Joe Kennedy in a match between ranked wrestlers at 197 pounds, giving up an escape and buzzer takedown in the first round of tiebreakers to lose 7-4. Biondo set the early tone, converting on a single leg and riding out most of the first period, but Kennedy evened the score on an inside trip with just three seconds left on the regulation clock to force extra time.
The Wolverines will take a two-week hiatus before returning to competition on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3-4, at the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. The first session is slated for a 9 a.m. PST start at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
#13 Lehigh 25, #16 Michigan 6
Individual rankings from NWCA/InterMat
| Match | Score |
| 125 -- Mitch Berger (LU) dec. Sean Boyle, 9-5 | LU, 3-0 |
| 133 -- Zac Stevens (U-M) dec. #20 Frank Cagnina, 7-6 | Tie, 3-3 |
| 141 -- #4 Kellen Russell (U-M) dec. Stephen Dutton, 6-5 | U-M, 6-3 |
| 149 -- Joey Napoli (LU) dec. Eric Grajales, 4-2 | Tie, 6-6 |
| 157 -- Sean Bilodeau (LU) dec. Aaron Hynes, 8-2 | LU, 9-6 |
| 165 -- #9 Brandon Hatchett (LU) dec. Dan Yates, 5-4 | LU, 12-6 |
| 174 -- #16 Austin Meys (LU) major dec. #18 Justin Zeerip, 11-1 | LU, 16-6 |
| 184 -- #8 Robert Hamlin (LU) dec. Hunter Collins, 8-3 | LU, 19-6 |
| 197 -- #14 Joe Kennedy (LU) dec. #8 Anthony Biondo, 7-4 TB | LU, 22-6 |
| Hwt -- #1 Zach Rey (LU) dec. Ben Apland, 5-2 | LU, 25-6 |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
