Michigan
Missouri
Wolverines Lose to No. 13 Missouri in National Duals Semifinals
2/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 11, 2012
Site: Piscataway, N.J. (Rutgers Athletic Center)
Event: NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals (Semifinals)
Score: #13 Missouri 21, #11 Michigan 12
Records: U-M (6-6), Missouri (14-3)
Next U-M Event: Sat-Sun., March 3-4 -- at Big Ten Championships (West Lafayette, Ind.)
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team twice claimed narrow leads but could not hang on to its advantage against No. 13 Missouri, which won the final three matches to seal a 21-12 victory in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals regional semifinal on Saturday (Feb. 11) at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
The Wolverines won four matches, claiming back-to-back decisions at the lowerweights and again at the middleweights to garner one-point advantages, the latter with just three bouts remaining.
Junior/sophomore Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) used a first-period takedown and 3:38 in riding-time advantage to claim a 4-1 decision over Zach Toal at 165 pounds. Yates, ranked 13th, locked up a bodylock after an early restart to bring down the Tiger and rode for nearly two minutes before giving up a late escape. Yates could not quite finish on a head in the hole at the end of the period but rode out the entirety of the second and picked up a quick escape in the third to close the match.
Fifth-year senior Justin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) also took advantage of riding time to edge 17th-ranked Dorian Henderson, 2-0, in the subsequent bout at 174 pounds. After a scoreless first, Zeerip escaped quickly in the second and rode out the third, accumulating 1:48 in time advantage, to improve to 19-4 on the season.
The Wolverines bumped up fifth-year senior Dave Johnson (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS) two weight classes to face Clarence Neely at 184 pounds, and the Wolverine nearly claimed the contest, falling 6-5 on a late reversal. Neeley scored on takedowns in the first and third periods, but Johnson escaped quickly after the latter and scored out of an ensuing scramble to take a late one-point lead. He rode for several seconds before giving up a reversal in the final 10 seconds and could not get away before the buzzer.
Missouri added wins at 197 pounds and heavyweight to put the dual meet away. With the Wolverines still within six points in the final bout, Tiger heavyweight Devon Mellon scored a 4-3 upset over senior/junior Ben Apland (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS), ranked 10th, scoring the match's lone offensive points on a takedown out of a third-period scramble.
Senior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) had put Michigan on the board with an upset of his own at 133 pounds, scoring two takedowns en route to a 7-3 decision over eighth-ranked Nathan McCormick. Stevens, ranked 16th, used a late throw to strike first in the opening period and countered a Missouri single attempt with a head-in-the-hole takedown midway through the third. The Wolverine rode out the remainder of the match, accumulating 1:26 in time advantage.
Fifth-year senior Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) controlled from start to finish against Brandon Wiest but had to settle for a 6-2 decision at 141 pounds. Top-ranked Russell finished on a first-period duck to a knee pick and came around top off a second-period front headlock, and despite building 2:21 in riding time, could not turn Wiest over for additional points. Russell extended his win streak to 18 straight matches and improved to 25-1 on the season.
Missouri won back-to-back matches at 149 and 157 pounds, claiming an upset in the former, to retake the lead at the dual's midway point. Kyle Bradley, ranked 17th at 149 pounds, scored on a single leg with two seconds remaining in the second sudden-victory frame to defeat junior/sophomore Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS), 3-1.
The Wolverines will take the next three weeks to prepare for the Big Ten Championships, scheduled for March 3-4 in West Lafayette, Ind. Hosted by Purdue University, the tournament will be held at Mackey Arena.
#13 Missouri 21, #11 Michigan 12
Individual rankings from InterMat
| Match | Score |
| 125 -- #3 Alan Waters (Missouri) tech. fall Grant Pizzo, 19-4 (7:00) | Missouri, 5-0 |
| 133 -- #16 Zac Stevens (U-M) dec. #8 Nathan McCormick, 7-3 | Missouri, 5-3 |
| 141 -- #1 Kellen Russell (U-M) dec. Brandon Wiest, 6-2 | U-M, 6-5 |
| 149 -- #17 Kyle Bradley (Missouri) dec. #7 Eric Grajales, 5-3 SV2 | Missouri, 8-6 |
| 157 -- #17 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) dec. Brandon Zeerip, 7-3 | Missouri, 11-6 |
| 165 -- #13 Dan Yates (U-M) dec. Zach Toal, 4-1 | Missouri, 11-9 |
| 174 -- #8 Justin Zeerip (U-M) dec. #18 Dorian Henderson, 2-0 | U-M, 12-11 |
| 184 -- Clarence Neely (Missouri) dec. Dave Johnson, 6-5 | Missouri, 14-12 |
| 197 -- #7 Brent Haynes (Missouri) major dec. #15 Max Huntley, 8-0 | Missouri, 18-12 |
| Hwt -- Devon Mellon (Missouri) dec. #10 Ben Apland, 4-3 | Missouri, 21-12 |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
