Post-Match Quotes: #15 Michigan 28, #18 Pittsburgh 9
2/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 20, 2015
Michigan Associate Head Coach Sean Bormet
On Garrett Sutton's first varsity win ... "Garrett is getting better every day. He works extremely hard. He's making some good adjustments and getting more comfortable and more relaxed out there. He kept hand fighting really well out there today. We really focused on riding tough today, and that was the big difference in the second period. He rode that kid the whole period today. He wasn't overthinking or letting these guys go too easy. He's a good rider, and he's really tough on top, so he's got to use that to an advantage for himself. He did that tonight, and that paid off because he wore that guy down in the third period."
On returning Rossi Bruno and Taylor Massa from injury ... "Great to have Rossi back in action. It's great to get him these matches before we head to Big Tens. He's really been working hard to get back to the match tonight. There was still a little bit of rust there, but you could tell he was getting it going. Taylor is 100 percent. He wrestled a top-ranked guy, so it was a good match for him to come back and really test himself. He's still transitioning to that weight, and he feels good. He's been training hard, but as he lets his body fill back out, he feels better. He's showing us he feels better every day; as that continues into Big Tens, we see that day by day he continues to improve."
On the Wolverines' sophomore class ... "They work extremely hard. They're very talented wrestlers, but it's an adjustment when you get to the college level. One thing about those guys is when they make mistakes, they start working on them, they correct them and then they start to improve from there. Today was a big test in terms of some of the things we've been working on, some things we saw against Nebraska and Iowa that we really addressed in the practice room. Tonight they were very dominant on top, which was something we've really been stressing. It was really great to see those guys elevate their wrestling tonight."
On areas of focus this week ... "Our finishing percentage. We've been attacking a lot, and whenever we got to the legs tonight, we were finishing better and finishing cleaner. Pitt can be a little bit of a funky team, they do a lot of leg passes and counter attacks, so it was a good test for our guys on their finishing. They did a great job."
On strong alumni showing ... "As an alum myself, when you see all the different generations, it fires you up. It's great for our program. It's special to be a part of the Michigan wrestling legacy, and it was great to see all these guys today for the support and just see over the different generations from recent grads all the way to many, many years ago. It's a deep, rich legacy of wrestling here at Michigan."
U-M Freshman Garrett Sutton
On getting first varsity win ... "It was nice to get my first varsity win. We gave a little extra confidence, and hopefully I can keep working from there and keep getting those wins. It was just a big adjustment from high school to college, and the competition level is obviously a little bit higher. I definitely have to make adjustments just to stay on top of those tight matches."
On controlling throughout the match ... "I definitely felt comfortable throughout that match. This whole week we have been working on top/bottom wrestling; that was just one of the key elements we've been focusing on. We had a tough dual at Iowa, and I think the main difference there was our riding top/bottom, so we've really been cracking down on those positions lately."
U-M Sophomore Domenic Abounader
On the Wolverines' a strong sophomore class ... "We really jell well together. We all really get along well. We have a good bond, and it just gives the team a good morale. We're always helping each other out and hyping each other up, and that allows us to go out on the mat, like we're competing for each other too. It's not only for ourselves, it's for the team too, and I think it's important that we really jell well as a team too."
On focusing on getting bonus points tonight ... "When I saw that they weren't going wrestle their starter, I wanted to take it out on that kid. I just went out and wrestled just like we do in practice every day. The coaches get us ready, so I just have to go out and execute."
