Michigan
NCAA Championships
Murphy, Huntley and Coon Advance to NCAA Quarterfinals
3/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 19, 2015
• Photo Gallery 
|
Site: St. Louis, Mo. (Scottrade Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 1 of 3)
U-M Team Standing: Tie-9th Place of 60 Teams (15 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat., March 20-21 -- at NCAA Championships (St. Louis, Mo.)
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Sophomore Brian Murphy, fifth-year senior Max Huntley and sophomore Adam Coon all advanced to the quarterfinal round to headline the University of Michigan wrestling team's first day at the 2015 NCAA Championships on Thursday (March 19) in front of 18,414 fans at Scottrade Center. With another four wrestlers still alive in the wrestlebacks, the Wolverines are tied for ninth place (15 points) after the first day of competition.
Murphy, seeded 11th at 157 pounds, fought off a single in the air for the final 40 seconds in his second-round match against Ohio State's sixth-seeded Josh Demas, hanging on to claim a 4-3 decision win. Murphy struck first in the match with a takedown out of a scramble with just four second remaining in the first period. Demas finished on a second-period double leg and struck deep on a single leg late in the third. With Murphy hopping on one foot, the Buckeye tried -- and failed -- to finish three times before time ran out. Murphy cruised to a 9-3 decision over Oregon State's Alex Elder in the morning session, scoring on single legs in the first and second periods and adding a reversal and two-point near fall in the third.
Huntley, seeded eighth at 197 pounds, rolled to a 12-7 decision over Northern Colorado's Trent Noon in the evening session, scoring five takedowns and riding for nearly three minutes. Huntley finished on three single-leg opportunities in the first period, another in the second and, after giving up a takedown out of a quick flurry in the third, added another late in the match. He rode out the third to accumulate 2:57 in time advantage. Huntley also cruised in his first-round match, scoring four takedowns en route to an 11-4 decision over Northern Illinois' Shawn Scott.
Coon, seeded sixth at heavyweight, advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the second straight year after earning a 5-2 decision over Missouri's 11th-seeded Devin Mellon in the evening session. With the score deadlocked early in the third period, Coon finished on two late takedowns, throwing by a Missouri shot attempt and scrambling out of single leg, to ice the match. Coon earned big bonus points in the morning preliminary round, tossing and pinning Nebraska's Collin Jensen at the 4:29 mark.
Another four Wolverines are in still alive in the consolation bracket after posting 1-1 records Thursday.
Freshman Alec Pantaleo, seeded sixth at 149 pounds, bounced back from a close and disappointing first-round loss with a controlling decision in the wrestlebacks. Pantaleo scored three takedowns -- one in each period -- and rode for 3:10 against the Citadel's Matthew Frisch. The Wolverine rookie dropped a wild 11-10 decision against Stanford's Garrett Schaner in the morning session, giving up a reversal and three-point near fall late in the second period to sacrifice his early advantage.
Junior/sophomore Conor Youtsey, junior Rossi Bruno and sophomore Domenic Abounader all dropped their second-round matches in the evening session to fall into tomorrow's wrestlebacks.
Youtsey fell to Missouri's top-seeded Alan Waters, 4-0, at 125 pounds, giving up a second-period single leg and a pair of penalty points. Youtsey rode out the third period, falling just shy of riding-time advantage, but could not get a turn. The Wolverine wrestler edged Bucknell's 16th-seeded Paul Petrov, 5-4, in the morning session, with single-leg takedowns in the first and second periods.
Bruno, seeded 14th at 133 pounds, dropped a 12-4 major decision to Iowa's third-seeded Cory Clark, giving up three takedowns, a reversal and three back points in the third period. Bruno needed extra time in his morning bout, using a takedown late in sudden victory to defeat Rider's Robert Deutsch, 3-1.
Abounader, seeded eighth at 184 pounds, lost a close 4-2 decision to Iowa's ninth-seeded Sam Brooks in the second round on a single-leg takedown midway through the first period. Abounader just missed on a reversal in the first frame, allowing Brooks to accumulate riding time during the extended scramble. Brooks ended the bout with 1:36 in time advantage. The Wolverine wrestler earned bonus points with a third-period pin against Lock Haven's Fred Garcia in the morning round, using a leg turk to earn a five count then the fall at 5:52. It was Abounader's third fall this season.
Sophomore/freshman George Fisher, freshman Garrett Sutton and junior/sophomore Taylor Massa were eliminated from the competition after suffering their second losses of the tournament in the evening wrestleback round. Massa went 1-2 on the day and earned a bonus point in the wrestleback pigtail round, scoring three takedowns and a three-point tilt to defeat Utah Valley's Ethan Smith.
Michigan will resume competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday (March 20) at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The morning session will begin at 10 a.m. CDT and will feature quarterfinal matches and continued wrestleback competition.
Top 15 Teams (After Day 1)
1. Ohio State 23.0 2. Iowa 21.0 3. Oklahoma State 19.5 4. Penn State 18.5 5. Missouri 18.0 Nebraska 18.0 7. Cornell 17.5 8. Illinois 16.5 9. MICHIGAN 15.0 Virginia Tech 15.011. Minnesota 14.012. Iowa State 13.013. Edinboro 12.514. Wisconsin 11.015. Northwestern 10.5
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
125 Pounds -- Conor Youtsey
First Round - dec. #16 Paul Petrov (Bucknell), 5-4
Second Round - dec. by #1 Alan Waters (Missouri), 4-0
Consolations - vs. Tim Lambert (Nebraska)
133 Pounds -- #14 Rossi Bruno
First Round - dec. Robert Deutsch (Rider), 3-1 SV.
Second Round - major dec. by #3 Cory Clark (Iowa), 12-4
Consolations - vs. Dom Malone (Northwestern)
141 Pounds -- George Fisher
First Round - dec. by #16 Mike Morales (West Virginia), 8-4
Consolations - dec. by Jordan Laster (Princeton), 5-4
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
149 Pounds -- #6 Alec Pantaleo
First Round - dec. by Garrett Schaner (Stanford), 11-10
Consolations - dec. Matthew Frisch (Citadel), 7-2
Consolations - vs. #12 Zack Beitz (Penn State)
157 Pounds -- #11 Brian Murphy
First Round - dec. Alex Elder (Oregon State), 9-3
Second Round - dec. #6 Josh Demas (Ohio State), 4-3
Quarterfinals - vs. #3 Dylan Ness (Minnesota)
165 Pounds -- Garrett Sutton
First Round - pinned by #5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State), 4:03
Consolations - dec. by Troy Reaghard (Pittsburgh), 3-1 SV
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
174 Pounds -- Taylor Massa
First Round - major dec. by #1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), 9-0
Consolations - major dec. Ethan Smith (Utah Valley), 11-0
Consolations - dec. by #16 Frank Cousins (Wisconsin), 6-0
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
184 Pounds -- #8 Domenic Abounader
First Round - pinned Fred Garcia (Lock Haven), 5:52
Second Round - dec. by #9 Sam Brooks (Iowa), 4-2
Consolations - vs. #10 Lorenzo Thomas (Penn)
197 Pounds -- #8 Max Huntley
First Round - dec. Shawn Scott (Northern Illinois), 11-4
Second Round - dec. Trent Noon (Northern Colorado), 12-7
Quarterfinals - vs. #1 J'Den Cox (Missouri)
Heavyweight -- #6 Adam Coon
First Round - pinned Collin Jensen (Nebraska), 4:29
Second Round - dec. #11 Devin Mellon (Missouri), 5-2
Quarterfinals - vs. Spencer Myers (Maryland)
Communications Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
