Michigan
NCAA Championships
Freshman Trio Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals
3/16/2017 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 16, 2017
» Wolverine freshmen Stevan Micic (133 pounds), Logan Massa (165) and Myles Amine (174) advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals.
» Massa recorded a pair of technical falls in the opening two rounds, upping his total to 12 on the season.
» Conor Youtsey and Sal Profaci were eliminated after suffering their second losses at 125 and 141 pounds, respectively, while Zac Hall (149) had to be withdrawn from the tournament.
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| Tournament Site
Site: St. Louis, Mo. (Scottrade Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 1 of 3)
U-M Team Standing: 21st Place of 69 Teams (9 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 17 -- at NCAA Championships - Day 2 (St. Louis, Mo.), 10 a.m. CDT
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- University of Michigan sophomore/freshmen Stevan Micic, Logan Massa and Myles Amine all advanced the quarterfinals in their NCAA Wrestling Championships debuts on Thursday (March 16) in front of 18,157 fans at the Scottrade Center. The Wolverines are in 21st place (9 points) after the first day of competition.
Micic, seeded fifth at 133 pounds, registered a pair of decisions to kick off his tournament, using a big third period to break open a tight bout and claim a 5-2 win against Northern Iowa's 12th-seeded Josh Alber, 5-2, in the evening session. Knotted up, 1-1, early in the third, Micic scored on a counter attack, spinning behind a UNI shot, and quickly added two back points off of a leg turk. He cruised to a 10-3 decision against Tennessee Chattanooga's Chris Debien in the first round, scoring three takedowns -- one in each period -- and a two-point near and accumulating 2:11 in riding-time advantage.
Massa, seeded second at 165 pounds, cruised to back-to-back technical falls in his preliminary matches on the day, including a 25-10 win against Michigan State's 15th-seeded Drew Hughes in the evening session. He finished on 12 takedowns -- seven in the second period -- to end the bout at the 4:46 mark. Massa, who ranks among the nation's leaders with 12 tech falls, needed even less time in his first-round match, beating Old Dominion's Seldon Wright, 19-3, in 4:15. He scored on a pair of first-period takedowns before racking up 14 near-fall points on a series of tilts in the second.
Amine, seeded ninth at 174 pounds, rallied to earn a mild upset in the evening session, defeating North Carolina's eighth-seeded Ethan Ramos, 6-4, with single-leg takedowns in the first and second periods. It is the fourth All-America opponent that Amine has beaten this season. The Wolverine freshman knocked off Edinboro's Ty Schoffstall, 6-3, in the first round behind two first-period takedowns and 2:31 in riding-time advantage.
Michigan lost two from the competition after fifth-year senior Conor Youtsey and sophomore/freshman Sal Profaci suffered their second losses on the day in the evening wrestleback round.
Youtsey, unseeded at 125 pounds, dropped his first-round bout to Wyoming's 15th-seeded Drew Templeman, 4-3, on a penalty point for an illegal front headlock with just 40 seconds remaining in the bout. He was on the wrong end of a couple more tough calls in his consolation match, in which his third-period comeback fell short in a 9-4 loss to Stanford's Gabe Townsell. Youtsey came out of retirement to rejoin the Wolverine team in January after injuries left U-M without a 125-pounder. He ends his career as a two-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier.
Profaci, unseeded in his NCAA debut at 141 pounds, could not hang on to an early lead against Ohio State's 12th-seeded Luke Pletcher in the first round, giving up a reversal and two takedowns in an 8-4 loss. He dropped a 9-0 major decision in the evening session to Central Michigan's Mason Smith.
Junior/sophomore Zac Hall was forced with withdraw from the tournament at 149 pounds. He was the second Wolverine qualifier to withdraw, joining senior captain Brian Murphy, a 2015 NCAA All-American, who suffered a season-ending injury in his Big Ten third-place match at 157 pounds.
Michigan will resume competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday (March 17) at the 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 10 Teams (After Day 1)
1. Penn State 30.5 2. Ohio State 26 3. Oklahoma State 25.5 4. Iowa 24.5 5. Missouri 20 6. Cornell 19 7. Minnesota 18.5 8. Virginia Tech 18 9. Central Michigan 14.510. Lehigh 14 Nebraska 14-------------------------------------------21. MICHIGAN 9
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
125 Pounds -- Conor Youtsey
First Round - dec. by #15 Drew Templeman (Wyoming), 4-3
Consolations - dec. by Gabe Townsell (Stanford), 9-4
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
133 Pounds -- #5 Stevan Micic
First Round - dec. Chris Debien (Tennessee Chattanooga), 10-3
Second Round - dec. #12 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa), 5-2
Quarterfinals - vs. #4 Cory Clark (Iowa)
141 Pounds -- Sal Profaci
First Round - dec. by #12 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), 8-5
Consolations - major dec. by Mason Smith (Central Michigan), 9-0
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
165 Pounds -- #2 Logan Massa
First Round - tech. fall Seldon Wright (Old Dominion), 19-3 (4:15)
Second Round - tech. fall #15 Drew Hughes (Michigan State), 25-10 (4:47)
Quarterfinals - vs. #7 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State)
174 Pounds -- #9 Myles Amine
First Round - dec. Ty Schoffstall (Edinboro), 6-3
Second Round - dec. #8 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina), 6-4
Quarterfinals - vs. #1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State)
Communications Contact: Leah Howard
Players Mentioned
