Michigan
Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Day 1)
Wolverines Head West for Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
11/28/2018 10:45:00 AM | Wrestling
» No. 5 Michigan will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the 37th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, slated for Fri-Sat., Nov. 30-Dec. 1, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
» Alec Pantaleo (157 pounds) and Logan Massa (165) are previous CKLV champions on the Wolverine roster, while Stevan Micic (133) has a runner-up finish and Myles Amine (174) has twice placed third.
» Micic, Kanen Storr (141), Massa and Myles Amine remain undefeated on the season.
THIS WEEK
Fri-Sat., Nov. 30-Dec. 1 -- at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Las Vegas, Nev.), 9 a.m. PST
Brackets/Live Results | Live Video | Twitter Updates | CKLV Site
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter
Game Day Information: Crisler Center Information | Ticket Information
The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team (2-0) will take its annual trip out west this weekend, heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, to compete in the 37th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Action will begin at 9 a.m. PST both days of competition, with the championship round slated for 3 p.m. PST on Saturday afternoon.
This year's field at the Cliff Keen Invitational will feature 42 teams, including 17 teams ranked in the most recent NWCA poll. In addition to the fifth-ranked Maize and Blue, headlining the participating teams are No. 2 Ohio State, No. 6 Missouri, No. 9 Cornell, No. 10 Cornell and No. 12 Nebraska.
Michigan's Projected Starting Lineup
| Wgt. | Name | Year/Elig. | Hometown (High School) |
| 125 | Drew Mattin | So./So. | Delta, Ohio (Delta) |
| 133 | Stevan Micic | Sr./Jr. | Cedar Lake, Ind. (Hanover Central) |
| 141 | Kanen Storr | Jr./So. | Leslie, Mich. (Leslie) |
| 149 | Malik Amine | 5th/Sr. | Brighton, Mich. (Detroit Catholic Central) |
| 157 | Layne Van Anrooy | So./Fr. | Roseburg, Ore. (Roseburg) |
| 165 | Logan Massa | Sr./Jr. | St. Johns, Mich. (St. Johns) |
| 174 | Myles Amine | Sr./Jr. | Brighton, Mich. (Detroit Catholic Central) |
| 184 | Jelani Embree | So./Fr. | Eastpointe, Mich. (Warren Lincoln) |
| 197 | Jackson Striggow | Sr./Jr. | Orono, Minn. (Orono) |
| Hwt | Luke Ready | So./Fr. | Brighton, Mich. (Brighton) |
History Lesson: Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Michigan has competed in the annual tournament 36 times dating back to 1983, missing only the first year of the tournament in 1982. Formerly known as the Las Vegas Classic, the tournament was renamed the Cliff Keen Invitational in 1993 to honor former Michigan wrestling coach and collegiate wrestling icon Cliff Keen. The tournament is run by a pair of former Michigan wrestlers -- three-time NCAA champion Mark Churella Sr. (1976-79) and Mark Churella Jr. (2001), who serve as executive director and tournament director, respectively.
Michigan has placed fifth or better in 15 of the last 24 seasons at the annual tournament, including first-place showings in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007. The Wolverines took second place at last year's event with six placewinners, most notably champions Alec Pantaleo (157 pounds) and Adam Coon (Hwt).
Wolverine Bites
• Redshirt junior Logan Massa returns to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational as a past champion after capturing the 165-pound title as a freshman in 2016. Fifth-year senior Alec Pantaleo is also a past CKLV champion, winning at 157 pounds last season, but is not slated to compete this weekend. Redshirt junior Stevan Micic took runner-up honors as a freshman (2016), while redshirt junior Myles Amine claimed third place in both of his previous appearances.
• Though still quite early in the season, four Wolverine starters maintain perfect records this year, Storr is 6-0 after two dual wins and claiming the 141-pound title at the season-opening Michigan State Open (Nov. 3), while Micic, Massa and redshirt junior Myles Amine are all officially 2-0 on the season.
• Among the Wolverines' returners, three -- Micic, Myles Amine and fifth-year senior Alec Pantaleo -- already own at least 70 career wins. Micic leads the pack with a 76-13 mark, while Amine and Pantaleo are 73-16 and 73-15, respectively. Last season, Adam Coon became the 36th Wolverine wrestler to reach 100 wins, finishing his career with a stellar 116-15 record.
• Redshirt juniors Myles Amine and Stevan Micic were named the Wolverines' 2018-19 team captains just prior to the Wolverines dual-meet opener at Central Michigan (Nov. 11). Amine and Micic are two-time NCAA All-Americans, twice finishing top four in the nation, and two-time Academic All-Big Ten and NWCA All-Academic honorees.
U-M Individual Rankings
| Wt. | Wrestler | InterMat | TW | Flo | TOM | AWN |
| 125 | Drew Mattin | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | NR |
| 133 | Stevan Micic | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 141 | Kanen Storr | 20 | 24 | 19 | 15 | NR |
| 157 | Alec Pantaleo | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 165 | Logan Massa | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 174 | Myles Amine | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 184 | Jelani Embree | 20 | 23 | NR | NR | NR |
| 197 | Jackson Striggow | 16 | 19 | 16 | NR | 20 |
Last Time Out
The Wolverines claimed seven of 10 matches, including six of the first seven, to knock off No. 6 Lehigh, 21-13, in their home opener at Crisler Center. Redshirt juniors Logan Massa and Myles Amine earned wins over ranked opposition in back-to-back matches at 165 and 174 pounds, with Massa defeating No. 13 Cole Walter, 5-3, and Amine claiming the rubber match against No. 7 Jordan Kutler, 6-4, behind two takedowns. Sophomore Drew Mattin clinched the dual with in the final bout, using a third-period rideout to rally to a 3-2 win over Nick Farro at 125 pounds. [ Full Recap ]
Up Next
Sunday, Dec. 9 -- vs. Indiana (Cliff Keen Arena), 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
