Michigan
NCAA Championships (Day 3)
Perfect Medal Round Puts U-M in Fifth Place at NCAA Championships
3/23/2019 10:35:00 PM | Wrestling
» Michigan went 6-for-6 in the morning medal round, as Stevan Micic (133 pounds), Alec Pantaleo (157) and Myles Amine (174) all wrestled back to third place at their respective weights.
» Pantaleo avenged his quarterfinal loss with a 5-3 decision over North Carolina State's Hayden Hidlay in his third-place bout.
» U-M finished in fifth place (62.5 points) in the final team standings; it was the Wolverines' second top-five finish in as many seasons.
Site: Pittsburgh, Pa. (PPG Paints Arena)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 3 of 3)
U-M Team Standing: Fifth Place (62.5 points)
Next U-M Event: Season Completed
• Photo Gallery
PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team closed out the 2019 NCAA Championships with a perfect medal round, going 6-for-6 to surge into fifth place (62.5 points) in the team standings on the third and final day Saturday (March 23) at PPG Paints Arena. It was the Wolverines' second straight top-five NCAA finish.
Senior/junior Stevan Micic, fifth-year senior Alec Pantaleo and senior/junior Myles Amine all went 2-0 on the day to claim third-place finishes at 133, 157 and 174 pounds, respectively. All three claimed All-America honors for the third time in their careers.
Micic, seeded second at 133 pounds, earned bonus points with a dominant 17-4 major decision over Missouri's eighth-seeded John Erneste in the consolation semifinals, scoring on five takedowns, a reversal and four near-fall points -- much of which came in the first period. Micic closed out the tournament with a 6-1 decision over Ohio State's fifth-seeded Luke Pletcher in the third-place match. He scored on a single leg at the first-period buzzer and added another in the third before riding out the bout to finish with 3:15 in time advantage. It was his fifth straight win over the Buckeye. Micic finished the season with a stellar 19-1 record with 12 bonus wins.
Pantaleo, seeded fourth at 157 pounds, avenged his quarterfinal loss in his third-place match, scoring two takedowns to beat North Carolina State's fifth-seeded Hayden Hidlay, 5-3, in his final collegiate match. Pantaleo slipped out of a Hidlay headlock attempt to score a takedown in the first period and iced the bout with another, a single leg, late in the third. Pantaleo also earned a 6-2 decision over Iowa's sixth-seeded Kaleb Young in the consolation semifinals behind takedowns in the second and third periods and 1:02 in riding-time advantage. Pantaleo closes out his Michigan career with a 94-32 record, a Big Ten title and three NCAA All-America citations.
Amine, seeded fourth at 174 pounds, defeated Missouri's second-seeded Daniel Lewis in the NCAA third-place bout for the second year in a row, using a first-period takedown -- a single leg off the opening whistle -- and third-period reversal to secure a 4-3 decision. Amine also defeated Nebraska's 10th-seeded Michael Labriola, 5-3, in the consolation semifinals on a single-leg takedown and reversal in the first period and 1:18 in riding-time advantage. Already a three-time All-American, Amine has outplaced his seed in all three of his NCAA appearances.
The trio represents the 193rd, 194th and 195th All-America citations in program history -- and the first under first-year head coach Sean Bormet. Michigan has boasted at least one All-American in 23 of the last 25 seasons, including three or more in each of the last five seasons.
Team Standings (Top 10)
1. Penn State           137.5 2. Ohio State            96.5 3. Oklahoma State        84 4. Iowa                  76 5. MICHIGAN              62.5 6. Missouri              62 7. Cornell               59.5 8. Minnesota             53.5 9. Rutgers               51.5 10. Nebraska              51.0
Michigan Results (Day 3)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
133 Pounds -- #2 Stevan Micic
Consolations - major dec. #8 John Erneste (Missouri), 17-4
Third Place - dec. #5 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), 6-1
Finished in third place with 5-1 record
157 Pounds -- #4 Alec Pantaleo
Consolations - dec. #6 Kaleb Young (Iowa), 6-2
Third Place - dec. #5 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State), 5-3
Finished in third place with a 6-1 record
174 Pounds -- #4 Myles Amine
Consolations - dec. #10 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska), 5-3
Third Place - dec. #2 Daniel Lewis (Missouri), 4-3
Finished in third place with a 5-1 record
