Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Wolverines Put Amine, Parris in Big Ten Finals, Sit in Fourth Place
3/6/2021 11:59:00 PM | Wrestling
» Michigan sits in fourth place (62.5 points) after the first day of competition at the Big Ten Championships -- 12 points behind third-place Nebraska and nine ahead of fifth-place Minnesota.
» Myles Amine (197pounds) and Mason Parris (Hwt) advanced to their respective championship matches; both defeated third-ranked Iowa wrestlers in the semifinals.
» Eight Wolverines have earned automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Championships: Dylan Ragusin (125), Drew Mattin (141), Kanen Storr (149), Will Lewan (157), Cameron Amine (165), Logan Massa (174), Myles Amine (184) and Mason Parris (Hwt).
Site: State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Team Standing: Fourth Place of 14 Teams (62.5 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 7 -- at Big Ten Championships - Day Two (State College, Pa.), Noon
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Graduate student Myles Amine and junior Mason Parris advanced to the 197-pound and heavyweight championship finals, respectively, while six others are still alive in the consolation bracket as the University of Michigan wrestling team completed the first day of action at the Big Ten Championships in fourth place (62.5 points) on Saturday (March 6) at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. All eight active Wolverines have clinched NCAA automatic-qualifying bids.
Amine and Parris, both undefeated and seeded second, went back-to-back against Iowa opponents in the semifinal session to give Michigan multiple Big Ten finalists for the first time since 2018. Amine will wrestle for a Big Ten championship for the third time in his career -- he previously reached the 174-pound final in 2018 and 2019 -- while Parris returns to the heavyweight final for the second straight season.
Amine needed overtime in both of his matches on the day and defeated Iowa's third-ranked Jacob Warner, 3-1, in the semifinal after finishing on a low single-leg shot just 13 seconds into the sudden-victory frame. He similarly scored on a low single in overtime to defeat Penn State's 15th-ranked Michael Beard, 8-6, in the quarterfinals. After giving up the go-ahead takedown on a late counter against Beard, he scored a quick reversal and rode out the final 25 seconds of the third to force overtime. Amine improved to 5-0 on the season and has beaten ranked opponents in each of his last four bouts. He will face Nebraska's top-ranked Eric Schultz in Sunday's 197-pound final.
Parris pinned Iowa's third-ranked Anthony Cassioppi off a feet-to-back fireman's dump just 58 seconds into the semifinal bout. It was his fourth pin of the season and second in as many collegiate meetings against Hawkeye. Parris improved to 8-0 on the season with eight bonus wins. He rolled to an 11-3 major decision over Penn State's sixth-ranked Greg Kerkvliet in the quarterfinals, scoring four takedowns and accumulating 3:44 in riding-time advantage. Parris will face Minnesota's top-ranked Gable Steveson in Sunday's heavyweight final.
Michigan went 2-for-5 in the semifinal round. Fifth-year senior Kanen Storr, sophomore/freshman Cameron Amine and sixth-year senior Logan Massa all dropped decision losses to the nation's top-ranked wrestlers in the semis -- two by just two points -- at 149, 165 and 174 pounds, respectively.
Storr, ranked ninth at 149 pounds, fell to Ohio State's Sammy Sasso, 5-0, in the semifinals. He was in on several leg attacks in the second period but could not finish, while Sasso converted on single-leg attempts in the first and third frames. The Wolverine toughed out a double-overtime decision in the quarterfinals, defeating Northwestern's 17th-ranked Yahya Thomas, 3-3, on three seconds of riding time in the second tiebreaker.
Amine, ranked 13th at 165 pounds, hung tight with two-time Iowa All-American Alex Marinelli in the semifinals, falling, 2-0, on an escape and 1:52 of riding-time advantage. Amine defeated Minnesota's 14th-ranked Andrew Sparks, 5-2, in the quarterfinals behind takedowns in the second and third period, including a late scramble and rideout to ice it in the latter, and bonus points in his first bout with an 11-2 major decision against Rutgers' Brett Donner.
Massa, ranked fifth at 174 pounds, dropped a 4-2 decision to Iowa's Michael Kemerer in the semifinal with a first-period takedown and 1:29 riding-time advantage providing the difference. Massa earned lopsided wins in both of his other matches on the day, cruising to a 16-5 major decision in the first round before defeating Indiana's 13-ranked DJ Washington, 9-3, in the semifinals with three takedowns.
The Wolverines also have freshman Dylan Ragusin, senior/junior Drew Mattin and junior/sophomore Will Lewan slotted into the seventh-place bouts at 125, 141 and 157 pounds, respectively.
Ragusin went 2-2 on the day and earned a ranked win with a 4-2 decision over Northwestern's 15th-ranked Michael DeAugustino with a first-period double leg and 1:51 in riding-time advantage in the opening round. He dropped a 19-4 technical fall to Iowa's top-ranked and two-time defending NCAA champion Spencer Lee in the quarterfinals, but notably took Lee down in the third period -- the first takedown allowed by the Hawkeye since 2019. Ragusin split a pair of overtime decisions in the wrestlebacks; his 5-3 win over Illinois' Justin Cardani -- sealed with a scramble takedown with just five seconds left on the clock -- punched his ticket to his first NCAA Championships.
Mattin and Lewan both used riding-time advantage to secure decision wins in the bloodround and earned their qualifying bids to the NCAA Championships. Mattin posted a lengthy second-period ride and 1:37 in advantage to defeat Ohio State's Dylan D'Emilio in the 141-pound wrestlebacks, while Lewan, ranked ninth at 157 pounds, edged Illinois' Johnny Mologusis, 3-2, on 1:53 of riding-time advantage after a third-period reversal. Lewan posted a 2-1 record on the day before medically forfeiting out.
Michigan will wrap up action at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (March 7) at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. The third session is slated to begin at noon, while the finals will start at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
Team Standings (After Day 1)
1. Iowa            126.5 2. Penn State           111.5 3. Nebraska             88 4. MICHIGAN             76 5. Purdue               67 6. Northwestern         63.5 7. Ohio State           63 8. Minnesota            62.5 9. Michigan State       61 10. Rutgers              35 11. Illinois             25.5 12. Wisconsin            23.5 13. Indiana              22 14. Maryland              2
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seeds
125 Pounds -- #9 Dylan Ragusin
First Round - dec. #8 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern), 4-2
Quarterfinal - tech. fall by #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa), 19-4 (5:33)
Consolations - dec. #10 Justin Cardani (Illinois), 5-3 SV
Consolations - dec. by #11 Robert Howard (Penn State), 3-1 SV
Seventh Place - vs. #4 Patrick McKee (Minnesota)
133 Pounds -- #5 Jack Medley
First Round - dec. by #12 Kyle Luigs (Indiana), 6-0
Consolations - pinned #13 Jackson Cockrell (Maryland), 2:33
Consolations - dec. by #6 Boo Dryden (Minnesota), 8-6
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
141 Pounds -- #8 Drew Mattin
First Round - dec. by #9 Parker Filius (Purdue), 4-3
Consolations - dec. #7 Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State), 2-1
Consolations - dec. by #13 Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern), 2-0
Seventh Place - vs. #5 Dylan Duncan (Illinois)
149 Pounds -- #5 Kanen Storr
First Round - #12 Drew Scharenbrock (Wisconsin), 9-2
Quarterfinals - dec. #4 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern), 3-3 TB2
Semifinals - dec. by #1 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State), 5-0
Consolations - vs. #8 Mike Van Brill (Rutgers)
157 Pounds -- #6 Will Lewan
First Round - dec. #11 Michael Doetsch (Maryland), 6-1
Quarterfinals - dec. by #3 Brayton Lee (Minnesota), 8-3
Consolations - dec. #12 Johnny Mologusis (Illinois), 3-2
Consolations - medical forfeit by Chase Saldate (Michigan State)
Seventh Place - vs. #10 Caleb Licking (Nebraska)
165 Pounds -- #4 Cameron Amine
First Round - major dec. Brett Donner (Rutgers), 11-2
Quarterfinals - dec. #5 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota), 5-2
Semifinals - dec. by #1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 2-0
Consolations - vs. #8 Jake Tucker (Michigan State)
174 Pounds -- #4 Logan Massa
First Round - major dec. #13 Troy Fisher (Northwestern), 16-5
Quarterfinals - dec. #5 DJ Washington (Indiana), 9-3
Semifinals - dec. by #1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa), 4-2
Consolations - vs. #6 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State)
184 Pounds -- #12 Jaden Bullock
First Round - dec. by #5 John Poznanski (Rutgers), 7-1
Consolations - major dec. Jon Halvorsen (Northwestern), 12-3
Consolations - dec. #3 Layne Malczewski (Michigan State), 6-5
Eliminated with 1-2 record
197 Pounds -- #2 Myles Amine
First Round - Bye
Quarterfinals - dec. #7 Michael Beard (Penn State), 8-6 SV
Semifinals - dec. #3 Jacob Warner (Iowa), 3-1 SV
Final - vs. #1 Eric Schultz (Nebraska)
Heavyweight -- #2 Mason Parris
First Round - Bye
Quarterfinals - major dec. #7 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State), 11-3
Semifinals - pinned #3 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa), 0:58
Final - vs. #1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota)
Players Mentioned
