Michigan
Columbia
Michigan to Open Dual Slate at Columbia, Rider
11/14/2023 8:40:00 PM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan field wrestling team (0-0) will open the dual-meet portion of its 2023-24 schedule on the road this weekend. The Wolverines will travel to New York, N.Y., to face Columbia (0-0) at 7 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 17) at Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium. Michigan will close out the weekend with a 2 p.m. dual at Rider (1-1) at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, N.J. on Sunday (Nov. 19). Both duals will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Notes
• Michigan boasted a champion and 12 total placewinners at the Michigan State Open last Saturday (Nov. 11). Senior/junior Dylan Ragusin went 4-0 after he captured the 133-pound title, while senior/junior Jaden Bullock reached the 184-pound finals and posted a 3-1 record. Freshman Sergio Lemley (141 pounds), junior/sophomore Zack Mattin (157) and senior/junior Joseph Walker (174) all placed third at their respective weight classes.
• Six Wolverine freshmen made their collegiate debuts at the MSU Open with four earning top-five finishes; Lemley took third at 141 pounds, Beau Mantanona placed fifth at 165, and Caden Horwath and Connor Owens placed fourth at 125 and 174 pounds, respectively, in the freshman/sophomore division.
• Michigan's four All-America graduate transfer are slated to make their Maize & Blue debut in this weekend's dual competitions. Michael DeAugustino (125 pounds), Chris Cannon (133), Shane Griffith (174) and Lucas Davison (Hwt) combined for 11 All-America honors while competing for Northwestern and Stanford. Griffith captured the 2021 NCAA title and was a four-time All-American and three-time placewinner at 165 pounds. DeAugustino placed fourth at NCAAs in 2022, Cannon was a two-time seventh-place finisher, and Davison posted a pair of top-six finishes, claiming fifth place last season.
• Michigan also returns two All-Americans and three total NCAA qualifiers from its 2022-23 starting lineup. Will Lewan is a three-time All-American and two-time placewinner at 157 pounds, claiming fifth place in 2022 and eighth place last season. Cameron Amine is a three-time All-American 165 pounds with back-to-back fourth-place finishes after claiming seventh as a freshman.
• The Wolverines currently boast seven wrestlers ranked nationally at their respective weight classes, including six in the top 10 according to InterMat: No. 8 DeAugustino (125), No. 7 Cannon (133), No. 6 Lewan (157), No. 3 Amine (165), No. 4 Griffith (174) and No. 3 Davison (Hwt).
• Michigan welcomed an eight-man freshman class to Ann Arbor this fall. The class, ranked No. 2 nationally for the Class of 2023, combined for 20 high school state titles and includes five wrestlers listed among the top recruits by at least one wrestling outlet, including three in the top 20: No. 7 Beau Mantanona, No. 11 Sergio Lemley and No. 16 Dylan Gilcher.
• Columbia will also make its season dual debut this Friday. The Lions, who earned 10 placewinners at the Clarion Open (Nov. 5), have eight nationally-ranked wrestlers, most notably No. 11 Angelo Rini (133 pounds) and No. 14 Josh Ogunsanya (165). Michigan is 3-0 all-time against Columbia, most recently claiming a 38-6 win last season in Ann Arbor.
• Rider enters the weekend with a 1-1 dual record, falling to Indiana, 27-15, last Friday (Nov. 10) before bouncing back with a 29-6 win over SIU Edwardsville on Sunday (Nov. 12). Four Bronc wrestlers are nationally ranked, most notably No. 16 Quinn Kinner (149). Michigan is 1-0 all-time against Rider, earning a 22-12 win in the only previous meeting at the 1996 Virginia Duals.
• Head coach Sean Bormet enters his sixth season at the helm of the Wolverine program. Bormet, who was named the 2021-22 Big Ten and NWCA Coach of the Year, has guided the Wolverines to a 48-13 dual-meet record under his leadership, including a 30-10 mark in Big Ten duals, the 2022 Big Ten title and three top-five NCAA finishes, including a runner-up showing in 2022. Michigan has claimed an NCAA champion each of the last two seasons in Nick Suriano and Mason Parris, who also claimed 2023 Hodge Trophy winner as the nation's top college wrestler. The Michigan program has boasted 16 NCAA All-Americans under Bormet -- plus four NWCA All-Americans during the COVID-canceled 2019-20 season.
• Michigan will face six teams ranked in the NWCA preseason poll, most notably No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Iowa. All 14 Big Ten schools were either ranked or receiving votes to start the 2023-24 season, including five of the top 10. Michigan earned the No. 6 preseason ranking.
Players Mentioned
