Michigan
Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Wolverines to Head West for 40th Appearance at CKLV Invitational
11/28/2023 3:26:00 PM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team (3-0) will take its annual trip out west this weekend, heading to Las Vegas, Nev., to compete in the 41st annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 1-2) at the Westgate Paradise Event Center. Action will begin at 9 a.m. PST on Friday and 10 a.m. PST on Saturday, with the championship round slated for 3 p.m. PST. All matches will be streamed live on FloWrestling.
This year's field at the Cliff Keen Invitational will feature 35 teams, including 16 teams ranked in the most recent NWCA poll. In addition to the Maize and Blue, headlining the participating teams are No. 2 NC State, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Cornell, No. 8 Iowa State, No. 9 Nebraska and No. 10 Virginia Tech.
Notes
• Michigan has competed in the annual tournament 40 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 was created by three-time NCAA champion Mark Churella Sr. (1976-79) while he served as UNLV head coach and is still run by him and his sons and fellow Wolverine alums Mark Jr. (2001) and Ryan (2003-06).
• Michigan has placed top 10 at the annual tournament in 17 of the last 20 appearances, with 11 top-five finishes over the stretch and first-place showings in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007. The Wolverines took fourth place last season's event with six total placewinners, most notably heavyweight champion Mason Parris.
• The Wolverines have boasted at least one CKLV champion in each of the last six tournaments. Parris captured two heavyweight titles over that stretch (2019, '22), while Dylan Ragusin (133, 2021), Myles Amine (174, 2018), Alec Pantaleo (157, 2017), Adam Coon (Hwt, 2017) and Logan Massa (165, 2016) all claimed one title. Coon was also a two-time heavyweight champion, also claiming the top spot as a freshman (like Massa) in 2013.
• Michigan opened the dual-meet portion of its season with dominant road wins at Columbia (33-6, Nov. 15) and Rider (27-14, Nov. 17), taking 16 of 20 total bouts over the weekend. The Wolverines earned bonus points in eight matches -- four per dual meet -- with senior/junior Cameron Amine and graduate student Lucas Davison earning two bonus wins at 165 pounds and heavyweight, respectively, with a major decision and technical fall in their first action of the season.
• Six wrestlers made their debuts in the Michigan starting lineup in the dual opener at Columbia: graduate transfers Michael DeAugustino, Chris Cannon, Shane Griffith and Davison and true freshmen Sergio Lemley and Dylan Gilcher. The newcomers went 8-2 over the dual weekend.
• Senior/junior Jaden Bullock and graduate student Bobby Striggow came back from season-ending injuries a year ago to go 2-0 at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, in their return to the lineup. Both earned ranked wins against Columbia, with Bullock defeating No. 30 Aaron Ayzerov 9-5 while Striggow edged No. 28 Jack Wehmeyer 6-5. The wins are the first for Striggow in dual competition.
• Lemley earned two ranked wins at 141 pounds over the Wolverines' opening duals, defeating Columbia's No. 33 Kai Owen 3-1 and Rider's No. 32 McKenzie Bell 19-4. He is 5-1 in his collegiate career after previously claiming third place at the MSU Open (Nov. 11) and has himself debuted at No. 32 in InterMat's 141-pound national rankings.
• Gilcher also earned a ranked win in his collegiate dual debut at 149 pounds, using an overtime takedown to edge Columbia's No. 19 Richard Fedalen 4-1. In all, six different Wolverines earned at least one ranked win over the opening two dual meets.
• The Wolverines currently boast nine wrestlers ranked nationally at their respective weight classes, including six in the top 10 according to InterMat: No. 5 DeAugustino (125), No. 7 Cannon (133), No. 6 Will Lewan (157), No. 3 Amine (165), No. 3 Griffith (174) and No. 3 Davison (Hwt).
Players Mentioned
