Michigan
Nebraska
Wolverines' Slow Start Snowballs in Loss at No. 5 Nebraska
2/9/2024 10:11:00 PM | Wrestling
» No. 9 Michigan fell to No. 5 Nebraska, 25-7, after dropping each of the first six matches.
» Shane Griffith (174 pounds) and Lucas Davison (heavyweight) earned wins for Michigan; Davison earned an 8-0 major decision over Nash Hutmacher in the final bout.
» U-M dropped seven decision losses in matches featuring two ranked wrestlers, including three by a point or less.
Site: Lincoln, Neb. (Bob Devaney Center)
Score: #5 Nebraska 25, #9 Michigan 7
Records: U-M (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten), NU (11-1, 6-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 16 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 7 p.m.
LINCOLN, Neb. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team was unable to overcome a slow start, dropping the first six matches en route to a 25-7 loss at No. 5 Nebraska on Friday night (Feb. 9) at the Bob Devaney Center.
Graduate students Shane Griffith and Lucas Davison earned wins for the Wolverines at 174 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. Griffith, ranked third in the latest InterMat poll, earned a 1-0 decision over 33rd-ranked Bubba Wilson on a second-period escape. Wilson started neutral in the third period, and Griffith spent most of the frame in deep and trying to finish on a single-leg attack. He improved to 9-0 in duals this season.
Davison, ranked sixth nationally, cruised to an 8-0 major decision over Nash Hutmacher in the final bout, finishing on a go behind in the second period and a single leg in the third and rode both frames to accumulate 1:53 in advantage time.
The slow start snowballed for the Wolverines, who lost six straight decisions -- all close matches, including three by a point or less.
Graduate student Michael DeAugustino, ranked sixth at 125 pounds, sacrificed an early lead against 13th-ranked Caleb Smith in a 9-5 loss in the opening bout. He scored on a first-period bodylock and led 4-1 entering the third period when he was reversed and tilted for four points early in the final frame.
Senior/junior Dylan Ragusin, ranked fourth at 133 pounds, suffered his first loss of the season to 19th-ranked Jacob Van Dee, 3-2, with a locked-hands call making the difference. Ragusin pushed the pace throughout but struggled to finish from his feet. He earned a quick reversal in the third period and nearly rode out the match for the win, but Van Dee escaped on a restart with eight seconds left, leaving Ragusin :58 in advantage time.
Freshman Sergio Lemley, ranked 10th at 141 pounds, went toe-to-toe with seventh-ranked Brock Hardy, who scored two takedowns in the third, including a throwaway counter in the final seconds to earn a 13-9 decision. Lemley rallied with a second-period reversal and takedown out of a scramble, then traded two more reversals to take a two-point lead into the third. Hardy scored quickly to retake the lead and, down one, Lemley pushed the pace over the final minute, drawing a stall warning, but couldn't finish.
Graduate student Austin Gomez, ranked sixth at 149 pounds, also suffered his first loss of the season with an 11-4 decision against top-ranked Ridge Lovett. After Lovett countered a Gomez throw attempt for an early takedown and added a four-point tilt, the Wolverines clawed back with a third-period takedown but could not overcome the sizable early deficit.
Graduate student Will Lewan, ranked 10th at 157 pounds, fell 2-1 to seventh-ranked Peyton Robb on a second-period stall call. Lewan spent the final 30 seconds of the match in deep and trying to finish on a single-leg attack, earning multiple neutral-danger swipes but not enough for the takedown.
Senior Cameron Amine, ranked 10th at 165 pounds, dropped a 2-2 tiebreaker decision to 16th-ranked Antrell Taylor on :05 of riding time. Amine couldn't finish on multiple deep single shots, including three in the air, and despite no Taylor shots in the bout, the Wolverine did not get the benefit of a second stall as Nebraska did in the previous bout. Amine needed to ride Taylor for :18 in the tiebreakers and did until a restart midway through the second go.
The Wolverines (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) will remain on the road next Friday (Feb. 16), traveling to Bloomington, Ind., to take on Indiana at 7 p.m. at Wilkinson Hall. The dual will be streamed live on B1G+.
No. 5 Nebraska 27, No. 9 Michigan 7
Individual rankings by InterMat
125 -- #13 Caleb Smith (NU) dec. #6 Michael DeAugustino, 9-5 -- NU, 3-0
133 -- #19 Jacob Van Dee (NU) dec. #4 Dylan Ragusin, 3-2 -- NU, 6-0
141 -- #7 Brock Hardy (NU) dec. #10 Sergio Lemley, 13-9 -- NU, 9-0
149 -- #1 Ridge Lovett (NU) dec. #6 Austin Gomez, 11-4 -- NU, 12-0
157 -- #7 Peyton Robb (NU) dec. #10 Will Lewan, 2-1 -- NU, 15-0
165 -- #16 Antrell Taylor (NU) dec. #10 Cameron Amine, 2-2 TB -- NU, 18-0
174 -- #3 Shane Griffith (U-M) dec. #33 Bubba Wilson, 1-0 -- NU, 18-3
184 -- #3 Lenny Pinto (NU) dec. #19 Jaden Bullock, 11-4 -- NU, 21-3
197 -- #13 Silas Allred (NU) major dec. Bobby Striggow, 14-2 -- NU, 25-3
Hwt -- #6 Lucas Davison (U-M) major dec. Nash Hutmacher, 8-0 -- NU, 25-7
Players Mentioned
