Michigan
Big Ten Championships
U-M Pushes Four Into Big Ten Finals, Sits Second in Team Race
3/9/2024 11:59:00 PM | Wrestling
» Michigan advanced four wrestlers to the championship finals and sits second in the team race (105.5 points) after the first day of competition at the Big Ten Championships.
» Dylan Ragusin (133 pounds), Austin Gomez (149), Will Lewan (157) and Shane Griffith (174) all won their semifinal bouts to advance to the finals.
» Nine Wolverines earned automatic qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
Site: College Park, Md. (Xfinity Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Standing: 2nd Place of 14 Teams (105.5 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 10 -- at Big Ten Championships - Day Two (College Park, Md.), Noon
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team pushed four through to the finals of the 2024 Big Ten Conference Championships on Saturday (March 9) at Maryland's Xfinity Center. The Wolverines sit in second place in the team standings with 105.5 points; Penn State leads with 136.
Michigan put eight in the semifinals for the second time in three years and went 4-for-8 in the semifinal round. Graduate students Austin Gomez and Will Lewan will make repeat appearances in the championship round at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively -- Gomez is a previous champion -- while senior/junior Dylan Ragusin and graduate student Shane Griffith advanced to the finals for the first time at 133 and 174 pounds.
Ragusin, the top seed and ranked fifth at 133 pounds, defeated Penn State's No. 11 Aaron Nagao 6-3 in the semifinal round. He took an early lead with a single-leg takedown a minute into the bout, traded a PSU reversal with an escape and accumulated 1:09 in riding-time advantage. Ragusin also earned a 6-2 win over Minnesota's No. 18 Tyler Wells in the quarterfinals. He initiated several scrambles over the first and second periods, earning a stall point, but could not capitalize until late in the latter frame, putting Wells in neutral danger for the takedown and riding out the period. He finished with 1:01 in riding-time advantage.
Gomez, ranked fourth at 149 pounds, rallied from an initial deficit to beat Maryland's No. 11 Ethen Miller 5-4 in the semifinals. Miller struck first with a first-period double leg, but Gomez pushed the pace for the rest of the bout, finishing on a single-leg takedown late in the second and riding out the frame. Gomez rolled to a dominant 22-6 technical fall against Wisconsin's No. 16 Joseph Zargo in the quarterfinals, converting on seven takedowns, including four in the third period, to end the bout at the 6:14 mark.
Lewan, ranked 16th at 157 pounds, knocked off two higher-ranked opponents, earning a 4-1 sudden-victory decision against Indiana's No. 15 Brayton Lee in the semifinals. Lewan fended off two deep Lee attacks late in the third before blowing through a double leg for the winning score just 30 seconds into the overtime period. Lewan also earned a second-period fall against Minnesota's No. 4 Michael Blockhus in the quarterfinals. The Wolverine led 2-0 with a pair of escapes -- the first after a Gopher injury timeout -- then headlocked Blockhus out of a flurry midway through the second to collect his first pin of the season at 4:24.
Griffith, ranked third at 174 pounds, used a late takedown to ice a 4-3 decision against Iowa's No. 7 Patrick Kennedy in the semifinals. Up by one after a second-period escape, Griffith slipped out of a Kennedy headlock attempt to score in the final 10 seconds. He opened up with a 6-1 decision against Wisconsin's No. 15 Max Maylor, a former Wolverine, in the quarterfinals, earning a second-period takedown before riding out the third to accumulate 1:48 in advantage time.
Graduate student Michael DeAugustino, freshman Sergio Lemley, senior/junior Jaden Bullock and graduate student Lucas Davison all dropped their semifinal bouts by the narrowest of margins.
DeAugustino, ranked 16th at 125 pounds, fell to Penn State's No. 9 Braeden Davis 5-2 in the second sudden-victory frame of the semifinals. The wrestlers traded quick escape in the tiebreaker -- both out in :05 -- before Davis finished on an inside trip early in the next frame. DeAugustino earned a gritty 4-2 decision over Iowa's No. 2 Drake Ayala in the quarterfinals, keeping a toe in bounds while wrapping up Ayala's legs out of a scramble in the final 10 seconds of the third period. It was his second win over the Hawkeye wrestler this season. He also scrambled for an overtime takedown in his first-round 4-1 win over Michigan State's Tristan Lujan.
Lemley, ranked 10th at 141 pounds, dropped a 5-4 decision to Penn State's No. 1 Beau Bartlett in the semifinals. Lemley evened the score with a single-leg takedown out of a scramble midway through the third, but Bartlett escaped and Lemley could not get to another score. He earned a last-second takedown to edge Nebraska's No. 6 Brock Hardy 4-2 in the quarterfinals and avenge his loss from the dual season. With the Husker holding the edge with 1:03 in riding time late, Lemley kicked out of a scramble and shot in on a single leg and wrapped up Hardy's other leg as time expired. The takedown was not called on the mat but overturned on video review.
Bullock, ranked 19th at 184 pounds, fell to Minnesota's top-seeded and fifth-ranked Isaiah Salazar 4-1 on a takedown with just two seconds remaining. Salazar shot in on a double late, and Bullock nearly scrambled long enough to get to the buzzer, but the Gopher wrapped up both legs to convert. Bullock avenged a dual loss to Ohio State's No. 16 Ryder Rogotzke 8-7 in the quarterfinals. He scored takedowns out of scrambles in the second and third periods before Rogotzke scored at the buzzer to narrow the final score. Bullock's 1:05 in riding time proved the difference.
Davison, ranked sixth at heavyweight, dropped an 8-6 decision to Ohio State's No. 7 Nick Feldman after giving up takedowns in the second and, out of a counter scramble, early in the third. Davison scrambled for a takedown of his own to pull within one with 40 seconds left in the third, but after cutting Feldman loose, could not find another score. He defeated Indiana's Nick Willham 5-0 in the quarterfinals with a second-period single and 1:01 of advantage time. Davison earned bonus in his first-round win against Purdue's Hayden Filipovich, scoring five takedowns en route to a 17-3 major decision.
Fifth-year senior Cameron Amine went 3-1 on the day, bouncing back from an overtime loss in quarterfinals with two wrestlebacks wins to advance back to the consolation semifinals. He locked up his NCAA qualifying berth with a 7-1 decision against Northwestern's Maxx Mayfield, blowing up a close bout with a takedown and two near-fall points in the final 10 seconds. He followed with an 8-2 decision against Minnesota's Blaine Brenner with takedowns in the first and third periods and 1:40 in riding-time advantage.
Michigan will wrap up action at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (March 10) at the Xfinity Center. The third session is slated to begin at noon, while the finals will start at 4:30 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network.
Team Standings (After Day 1)
1. Penn State        136 2. MICHIGAN          105.5 3. Nebraska           89 4. Iowa               88.5 5. Ohio State         78.5 6. Rutgers            71.5 7. Minnesota          66 8. Wisconsin          43 9. Purdue             36 10. Maryland           31 11. Indiana            29 12. Illinois           28 13. Michigan State     19.5 14. Northwestern       14.5
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seeds
125 Pounds -- #7 Michael DeAugustino
First Round - dec. #10 Tristan Lujan (Michigan State), 4-1 SV
Quarterfinals - dec. #2 Drake Ayala (Iowa), 4-2
Semifinals - dec. by #6 Braeden Davis (Penn State), 5-2 SV2
Consolation Semis - vs. #1 Matt Ramos (Purdue)
133 Pounds -- #1 Dylan Ragusin
First Round - Bye
Quarterfinals - dec. #8 Tyler Wells (Minnesota), 6-2
Semifinals - dec. #5 Aaron Nagao (Penn State), 6-3
Final - vs. #2 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers)
141 Pounds -- #5 Sergio Lemley
First Round - major dec. #12 Greyson Clark (Purdue), 14-2
Quarterfinals - dec. #4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska), 4-2
Semifinals - dec. by #1 Beau Bartlett (Penn State), 5-4
Consolations Semis - vs. #7 Mitch Moore (Rutgers)
149 Pounds -- #2 Austin Gomez
First Round - Bye
Quarterfinals - tech. fall #7 Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin), 22-6 (6:14)
Semifinals - dec. #6 Ethen Miller (Maryland), 5-4
Final - vs. #1 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska)
157 Pounds -- #7 Will Lewan
First Round - dec. #10 Isaac Wilcox (Ohio State), 2-1 TB
Quarterfinals - pinned #2 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota), 4:24
Semifinals - dec. #3 Brayton Lee (Indiana), 4-1 SV
Final - vs. #1 Levi Haines (Penn State)
165 Pounds -- #6 Cameron Amine
First Round - dec. #11 Chris Moore (Illinois), 4-1 SV
Quarterfinals - dec. by #3 Mike Caliendo (Iowa), 5-2
Consolations - dec. #12 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern), 7-1
Consolations - dec. #10 Blaine Brenner (Minnesota), 8-2
Consolations Semis - vs. #5 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska)
174 Pounds -- #2 Shane Griffith
First Round - Bye
Quarterfinals - dec. #7 Max Maylor (Wisconsin), 6-1
Semifinals - dec. #3 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), 4-3
Final - vs. #4 Edmond Ruth (Illinois)
184 Pounds -- #5 Jaden Bullock
First Round - dec. #12 James Rowley (Purdue), 5-0
Quarterfinals - dec. #4 Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State), 8-7
Semifinals - dec. by #1 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota), 4-1
Consolations Semis - vs. #8 Brian Soldano (Rutgers)
197 Pounds -- #13 Bobby Striggow
First Round - tech. fall by #4 Silas Allred (Nebraska), 19-4 (6:01)
Consolations - dec. by #12 Isiah Pettigrew (Illinois), 11-4
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
Heavyweight -- #3 Lucas Davison
First Round - major dec. #14 Hayden Filipovich (Purdue), 17-3
Quarterfinals - dec. #6 Nick Willham (Indiana), 5-0
Semifinals - dec. by #2 Nick Feldman (Ohio State), 8-6
Consolations Semis - vs. #10 Nash Hutmacher
Players Mentioned
