Michigan
Maryland
Wolverines Fall to Maryland on Tiebreaker Criteria in Big Ten Opener
1/10/2025 9:41:00 PM | Wrestling
» No. 10 Michigan split bouts evenly with Maryland but fell 19-18 on the second tiebreaker criteria (most falls) in its Big Ten opener.
» Christian Tanefeu (125 pounds) and Jacob Cardenas (197) earned bonus wins with a major decision and technical fall, respectively; Cardenas improved to 9-0 with nine bonus wins.
» Beau Mantanona (165) and Josh Heindselman (Hwt) were also victorious in their season dual debuts; Heindselman earned a ranked win with a 4-2 decision against No. 13 Seth Nevills.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10 University of Michigan wrestling team split matches evenly but dropped its Big Ten Conference opener to Maryland, 19-18, on the second tiebreaker criteria (most falls) on Friday night (Jan. 10) in front of 2,150 fans at Crisler Center.
Both teams earned five match wins and three bonus points, but the Terrapins' pin at 133 pounds ultimately trumped Michigan's major decision at 125 and technical fall at 197 pounds. The Wolverines remained in striking distance late, needing nine points over the last two matches to overcome the pin, and came up just one point short.
Graduate student Jacob Cardenas, ranked third nationally at 197 pounds, rolled to a 15-0 technical fall against Chase Mielnik with two takedowns and eight back points. Cardenas slowed slightly while searching for a pin. Still, after earning a stall point midway through the second period, he used a double-leg takedown to end the bout at 4:54. Cardenas improved to 9-0 on the season with nine bonus wins, including six tech falls.
Graduate student Josh Heindselman, ranked 12th at heavyweight, closed the dual with a 4-2 decision against 13th-ranked Seth Nevills in his Michigan dual-meet debut. Heindselman scored on a counter-go-behind takedown in the first period but was slowed by Nevills' defensive wrestling over the latter two. It was his second straight ranked win as he improved to 13-0 on the season.
Senior/junior Christian Tanefeu opened the dual meet with a 12-4 major decision against Tyler Garvin at 125 pounds, scoring takedowns in the first and second periods, adding a two-point tilt in the former and accumulating 4:22 in riding-time advantage. He fought off a Terrapin single-leg attempt in the waning seconds of the third to hold onto the bonus point and pick up his second dual win of the season.
Michigan also earned a lowerweight win at 141 pounds from sophomore Sergio Lemley, who rallied from an early deficit to defeat Dario Lemus 6-3 and stay perfect in dual-meet action. After a scoreless first period, Lemley gave up a takedown out of a scramble on the edge but escaped quickly and wrapped up both of Lemus' ankles late in the frame and rode out the second -- then the entirety of the third to finish with 2:02 riding time.
The Terrapins took the lead with their third-period pin at 133 pounds and earned close decisions at 149 and 157 pounds to take a five-point lead into the intermission break. Graduate student Chase Saldate, ranked 16th at 157, led late against sixth-ranked Ethen Miller after riding out the second period and earning a quick escape in the third, but Miller converted out of a scramble midway through the final frame and ran off Saldate's riding time advantage before a late escape.
Sophomore/freshman Beau Mantanona earned a 6-4 decision over Alex Uryniak in his season dual debut at 165 pounds after the break. Mantanona started fast, scrambling for a takedown in the opening seconds of the first and was awarded another in the frame but it was waved off on review. The wrestlers traded reversals in the second period, but Mantanona could not find another score to expand his lead late.
The Terrapins took control of the dual with back-to-back last-minute decisions at 174 and 184 pounds. Fifth-year senior Joseph Walker, ranked 25th, finished on an early double leg but was doomed by a late takedown in a 5-4 loss to Branson John, while fifth-year senior Jaden Bullock, ranked 19th, dropped a 4-1 decision to 13th-ranked Jaxon Smith on a takedown of the edge in the final 10 seconds of the third period.
The Wolverines (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) will hit the road next weekend for conference duals at Northwestern and Minnesota. U-M will take on the Wildcats at 7 p.m. CT on Friday (Jan. 17) before squaring off against the Golden Gophers at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday (Jan. 19).
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Maryland 19, No. 10 Michigan 18
Individual rankings by InterMat
125 -- Christian Tanefeu (U-M) major dec. Tyler Garvin, 12-4 -- U-M, 4-0
133 -- #14 Braxton Brown (UMD) pinned Nolan Wertanen, 5:45 -- UMD, 6-4
141 -- #12 Sergio Lemley (U-M) dec. Dario Lemus, 6-3 -- U-M, 7-6
149 -- #29 Kal Miller (UMD) dec. #28 Dylan Gilcher, 4-3 -- UMD, 9-7
157 -- #6 Ethen Miller (UMD) dec. #16 Chase Saldate, 4-2 -- UMD, 12-7
165 -- Beau Mantanona (U-M) dec. Alex Uryniak, 6-4 -- UMD, 12-10
174 -- Branson John (UMN) dec. #25 Joseph Walker, 5-4 -- UMD, 15-10
184 -- #13 Jaxon Smith (UMD) dec. #19 Jaden Bullock, 4-1 -- UMD, 18-10
197 -- #3 Jacob Cardenas (U-M) tech. fall Chase Mielnik, 15-0 (4:54) -- UMD, 18-15
Hwt -- #12 Josh Heindselman (U-M) dec. #13 Seth Nevills, 4-2 -- Tie, 18-18*
Players Mentioned
