Michigan
Northwestern
Michigan to Resume B1G Slate Against Northwestern, No. 2 Ohio State
1/28/2026 12:08:00 PM | Wrestling
Promotions
Jan. 30
• Senior Night -- Takedown fan signs will be available to the first 500 fans, and in a show of fan appreciation, attendees can scan the QR code on the videoboard to win select prizes throughout the dual. The Wolverines will also honor the 2025-26 Michigan wrestling senior class during the intermission break.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team (7-2, 1-0 Big Ten) will resume its Big Ten Conference schedule with a pair of duals this weekend. U-M will host Northwestern (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) at 7 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 30) for its penultimate home meet at Crisler Center before traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 2 Ohio State (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten) at noon on Sunday (Feb. 1) at the Covelli Center.
Notes
• The Wolverines are off to a 3-0 start in Big Ten duals and share the top spot in the conference standings with Penn State (5-0) and Ohio State (3-0), both of which also own unbeaten records overall this season. Michigan has won its last five dual meets, dating back to victories over Columbia and Virginia last semester.
• Michigan will honor 10 wrestlers -- Taye Ghadiali, Dzhabrail Khurshidov, Lachlan McNeil, Keegan Nugent, Dylan Ragusin, Diego Sotelo, Christian Tanefeu, Wilfried Tanefeu, Lance Trost and Joseph Walker -- along with student manager Ella Chanthabane as part of Senior Night against Northwestern. Members of the group have been with the program from one to six years and have combined for five NCAA All-America honors over their collegiate careers.
• The Wolverines have eight wrestlers ranked nationally at their respective weight classes, including five in the top 15 according to InterMat: No. 13 McNeil (149 pounds), No. 14 Cameron Catrabone (157), No. 11 Beau Mantanona (174), No. 9 Brock Mantanona (184) and No. 7 Ghadiali (Hwt).
• Northwestern is 3-4 on the season and 1-3 in Big Ten action after dropping each of its last three outings -- at Wisconsin (28-12, Jan. 16) and at home against Penn State (51-0, Jan. 18) and Rutgers (30-10, Jan. 23). Four Wildcat wrestlers are ranked nationally, including three at the lower weights and most notably No. 23 Dedrick Navarro (125). Michigan leads the all-time series against Northwestern, 77-8-3, and has won the last eight meetings, including a 26-10 road decision last season.
• Ohio State owns a perfect 14-0 record and is 3-0 in Big Ten action with wins over Indiana (45-0, Jan. 11), Minnesota (29-9, Jan. 23) and Nebraska (17-16, Jan. 25). All 10 Buckeye starters are ranked by InterMat, including nine in the top 10 at their respective weights, highlighted by No. 1 Jesse Mendez (141) and No. 1 Brandon Cannon (157). Michigan leads 72-24-4 in the all-time series, though the teams have split the last 10 meetings evenly, 5-5, with Ohio State winning the last three, including a 25-14 decision last season in Ann Arbor.
• Redshirt sophomore Beau Mantanona (174) and redshirt freshman Brock Mantanona (184) have combined for a 24-6 record and 15 bonus wins at back-to-back weights in the Wolverine lineup. Beau Mantanona is 13-3 with four falls, including a wrestleback pin against Iowa State's No. 8 MJ Gaitan at the CKLV, and earned two ranked wins last weekend, highlighted by an 11-3 major decision against Rutgers' No. 10 Lenny Pinto. Brock Mantanona, who led U-M with a runner-up finish at CKLV, is 11-3 on the season and owns five ranked wins, most notably a 10-8 decision over Nebraska's sixth-ranked Silas Allred at the National Duals.
• Redshirt freshman Catrabone leads the Wolverines with five falls this season and has scored bonus points in four of his last five matches, owning an 11-4 overall record. He opened Michigan's dual against Rutgers with a 13-3 major decision over Anthony White before rallying past Illinois' Ryan Bennett, 8-7, with six unanswered points in the final minute. Catrabone's father, three-time Michigan All-American Jeff Catrabone (1995-98), graduated with the program's career pins record and now ranks second with 55.
• Graduate student Ragusin is 3-0 in dual meets since returning to the lineup after last year's season-ending injury suffered in Las Vegas. A four-time NCAA qualifier who placed fifth at 133 pounds at the 2024 NCAA Championships, Ragusin owns a 90-34 career record and is 5-2 this season after taking fourth place at 141 pounds at the Kent State Open last month.
• Ragusin and graduate student McNeil are both nearing the 100-win milestone. McNeil owns a 92-28 career record, including a 10-3 mark this season at Michigan, while Ragusin is 90-32 over his six seasons in Ann Arbor.
• Graduate student heavyweight Ghadiali leads the team with a 14-2 record and has earned bonus points in 10 of his wins -- six technical falls, three major decisions and a pin. Six of those victories have come against ranked opposition, highlighted by a 17-2 technical fall against Arizona State's No. 23 David Szuba and a 9-1 major decision over Cal Poly's No. 24 Trevor Tinker.
• Seven different wrestlers have made debuts in Michigan's starting lineup this season, most recently redshirt freshman Justin Gates, who moved up to 165 pounds following Dylan Gilcher's season-ending injury. The previous six debuted in U-M's dual opener against VMI (Nov. 9). Freshmen Gauge Botero and Eren Sement made their collegiate debuts at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively, while graduate student Sotelo (125), McNeil (149) and Ghadiali (Hwt) all made their official Michigan debuts. Walters, who opened his college career with back-to-back redshirt seasons after arriving with an injury, made his long-awaited varsity debut at 197 pounds.
Players Mentioned
