Weekly Release #2
12/5/2000 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Friday, Dec. 8 -- vs. Michigan State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 9 -- vs. Central Michigan (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Home Opener This Weekend
The seventh-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team will open up its 2000-01 dual season at home at Cliff Keen Arena this weekend, taking on No. 9 Michigan State for "Poster Night" on Friday at 7 p.m. and Central Michigan on Saturday at 7 p.m. Admission to the events will be $4 for adults and $2 for children (18 and under). Michigan students are free with current ID.
Before the meet with the Spartans, the 2000-01 Michigan team poster will be given to spectators free of charge and the Wolverines will be available for autographs at the completion of the contest. A pre-match clinic tutored by the Michigan coaching staff will precede the dual with Central Michigan, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Participants in the clinic will receive free admission.
About the Spartans
The Wolverines own a 53-32-5 advantage over the Spartans in the all-time series. Last season the Maize and Blue defeated Michigan State 19-15 in East Lansing and recorded an 18-18 tie at Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan has not lost to its intrastate rival since the 1997-98 season.
The ninth-ranked Spartans have seven of their starters ranked in Intermat's individual top 20 rankings and feature 2000 All-American Pat McNamara at 133 pounds. MSU's head coach Tom Minkel is in his 11th season with the Spartans and boasts a 85-73-2 record at MSU. The Spartans on the Internet: www.msuspartans.com.
Home and Home Series
Michigan will face the Spartans in the first of a home and home series with the intrastate rival. The first matchup will not be counted toward the team's Big Ten Conference standing, but the second dual in East Lansing (Jan. 28, 2001) will be a conference meet. This will be the third year for the home and home series, with the Maize and Blue holding a 3-0-1 mark against MSU in the stretch.
Michigan vs. MSU Since 1998-99
| Season | Score | Site |
| Jan. 23, 2000 | 18-18 | Cliff Keen Arena |
| Dec. 10, 1999 | 19-15 | East Lansing |
| Feb. 5, 1999 | 22-11 | East Lansing |
| Dec. 11, 1998 | 21-9 | Cliff Keen Arena |
Tentative Starting Lineup (Rankings by Intermat)
| Wgt. | Michigan (Yr./Elig.) | Michigan State (Yr.) | U-M rec. vs. Opp. |
| 125 | #13 A.J. Grant (So./So.) | #16 Chris Williams (Jr.) | 2-2 |
| 133 | #11 Foley Dowd (So./Fr.) | #4 Pat McNamara (Sr.) | 0-1 |
| 141 | #12 Clark Forward (So./Fr.) | #5 Mike Castillo (Sr.) | 0-1 |
| 149 | #16 Mike Kulczycki (Jr./So.) | #18 Karl Nadolski (So.) | 4-0 |
| 157 | Pat Owen (So./Fr.) | #11 Gray Maynard (So.) | 0-0 |
| 165 | Charles Martelli (Jr./Jr.) | Arsen Aleksanyan (Fr.) | 1-0 |
| 174 | #1 Otto Olson (5th/Sr.) | Nate Mesyn (Fr.) | 1-0 |
| 184 | Kyle Smith (Jr./So.) | John Wechter (So.) | 0-0 |
| 197 | #16 Joe DeGain (5th/Sr.) | #20 Nik Fekete (So.) | 1-0 |
| Hwt | #4 Matt Brink (Sr./Jr.) | #9 Mark Lamb (Sr.) | 5-3 |
Marquee Matchups
125 -- Grant vs. Williams -- No. 13-ranked A.J. Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS) and No. 16th-ranked Spartan Chris Williams wrestled each other throughout their prep careers and have split four matches in college. Williams took the first two matches, 7-3 and 6-5; Grant has taken the last two, 7-5 and 12-7 at the 2000 Big Ten meet.
133 - Dowd vs. McNamara - Redshirt freshman Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./Peddie School), ranked 11th, gave fourth-ranked senior Pat McNamara all he could handle in their first meeting in the finals of the MSU Open (Nov. 19), with McNamara escaping with a 3-2 victory.
141 -- Forward vs. Castillo -- Clark Forward (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold HS) will have a rematch of the MSU Open (Nov. 19) final in which Forward took fifth-ranked senior Mike Castillo to limit before losing a narrow 7-6 decision.
HWT -- Brink vs. Lamb -- Fourth-ranked Matt Brink (Muskegon, Mich./Fruitport HS) will square off for the ninth time against MSU's Mark Lamb, ranked No. 9. Brink holds a 5-3 advantage and the last victory was a 7-2 decision at the NCAA meet, which avenged a 2-1 loss to Lamb in the Big Ten quarterfinal. The seniors split their dual matches last season, with each competitor scoring the victory on his home mat. Brink won 2-1 at Cliff Keen Arena and Lamb won 3-2 in East Lansing.
About the Chippewas
Michigan boasts a 13-1 record over Central Michigan and took a 21-15 decision last season in Mt. Pleasant. The Wolverines' lone defeat came during the 1998-99 campaign, bowing down 19-16 to CMU at Cliff Keen Arena. Only three starters remain from last year's Chippewa squad - 125-pounder Ahmad Sanders, 133-pounder Jordan Webster and heavyweight Jack Leffler, and CMU has five freshmen and two sophomores rounding out the lineup. CMU is 3-1 on the season with three victories over Division II opponents Augustana (29-3), William Penn (48-0) and Minnesota State-Mankato (30-12) and a defeat to third-ranked Iowa State (37-4). The Chippewas on the Internet: www.cmuchippewas.com
Tentative Starting Lineups vs. Central Michigan
| Wgt. | Michigan (Yr./Elig.) | Central Michigan (Yr.) |
| 125 | #13 A.J. Grant (So./So.) | Ahmad Sanders (Sr.) |
| 133 | #11 Foley Dowd (So./Fr.) | Jordan Webster (So.) |
| 141 | #12 Clark Forward (So./Fr.) | Jason Mesters (Fr.) |
| 149 | #16 Mike Kulczycki (Jr./So.) | Ty Morgan (Fr.) |
| 157 | Pat Owen (So./Fr.) | Russel Clark (So.) |
| 165 | Charles Martelli (Jr./Jr.) | Mitch Hancock (Fr.) |
| 174 | #1 Otto Olson (5th/Sr.) | Kevin Carr (Fr.) |
| 184 | Kyle Smith (Jr./So.) | Jeff Pangborn (Fr.) |
| 197 | # 16 Joe DeGain (5th/Sr.) | Brett Faustman (So.) |
| Hwt | #4 Matt Brink Sr./Jr.) | Jack Leffler (Jr.) |
Wolverines Finish in 10th Place at the Cliff Keen Invitational
Michigan went into the 19th annual Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 1-2) in Primm, Nev., with a depleted nine-man lineup -- without No. 1-ranked Otto Olson (Everett, Wash./Everett HS) who didn't compete due to a minor shoulder injury -- and finished in 10th out of a record 52 teams. The placing was the lowest finish in U-M's 17-year history of competing in the desert. Sophomore A.J. Grant emerged from the competition as a rising star by destroying five opponents on way to meeting No. 1-ranked Stephen Abas in the 125-pound final. Grant was tied 2-2 with his top-ranked opponent after the first period, but eventually went down 10-2 for the silver medal finish.
Foley Dowd and Mike Kulczycki finished in seventh at 133 and 149, respectively. 165-pounder Charles Martelli (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North HS) missed out of the placing by one match and finished with a 3-2 record. All nine Wolverines recorded at least one victory in the tournament.
Hrovat Takes Third at the Penn State Open
Andy Hrovat (Gates Mills, Ohio/St. Edwards HS), competing unattached, claim third place by defeating James Madison's Dave Colabella 9-6 in the medal round of the Penn State Open (Dec. 2) in State College, Pa. Hrovat finished the tournament with a 4-1 record. Mark Churella (Northfield, Mich./Novi HS) and freshman Landon Greene (Wyandotte, Mich./Roosevelt HS) also competed at the tournament.
Desert King
Sophomore A.J. Grant, ranked 13th, is 14-2 on the season with five wins by fall and four via major decisions. Grant's second-place performance was dominating at the Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 1-2) in Primm, Nev., where he pinned his first three opponents and major decisioned his next two, 14-0 and 9-1 over fifth-ranked Chuck Conner of North Carolina. Grant now has a 10-3 record at the Cliff Keen Invitational. He finished 5-2 last season.
Wolverines Dubbed Seventh in the Intermat Poll
Michigan stayed with the No. 7 ranking by Intermat. The Wolverines have eight wrestlers ranked in their respective weight classes.
Intermat Top 10 (11/29/00)
| 1. | Iowa |
| 2. | Minnesota |
| 3. | Iowa State |
| 4. | Oklahoma State |
| 5. | Illinois |
| 6. | Oklahoma |
| 7. | MICHIGAN |
| 8. | Lehigh |
| 9. | Michigan State |
| 10. | Boise State |
Individual Rankings by Intermat (11/29/00)
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Ranking | LW |
| 125 | A.J. Grant | 12th | 13th |
| 133 | Foley Dowd | 11th | 11th |
| 141 | Clark Forward | 11th | 12th |
| 149 | Mike Kulczycki | 16th | 16th |
| 174 | Otto Olson | 1st | 1st |
| 184 | Andy Hrovat | 10th | 10th |
| 197 | Joe DeGain | 16th | 16th |
| Hwt | Matt Brink | 4th | 4th |
Contact: Jason Binge (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
