Michigan
Lehigh
Michigan Begins New Year with Home Win Over Lehigh
1/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In front of 927 Wolverine fans at Cliff Keen Arena, the third-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team defeated 13th-ranked Lehigh by a 21-6 margin on Friday (Jan. 4) in its first dual meet in nearly a month. The Wolverines won six of the 10 individual matches in the victory.
The meet started at the 174-pound weight class with second-ranked Otto Olson (Everett, Wash./Everett HS) squaring off against Brad Dillon. After a scoreless first period, Olson came on strong, recording an escape, takedown and three-point near fall in the second period. Olson continued his domination through the third period, holding Dillon to only one escape en route to a 12-1 major decision to give Michigan the early lead.
At 184 pounds, senior captain Andy Hrovat (Gates Mills, Ohio/St. Edward HS), ranked fourth by InterMat, continued the momentum for the Wolverines with a 12-4 win over 11th-ranked Rob Rohn. Hrovat exploded late in the bout, recording three third-period takedowns, including one in the final 10 seconds of the match to earn the major decision victory.
Michigan's ninth-ranked Kyle Smith (Butte, Mont./Butte HS) faced off second-ranked Jon Trenge in the 197-pound match. The bout stayed close through two periods until Trenge recorded two third-period takedowns to earn a 10-8 victory.
In the heavyweight match, fifth-year senior Aaron Walter (Jackson, Mich./East Jackson HS) made his varsity debut against Lehigh's Shawn Laughlin. Walter recorded an early first-period reversal to keep the match close entering the second period, but Laughlin recorded three takedowns and a reversal en route to a 14-5 major decision.
At 125 pounds, 13th-ranked A.J. Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS) earned a 4-3 victory over Mario Stuart of Lehigh. After a scoreless first period, Grant recorded a second-period reversal to hold a two-point advantage entering the final period. With both wrestlers recording escapes and Stuart's late takedown, Grant's extra point for riding time proved to be the deciding factor as the Wolverine earned the narrow decision.
Tenth-ranked Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School) built on the Wolverines' lead with a 8-5 victory over Dan Hyman at 133 pounds. Dowd got off to an early lead, recording two first-period takedowns, and held on for the decision, giving Michigan a 14-7 team lead.
At the 141-pound weight class, the Wolverines did not weigh in a wrestler, and Lehigh's Tristan Boyd won by forfeit, cutting the Wolverines' lead to 17-13.
At 149 pounds, ninth-ranked Mike Kulczycki (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward HS) dominated 13th-ranked Mike Pirozzola, holding him to three escapes en route to a 10-3 decision victory.
Fifth-ranked Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) also dominated over 20th-ranked Warren Stout at 157 pounds. Recording eight takedowns in the match and keeping Stout from recording any points outside of escapes, Bertin cruised to a 18-6 major decision win.
In the night's final matchup, 13th-ranked Charles Martelli (Naperville, Ill./North HS) squared off against fifth-ranked Chris Vitale. With the bout scoreless after the first period, Vitale recorded a takedown in the second period to take the lead. The wrestlers battled through the third period, but Vitale recorded another takedown to take the 6-2 victory.
The Wolverines will travel to Cleveland, Ohio, tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 5) to square off against the Vikings of Cleveland State. The opening match is set to start at 7:30 p.m.
#3 Michigan 21, #13 Lehigh 16
(Individual rankings from Intermat, 1/2/02)
| 174 -- #2 Otto Olson (U-M) major dec. Brad Dillon, 12-1 | U-M, 4-0 |
| 184 -- #4 Andy Hrovat (U-M) major dec. #11 Rob Rohn, 12-4 | U-M, 8-0 |
| 197 -- #2 Jon Trenge (LU) dec. #9 Kyle Smith, 10-8 | U-M, 8-3 |
| Hwt -- Shawn Laughlin (LU) major dec. Aaron Walter, 14-5 | U-M, 8-7 |
| 125 -- #13 A.J. Grant (U-M) dec. Mario Stuart, 4-3 | U-M, 11-7 |
| 133 -- #10 Foley Dowd (U-M) dec. Dan Hyman, 8-5 | U-M, 14-7 |
| 141 -- Tristan Boyd (LU) won by forfeit | U-M, 14-13 |
| 149 -- #8 Mike Kulczycki (U-M) dec. #13 Mike Pirozzola, 10-3 | U-M, 17-13 |
| 157 -- #5 Ryan Bertin (U-M) major dec. #20 Warren Stout, 18-6 | U-M, 21-13 |
| 165 -- #5 Chris Vitale (LU) dec. #13 Charles Martelli, 6-2 | U-M, 21-16 |
N O T E S
Tonight's win extends Michigan's dual meet winning streak to 10 meets, which started on Jan. 28, 2001, with a 20-12 victory over Michigan State. The last time the Wolverines lost a dual meet was a 29-6 loss to eventual NCAA champion University of Minnesota on Jan. 26 of last season.
Tonight's win also extends the Wolverines winning streak at Cliff Keen Arena to nine meets, a streak that now spans across three seasons. The last time Michigan was defeated at home was on Feb. 11, 2000, when the University of Minnesota won by a 32-6 margin.
Following tonight's meet, the Wolverines autographed Michigan wrestling posters for numerous fans of all ages.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Joe McFarland
On the win ... "I thought the guys competed well, especially with this being the first time they competed in nearly a month. They all came back from break in good shape. I was very happy with the way they wrestled tonight. Overall, they looked in good shape and we really dominated in several of the matches. They wrestled in that aggressive, in-your-face Michigan style tonight, and I was happy with they way they looked."
On the Wolverines' explosive start ... "I thought Otto (Olson) and Andy (Hrovat) did a great job to really get things going tonight. Kyle Smith did a nice job wrestling against Jon Trenge. (Trenge) is ranked second in the country, and it was a hard-fought match. It came down to one situation in the third period, and unfortunately Trenge gained the advantage."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
