Weekly Release #1
11/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Nov. 22 -- at #8 Lehigh (Bethlehem, Pa.), 7 p.m.
Fri-Sat., Dec. 6-7 -- at Cliff Keen Invitational (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Saturday, Dec. 14 -- vs. Cleveland State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7:30 p.m.
Sat-Sun., Dec. 28-29 -- at Midlands Invitational (Evanston, Ill.)
Wolverine Wrestlers Open Season on the Road
The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team will head east to take on the No. 8-ranked Lehigh Mountain Hawks at 7 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 22) in Bethlehem, Pa., in their first dual meet of the 2002-03 season. The meet will be the final event held in Lehigh's Grace Hall, and with all 2,676 seats having already been sold, marks the first complete sellout of the historic venue since January 10, 1976 when the Mountain Hawks squared off in a dual meet against Iowa State.
The Series vs. Lehigh
Michigan leads the all-time series with Lehigh 19-9, dating back to 1936. The Wolverines have been the dominant team in recent years, with a current six-meet winning streak. In Bethlehem, U-M holds a slight 8-6 advantage. Michigan head coach Joe McFarland owns a perfect 4-0 record against the Mountain Hawks since taking the helm of the Wolverine squad.
Last Meeting vs. Lehigh
Michigan rolled to a 21-16 victory over the Mountain Hawks in the last meeting between the two teams on Jan. 4, 2002, at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines jumped out to the early lead with back-to-back major decisions by seniors Otto Olson at 174 pounds and Andy Hrovat at 184 pounds, but Lehigh was twice able to pull the score within one point. Sealing the victory for Michigan were 149-pounder Mike Kulczycki (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward HS) and 157-pounder Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS), who collected a decision and major decision, respectively, to put the score out of reach for the visiting Lehigh squad.
About the Mountain Hawks
Lehigh ended the 2001-02 season with a EIWA Conference title and an impressive seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships behind the performances of individual national champion Rob Rohn at 184 pounds and finalist Jon Trenge at 197 pounds. This season, Trenge returns to lead the young Mountain Hawk squad. In his eighth season at Lehigh, head coach Greg Strobel holds a 90-44 career record and is 2-7 against the Wolverines. Lehigh on the Internet: www2.lehigh.edu.
Marquee Matches
#9 A.J. Grant (125 Pounds) vs. #20 Mario Stuart (Lehigh)
In the three previous meetings between A.J. Grant (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS) and Lehigh's Mario Stuart, Grant has been victorious on each occasion, including a 4-3 decision in last season's home dual meet. Both wrestlers were All-Americans during the 2000-01 season with Grant finishing fourth and Stuart taking fifth place. This season, Grant is off to an explosive start in his final season for the Wolverines with a 5-0 record and a Michigan State Open crown while Stuart will be competing in his first match.
#5 Kyle Smith (197 Pounds) vs. #1 Jon Trenge (Lehigh)
Fifth-year senior Kyle Smith (Butte, Mont./Butte HS) will have to wrestle the first bout of his senior season against perhaps the toughest opponent he will face all season, Lehigh's top-ranked Jon Trenge. Both wrestlers were All-Americans last season, with Trenge finishing as runner-up to four-time national champion Cael Sanderson and Smith finishing in seventh place with a 4-2 record. In the only meeting between the two wrestlers, Trenge narrowly edged Smith in a 10-8 decision at last season's dual at Cliff Keen Arena.
Wolverines Look Strong in Preseason Tournaments
In his first collegiate competition, freshman Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) led the way for the Wolverines at the Eastern Michigan Open (Nov. 2), compiling a 4-1 record and a second-place performance at 174 pounds. Also placing for Michigan were freshman Rob Sulaver (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn HS) and sophomore David Felger (Iron River, Mich./West Iron County HS), who finished fifth at 157 pounds and sixth at 174 pounds, respectively.
Senior A.J. Grant dominated the field at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 9-10), posting a 5-0 record en route to claiming the 125-pound title, the first for the Wolverine wrestler in his fourth appearance at the annual tournament. Five other Wolverine wrestlers placed among the top eight in their respective weight classes, with sophomore Jeremiah Tobias (Manchester, Mich./Manchester HS) taking third place at 149 pounds, redshirt freshman Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) finishing fourth at heavyweight, freshman Rob Sulaver and redshirt freshman R.J. Boudro (Rochester, Mich./Armada HS) finishing seventh at 157 pounds and 174 pounds, respectively, and freshman Chase Verdoorn (Platte City, Mo./Platte County HS) taking eight place at 197 pounds.
Maize and Blue Intrasquad
The Wolverines held their annual intrasquad meet at Cliff Keen Arena on Nov. 17 to determine the starting rotation for the 2002-03 season. The final round was held in a best-of-three format.
Intrasquad Final Round Results
| Wgt. | Result |
| 125 | A.J. Grant major dec. Shaun Newton, 13-2 Grant tech. fall Newton, 20-5 |
| 133 | Foley Dowd major dec. Chase Metcalf, 14-4 Dowd major dec. Metcalf, 14-5 |
| 141 | Clark Forward major dec. Nick Velissaris, 14-3 Forward tech. fall Velissaris, 20-5 |
| 149 | Jeremiah Tobias pinned Brent Frey, 3:43 Tobias pinned Frey, 1:22 |
| 157 | Ryan Bertin major dec. Rob Sulaver, 21-7 Bertin tech. fall Sulaver, 25-7 |
| 165 | Pat Owen pinned Matt Thomas, 4:44 Owen dec. Thomas, 13-6 |
| 174 | R.J. Boudro dec. Steve Sentes, 7-1 Boudro major dec. Sentes, 11-2 |
| 184 | Willie Breyer major dec. David Felger, 10-1* |
| 197 | Kyle Smith dec. Chase Verdoorn, 5-2 Smith major dec. Verdoorn, 14-4 |
| Hwt | Greg Wagner major dec. Tony Grygorzyk, 10-2 Wagner dec. Grygorzyk, 5-2 |
* As the only 184-pound wrestler on the Wolverine squad this season, redshirt freshman Willie Breyer (Oxford, Mich./Oxford HS) competed in one match against the 174-pound third-place finisher, David Felger (Iron River, Mich./West Iron County HS).
Starting Things with a Bang
Through Michigan wrestling history, the Wolverines have compiled a 51-25-2 record in their first dual meet of the season. U-M is 23-19 when it opens the season on the road and in recent years, Michigan is 12-2 in its season opener, including a six-year win streak. Last year, the Wolverines dominated Michigan State by a 27-6 margin in the season kickoff.
Strength of Schedule
Michigan faces a tough field of competitors again this season, with eight of the Wolverines' 12 dual meet opponents ranked among the top 25 teams in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's preseason poll. No. 1 Minnesota leads the pack of ranked opponents, which also includes No. 6 Ohio State, No. 8 Lehigh, No. 9 Illinois, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 19 Central Michigan, No. 20 Penn State and No. 23 Purdue.
The Pat Came Back
Senior/junior Pat Owen (Polson, Mont./Polson HS) will make his return to the Wolverine starting rotation this season at 165 pounds. Owen was the starter during the 2000-01 season at 157 pounds, where he posted a 16-15 record and qualified for the NCAA Championships following a seventh-place finish at the Big Ten Conference Championships. Last season, Owen compiled a 14-1 record in open competitions.
Climbing up the Charts
Fifth-year senior Mike Kulczycki became just the 21st Michigan wrestler to join the Wolverines' prestigious 100-win club last season with a 12-3 major decision over Illinois' Ryan Berger at the Big Ten Championships (March 9-10). Kulczycki currently owns a career record of 103-34, placing him in the 20th spot on Michigan's career wins list, tied with two-time All-American Jesse Rawls Jr. and just one win shy of reaching the 18th spot, held by All-Americans Joe Warren and Mike Amine.
The Fall Guy
With three falls at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 9-10), junior/sophomore Jeremiah Tobias brought his career falls total to 35 pins in his brief time at Michigan. After posting 15 falls in his first season and a Michigan-record of 17 falls last year, Tobias currently ranks seventh on Michigan's career falls list, only two shy of the sixth spot held by Dave Porter (1966-68).
U-M Ranks Among the Best
The Wolverines will begin the 2002-03 season with the fifth-place team ranking in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's preseason poll. Michigan also boasts six individuals ranked among the top twenty wrestlers in their respective weight classes. Junior/sophomore Ryan Bertin leads the way with a fourth-place preseason ranking by both InterMat and Amatuer Wrestling News at 157 pounds. Joining Bertin are fifth-year seniors Mike Kulczycki at 149 pounds and Kyle Smith at 197 pounds, who both earned fifth-place rankings in both polls, senior 125-pounder A.J. Grant with a ninth-place ranking in both polls, senior/junior Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School), who was ranked seventh by InterMat and eighth by Amateur Wrestling News at 133 pounds, and senior/junior Clark Forward (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold HS) with a 15th-place ranking by InterMat and a 16th-place ranking by Amateur Wrestling News at 141 pounds.
National Wrestling Coaches' Association
Division I Team Rankings (November 6, 2002)
Rank Team Points 1. Minnesota (11) 275 2. Oklahoma State 264 3. Iowa 245 3. Oklahoma 245 5. MICHIGAN 224 6. Ohio State 219 7. Iowa State 213 8. Lehigh 185 9. Illinois 178 10. West Virginia 172 11. Missouri 160 12. Arizona State 154 13. Nebraska 136 14. Northern Iowa 124 15. Edinboro 109 16. Michigan State 104 17. Cornell 92 18. Boise State 83 19. Central Michigan 78 20. Penn State 74 21. Pennsylvania 60 22. Hofstra 44 23. Purdue 39 24. Lock Haven 33 25. Wisconsin 26
Individual Rankings by Intermat and Amateur Wrestling News
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Intermat | AWN |
| 125 | A.J. Grant | 9th | 9th |
| 133 | Foley Dowd | 7th | 8th |
| 141 | Clark Forward | 15th | 16th |
| 149 | Mike Kulczycki | 5th | 5th |
| 157 | Ryan Bertin | 4th | 4th |
| 197 | Kyle Smith | 5th | 5th |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
