Weekly Release #12
3/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Thu-Sat., March 21-23 -- at NCAA Championships (Albany, N.Y.)
Wolverines Prepare for the NCAA Championships
The University of Michigan wrestling squad will send nine individuals to Albany N.Y., to compete in the 2002 NCAA Championships, hosted Thursday through Saturday (March 21-23) by the MAAC Conference, Rider University and Siena College at the Pepsi Arena in downtown Albany. Michigan will head into the national tournament after placing third (121.5 points) at the Big Ten Championships (March 9-10) behind Minnesota (174) and Iowa (129).
The NCAA Championships will take place in six sessions over three days. On Thursday (March 21), session one will begin at 11 a.m. and feature first-round matches for each weight class. Later that day, preliminary matches and wrestleback preliminaries will take place in the second session, slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. On Friday (March 22), quarterfinal matches and wrestleback second and third rounds will begin at 10 a.m in session three while semifinal action and additional wrestleback rounds will start at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday (March 23), the fifth session will feature wrestleback semifinals as well as seventh-place, fifth-place and third-place matches at 8 a.m., and at 2 p.m. the sixth session will feature the championship matches for each weight class.
NCAA Championships History
As a team, Michigan has recorded four second-place finishes (1928, '29, '67 and '74) and has had 36 top-10 finishes in its 61 appearances at the NCAA Championships. The highest team finish in the past 10 seasons was a fifth-place finish (41 points) in 1994.
Individually, Michigan has produced 17 national championships and 138 All-Americans. The last time a Wolverine was crowned national champion was in 1986 when current assistant coach Kirk Trost (1982-86) won at heavyweight. With strong performances at the NCAA tournament, Michigan has produced wrestlers earning All-America accolades for 11 straight seasons.
Last season, U-M earned its highest finish at the NCAA Championships in seven years with a seventh-place showing (65.50 points) behind standout performances by eight Michigan qualifiers. Five Wolverine wrestlers left Iowa City with All-America honors -- A.J. Grant, who finished fourth at 125 pounds; Mike Kulczycki, who finished seventh at 149 pounds; Otto Olson, who finished third at 174 pounds; Andy Hrovat, who finished fourth at 184 pounds; and Matt Brink, who wrestled to seventh place at heavyweight.
U-M in Last 10 NCAA Championships
| Year | Place | Points | All-Americans |
| 2001 | 7th | 65.50 | A.J. Grant (125), Mike Kulczycki (149), Otto Olson (174), Andy Hrovat (184), Matt Brink (Hwt) |
| 2000 | 13th | 38.00 | Joe Warren (133), Damion Logan (141), Matt Brink (Hwt) |
| 1999 | T13th | 39.00 | Damion Logan (141), Otto Olson (174), Andy Hrovat (184) |
| 1998 | 12th | 39.50 | Bill Lacure (150), Jeff Catrabone (167), Airron Richardson (Hwt) |
| 1997 | 22nd | 23.50 | Jeff Catrabone (167) |
| 1996 | 9th | 47.00 | Brandon Howe (126), Bill Lacure (150), Jeff Catrabone (158), Jesse Rawls Jr. (177), Airron Richardson (Hwt) |
| 1995 | T-22nd | 19.00 | Chad Biggert (167), Jehad Hamdan (190) |
| 1994 | 5th | 41.00 | Brian Harper (150), Sean Bormet (158), Jesse Rawls Jr. (177) |
| 1993 | 11th | 34.50 | Sean Bormet (158), Lanny Green (177), Steve King (Hwt) |
| 1992 | T-25th | 12.00 | Joe Gilbert (134) |
Nine Wolverines Qualify for NCAA Championships
Finishing in the top seven spots in their respective weight classes, Wolverine wrestlers A.J. Grant (125), Foley Dowd (133), Mike Kulczycki (149), Charles Martelli (165), Otto Olson (174), Andy Hrovat (184), Kyle Smith (197) and Matt Brink (Hwt) all qualified for the NCAA Championships. For seniors Hrovat and Brink, this season marks their fourth trip to the national tournament, while Grant, Kulczycki, Martelli and Olson are three-time qualifiers.
With nine NCAA qualifiers, Michigan is sending its largest contingent to the NCAA Championships in 36 years and the third-most wrestlers in school history. The Wolverines have twice qualified 10 wrestlers (1963 and 1965) for the NCAA Championships, but this season marks the first time that nine Wolverines qualified.
Michigan Places Third at Big Ten Championships
Michigan wrestled its way to a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships (March 9-10) in Champaign, Ill. The Wolverines' third-place finish is their best since 1991, when Michigan was runner-up to Iowa, which was in the midst of its 25-year hold on the Big Ten title (1974-98).
Final Big Ten Team Standings
PLACE, TEAM POINTS 1. Minnesota 174 2. Iowa 129 3. MICHIGAN 121.5 4. Ohio State 115 5. Illinois 91.5 6. Penn State 66.5 7. Purdue 55.5 8. Michigan State 54.5 9. Wisconsin 50 10. Indiana 48 11. Northwestern 13
U-M NCAA Qualifiers
INDIVIDUAL (WEIGHT) BIG TEN PLACE A.J. Grant (125) 4th Foley Dowd (133) 7th Mike Kulczycki (149) 3rd Ryan Bertin (157) 2nd Charles Martelli (165) 6th Otto Olson (174) 1st Andy Hrovat (184) 2nd Kyle Smith (197) 3rd Matt Brink (Hwt) 4th
Olson Wrestles to Second Big Ten Title
Storming through the Big Ten field at 174 pounds with a 3-0 record, sixth-year senior Otto Olson maintained his perfect season by collecting his second consecutive Big Ten title, defeating Iowa's Tyler Nixt in the final bout by a 3-2 margin. With his first-place finish, Olson became the first Wolverine wrestler to win back-to-back Big Ten Championships since Sean Bormet won 158-pound titles in 1993 and 1994.
Big Ten Newcomers Finish High
Redshirt freshman Ryan Bertin and junior Kyle Smith made impressive Big Ten Championships debuts by each placing within the top three in their respective weight classes. At 157 pounds, Bertin stormed into the final bout, where he narrowly fell to Minnesota's Luke Becker 5-3 to take second place. In the 197-pound bracket, Smith fell in the semifinal round to eventual Big Ten champion Owen Elzen of Minnesota but responded by dominating Michigan State's John Wechter in the consolation semifinals and earning a 2-0 decision over Indiana's Pat DeGain to take third place.
Joining Bertin and Smith in making their first NCAA Championships appearance will be sophomore 133-pounder Foley Dowd, who failed to qualify last season after finishing eighth at the Big Ten Championships.
Michigan Finishes Second in Big Ten Dual Standings
The Wolverines ended their dual meet season on a high note, defeating intrastate rival Michigan State 29-7 (Feb. 24) to finish second in the Big Ten standings. The win gave Michigan a final dual meet record of 16-3 and a Big Ten dual record of 7-1. The Wolverines were nearly perfect in Big Ten duals this season, losing only to Minnesota in their Big Ten opener (Jan. 25) before winning seven consecutive meets against conference opponents.
2002 Big Ten Final Dual Standings
School Big Ten Overall 1. Minnesota 8-0 19-0 2. MICHIGAN 7-1 16-3 3. Iowa 6-2 16-4 4. Ohio State 5-3 20-4 Illinois 5-3 12-4 6. Purdue 4-4 15-5 7. Wisconsin 3-5 11-10 Penn State 3-5 6-12 9. Michigan State 2-6 5-11 10. Indiana 1-7 10-11 11. Northwestern 0-8 7-13
In the Bonus
With their third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, Wolverine wrestlers won eight matches with bonus points, showing U-M's ability to dominate opponents. In dual meets this season, 55 of Michigan's 126 individual dual meet victories came with bonus points. In those meets, Wolverine wrestlers compiled 41 major decisions, eight technical falls and six falls.
Wolverine Bonus Point Leaders (minimum 10 matches)
WRESTLER WINS FALL TF MD BONUS PCT. Jeremiah Tobias 24 17 0 3 83.3% William Breyer 16 8 0 4 75.0% Otto Olson 37 5 4 14 62.2% Ryan Bertin 33 4 4 11 57.5% Andy Hrovat 35 8 3 9 57.1% Matt Brink 17 7 1 1 52.9%
Pinning Down the Competition
With Michigan wrestlers having already compiled 77 falls this season, the Wolverines have shattered the previous season team falls record of 65, which was recorded during the 1998-99 season. Redshirt freshman Jeremiah Tobias leads the Wolverines with a record-breaking 17 falls this season.
2001-02 Michigan Falls Leaders
1. Jeremiah Tobias 17 2. William Breyer 8 Andy Hrovat 8 4. Matt Brink 7 5. Pat Owen 6
Pounding the Hawkeyes
With two victories over the University of Iowa this season -- 23-12 at the National Duals (Jan. 19) and 20-15 in Iowa City (Feb. 15) -- the Wolverines accomplished feats that had not been done in 30 years. The last time Michigan beat the Hawkeyes in Carver-Hawkeye Arena was in 1974, and it was the first time that the Wolverines beat Iowa in three consecutive duals since 1966-68.
McFarland's Winning Ways
With a record of 45-9-2 since taking over the helm of the Michigan wrestling team, third-year head coach Joe McFarland has moved into the third spot among wins by Michigan wrestling coaches, passing Rick Bay and Bill Johannesen, who both had 43 wins while coaching at Michigan. The only two coaches who have a greater number of victories are Cliff Keen and Dale Bahr, who have 272 and 221 wins, respectively.
Winningest Michigan Wrestling Coaches
RANK, COACH RECORD SEASONS 1. Cliff Keen 272-91-10 1925-42, '45-'70 2. Dale Bahr 221-119-6 1978-99 3. Joe McFarland 45-9-2 1999-present 4. Rick Bay 43-5-3 1970-74 Bill Johannesen 43-22-0 1974-78
100 for McFarland
With the Wolverines' 27-9 win over Michigan State (Feb. 24), head coach Joe McFarland celebrated his 100th dual meet as a head coach on a high note. Prior to coming to Michigan, McFarland was the head coach for three seasons at Indiana University, where he led the Hoosiers to an undefeated season and a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships in 1990. In his career as a head coach, McFarland has compiled a 69-29-2 (.700) record.
The Streak
With three wins at the Big Ten Championships (March 9-10), Otto Olson extended his consecutive win streak to 39 matches, dating back to last season's NCAA Championships, in which Olson took third place by winning his final two matches in the consolation bracket. The 39-match streak is the longest in Michigan wrestling history, passing Norvard "Snip" Nalen, who recorded 34 consecutive wins from 1952 to 1954.
Climbing up the Charts
Collecting his 168th, 169th and 170th career wins at the Big Ten Championships, sixth-year senior Otto Olson edged closer to the top spot on Michigan's career wins list. Olson currently holds the second position on the list after breaking a tie with head coach Joe McFarland, who collected 166 career wins during his collegiate career at Michigan (1980-85), in his last home dual meet. The only Wolverine wrestler who stands above Olson is John Fisher (1984-88) in the top spot with a record of 183-21. In addition to Olson, senior captain Andy Hrovat holds the ninth spot on Michigan's career wins list with a career record of 129-37, only three wins shy of the seventh position, held by Mark Churella (132-13; 1975-79).
Century Club
Earning his 100th career win against Illinois' Ryan Berger at the Big Ten Championship, junior Mike Kulczycki became the third Wolverine wrestler of the season to earn his place among Michigan wrestling's elite by reaching his 100th career win. In addition to Kulczycki, senior captain Andy Hrovat earned his 100th career victory with a 7-6 decision over Michigan State's John Wechter at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 18). Hrovat is just the 19th wrestler in U-M history to accomplish the feat. Fifth-year senior heavyweight Matt Brink earned his 100th U-M career win against Northern Idaho's Chad Carboneau at the Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 30).
With three different wrestlers reaching the 100-win milestone this season, no Michigan wrestling team has had more individuals hit the century mark than this year's squad. During four other seasons (1985-86, '88-89, '93-94, '96-97), two Wolverine wrestlers reached the mark. Additionally, for the first time in Michigan wrestling history four current Wolverines have over 100 career wins, bettering the three wrestlers who had more than 100 wins during the 1988-89 season.
One-Two Punch
Seniors Otto Olson and Andy Hrovat have proved a dangerous combination to opponents at back-to-back weight classes -- 174 and 184 pounds. Olson has been undefeated this season, owning a perfect 37-0 overall record and 19-0 dual record. Hrovat has been near-perfect this season with a 35-4 overall record and 16-2 in dual meets. The two Wolverines both held the top rankings in their respective weight classes for a majority of the Big Ten dual meet season right up to the Big Ten Championships, where Hrovat lost his top ranking after placing second at 184 pounds.
Freshman Phenom
With 33 wins under his belt, redshirt freshman Ryan Bertin has taken sole possession of the fifth spot on Michigan's all-time freshman wins list, breaking a tie with head coach Joe McFarland, who compiled a 32-8-1 record in 1980-81. Bertin is only two wins shy of reaching the third spot, currently held by Mark Churella (35-7; 1975-76) and Doug Wyland (35-14; 1985-86).
Doubling Up
After collecting three wins at the Big Ten Championships (March 9-10), junior Kyle Smith has more than doubled his career wins at Michigan. This season, Smith owns an overall record of 29-10 while in his previous three seasons, he compiled a career mark of 26-13. Additionally, Smith has recorded a career-high nine major decisions this season and tied his career-high three falls.
The Fall Guy
With two falls en route to the 149-pound title at the Edinboro Open (Feb. 9), Jeremiah Tobias brought his season falls mark to 17, giving him the most falls in one season in Michigan wrestling history. Tobias passed Rob Rechsteiner and Scott Rechsteiner, who had both held the top spot with 16 falls in 1983-84 and 1985-86, respectively. Last season, Tobias led the team with 15 falls, which tied for the second most in one season. The redshirt freshman has already compiled 32 career falls at Michigan and holds the seventh spot on Michigan's career falls list. Tobias is five falls shy of reaching the sixth spot, currently held by Dave Porter, (37, 1966-68). With 43 career victories in his two seasons at Michigan, Tobias has recorded a fall in 74.4 percent of those wins.
IronMan
Earning a victory over Michigan State's Nathaniel Mesyn in the final dual meet of his career, senior captain Andy Hrovat did not miss a single dual meet match at 184 pounds in his four years at the Michigan. In that time, Hrovat competed in 70 consecutive dual meets, compiling a career dual meet record of 57-13 (.814). Last season, Hrovat recorded 17 dual meet wins, which put him in a tie for ninth place for most dual meet wins in a season in Michigan wrestling history.
Forward Out for the Season
Three weeks before the Big Ten Championships, sophomore 141-pounder Clark Foward was sidelined indefinitely with a staph infection in his ankle. After undergoing surgery on the ankle, Foward quickly made progress towards rehabilitation, but did not receive clearance to compete in the conference tournament. Forward finished the season with a 13-9 overall record and was 4-7 in dual meets.
Home Sweet Home
While the Wolverines' streak of nine consecutive wins at home was broken when they lost a home dual meet to the Minnesota Gophers 22-10 on Jan. 25, the U-M wrestling squad still has a 12-match win streak in its primary home venue, Cliff Keen Arena, and has not lost in that facility since Feb. 11, 2000, when the University of Minnesota defeated the Wolverines 23-18. The meet against the Gophers earlier this season took place in Crisler Arena.
Wolverines Dominate at Cleveland State and Edinboro Opens
Michigan was represented in impressive fashion by reserve wrestlers in two mid-season open tournaments. At the Cleveland State Open (Jan. 26), Michigan had three wrestlers finish at the top of their respective weight classes, Pat Owen compiled a 5-0 record to earn the 157-pound title, Steve Heleniak posted a 4-0 record to collect the 197-pound title, and freshman Greg Wagner compiled a 4-0 record en route to the heavyweight title. Also finishing high for the Wolverines were Jeremiah Tobias, who collected six falls en route to a third-place finish at 149 pounds, and freshman William Breyer, who lost to Heleniak in the 197-pound title match to take second place.
At the Edinboro Open (Feb. 4), five Wolverine wrestlers finished with first-place honors at their repsective weights. Tobias finished first at 149 pounds, Owen dominated his competition to earn the title at 157 pounds, freshman R.J. Boudro posted a 5-0 record and collected the 165-pound title, Breyer compiled a 5-0 record and took the 197-pound title, and Wagner collected three major decisions en route to a heavyweight title.
Michigan Wrestlers Shine at All-Star Classic
Sixth-year senior Otto Olson and senior captain Andy Hrovat both collected victories at the 35th annual NWCA All-Star Classic (Jan. 28) at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Olson faced Penn's Rick Springman at the 174-pound match and defeated the third-ranked Springman by a 13-8 margin. Hrovat, at 184 pounds, earned an upset victory by defeating Indiana's top-ranked Viktor Sveda 7-5.
Michigan Takes the Title at Cliff Keen Invitational
The Wolverines captured their first first-place victory at the Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 1) in Las Vegas, Nev., in their 19th appearance at the annual event. U-M finished on top of the pack with 163 team points, head and shoulders above West Virginia, which finished in second place with 127 points. Individually, Michigan had two champions, Otto Olson at 174 and Andy Hrovat and 184, a second-place finisher in Foley Dowd at 133, a third-place finish by Ryan Bertin at 157 pounds, a fourth-place finish by Mike Kulczycki at 149, and two fifth-place finishes by A.J. Grant at 125 and Kyle Smith at 197 pounds. Prior to this season, the Wolverines' highest finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational was fourth place, which was attained on seven occasions, most recently in 1998.
Stiff Competition
Michigan faced a tough field of competitors this season, with 16 of U-M's 19 dual meet opponents ranked among the top 25 teams in InterMat's preseason poll. At the National Duals (Jan. 19-20), the Wolverines earned victories over 14th-ranked Edinboro, fifth-ranked Iowa and third-ranked Oklahoma. In the Big Ten dual meet season, Michigan earned big victories at fourth-ranked Ohio State (Feb. 10) and second-ranked Iowa (Feb. 15). The Wolverines suffered their only losses to No. 1-ranked Minnesota at the National Duals and in a home dual meet (Jan. 25), and to sixth-ranked Iowa State at the National Duals.
U-M, Palace to Host 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships
The NCAA Wrestling Committee has selected Detroit as the site of the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This will be the first time the event has ever been held in the Detroit area. The University of Michigan, the Detroit Metro Sports Commission and the Palace of Auburn Hills partnered on the successful bid. U-M will serve as the NCAA host institution. The event will be held March 15-17, 2007.
NWCA Division I Coaches Poll (3/13/02)
Rank, Team Pts. 1. Minnesota 275 2. Iowa 262 3. MICHIGAN 254 4. Oklahoma 236 5. Oklahoma State 232 6. Ohio State 224 7. Iowa State 211 8. West Virginia 190 9. Pennsylvania 181 10. Lehigh 171 11. Illinois 167 12. Missouri 153 13. Lock Haven 138 14. Edinboro 130 15. Arizona State 111 16. Northern Iowa 102 17. Purdue 93 18. Central Michigan 74 19. Fresno State 68 20. Michigan State 61 21. Wisconsin 56 22. Boise State 52 23. Cornell 47 24. Penn State 33 25. Hofstra 23
Rankings by Intermat and Amateur Wrestling News (3/12/02)
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Intermat | AWN |
| 125 | A.J. Grant | 11th | 8th |
| 133 | Foley Dowd | 6th | 7th |
| 149 | Mike Kulcyzcki | 7th | 4th |
| 157 | Ryan Bertin | 5th | 5th |
| 165 | Charles Martelli | 17th | 15th |
| 174 | Otto Olson | 1st | 1st |
| 184 | Andy Hrovat | 3rd | 3rd |
| 197 | Kyle Smith | 5th | 6th |
| Hwt | Matt Brink | 15th | 13th |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
