Michigan
NCAA Day 3
Michigan Takes Ninth Place at NCAA Championships
3/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team rebounded from a disappointing second day at the NCAA Championships with strong performances Saturday (March 23) from the four Wolverines still active in the tournament. As a team, Michigan finished in ninth place with 51 points, while Minnesota (126.5 points) repeated as NCAA champion, finishing well ahead of runner-up Iowa State (104) and Oklahoma (101.5).
| | Bertin |
In the 157-pound consolation semifinals, sixth seed Bertin wrestled an even match with Oklahoma State's fourth-seeded Shane Roller through two periods, but after starting the third period in the down position found himself on his back as Roller earned the fall at 5:41 to send the Wolverine to the fifth-place bout. Bertin squared off against Northern Illinois' fifth-seeded Scott Owen and was held to just three escapes, falling 11-3 to take sixth place in his first NCAA Championships appearance.
At 174 pounds, top seed Olson dropped his second consecutive match when he lost to Edinboro's third-seeded Josh Koscheck 4-3 in the consolation semifinals. Koscheck took the lead with takedowns in the first and second periods, but Olson gained ground with a second-period escape and a penalty point awarded after Koscheck's second stalling call in the third period. Olson also collected a point for riding-time advantage but it was not enough. In the fifth-place match against Penn's sixth-seeded Rick Springman, Olson battled back from a early first-period deficit with a second-period takedown to tie the score heading into the third period. Starting the period in the down position, Olson earned the escape to win the match 6-5 and take fifth place in the tournament.
With the score tied at one point apiece entering the final period of the 184-pound seventh-place bout, third seed Hrovat fell behind when Northern Iowa's 12th-seeded Kyle Hansen scored a takedown early in the third period. Tying the score with a reversal less than a minute later, Hrovat was able to pull out the 4-3 decision by riding out Hansen to collect 1:06 in riding time for the additional point and a seventh-place finish.
After collecting the initial lead with a first-period takedown and riding-time advantage, sixth seed Smith finished strong against Northern Iowa's eighth-seeded Jason Payne, recording three takedowns in the third period to win the match 10-4 and take seventh place in his first NCAA Championships appearance.
Final Team Standings (Top 10)
Place, Team Points 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1. Minnesota 126.5 2 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 2. Iowa State 104 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3. Oklahoma 101.5 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 1 4. Iowa 89 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 5. Oklahoma State 82.5 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 6. Ohio State 64.5 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 7. Lehigh 61.5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 8. Nebraska 54 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 9. MICHIGAN 51 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 10. Illinois 47.5 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1
Michigan Results (Day 3)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
#6 Ryan Bertin (157)
Consolation Semifinals - pinned by #4 Shane Roller (Oklahoma), 5:41
Fifth Place - major dec. by #5 Scott Owen (Northern Illinois), 11-3
Finished in 6th place with 4-3 record
#1 Otto Olson (174)
Consolation Semifinalss - dec. by #3 Josh Koscheck (Edinboro), 4-3
Fifth Place - dec. #6 Rick Springman (Penn), 6-5
Finished in 5th place with 4-2 record
#3 Andy Hrovat (184)
Seventh Place - dec. #12 Kyle Hansen (Northern Iowa), 4-3
Finished in 7th place with 4-2 record
#6 Kyle Smith (197)
Seventh Place - dec. #8 Jason Payne (Northern Iowa), 10-4
Finished in 7th place with 4-2 record
Day 1 Results | Day 2 Results | Complete U-M Results
N O T E S
With both Otto Olson and Andy Hrovat earning All-America status with fifth- and sixth-place finishes, respectively, the two senior Wolverines became only the 10th and 11th individuals in Michigan wrestling history to earn All-America honors three or more times.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Joe McFarland
On Michigan's performance at the NCAA Championships ... "We didn't have a great tournament. We didn't meet our goals or our expectations. The good thing is that we got four All-Americans."
On the performances of Ryan Bertin and Kyle Smith ... "I thought Ryan had a great tournament. As a freshman, to come in here and earn All-America honors just shows you how tough he is and how great of a competitor he is. I'm really proud of him. The same goes for Kyle. He had a great season and was a big part of our team's success all year."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
