Weekly Release #2

Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., Dec. 5-6 -- at Cliff Keen Invitational (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Sunday, Dec. 14 -- vs. Eastern Michigan (Cliff Keen Arena), 1 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 3 -- at Lone Star Duals (Dallas, Texas)

Wolverines Head to the Desert
The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team will take its annual trip to Las Vegas, Nev., to compete in the 22nd annual Cliff Keen Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 5-6) at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The tournament is slated to begin at 9 a.m. PST on Friday with the pigtail round, immediately followed by the first and second rounds and the consolation pigtails and first round at 10 a.m. Wrestling will resume Friday evening at 7 p.m. with the quarterfinals and first and second consolation rounds. On Saturday, the consolation third round is slated for 9 a.m. and will be immediately followed by the semifinal and consolation fourth round, as well as the consolation semifinals and finals, which will determine the fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place winners for each weight class and are expected to begin at 12:30 p.m. Saturday evening will feature the championship finals, determining the top four place-winners for each weight, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

This year's field at the Cliff Keen Invitational will feature 43 of the top collegiate wrestling programs in the nation, including 10 teams ranked in the most recent NWCA poll. Headlining the participating teams are No. 1 Illinois, No. 5 Minnesota and No. 8 Missouri, as well as Big Ten rivals No. 13 Ohio State and No. 19 Purdue.

Cliff Keen Invitational History
Michigan has competed in the annual tournament 20 times dating back to 1983, missing only the first year of the tournament in 1982. Formerly known as the Las Vegas Hall of Fame, the tournament was renamed the Cliff Keen Invitational in 1993 to honor former Michigan wrestling coach and collegiate wrestling icon Cliff Keen. The tournament is run by a pair of former Michigan wrestlers -- three-time NCAA champion Mark Churella Sr. (1976-79) and Mark Churella Jr. (2001), who serve as executive director and tournament director, respectively. For more information about the Cliff Keen Invitational, visit www.cklvwrestle.com.

Michigan has placed fifth or better in eight of the last 10 seasons at the annual tournament, including a first-place showing in 2001, and has never finished lower than 10th place in its 20 appearances. The Michigan starting lineup will feature four grapplers with experience in the tournament and six newcomers to the invitational.

Wolverines at the Cliff Keen Invitational

Season	Place	Points	Champions
2002-03	Seventh	87	None
2001-02	First	163	Otto Olson (174), Andy Hrovat (184)
2000-01	10th	54	None
1999-2000	Fifth	96	Joe Warren (133), Otto Olson (174)
1998-99	Fourth	90.5	None
1997-98	Fourth	101	Jeff Catrabone (167), Airron Richardson (Hwt)
1996-97	Fourth	102	Jeff Catrabone (167)
1995-96	Fourth	89.5	None
1994-95	Fifth	N/A	N/A
1993-94	Fourth	81	Sean Bormet (158), Steve King (Hwt)
1992-93	Eighth	50	None
1991-92	Fifth	75.75	None
1990-91	Fifth	N/A	None
1989-90	Sixth	67.75	None
1988-89	Fourth	79.5	John Fisher (134), Joe Pantaleo (158)
1987-88	Fourth	92.5	None
1986-87	Fifth	75.5	Doug Wyland (118)
1985-86	Eighth	60	None
1984-85	Fifth	103	Joe McFarland (126)
1983-84	Seventh	53	None

Last Year at the Cliff Keen Invitational
Four Wolverines placed among in top eight in their respective weight classes as Michigan claimed seventh place (87 points) at the Cliff Keen Invitational last season (Dec. 6-7, 2002) in Las Vegas, Nev. Senior/junior Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School) led the Wolverine placers, taking third place at 133 pounds, senior captain A.J. Grant finished fifth at 125 pounds, junior/sophomore Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS) finished sixth at 157 pounds and fifth-year senior captain Kyle Smith took seventh place at 197 pounds.

Probable Starting Lineup

Wgt.	Wrestler	Yr./Elig.	Record at CKI
125	Mark Moos	So./Fr.	0-0
133	Foley Dowd or Chase Metcalf	5th/Sr. So./Fr.	16-4 0-0
141	Clark Forward	5th/Sr.	8-6
149	Ryan Churella	Jr./So.	0-0
157	Ryan Bertin	Sr./Jr.	9-2
165	Pat Owen	5th/Sr.	3-4
174	R.J. Boudro	Jr./So.	3-2
184	Joshua Weitzel	Fr./Fr.	0-0
197	Chase Verdoorn	So./Fr.	0-0
Hwt	Greg Wagner	Jr./So.	3-2

Michigan Splits Duals Against Central Michigan, Lehigh
The Wolverines opened the 2003-04 season two weeks ago (Nov. 23), hosting a tri-meet against Central Michigan and Lehigh at Cliff Keen Arena. Behind falls by fifth-year senior captain Pat Owen (Polson, Mont./Polson HS) and freshman Joshua Weitzel (Lincoln University, Pa./Oxford HS) at 165 and 184 pounds, respectively, U-M cruised to a 27-16 victory over the Chippewas. Against Lehigh in their second dual, the Wolverines lost the first three matches to fall behind early and were never able to recover, losing the meet 18-12.

Wolverines Excel at Ashland Open
Four Michigan wrestlers placed among the top six at their respective weights at the Ashland Open (Nov. 22). Freshmen Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) posted perfect 4-0 records while capturing titles. Churella earned a 8-3 decision over Purdue's Rene Hernandez in the 133-pound final bout. Tannenbaum defeated Cleveland State's Matt DePolo 6-2 in the 149-pound final. Freshmen Jim Shutich (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) and Brad Cusumano (Utica, Mich./Utica HS) also turned in solid performances, placing sixth at 125 and 141 pounds, respectively.

Welcome to the Big Show
Four Wolverines made their varsity debut in U-M's dual meet against Central Michigan (Nov. 23) - sophomore/freshmen Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS), Chase Metcalf (Davison, Mich./Davison HS) and Chase Verdoorn (Platte City, Mo./Platte County HS) and true freshman Joshua Weitzel competed in their first dual matches in a maize and blue singlet. Last season, eight different Michigan wrestlers broke into the starting lineup for the first time in their careers.

Nearing the Century Mark
A pair of Wolverines have the prestigious 100-win milestone within their sights this season. With a career record of 85-16, senior/junior Ryan Bertin is just 15 wins shy of of joining U-M's 100-win club. Fifth-year senior Foley Dowd, with a career record of 83-27, is 17 wins shy of the mark. Twenty-two Michigan wrestlers have previously reached 100 career wins, the most recent being two-time All-American A.J. Grant, who posted a 34-9 record last season to place himself 14th on Michigan's career wins list with a career mark of 116-58.

Home Sweet Home
Since moving into Cliff Keen Arena in 1989, Michigan owns a record of 69-24-9 in home dual meets. The Wolverines' 18-12 loss to Lehigh (Nov. 23) marked their first home loss in three seasons and broke a 19-meet winning streak in their home venue. Prior to that dual, Michigan's last loss at home was on Jan. 25, 2002, against top-ranked Minnesota, a meet held at Crisler Arena.

Starting Things with a Bang
Through 82 years of U-M wrestling history, Michigan has posted a 53-25-2 record in its first dual meet of the season, and with its 27-16 win against Central Michigan, currently boasts an eight-meet winning streak in the season opener. When the Wolverines open the season at home, they have had a 28-6-1 mark.

A Look at the Polls
After holding the fifth spot in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's poll, U-M was bumped down to seventh following its win against Central Michigan and loss to Lehigh. Nine individuals are ranked among the top 20 wrestlers in their respective weight classes in the InterMat or Amateur Wrestling News polls. Junior/sophomore Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) climbed to No. 3 in the most recent InterMat ranking while freshman Joshua Weitzel made his debut in the national polls, ranking 17th by InterMat and 13th by Amateur Wrestling News.

Strong on Top
Starting off the 2003-04 season with the No. 1 ranking at 157 pounds, senior/junior Ryan Bertin is the first Michigan wrestler to hold the highest spot at his weight since the 2001-02 season when Otto Olson and Andy Hrovat were ranked No. 1 at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. Olson held the position for nine weeks, while Hrovat remained on top for six weeks.

NWCA Division I Team Rankings (11/26/03)

RANK, TEAM POINTS RECORD PREV 1. Illinois (6) 266 0-0 2 2. Oklahoma State (3) 264 2-1 1 3. Iowa (1) 249 2-0 3 4. Lehigh 233 3-1 7 5. Minnesota 226 0-0 4 6. Iowa State 223 3-0 6 7. MICHIGAN 212 1-1 5 8. Missouri (1) 209 1-0 12 9. Cornell 184 0-0 8 10. Hofstra 170 0-0 11 11. Penn State 164 0-0 10 12. Nebraska 159 3-0 9 13. Ohio State 130 0-0 13 14. Oklahoma 123 1-0 15 15. Northern Iowa 118 1-0 14 16. Pennsylvania 109 0-0 17 17. West Virginia 102 0-0 16 18. Central Michigan 97 0-2 18 19. Purdue 71 3-0 19 20. Wisconsin 64 1-0 20 21. Edinboro 57 2-1 21 22. Arizona State 53 0-0 22 23. Boise State 31 0-1 23 24. Fresno State 19 0-0 24 25. North Carolina 15 0-0 25

Individual Rankings by InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News

Wgt.	Wrestler	InterMat	AWN
125	Mark Moos	10th	8th
133	Foley Dowd	6th	NR
141	Clark Forward	13th	19th
149	Ryan Churella	3rd	8th
157	Ryan Bertin	1st	1st
165	Pat Owen	17th	15th
184	Joshua Weitzel	17th	14th
197	Chase Verdoorn	15th	20th
Hwt	Greg Wagner	6th	6th

On the Horizon
The Wolverines will return to the mat for their final dual meet of 2003 against Eastern Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 14. The meet is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena.

Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423