Weekly Release #3
12/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, Dec. 14 -- vs. Eastern Michigan (Cliff Keen Arena), 1 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 3 -- at Lone Star Duals (Dallas, Texas)
vs. Pennsylvania (10 a.m. CST), vs. Harvard (4 p.m. CST), vs.Oklahoma (8 p.m. CST)
Monday, Jan. 5 -- at Cal State Fullerton (Fullerton, Calif.), 7 p.m. PST
Wolverine Welcome Cross-Town Rival EMU
The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) hosts its final dual meet before the holidays when it entertains Eastern Michigan University at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Dec. 14) at Cliff Keen Arena. U-M returns to Ann Arbor after placing second at the Cliff Keen Inviational (Dec. 5-6) and boasting seven placewinners.
Pre-Meet Clinic Scheduled
The Michigan and Eastern Michigan coaching staffs will hold a free clinic from 10 a.m.-noon prior to Sunday's dual meet at Cliff Keen Arena. Clinic participants must provide their own gear and will be able to get on the mat during instruction. All participants will also receive free admission to the Michigan vs. EMU dual meet at 1 p.m.
Clinic Format
10-11 a.m. -- Set-ups and finishes to various leg attacks (Michigan coaching staff)
11 a.m.-Noon -- Breakdowns and pinning combinations from top position
U-M Wrestling Live on the Internet
All Wolverine wrestling home duals will be aired via webcast in conjunction with realtimescorebook.com and NCWA wrestling. Each home meet will be available free of charge. For more information, please visit the Real Time Scorebook website.
The Series vs. Eastern Michigan
Michigan leads the all-time series with a perfect 10-0 advantage, dating back to the 1968-69 season. At home, the Wolverines boast a 7-0 record. Michigan head coach Joe McFarland has never faced the Eagles since taking the helm of the U-M program.
Last Meeting vs. Eastern Michigan
Michigan and EMU have not faced each other since Jan. 4, 1997, when the Wolverines rolled to a 34-6 victory at Cliff Keen Arena. Eastern Michigan kept the score even through the first two matches with a win at 133 pounds, but the Wolverines won seven of the final eight bouts, including five with bonus points. Bill Lacure scored a 19-2 technical fall and Otto Olson and Jeff Catrabone earned back-to-back first-period falls at 150, 158 and 167 pounds, respectively, to seal the win for Michigan.
About the Eagles
Eastern Michigan is off to a strong start this season, taking 24th place at the Cliff Keen Invitational and boasting two placewinners -- J.J. Holmes was sixth at 165 pounds and Tim Hoff finished eighth at 174 pounds. Head coach Charlie Branch is in his fourth season at Eastern Michigan and owns a 23-40-2 career record with the Eagles. Branch has not faced the Wolverines since becoming head coach at EMU. Eastern Michigan on the Internet: www.emich.edu/goeagles.
Probable Michigan Starting Lineup
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Yr./Elig. |
| 125 | Mark Moos or Shaun Newton | So./Fr. Sr./Jr. |
| 133 | Foley Dowd or Chase Metcalf | 5th/Sr. So./Fr. |
| 141 | Clark Forward | 5th/Sr. |
| 149 | Ryan Churella or Jeremiah Tobias | Jr./So. Sr./Jr. |
| 157 | Ryan Bertin or Ryan Churella | Sr./Jr. Jr./So. |
| 165 | Pat Owen | 5th/Sr. |
| 174 | R.J. Boudro | Jr./So. |
| 184 | Josh Weitzel | Fr./Fr. |
| 197 | Chase Verdoorn | So./Fr. |
| Hwt | Greg Wagner | Jr./So. |
Marquee Matches
#5 Pat Owen (165 Pounds) vs. #10 J.J. Holmes (Eastern Michigan)
In the only previous meeting between the two wrestlers -- in the semifinal round at last weekend's Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 5-6) -- Owen cruised to an 8-2 victory, scoring a pair of reversals and a three-point near fall while accumulating 2:24 in riding time. Owen went on to take second place in the tournament, falling to Edinboro's Matt King 4-2 in the final while Holmes lost his remaining two matches to take sixth. Both wrestlers are off to strong starts this season. Owen owns a 9-3 overall mark and is 1-1 in dual meets after defeating Central Michigan's David Bolyard and falling to Lehigh's top-ranked Troy Letters in the Wolverines' season-opening tri-meet. Holmes has a 7-3 overall record and will make his dual-meet debut this weekend.
Michigan Claims Second Place at Cliff Keen Invite
Behind solid performances from seven U-M placewinners, the Wolverines took second place at the annual Cliff Keen Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 5-6) in Las Vegas, Nev. U-M's 134.5 points were 23 shy of first-place Nebraska. Michigan boasted four individual finalists as sophomore/freshman Mark Moos (125 pounds), senior/junior Ryan Bertin (157), fifth-year senior Pat Owen (165) and junior/sophomore Greg Wagner (heavyweight) all finished second at their respective weights. Also placing for the Wolverines were junior/sophomore Ryan Churella, who was third at 149 pounds, fifth-year senior Clark Forward, who finished fourth at 141 pounds, and freshman Joshua Weitzel, who claimed eighth place at 184 pounds. The runner-up performance was the second highest finish for the Wolverines in their 21 appearances at the annual tournament; in 2002, Michigan captured the team title behind a pair of individual champions.
Pinning Down the Competition
The Wolverines earned nearly 30 percent (10/35) of their victories at the Cliff Keen Invitational by fall last weekend. This season, Michigan wrestlers have already combined for 40 pins, accounting for 25.8 percent (40/155) of their total victories.
Michigan Fall Leaders
| 1. | Ryan Churella | 6 |
| | Joshua Weitzel | 6 |
| 3. | Mark Moos | 5 |
| 4. | Josh Churella | 3 |
| | Pat Owen | 3 |
| | Greg Wagner | 3 |
Non-Conference
During head coach Joe McFarland's tenure at Michigan, the Wolverines have posted an impressive 26-8-1 (.757) record against non-conference opponents. Michigan split a pair of non-conference duals in the season-opening tri-meet (Nov. 23), defeating Central Michigan 27-16 and falling to Lehigh 18-12.
Nearing the Century Mark
A pair of Wolverines have the prestigious 100-win milestone within their sights this season. By earning four victories at the Cliff Keen Invitational, senior/junior Ryan Bertin brought his career record to 89-17, just 11 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.
Movers and Shakers
Seven individual Wolverines are ranked among the top 20 wrestlers in their respective weight classes in the InterMat or Amateur Wrestling News polls. Sophomore Mark Moos climbed several spots to fifth in the InterMat poll and fourth by Amateur Wrestling News. Fifth-year senior Pat Owen also jumped 10 spots in the most recent AWN poll and now holds the fifth position. Senior/junior Ryan Bertin fell to No. 2 in both polls following his loss to Illinois' Alex Tirapelle in the 157-pound final at the Cliff Keen Invitational.
NWCA Division I Team Rankings (12/3/03)
RANK, TEAM POINTS RECORD PREV 1. Illinois (6) 265 0-0 1 2. Oklahoma State (2) 260 2-1 2 3. Iowa (2) 253 4-0 3 4. Iowa State 235 6-0 6 5. Lehigh 230 2-1 4 6. Minnesota 219 0-0 5 7. Missouri (1) 216 1-0 8 8. Michigan 204 1-1 7 9. Nebraska 186 4-0 12 10. Cornell 185 0-0 9 11. Penn State 155 0-0 11 12. Hofstra 141 0-1 10 13. Ohio State 128 0-0 13 14. Oklahoma 127 1-0 14 15. West Virginia 110 0-0 17 Pennsylvania 110 0-0 16 17. Central Michigan 98 1-2 18 18. Wisconsin 97 3-0 20 19. Northern Iowa 80 1-1 15 20. Arizona State 71 0-1 22 21. Purdue 60 3-0 19 22. Edinboro 46 2-1 21 23. Boise State 33 0-1 23 24. Citadel 11 1-0 NR 25. Michigan State 10 0-2 NR
Individual Rankings by InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News
| Wgt. | Wrestler | InterMat | AWN |
| 125 | Mark Moos | 5th | 4th |
| 141 | Clark Forward | 17th | 15th |
| 149 | Ryan Churella | 8th | 9th |
| 157 | Ryan Bertin | 2nd | 2nd |
| 165 | Pat Owen | 13th | 5th |
| 184 | Joshua Weitzel | 19th | 18th |
| Hwt | Greg Wagner | 6th | 6th |
On the Horizon
The Wolverines will return to the mat after the holiday break for three dual meets on Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Lone Star Duals in Dallas, Texas. The Wolverines will begin the day against Pennsylvania at 10 a.m. before wrestling Harvard at 4 p.m. and Oklahoma at 8 p.m. (all times CST).
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
