Home Meets vs. Minnesota, Iowa on Michigan Schedule
7/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
2003-04 U-M Wrestling Schedule
ANN ARBOR, Mich.-- The University of Michigan wrestling team announced Tuesday (July 29) its schedule for the 2003-04 season. The Wolverines will host seven home duals and make appearances at three prestigious tournaments in their 82nd season of wrestling. Last season Michigan compiled an 11-6 record and placed sixth at the Big Ten Championships and seventh at the NCAA Championships.
"We have a great, well-balanced schedule this season," said head coach Joe McFarland. "Our home schedule is fantastic -- we have three of the top collegiate teams coming in (Lehigh, Iowa and Minnesota) and we are also hosting meets against all three Michigan schools. This schedule will be a challenge, but I am really excited about it. We need to face the best teams and the top individuals to fully prepare for the Big Ten and NCAA championships."
After sending its wrestlers to the Eastern Michigan Open (Nov. 1) and the Michigan State Open (Nov. 8-9) for some preseason fine-tuning, Michigan will kick off the season with the annual Maize/Blue intrasquad meet on Sunday, Nov. 16, at Cliff Keen Arena. The winners of the intrasquad meet will determine the starting lineup for the season.
The Wolverines open their dual meet campaign with a tri-meet against Central Michigan and Lehigh on Sunday, Nov. 23, at Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan will square off against intrastate rival Central Michigan at 1 p.m., the Chippewas will stay on the mat to wrestle Lehigh at 3 p.m., and Michigan will return to face Lehigh at 5 p.m.
Michigan will head to the desert for the Cliff Keen Invitational on Dec. 5-7 in Las Vegas, Nev. Last season the Wolverines placed seventh at the annual tournament, named in honor of Michigan's legendary wrestling coach. The following weekend Michigan will return home to host Eastern Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 14, at Cliff Keen Arena.
After a three-week break for the holidays, the Wolverines will make their first appearance at the Lone Star Duals on Jan. 3 in Dallas, Texas. At the dual-meet tournament, Michigan will square off against non-conference opponents Harvard, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. Michigan will continue its road trip by taking on Cal State-Fullerton on Jan. 5 in Fullerton, Calif. Two weeks later, the Wolverines will return to the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals on Jan. 17-18 in Cleveland, Ohio. The annual tournament features a 16-team field highlighting the top collegiate programs in the nation. Last season U-M placed eighth with victories over Boise State and Northern Iowa.
Michigan opens the Big Ten Conference season with a pair of dual meets against perennial powerhouses Iowa and Minnesota on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23-24, at Crisler Arena. The last time the Wolverines hosted a dual at Crisler Arena was Jan. 25, 2002, against Minnesota.
"Both Iowa and Minnesota should be challenging dual meets for us," said McFarland. "On paper, I would say that Iowa is the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten, and Minnesota had been a tough opponent over the past several years. They also have a strong lineup coming back. We're really excited to have these two duals in Crisler Arena. Crisler provides a great atmosphere for wrestling, and we expect big crowds for both meets. We had a great turnout for our last dual meet held there, and I think the fans really enjoyed it."
The Wolverines will return to Cliff Keen Arena to face intrastate rival Michigan State on Friday, Jan. 30, before hitting the road for a three-meet stretch in which they will face Ohio State (Feb. 6), Penn State (Feb. 8) and Indiana (Feb. 13). Michigan will wrap up its regular season with a final home dual against Wisconsin on Sunday, Feb. 15, and one week later its season finale at Northwestern (Feb. 22).
The Wolverines will take a two-week break to prepare for the Big Ten Championships on March 6-7 at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The NCAA Championships follow two weeks later (March 18-20) at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Mo. Michigan has boasted three consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships under McFarland.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
