Michigan
NCAA Championships
Wolverines Open NCAA Championships with Five Wins
3/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The No. 3 University of Michigan wrestling team opened the NCAA Championships with five wins in the first round on Thursday (March 18). Four Wolverines scored bonus points to put Michigan in fourth place (14 points) after the first session.
Fifth-year senior Foley Dowd (Howell, N.J./The Peddie School), seeded fourth at 133 pounds, dominated from start to finish in his first-round bout against Drexel's Joe Cristaldi, earning a 13-4 major decision to put an extra point on the board for the Wolverines and earn his 100th career victory. Dowd scored three first-period takedowns and added another three in the final two frames while accumulating nearly four minutes in riding time.
Junior/sophomore Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) also earned extra points for Michigan with a fall over Air Force's Christopher Nissen in the 149-pound first round. Churella, seeded fourth, took the first lead, scoring a takedown and three-point near fall early in the opening period. Churella gave up a takedown and more than a minute in riding time later in the frame but, in the closing seconds of the period, scored a reversal with a Gramby finish to collect five points at the buzzer. After the Wolverine was ridden out for the entire second period, Nissen selected top position at the start of the final frame. Churella had more success getting away the second time around, scoring a quick reversal and adding a three-point near fall before using a half-nelson at the end of the period to stick Nissen at the 6:48 mark.
Senior/junior Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edward HS), seeded third at 157 pounds, rebounded after giving up the first takedown against Wyoming's Andrew Shuler, scoring five takedowns, including two in the third period, en route to a 13-5 major decision.
Fifth-year senior Pat Owen (Polson, Mont./Polson), who shares the team lead in falls, earned his first fall in 12 matches against first-round opponent Matthew Veach from Eastern Illinois. Owen, seeded fifth at 165 pounds, struck early with a takedown just seconds into the first period and used a whip-over to roll Veach onto his back and end the bout at 1:04.
Riding time proved the difference for junior/sophomore Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) as he squeezed past Oregon State' Jamie Rakevich 3-2 in the first round. Wagner, seeded sixth at heavyweight, trailed 2-1 after the opening period after giving up an early takedown. The Wolverine collected a full two minutes of riding time in the second frame as he held Rakevich without an escape, and Wagner scored an escape of his own early in the third period to knot the score at two points.
Michigan sent two wrestlers into the consolation bracket at sophomore/freshman Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) and sophomore/freshman Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) both lost their first-round matches. Moos held a two-point advantage midway through the final period after scoring a pair of escapes and a second-period reversal against North Carolina State's Jeremy Hartrum. Hartrum scored a takedown with just 40 seconds remaining in the match to tie the score and accumulated 1:35 in riding time to take the 5-4 victory. Roy could not mount an attack against Hofstra's 10th-seeded Noel Thompson and lost 6-2 after being taken down twice.
The Wolverines will return to the mat at 6:30 p.m. CST tonight (Thursday, March 18) for the second session at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Team Standings (after Session 1)
1. Illinois 22 2. Oklahoma State 18 3. Iowa 15 4. MICHIGAN 14 Cornell 14 Oklahoma 14 7. Nebraska 13 8. Lehigh 12 Penn State 12 10. Chattanooga 11
Michigan Results (Session 1)
#9 Mark Moos (125)
First Round - dec. by Jeremy Hartram (N.C. State), 5-4
Consolations - vs. Matt Pitts (Chattanooga)
#4 Foley Dowd (133)
First Round - major dec. Joe Cristaldi (Drexel), 13-4
Second Round - vs. Scott Jorgenson (Boise State)
#4 Ryan Churella (149)
First Round - pinned Christopher Nissen (Air Force), 6:48
Second Round - vs. Casey Olson (Fresno State)
#3 Ryan Bertin (157)
First Round - major dec. Andrew Shuler (Wyoming), 13-5
Second Round - vs. Scott Garren (N.C. State)
#5 Pat Owen (165)
First Round - pinned Matthew Veach (Eastern Illinois), 1:04
Second Round - vs. #12 J.J. Holmes (Eastern Michigan)
Nick Roy (174)
First Round - dec. by #10 Noel Thompson (Hofstra), 6-2
Consolations - vs. Brady Richardson (Indiana)
#6 Greg Wagner (Hwt)
First Round - dec. Jamie Rakevich (Oregon State), 3-2
Second Round - vs. #11 Dusty Hoffschneider (Wyoming)
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
