Michigan
Central Michigan
Bonus Wins Key Wolverine Rally Over Central Michigan
1/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Trailing 9-0 early in the contest, the No. 5-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team won six of the remaining eight bouts -- including four wins with bonus points -- to claim a 24-15 non-conference victory over No. 14 Central Michigan on Sunday (Jan. 2) in front of 1,236 fans at Cliff Keen Arena.
Senior/junior captain Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and junior/sophomore Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) earned back-to-back upset victories at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively, to pace U-M over the Chippewas. Squaring off against second-ranked David Bolyard, Churella set the tone early by taking nearly all the shots in a scoreless first period. After a quick reversal in the middle frame, the Wolverine captain, ranked fourth by Amateur Wrestling News, used his strength from the top position to register six back points before riding out the Chippewa for the entire third period en route to a 9-0 shutout.
Roy battled through a low-scoring match against Central Michigan's seventh-ranked Mitch Hancock at 174 pounds. Starting the second period in the down position, Roy, ranked 11th, earned the first points of the contest on a pair of concurrent technical violations by Hancock as the Chippewa wrestler locked hands and crossed his legs in an effort to keep Roy on the mat. Adding an escape moments later, Roy carried a 3-0 lead into the final period. Hancock cut the advantage to just one point early in the frame, but Roy sealed the 5-2 victory with a takedown just 10 seconds before the final buzzer.
The Chippewas had held the 9-0 advantage early with a Michigan forfeit at 125 pounds factored into the team score and a 10-8 victory by 20th-ranked Jason Borrelli over junior/sophomore Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edwards HS) in the subsequent match. Moos, who is currently ranked fifth at 125 pounds and made his 133-pound debut against the Chippewas, scored a takedown and six back points early in the first period to esbtablish an eight-point advantage but could not respond as Borrelli took control with a late reversal in the opening frame and scored five back points and a third-period takedown for the comeback win.
Sophomore/freshman Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) kicked off the U-M rally with an 11-3 major decision over Brandon Carter at 141 pounds. After giving up the opening takedown, Churella scored a pair of takedowns, an early second-period reversal and two back points to cruise to the victory. Sophomore/freshman Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS), ranked seventh by Amateur Wrestling News, earned six team points with a Central Michigan forfeit at 149 pounds, neutralizing the Wolverines' earlier forfeit.
Also earning victories for Michigan were fifth-year senior captain Ryan Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edwards) and senior/junior Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) at 157 pounds and heavyweight -- each wrestler maintaining an undefeated record this season. Despite needing a pair of blood timeouts to repair a deep gash above his right eye, third-ranked Bertin dominated against the Chippewas' Eric Neil, taking control early with three first-period takedowns and a fourth in the middle frame. Neil struck with a takedown of his own in the middle of the third period, but Bertin stormed back with another takedown and three-point near fall, giving him the necessary extra points to earn a 16-6 major decision. Wagner, ranked second at heavyweight, stayed aggressive in the third period with a pair of late takedowns en route to an 8-3 victory over Bubba Gritter.
Michigan will travel south next weekend for its second straight appearance at the Lone Star Duals on Saturday (Jan. 8) in Dallas, Texas. The Wolverines will wrestle three non-conference duals meets at the annual competition, kicking off against Nebraska at 10 a.m. CST before facing Army at noon and Stanford at 8 p.m. at the South Grand Prairie Warrior Coliseum.
#5 Michigan 24, #14 Central Michigan 15
(Individual rankings from Amateur Wrestling News)
| 133 -- #20 Jason Borrelli (CMU) dec. Mark Moos, 10-8 | CMU, 3-0 |
| 141 -- Josh Churella (U-M) major dec. Brandon Carter, 11-3 | U-M, 4-3 |
| 149 -- Eric Tannenbaum (U-M) won by forfeit | U-M, 10-3 |
| 157 -- #3 Ryan Bertin (U-M) major dec. Eric Neil, 16-6 | U-M, 14-3 |
| 165 -- #4 Ryan Churella (U-M) major dec. #2 David Bolyard, 9-0 | U-M, 18-3 |
| 174 -- #11 Nick Roy (U-M) dec. #8 Mitch Hancock, 5-2 | U-M, 21-3 |
| 184 -- #19 Alex Lammers (CMU) dec. Joshua Weitzel, 4-1 | U-M, 21-6 |
| 197 -- Wynn Michalak (CMU) dec. Willie Breyer, 11-7 | U-M, 21-9 |
| Hwt -- #2 Greg Wagner (U-M) dec. Bubba Gritter, 8-3 | U-M, 24-9 |
| 125 -- #14 Luke Smith (CMU) won by forfeit | U-M, 24-15 |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
