2005-06 WRM at Penn State -- Notes & Quotes
11/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
N O T E S
With the victory, Michigan improved to 23-20 in the all-time series against Penn State. The Wolverines have won the last three duals against the Nittany Lions.
Michigan also improved to 54-26-2 all-time in season-opening dual meets.
Both junior Jim Shutich and sophomore/freshman Brandon Elliott weighed in at 125 pounds. Elliott moved up to face Penn State's Jake Strayer at 133 pounds.
Fifth-year senior captain Ryan Churella has earned a fall in Michigan's last three meets against Penn State, pinning Steven Troup (5:47) on Jan. 14, 2005; Jarrad Turner (1:06) on Jan. 23, 2005; and Phil Bomberger (5:32) today. Incidently, in his varsity debut three seasons ago, Churella was pinned by the Nittany Lions' Nathan Galloway at 149 pounds.
Fifth-year senior captain Greg Wagner moved to the 20th position among Michigan's career wins leaders with his 8-2 decision over Aaron Anspach. With a career mark of 106-34, he shares the spot with two-time All-America heavyweight Matt Brink (1999-2002).
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Joe McFarland
On Michigan's season opener ... "It was a really good starting place for us. We've got some guys that are a little further along than others. Anytime you come out here and go away with a win, you've got to be happy, especially at this point in time during the season. Penn State has a few matches under their belts, so they're a little further into their season than we are. This being our first competition, especially in a hostile environment, I thought our guys really handled the pressure well. Penn State is a tough place to wrestle. They had a great crowd today; they were loud. All in all, I thought it was a great start for us."
On new faces in the U-M lineup ... "Tyrel (Todd) just dominated his kid. He scored a lot of takedowns and stayed aggressive. Steve (Luke) did a nice job as well. He was in control of that match, and he shut down a little early. He didn't finish the way he wanted to finish, and he almost let Galloway back into it. That's something he'll have to work on, but he was really impressive when he was scoring and attacking. I thought Casey (White) did a nice job too. He almost scored the first takedown in that match, and I think if he had, it would have been a different match. Phil Davis is pretty tough, and we started at that weight class. It was a hard-fought match. It hurt him to give up that cradle at the end of the second period and some back points. That sort of put him out of the match a little bit, but he fought hard. I think he's just going to get better and better."
Fifth-Year Senior Captain Ryan Churella
On his match ... "In the second, I got a couple turns. Off my takedown in the second, I was just looking to put him to his back and got a couple turns. I ended up taking the shot and finished it with a high crotch and dumped him to the mat. I had his inside leg on the mat and reached up and caught a cradle. I just rolled him up."
On the team's ability to overcome an early deficit ... "It just shows the depth of our team and shows that we have a strong team throughout that even if we do lose a couple matches, we make up for it with our other weight classes if we need to. It was a good way for it start. We didn't have Mark (Moos) at 133, and it's a tough situation to have one of our 125-pounders have to wrestle up. Everyone that needed to stepped up."
On Michigan's newcomers ... "I was impressed with all the guys -- Tyrel (Todd), Steve (Luke) and Casey (White) -- all worked hard. Casey had a pretty tough guy that he wrestled. He had a couple shots that he could have finished but just fell short on, and that changed the match for him. I think Tyrel can wrestle with everybody. You could put him in every match and expect a win. He's got a hard-nosed style. So does Steve. He beat a higher-ranked kid today. It was a good start for everybody."
Sophomore/Freshman Tyrel Todd
On earning a win in his first varsity match ... "I can't complain getting a win in the first college match of my career. I was looking forward to getting the chance to wrestle (Eric) Bradley, but I guess his ankle must be injured pretty bad. It was great to get the win. I was really nervous before the match. It was a great start. I've got a ways to go, and I just have to keep working."
On the team's season opener ... "I think everyone showed a couple mistakes that they need to work on, but overall things went pretty well. We missed (Mark) Moos at 133 a bit, but other than that, it was a great starting place. Everyone is just going to keep getting better."
Players Mentioned
