Luke Captures Crown at FILA Junior Freestyle Nationals
5/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- University of Michigan freshman Steve Luke (Massilon, Ohio/Perry HS) captured first place at 74 kg to lead a contingent of Wolverine wrestlers at the FILA Junior Freestyle Nationals, held April 30.
Luke was a perfect 5-0 while outscoring his opposition 33-2. Among Luke's shutout victories was a 3-0, 5-0 decision against Wisconsin's Craig Henning -- the Big Ten Conference 149-pound runner-up to Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) -- in the semifinals. Luke knocked off The Factory's David Rella by a narrow 1-0, 2-1 margin in the final bout to capture his first junior national crown. Luke recorded a 7-3 record while competing unattached as a U-M redshirt last season.
Freshman Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) also placed in the freestyle division, claiming third at 84 kg with a 6-1 mark. Todd advanced into the semifinals with four straight wins before suffering a close 1-0, 1-1 loss to Jake Varner. Rallying in the consolation bracket, the Wolverine added another pair of victories, including a 0-3, 7-4, 3-0 battle against Kurt Brenner in the marathon third-place bout.
Sophomore/freshman Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) and freshman Cody Waters (Adrian, Mich./Adrian HS) each picked up a victory in the freestyle wrestlebacks at 74 and 84 kilograms, respectively. Marsh cruised to a 7-0, 6-0 win over Minnesota Storm's Phil Meinert while Waters defeated Air Force Wrestling Club's Jacob Lynes 8-1, 7-2.
The Wolverines were also strongly represented by a pair of former U-M standouts in the senior division. All-American Joe Warren (1996-2000), representing the New York Athletic Club, cruised to the Greco Roman 60-kilogram title with a perfect 4-0 record. Following a quick pin in the first round, Warren outscored his opponents 20-0, including a 1-0, 5-0 shutout against Air Force's Jacob Hey in the final.
Three-time All-American Andy Hrovat -- currently the U-M strength and conditioning coach -- claimed fifth in the 84 kg freestyle division behind a 4-2 mark. Also representing the New York Athletic Club, Hrovat tallied three early wins to advance into the semifinals, where he suffered a close 1-0, 1-1, 2-2 loss against top-seeded Lee Fullhart. The former Wolverine battled through another narrow loss in the consolation bracket but ended the tournament by taking an injury default in the fifth-place bout.
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