Weekly Release #2
11/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Upcoming Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 16 -- at Lehigh (Bethlehem, Pa.), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18 -- at Body Bar Invitational (Ithaca, N.Y.)
Fri-Sat., Dec. 1-2 -- at Cliff Keen Invitational (Primm, Nev.)
Friday, Dec. 8 -- vs. Central Michigan (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
This Week: at Lehigh/Body Bar Invitational
The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team kicks off its 2006-07 campaign on Thursday (Nov. 16) against No. 21 Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start at the Mountain Hawks' Leeman-Turner Arena. The Wolverines will remain on the road over the weekend, heading to Ithaca, N.Y., for the annual Body Bar Invitational on Saturday (Nov. 18). Hosted by Cornell University, the tournament will kick off at 9 a.m. at Newman Arena.
Scouting the Mountain Hawks
Michigan leads the all-time series with Lehigh 21-11, dating back to 1936. The Wolverines snapped a two-match Mountain Hawk winning streak last season with a 20-15 comeback victory. Down by nine points at the halftime intermission, Ryan Churella kicked off the U-M rally with a fall early in the third period to significantly cut the Lehigh advantage. Michigan won three more bouts of the final four, including major decisions by Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) and Greg Wagner at 184 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. Michigan head coach Joe McFarland owns a 6-2 record against the Mountain Hawks since taking the helm of the Wolverine squad while Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel, in his 12th season at Lehigh, is 3-10 against Michigan. The Mountain Hawks enter Thursday's contest with a 0-1 record after falling to Rider 14-24 in their season opener last Friday (Nov. 10). Lehigh on the Internet: www.lehighsports.com.
Scouting the Body Bar Invitational
The Wolverines will make their second appearance at the Body Bar Invitational in three seasons and look to experience similar success as they did at the 2004 edition when U-M captured the top prize behind the performances of three individual champions -- Mark Moos (125), Ryan Churella (165) and Greg Wagner (Hwt). This season's tournament features a 10-team field and include, in addition to Michigan and host Cornell, Army, Drexel, Ithaca, Kent State, Maryland, Old Dominion, Pittsburgh and Sacred Heart. For more information, please visit www.cornellbigred.com.
Probable Michigan Starting Lineup
| Wgt. | Wrestler | Yr./Elig. |
| 125 | Mark Moos | 5th/Sr. |
| 133 | Chris Diehl | Fr./Fr. |
| 141 | Brad Cusumano | Sr./Jr. |
| 149 | Josh Churella | Sr./Jr. |
| 157 | Jeff Marsh | Sr./Jr. |
| 165 | Eric Tannenbaum | Sr./Jr. |
| 174 | Steve Luke | Jr./So. |
| 184 | Tyrel Todd | Jr./So. |
| 197 | Casey White | Jr./So. |
| Hwt | Matt Guhn or Omar Maktabi | Fr./Fr. Sr./Jr. |
Marquee Matches 125 Pounds -- #12 Mark Moos vs. #2 Troy Nickerson (Cornell)
149 Pounds -- #6 Josh Churella vs. #9 Trevor Chinn (Lehigh)
Senior/junior Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) will be tested in his first dual meet since moving to 149 pounds, facing Lehigh's ninth-ranked Trevor Chinn in the Wolverines' season opener. In his season debut at the Eastern Michigan Open (Nov. 4), Churella cruised through the competition to capture the 149-pound individual crown, posting a perfect 5-0 record that included a decisive 9-2 decision over Navy's John Cox. On the other side of the coin, Chinn posted a 20-15 record last year in his first varsity season and qualified for the NCAA Championships, where he registered a 3-2 mark. This season, Chinn is 1-0 after defeating Rider's Mike Kessler 4-3.
174 Pounds -- #10 Steve Luke vs. #8 David Helfrich (Lehigh)
Junior/sophomore Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS), like Churella, will face a test on Thursday evening when he squares off against Lehigh's eighth-ranked David Helfich. Luke appeared properly adjusted to his new weight class in his season debut at the EMU Open, claiming the 174-pound title with a flawless 5-0 mark. Helfrich, an NCAA qualifier who posted a 24-12 record in 2005-06, suffered a 3-1 overtime setback against Rider's Doug Umberhauer in his season debut.
Fifth-year senior Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) could likely face one of the nation's top lightweights at Saturday's Body Bar Invitational when he enters a field that includes Cornell's second-ranked Troy Nickerson. Moos lost his first match in his return to 125 pounds at the EMU Open (Nov. 4) but reeled off six straight wins in the wrestlebacks to take fifth place. Nickerson, who posted a 36-2 last season in his rookie season and claimed NCAA runner-up honors, will make his season debut at the Body Bar tournament.
Maize and Blue Intrasquad
The Wolverines held their annual intrasquad meet at Cliff Keen Arena on Nov. 14 to determine the starting lineup for the 2006-07 season.
Intrasquad Final-Round Results
| Wgt. | Result |
| 125 | Mark Moos dec. Michael Watts, 8-6 |
| 133 | Chris Diehl major dec. Mike Sears, 14-4 |
| 141 | Brad Cusumano dec. Mark Beaudry, 10-6 |
| 149 | Josh Churella major dec. Braden L'Amoreaux, 12-2 |
| 157 | Rob Sulaver dec. Jeff Marsh, 3-2 Marsh dec. Sulaver, 8-5 |
| 165 | Eric Tannenbaum major dec. Mike Milano, 12-2 |
| 174 | Steve Luke dec. Scott Giffin, 7-2 |
| 184 | Tyrel Todd dec. Nick Roy, 4-0 |
| 197 | Casey White dec. Eddie Phillips, 9-3 |
| Hwt | Matt Guhn pinned Omar Maktabi, 0:59 |
Recapping the Open Tournaments
EMU Open: Senior/junior Josh Churella and junior/sophomore Steve Luke captured individual crowns at 149 and 174 pounds, respectively, to pace the U-M at the Eastern Michigan Open (Nov. 4). The U-M pair were joined in the championship round by freshman Aaron Hynes (Mt. Morris, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) and junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS), who claimed runner-up honors at 157 and 184 pounds. Also placing for the Wolverines were fifth-year senior Mark Moos, who placed fifth in his return to 125 pounds, senior/junior Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS), who took fifth at 157 pounds, and junior/sophomore Casey White (Commerce, Mich./Walled Lake Central HS), who placed third at 197. It matched Michigan's most successful output at the annual open tournament in five seasons.
MSU Open: Fifth-year senior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) registered a 4-1 mark en route to second-place distinction at 197 pounds to headline the group Wolverine competitors at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 12). Senior/junior Omar Maktabi (Iowa City, Iowa/West HS) also placed for the Maize and Blue, claiming seventh place at heavyweight with a 4-2 mark.
Movin' On Up
The Wolverine lineup will feature four familiar faces at new weight classes this season as senior/junior Josh Churella climbs one spot to 149 pounds, senior/junior Eric Tannenbaum and junior/sophomore Steve Luke bump up two to 165 and 174 pounds, respectively, while, conversely, fifth-year senior Mark Moos slides back down to 125, where he found considerable success in his first couple seasons at Michigan.
Master of the House
Head coach Joe McFarland enters his eighth season at the helm of the Wolverine program as the third winningest coach in program history, with a career record of 104-23-2 (.814). Over his tenure, McFarland has led the Wolverines to six straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships and coached 14 different student-athletes to two NCAA individual titles, 27 All-America citations and 10 Big Ten individual crowns. Last season, Michigan boasted a 16-2 overall mark and captured its third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title with a perfect 8-0 conference record. The Wolverines took third at the Big Ten Championships and earned a seventh-place showing at the NCAA meet behind three individual All-Americans.
Captain's Log, Stardate 23.9
Senior/juniors Josh Churella and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) were named wrestling co-captains for the 2006-07 season. It is the 16th time in Michigan wrestling history that two individuals will share the distinction, and the third in as many years. Tannenbaum is a two-time NCAA All-American at 149 pounds, while Churella earned 2005 All-America accolades at 141 pounds. Both also captured Big Ten titles as redshirt freshmen in 2005. Churella is the third member of his family to captain the Wolverines, joining his father, Mark Sr., who captained the 1978-79 team, and brother, Ryan, who served as captain during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.
Waiting in the Wings
Senior/junior Eric Tannenbaum enters the 2006-07 season with a career record 80-18 during his three years of collegiate competition, sitting just 20 wins shy of the Wolverines' prestigious 100-Win Club. A two-time All-American and 2005 Big Ten champion, Tannenbaum has boasted 62 overall victories in his two varsity seasons, including a team-leading 36 as a redshirt freshman, and owns a 29-5 dual record. Tannenbaum would be the 28th U-M wrestler to register 100 career wins.
Starting Things with a Bang
Through 84 years of U-M wrestling history, Michigan has posted a 54-25-2 record in its first dual meet of the season, and currently boasts a nine-meet winning streak in the season opener. When the Wolverines open the season on the road, they have had a 24-19 mark. Last year, the Wolverines kicked off the 2005-06 season with a 23-16 road victory over Penn State in State College, Pa.
Strength of Schedule Individual Rankings by InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News
Michigan faces a tough field of competitors again this season, with 10 of the Wolverines' 11 dual meet opponents ranked among the top 25 teams in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's preseason poll, including four of the top-10 ranked teams. No. 1 Minnesota leads the pack of ranked opponents, which also includes No. 5 Iowa, No. 8 Penn State, No. 10 Northwestern, No. 11 Hofstra, No. 12 Central Michigan, No. 15 Ohio State, No. 17 Michigan State, No. 19 Indiana and No. 21 Lehigh.
A Look at the Polls
The Wolverines will begin the 2006-07 season with the seventh-place team ranking in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's preseason poll, released Oct. 20. Michigan also boasts five individuals ranked among the top 20 wrestlers in their respective weight classes in the InterMat or Amateur Wrestling News polls. Michigan's two returning All-Americans lead the way with top-six listings. Senior/junior Josh Churella holds the sixth listing by InterMat and fourth in Amateur Wrestling News, while Eric Tannenbaum owns the No. 6 position in both polls. Junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd ranks eighth in both polls, while fifth-year senior Mark Moos lists 12th and sixth and senior/junior Steve Luke ranks 10th and 15th in InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News, respectively.
NWCA/InterMat Division I Team Rankings (10/20/06)RANK, TEAM POINTS 1. Minnesota (12) 480 2. Oklahoma State 468 3. Missouri 441 4. Oklahoma 432 5. Iowa 431 6. Iowa State 426 7. MICHIGAN 415 8. Penn State 400 9. Cornell 390 10. Northwestern 358 11. Hofstra 347 12. Central Michigan 335 13. Edinboro 326 14. Penn 324 15. Ohio State 319 16. Illinois 290 17. Michigan State 283 18. Nebraska 279 19. Indiana 251 20. Cal Poly 249 21. Lehigh 241 22. Harvard 226 23. Arizona State 216 24. West Virginia 210 25. Pittsburgh 283
Wgt. Wrestler InterMat AWN 125 Mark Moos 12th 6th 149 Josh Churella 6th 4th 165 Eric Tannenbaum 6th 6th 174 Steve Luke 10th 15th 184 Tyrel Todd 8th 8th
On the Horizon
The Wolverines will continue early-season action at the Cliff Keen Invitational on Friday-Sunday, Dec. 1-2 in Primm, Nev. Competition is slated to begin with pigtail rounds on Friday at 9 a.m. PST, at the Star of the Desert Arena.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
