Michigan
Minnesota
Wolverines Upset No. 1 Minnesota, Clinch Share of Title
2/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team claimed at least a share of its third straight Big Ten Conference dual-meet crown with a 19-15 upset of top-ranked Minnesota on Friday (Feb. 17) in front of a capacity 1,850 fans at Cliff Keen Arena.
Sophomore/freshman Casey White (Commerce, Mich./Walled Lake Central HS) turned the Gophers' Mitch Kuhlman in the closing seconds of the 197-pound bout to secure a 7-2 decision and clinch the Wolverine victory with one match still remaining. After a scoreless first period and offsetting reversals in the second, White held just a narrow one-point advantage entering the final frame with Kulhman starting on bottom. White kept the Gopher on the mat for the two full minutes and used a high-leg turk to hold Kulhman in a near-fall situation for the final minute of regulation.
With each team claiming five individual bouts, bonus points played a pivotal role in the contest as Michigan's fifth-year senior captain Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and junior/sophomore Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) picked up extra points at 165 and 141 pounds, respectively.
Ryan Churella, ranked No. 1 nationally by NWCA/InterMat, earned a six-point victory over ninth-ranked Matt Nagel when the Gopher wrestler was disqualified after receiving his fifth stalling call with just 13 seconds remaining in the third period. Churella scored on a quick high-crotch early in the second frame and added a reversal in the third to get on top and build up riding-time advantage. Churella could not get much else accomplished as Nagel simply lay flat on the mat to start picking up stalling calls -- one in each of the first two periods and three in the third. The victory gave the Wolverines the lead for good in the dual meet and kept Churella undefeated at 21-0 on the season.
Josh Churella, ranked fourth at 141 pounds, earned a dominant 13-5 major decision against Tyler Safratowich to pick up an extra team point early in the dual. Churella scored five takedowns in the match, most notably a double leg with only 30 seconds remaining to secure the major after riding time. With the win, Churella extended his winning streak to 11 straight matches.
Freshman Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) got the momentum rolling early for the Wolverines with a 9-6 decision over Travis Lang at the opening weight of 125 pounds. Watts struck first with a quick double leg just 20 seconds into the bout, but the Gopher stole away the lead with an escape and takedown at the end of the period. Watts again struck quickly in the second, earning a fast escape and using a cement mixer to get the go-ahead takedown. The Wolverine added two more in the final frame to claim the victory and give U-M the initial lead in the dual.
Senior/junior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) rounded out the Wolverines' individual victors with a close 3-2 decision against 13th-ranked Gabriel Dretsch at 174 pounds. After Dretsch knotted the score at one point apiece early in the third, Roy, ranked 10th, shot in on a single leg late in the frame, finishing with a double to secure the deciding takedown.
All five of Minnesota's victories came by decision, with two going into extra time and one requiring riding time to provide the difference. Third-ranked Mack Reiter fought through several scramble situations to pull out a 13-6 win over senior/junior Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) at 133 pounds and even the score after two bouts. Moos, ranked 11th, led early in the middle frame after he earned a quick reversal out of a flurry, but Reiter came back with a strong third period, catching Moos in another flurry for a reversal and two back points. After a late takedown by the Gopher, Moos scored an escape at the buzzer to prevent the major.
Minnesota earned back-to-back wins at 149 and 157 pounds to claim a two-point edge heading into the halftime break. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter used takedowns in the second and third periods to post a 6-0 win against fourth-ranked junior/sophomore Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) at 149. Schlatter countered a Wolverine shot midway through the middle frame to drop to the legs and convert for the first offensive points and added his second on a spinaround at the final buzzer.
Fourth-ranked C.P. Schlatter needed the round of tiebreakers to break a deadlocked score at 157 pounds and earn a 2-1 decision against 11th-ranked sophomore/freshman Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS). Each wrestler earned his escape point through seven minutes, but with Luke unable to escape in the first 30-second tiebreaker, Schlatter collected the win after getting away early in the second abbreviated frame.
Sophomore/freshman Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) pushed ninth-ranked Roger Kish to overtime, but the Gopher wrestler earned a quick single-leg takedown in the extra frame to claim a 6-4 decision. Todd, ranked 18th, rallied from an early deficit in the match to steal away the advantage, scoring on a double leg off a restart late in the second, but Kish earned his escape point in the third to set up the sudden victory.
Top-ranked Cole Konrad needed riding time to decide his bout against fifth-year senior Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) in the final bout of the evening. With both wrestlers playing it cautious through seven minutes, Konrad was able to hold the No. 3-ranked Wolverine down for the entire second period to accumulate 2:00 in riding time. The Gopher chose neutral in the third, and neither was able to score again as Konrad picked up a 1-0 decision to end Wagner's winning streak at 21 matches.
The Wolverines will wrap up the regular-season portion of their 2005-06 schedule against No. 17 Indiana on Sunday (Feb. 19) in a 2 p.m. dual at Cliff Keen Arena.
#3 Michigan 19, #1 Minnesota 15
Individual rankings from NWCA/InterMat
| 125 -- Michael Watts (Mich.) dec. Travis Lang, 9-6 | Mich., 3-0 |
| 133 -- #3 Mack Reiter (Minn.) dec. #11 Mark Moos, 13-6 | Tie, 3-3 |
| 141 -- #4 Josh Churella (Mich.) major dec. Tyler Safratowich, 13-5 | Mich., 7-3 |
| 149 -- #1 Dustin Schlatter (Minn.) dec. #4 Eric Tannenbaum, 6-0 | Mich., 7-6 |
| 157 -- #4 C.P. Schlatter (Minn.) dec. #13 Steve Luke, 2-1 TB | Minn., 9-7 |
| 165 -- #1 Ryan Churella (Mich.) won by disqualification over #9 Matt Nagel | Mich., 13-9 |
| 174 -- #10 Nick Roy (Mich.) dec. #13 Gabriel Dretsch, 3-2 | Mich., 16-9 |
| 184 -- #9 Roger Kish (Minn.) dec. #18 Tyrel Todd, 6-4 SV | Mich., 16-12 |
| 197 -- Casey White (Mich.) dec. Mitch Kuhlman, 7-2 | Mich., 19-12 |
| Hwt -- #1 Cole Konrad (Minn.) dec. #3 Greg Wagner, 1-0 | Mich., 19-15 |
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
