Luke Tabbed Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week
12/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
PARK RIDGE, Ill.-- Fifth-year senior Steve Luke(Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) of the University of Michigan wrestling team was named Big Ten Conference co-Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday (Dec. 9) in recognition of his weekend performance at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 5-6). The weeklyhonor is the second for Luke in his collegiate career and the first for the Wolverines this season. He shares the weekly recognition with Iowa's Alex Tsirtsis.
Luke, the nation's No. 1-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds, posted a perfect 6-0 record en route to his second career individual title at the annual Las Vegas event. Luke opened the tournament with five consecutive bonus victories, including three straight pins in just a combined 6:04, and scored 29.5 points for Michigan, accounting for nearly a third of its two-day team total. In the championship final, Luke converted on a single-leg takedown 21 seconds into the sudden-victory overtime to knock off Nebraska's third-ranked Brandon Browne. It was his second win over an opponent ranked among the nation's top three, adding to a 3-2 decision over Iowa's second-ranked Jay Borschel in the NWCA All-Star Classic (Nov. 24).
The Wolverine captain previously earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week and TheMat.com National Wrestler of the Week accolades on Dec. 6, 2005, after capturing the 157-pound title at the Cliff Keen Invitational in his inaugural appearance at the event. In that appearance, Luke earned a pair of wins over top-four competition, including a double-overtime decision against Illinois' top-ranked Alex Tirapelle in the final.
The Wolverines will kick off the home portion of their 2008-09 slate on Sunday (Dec. 14) when they host intrastate rival Central Michigan for a 2 p.m. non-conference dual at Cliff Keen Arena.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
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