Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Russell, Luke, Todd in Championship Round at Big Tens
3/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Site: State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 1)
U-M Standing: 4th Place of 11 Teams (77.5 Points) After Day 1
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 8 -- Day Two at Big Ten Championships (State College, Pa.), Noon
Results | Photo Gallery
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- With three individuals advancing to the final round, the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team holds the fourth spot (77.5 points) after the first day of competition at the Big Ten Conference Championships on Saturday (March 7) in front of 4,093 fans at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Wolverines have another five competitors alive in the wrestlebacks, including three that have guaranteed trips to the NCAA Championships. Top-ranked Iowa leads the team race with 110 points, while No. 8 Illinois and No. 17 Wisconsin round out the top three with 85 and 84 points, respectively.
Sophomore Kellen Russell(High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) and fifth-year senior captains Steve Luke(Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) and Tyrel Todd(Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) will all make repeat appearances in the Big Ten championship round after posting perfect day-one records at 141, 174 and 197 pounds, respectively. The trio headlines Michigan's contingent of six NCAA qualifiers; U-M will have an opportunity to add a couple more qualifiers when wild cards are announced next week.
Russell, seeded second 141 pounds, earned one of the most dramatic wins of the semifinals, using a late takedown to ice an 8-6 decision over Iowa's third-seeded Alex Tsirtsis in the second round of tiebreakers. The Wolverine wrestler -- the Big Ten's defending 141-pound champion -- battled back to even the score after Tsirtsis gained the initial lead on a first-period single leg. Russell used a pair of escapes and riding time to knot the score 3-3 at the end of regulation and send it into overtime. With everything still even after 10 minutes of action, Russell gained the edge with a reversal midway through the first of two 30-second tiebreakers. Tsirtsis earned a quick escape and added another in his 30-second go to even the score, but with Russell holding time advantage, the Hawkeye took a sloppy shot and Russell countered for two points and his 21st straight victory.
The Wolverine sophomore earned a pair of victories in the morning session, earning an extra point with a 10-2 major decision over Penn State's Frank Molinaro in the pigtail round. After a scoreless opening period, Russell scrambled for a quick reversal in the second before tilting Molinaro for three back points. The Wolverine converted on a pair of takedowns in the final frame to earn the major after riding time. His quarterfinal match was a closer affair as Russell held off a late surge from Illinois' seventh-ranked Ryan Prater to win 5-4. Russell built up an early lead on a first-period takedown and second-period takedown and, despite giving up a late reversal to even the score, broke free to preserve the narrow lead.
While Russell waited until overtime to take control of his semifinal, fifth-year senior captain Steve Luke(Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS)-- the No. 1 seed at 174 pounds -- took the opposite approach, using a pair of first-period single legs to cruised to a 5-3 decision against Illinois' fifth-seeded John Dergo. Luke fought off a couple late charges to improve to 26-0 on the season and put himself in the 174-pound title match for the third consecutive season. Luke is the two-time defending conference champion.
The U-M captain used five takedowns, including three in the opening period, to roll past Michigan State's eighth-seeded Ian Hinton 12-4 in the quarterfinal round. He converted on a single leg in the waning moments of the third period and added 2:12 in riding-time advantage to lock up his seventh major decision of the season and match a career high in the category.
Fifth-year senior captain Tyrel Todd(Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) -- seeded second at 197 pounds -- dominated Iowa's Chad Beatty in his semifinal contest, using five takedowns, including two in the final period, to win 12-2. Todd, who extended his winning streak to 14 matches, including 12 bonus wins, countered a Beatty shot to take the initial lead midway through the first and nearly had riding time before the Hawkeye wrestler escaped. Todd responded by scoring on an immediate single leg off the restart to secure his time advantage before period's end. The U-M captain added three more takedowns and 2:45 in riding time to ice the match and head back to the Big Ten finals -- albeit up a weight class from last season.
Todd picked up a quick fall in the morning round -- his fifth in his last six matches -- using his signature head scoop to stick Purdue's seventh-seeded Logan Brown at the 1:37 mark. Incidentally, Brown broke the Wolverine wrestler's four-match pin streak in the dual finale when Todd had to settle for a 17-5 major decision.
Junior/sophomore Aaron Hynes(Mt. Morris, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) and junior/sophomore Anthony Biondo(Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) battled back from first-round losses at 157 and 184, respectively, to secure NCAA qualifying spots. Both Wolverines earned a pair of wins in the wrestlebacks to advance into the consolation semifinals and guarantee themselves finishes no lower than sixth place.
Hynes' biggest win of the day came in his first consolation match as he rallied from a late deficit to upset fifth-seeded Jason Johnstone, 5-4, and avenge one of his losses from earlier in the season. The Wolverine wrestler, seeded sixth at 157, scored the first takedown out of a scramble in the first period, but Johnstone responded with a takedown of his own late in the frame to steal away the lead. After Hynes rode out the entirety of the second period, Johnstone appeared on track to do the same in the third to preserve his lead, but Hynes scrambled for reversal and rode long enough to regain time advantage, which proved the eventual deciding factor in the contest.
Hynes picked up an extra point in his subsequent match -- the one that secured his trip to NCAAs -- using a combination of takedowns and back points to roll past Michigan State's seventh-seeded Anthony Jones, 11-1. After a scoreless first period, Hynes earned a takedown and riding time in the second before breaking the match open in the final frame. The Wolverine sophomore scored two takedowns, adding a pair of back points on the second and accumulated 1:58 in time advantage to earn his second win over Jones this season.
While unable to earn bonus points, Biondo thoroughly controlled both of his wrestleback opponents, defeating Purdue's fifth-seeded A.J. Kissel, who defeated the Wolverine in the dual finale two weeks ago, 5-0 before rolling past Wisconsin's eighth-seeded Eric Bugenhagen, 8-2, to secure his first trip to NCAAs. Biondo, seeded sixth at 197 pounds, scored a takedown in each period in the latter match, adding 2:27 in riding-time advantage to cap the decision.
Sophomore/freshman Justin Zeerip(Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) posted a 1-2 mark on the first day of action, but his victory -- a 2-0 decision over Michigan State's eighth-seeded Rex Kendle in his first consolation bout -- proved just enough to earn the U-M rookie a trip to the NCAA Championships. After a scoreless first period, Zeerip earned a reversal in the final seconds of the second frame, breaking the lock to come around and score, and rode out the entirety of the third to ice the win. Zeerip lost his next match to drop into the seventh-place match, but with the Big Ten qualifying eight wrestlers at his weight class, he has guaranteed his first NCAA appearance.
Two other Wolverine wrestlers will be challenging for seventh place at their respective weights but, by virtue of the new allocation system, will be out of reach for an automatic NCAA qualifying spot.
Junior/sophomore heavyweight Eddie Phillips(Woodland, Mich./Lakewood HS) went 2-2 on the day but fell short in his second consolation match to drop into the seventh-place bout. The Big Ten only qualifies the top-five heavyweights to NCAAs. The Wolverine, seeded seventh, earned an extra point in the pigtail round, using three takedowns, a reversal and riding time to net a 9-1 major decision. Phillips finished on his final takedown -- a single leg on the edge -- in the final five seconds of the match to secure the bonus win after riding time.
Freshman Zac Stevens(Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) posted a 0-2 record on the day, falling to a pair of top-three-seeded opponents, but with a bye in the consolation bracket, advanced into the 133-pound seventh-place match.
Michigan lost two wrestlers on the first day of action as senior Michael Watts(Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) and junior/sophomore Mark Beaudry(Pueblo, Colo./South HS) posted 0-2 records at 125 and 149 pounds, respectively.
The Wolverines will wrap up action at the Big Ten Championships tomorrow (Sunday, March 8) at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. The third session is slated to begin at noon, while the finals will start at 2 p.m. and be aired live on the Big Ten Network.
Team Standings (After Day 1)
1. Iowa 110.0 2. Illinois 85.0 3. Wisconsin 83.0 4. MICHIGAN 77.5 5. Penn State 71.5 6. Northwestern 69.5 7. Minnesota 64.5 8. Indiana 59.5 9. Ohio State 58.0 10. Purdue 41.0 11. Michigan State 36.5
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
125 pounds -- #7 Michael Watts
First Round - dec. by #2 Charlie Falck (Iowa), 4-2
Consolations- dec. by #8 B.J. Futrell (Illinois), 7-2
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
133 pounds -- #7 Zac Stevens
First Round - tech. fall by #2 Franklin Gomez (Michigan State), 19-4
Consolations - major dec. #3 Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois), 10-1
Seventh Place - vs. Matt Ortega (Indiana)
141 pounds -- #2 Kellen Russell
Pigtail - major dec. Frank Molinaro (Penn State), 10-2
First Round - dec. Ryan #7 Prater (Illinois), 5-4
Semifinals - dec. #3 Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa), 8-6 TB2
Finals- vs. #1 Zach Tanelli (Wisconsin)
149 pounds -- Mark Beaudry
Pigtail - dec. by #6 Andrew Nadhir (Northwestern), 12-7
Consolations - tech. fall by #5 Jake Patacsil (Purdue), 16-0
Eliminated with a 0-2 record
157 pounds -- #6 Aaron Hynes
First Round - dec. by #3 Kurt Kinser (Indiana), 10-4
Consolations - dec. #5 Jason Johnstone (Ohio State), 5-4
Consolations - major dec. #7 Anthony Jones (Michigan State), 11-1
Consolations - vs. #4 Tyler Safratowich (Minnesota)
165 pounds -- Justin Zeerip
Pigtail - dec. by #7 Paul Young (Indiana), 3-0
Consolations - dec. #8 Rex Kendle (Michigan State), 2-0
Consolations - dec. by #4 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (Illinois), 4-2
Seventh Place - vs. #7 Paul Young (Indiana)
174 pounds -- #1 Steve Luke
First Round - major dec. #8 Ian Hinton (Michigan State), 12-4
Semifinals - dec. #5 John Dergo (Illinois), 5-3
Finals - vs. #3 Quentin Wright (Penn State)
184 pounds -- #6 Anthony Biondo
First Round- dec. by #3 Phil Keddy (Iowa), 7-3
Consolations - dec. #5 A.J. Kissel (Purdue), 5-0
Consolations - dec. #8 Eric Bugenhagen (Wisconsin), 8-2
Consolations - vs. Eric Cameron (Indiana)
197 pounds - #2 Tyrel Todd
First Round - pinned #7 Logan Brown (Purdue), 1:37
Semifinals - major dec. #3 Chad Beatty (Iowa), 12-2
Final - vs. #1 Dallas Herbst (Wisconsin)
Hwt -- #7 Eddie Phillips
Pigtail - major dec. Paul Rand (Northwestern), 9-1
First Round - dec. by #2 Ben Berhow (Minnesota), 10-3
Consolations - dec. Alan O'Donnell (Michigan State), 4-2
Consolations - dec. by Cameron Wade (Penn State), 5-0
Seventh Place - vs. #8 Chris Kasten (Purdue)
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
