Michigan
Southern Scuffle
Wolverines Place Five at Southern Scuffle
1/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 2, 2015
Site: Chattanooga, Tenn. (McKenzie Arena)
Event: Southern Scuffle (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Team Standing: 5th Place of 29 Teams (88.5 points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Jan. 9 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 8 p.m. CST
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team posted five individual placewinners, including runner-up finishes from junior Rossi Bruno and sophomore Adam Coon, to claim fifth place (88.5 points) at the Southern Scuffle on Friday (Jan. 2) at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena.
Bruno, seeded third at 133 pounds, had to settle for runner-up honors for the third time this season, falling to Iowa State's fifth seeded -- and 13th-ranked -- Earl Hall, 5-2, in the championship match. Tied at 1-1 late in the third period, Bruno, ranked eighth, went big with an attempted cement mixer, but Hall took advantage, countering for a takedown and two near fall.
Bruno picked up a pair of solid wins in the morning session, earning bonus points with an 11-1 major decision over North Carolina's Troy Heilmann in the quarterfinals before edging Lehigh's second-seeded -- and sixth-ranked -- Mason Beckman, 7-5, in the first tiebreaker of his semifinal bout. Bruno and Beckman traded takedowns and escapes in regulation and after a scoreless sudden-victory frame, Bruno started on bottom first in the tiebreaker. He escaped quickly and locked up a cradle on the edge in the waning moments of the 30-second frame to gain a three-point advantage. Beckman escaped in the second round but could muster nothing else as Bruno held on for the victory.
Coon, seeded third at heavyweight, fell to Oklahoma State's top-seeded -- and fourth-ranked -- Austin Marsden, 7-4, in the championship match. Marsden struck on an early single leg in the first period and countered a pair of Coon attacks to add two more in the third, including one in the waning seconds to ice it.
Coon earned two decisions in the morning round, shutting out Penn State's sixth-seeded Jon Gingrich, 2-0, in the quarterfinals on an escape and 1:50 riding time and cruising to a 10-3 win over Missouri's seventh-seeded Devin Mellon in the semifinals. Coon scored takedowns in the first and third period against Mellon, locking up a cradle to add two back points off the former and rode for 1:32.
Sophomore Domenic Abounader, seeded eighth at 184 pounds, posted a 6-2 record, including a 3-2 mark today, en route to fifth place in his Southern Scuffle debut. Abounader rallied in his medal match to defeat Missouri's fourth-seeded -- and ninth-ranked -- Willie Miklus, 4-3, on a third-period rideout and 1:21 in time advantage. After giving up an early duck under, Abounader reversed midway through the second and trailed by one entering the final period.
Abounader opened the day with a 13-5 loss to Cornell's second-seeded -- and seventh-ranked -- Gabe Dean, in the semifinals but rebounded in the wrestlebacks. He also earned a solid win over Oklahoma State's fifth-seeded Nolan Boyd, 5-3, scoring counter takedowns in the first and second periods.
Fifth-year senior Max Huntley, seeded fifth at 197 pounds, took sixth place after defaulting out prior to the consolation semifinals. He posted a 5-1 record, including a 2-1 mark today, earning back-to-back consolation wins after falling to Penn State's fourth-seeded -- and fourth-ranked -- Morgan McIntosh, 7-4, in the quarterfinal round. After giving up a pair of first-period takedowns in that contest, Huntley scored out of a scramble at the second-period buzzer and escaped quickly in the third to pull within one. McIntosh struck again, however, finishing an ankle pick on the edge and riding out the period to hang on.
After earning bonus with a major decision in his first wrestleback match, Huntley gutted out a 5-4 decision over Virginia's ninth-seeded -- and 16th-ranked -- Zach Nye in his second, scoring takedowns in the first and third periods. Huntley finished the match despite requiring injury time in the second but defaulted out of his remaining matches for precautionary reasons.
Sophomore/freshman George Fisher, unseeded at 141 pounds, rounded out the Wolverines' placewinners, claiming seventh place in his second varsity tournament appearance. He closed out the tournament with a commanding 9-3 decision over Oklahoma State's eighth-seeded Dean Heil in the medal match. Fisher built up a sizable early lead with two first-period single legs, adding two near fall with a cradle off the latter. He iced the match late with another takedown , barreling Heil over when the Cowboy relaxed after missing on a shot of his own. The victory turned around Fisher's loss to Heil in last night's third round; he lost that match 7-2.
Fisher opened the day with a pair of wrestleback falls, upping his tournament total to three, in just a combined 3:49. He used a leg turk to a reverse half to pin Army's Matthew Kelly at 2:06 before making quicker work of Appalachian State's Mike Longo, cradling him up off a takedown to secure the fall at 1:43.
Two Wolverines finished just a match shy of placing as junior/sophomore Conor Youtsey and sophomore/freshman Brian Murphy were eliminated with similar 4-2 records at 125 and 157 pounds, respectively.
Michigan will kick off Big Ten Conference dual competition next weekend, traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., to face Minnesota at 8 p.m. CST on Friday (Jan. 9) before squaring off against in-state rival Michigan State 2 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 11) in East Lansing, Mich. Friday's dual against the Golden Gophers will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.
Top 10 Teams (Final)
1. Penn State 165 2. Missouri 150 3. Oklahoma State 135.5 4. Nebraska 116 5. MICHIGAN 88.5 6. Cornell 79.5 7. Lehigh 79 8. Pittsburgh 72 9. Wyoming 57.510. Virginia 51.5
Michigan Results (Day 2)
125 Pounds -- Conor Youtsey
Consolations - dec. Ty Walker (unattached), 6-3
Consolations - dec. Brent Fleetwood (Central Michigan), 4-0
Consolations - dec. by #9 Tim Lambert (Nebraska), 6-0
Eliminated with a 4-2 record
133 Pounds -- #3 Rossi Bruno
Quarterfinals - major dec. #11 Troy Heilmann (North Carolina), 11-1
Semifinals - dec. #2 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 7-5 TB
Final - dec. by #5 Earl Hall (Iowa State), 5-2
Finished in second place with a 4-1 record
141 Pounds -- George Fisher
Consolations - pinned Matthew Kelly (Army), 2:06
Consolations - pinned Mike Longo (Appalachian State), 1:43
Consolations - dec. Isaiah Locsin (Stanford), 7-4
Consolations - major dec. by #6 Anthony Abidin (Nebraska), 12-2
Seventh Place - dec. #8 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), 9-3
Finished in seventh place with a 6-2 record
157 Pounds -- #10 Brian Murphy
Consolations - dec. Robert Henderson (North Carolina), 9-4
Consolations - dec. Zachary Strickland (Appalachian State), 4-2
Consolations - dec. by #8 Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State), 4-1
Eliminated with a 4-2 record
157 Pounds -- Jake Salazar
Consolations - dec. Noel Blanco (Drexel), 10-3
Consolations - dec. by #4 Mitch Minotti (Lehigh), 6-4 SV
Eliminated with a 2-2 record
184 Pounds -- #8 Domenic Abounader
Quarterfinals - major dec. by #1 Gabe Dean (Cornell), 13-5
Consolations - dec. #10 Jacob Kasper (Duke), 9-2
Consolations - dec. #5 Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State), 5-3
Consolations - dec. by #3 Nate Brown (Lehigh), 4-1
Fifth Place - dec. #4 Willie Miklus (Missouri), 4-3
Finished in fifth place with a 6-2 record
197 Pounds -- #5 Max Huntley
Quarterfinals - dec. by #4 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State), 7-4
Consolations - major dec. John Bolich (Lehigh), 12-2
Consolations - dec. #9 Zach Nye (Virginia), 5-4
Defaulted to sixth place with a 5-1 record
Heavyweight -- #3 Adam Coon
Quarterfinals - dec. #6 Jon Gingrich (Penn State), 2-0
Semifinals - dec. #7 Devin Mellon (Missouri), 10-3
Final - dec. by #1 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State), 7-4
Finished in second place with a 4-1 record
Communications Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
