Michigan
Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Abounader, Huntley Advance to CKLV Invitational Semifinals
12/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 4, 2015
» Alec Pantaleo (149), Garrett Sutton (165) and Davonte Mahomes are also alive in the wrestlebacks.
» Michigan sits in sixth place after day one with 51 points -- seven points outside of the top five.
Site: Las Vegas, Nev. (Cashman Center)
Event: Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Day 1)
U-M Team Standing: 6th Place of 39 Teams (51 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Dec. 5 -- at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational - Day 2 (Las Vegas, Nev.), 9 a.m. PST
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Junior Domenic Abounader and graduate student Max Huntley advanced to the semifinal round to pace the No. 9-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team on the first day of competition at the 34th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Friday (Dec. 4) at the Cashman Center. With three additional Wolverines still alive in the consolation bracket, U-M sits in sixth place with 51 points.
Abounader and Huntley claimed decisions in back-to-back quarterfinal bouts at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, to reach the CKLV semifinals for the first time in their careers.
Abounader, seeded sixth at 184 pounds, edged Ohio State's third-seeded Kenny Courts, 3-0, in the quarterfinal round, using a quick second-period escape and a third-period single leg to defeat the Buckeye wrestler for the fourth time in his collegiate career. Abounader went 4-0 on the day, earning bonus points with a first-period pin (2:21) off a leg turk against North Idaho's Chase Campbell in his second-period bout.
Huntley, seeded second, cruised past Northern Colorado's 10th-seeded Trent Noon, 7-2, in the 197-pound quarterfinals, scoring on two takedowns in the first period, adding another in the second and riding for 2:11 advantage time. Huntley earned bonus points in both of his earlier preliminary matches, scoring six takedowns en route to a 14-4 major decision against Northern Iowa's Jared Bartel before pinning Kent State's Kyle Conel at 4:26 on a feet-to-back double leg.
The Wolverine duo was joined in the quarterfinal round by sophomores Alec Pantaleo and Garrett Sutton, who dropped decision losses at 149 and 165 pounds, respectively.
Pantaleo, seeded fifth, fell for the second time in two weeks to Oklahoma's fourth-seeded Davion Davis in the quarterfinals, giving up three takedowns -- two off his own shots -- in an 8-1 defeat. Pantaleo went 3-1 on the day and dominated his first two bouts, scoring six takedowns to beat West Virginia's Zachary Moore, 14-3, in the pigtails before cruising to an 18-3 technical fall against Columbia's Tyler Ponte in the first round, again scoring on six takedowns and adding a four-point near fall in the second period.
Sutton, seeded eighth at 165 pounds, lost a close 1-0 quarterfinal bout to Wisconsin's top-seeded Isaac Jordan on a second-period escape. The Wolverine wrestler took all the shots in the bout, drawing a late stall warning on the two-time All-American but could not finish on a couple single-leg attacks. Sutton posted a 2-1 mark. He rallied from a second-period deficit against Minnesota's Brandon Krone in the second round, scoring on a reversal midway through the second and adding a third-period takedown and 1:40 in riding time to earn a 6-4 decision.
Sophomore/freshman Davonte Mahomes is also alive in the wrestlebacks, bouncing back from a controversial second-round loss to earn two consolation wins and go 3-1 on the day at 174 pounds. Mahomes claimed a bonus point with a 13-5 major decision against Utah Valley's Ross Taylor in his first wrestleback match, finishing on six takedowns, including four in the third period. He used a sudden-victory single leg to edge Binghamton's Jack McKeever, 3-1, in his final match.
Mahomes jumped out to a five-point advantage in the second round against Iowa State's third-seeded -- and 11th-ranked -- Lelund Weatherspoon, twice tossing the Cyclone to his back but earning no back points for his effort. Weatherspoon scored two takedowns to narrow the score in the third and with less than five seconds remaining, Mahomes was penalized two points with simultaneous stalling and a fleeing the mat calls to even the score and force overtime. Weatherspoon finished on a quick single leg to earn a 10-8 decision.
Five Wolverines were eliminated on the first day of competition after suffering their second losses of the day, most notable seeded lowerweights in senior/junior Conor Youtsey, senior Rossi Bruno and junior/sophomore George Fisher. All three earned a pair of wins; Bruno picked up a bonus point with an 11-1 major decision in the 133-pound wrestlebacks. Junior/sophomores Jordan Amine and Payne Hayden claimed a win apiece -- the first varsity win for both. Amine upset Arizona State's 12th-seeded Oliver Pierce, 7-1, on a six-point move in the second sudden victory frame in the 157-pound first round, while Hayden earned a fast 24-second fall in the heavyweight wrestlebacks.
Michigan will return to action tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 5) for the second and final day of competition at the 2015 Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada. U-M will hit the mat at 9 a.m. PST for the semifinals and continued wrestleback rounds, while the championships finals are slated for a 3 p.m. (PST) start. All matches will take place at the Cashman Center.
Top 10 Teams (After Day 1)
1. Oklahoma 85 2. Missouri 81.5 3. Minnesota 78.5 4. Cornell 69 5. Virginia Tech 58.5 6. MICHIGAN 51 7. Ohio State 50.5 8. Kent State 48.5 9. Purdue 4710. Northern Iowa 46.5
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
125 Pounds -- #8 Conor Youtsey
First Round - dec. Sergio Mendes (CSU Bakersfield), 11-4
Second Round - dec. by #9 Paul Petrov (Bucknell), 4-1
Consolations - dec. Ben Thornton (Purdue), 4-3
Consolations - dec. by Joshua Rodriguez (North Dakota State), 2-1 TB
Eliminated with a 2-2 record
133 Pounds -- #4 Rossi Bruno
Pigtail - dec. by Keegan Moore (West Virginia), 12-9
Consolations - major dec. Jake Nicholson (Binghamton), 11-1
Consolations - dec. Jordan Gurrola (San Francisco State), 9-3
Consolations - pinned by Sam Brancale (Minnesota), 2:29
Eliminated with a 2-2 record
141 Pounds -- #8 George Fisher
First Round - dec. Chance Driscoll (Kent State), 14-7
Second Round - dec. by #9 Tyler Smith (Bucknell), 10-7
Consolations - dec. James Bamford (Nebraska Kearney), 13-6
Consolations - dec. by Mitchell Bengston (North Dakota State), 3-0
Eliminated with a 2-2 record
149 Pounds -- #5 Alec Pantaleo
Pigtail - major dec. Zachary Moore (West Virginia), 14-3
First Round - tech. fall Tyler Ponte (Columbia), 18-3 (5:25)
Second Round - dec. #12 Joey Delgado (Oregon State), 5-3
Quarterfinals - dec. by #4 Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma), 8-1
Consolations - vs. Cody Burcher (Ohio State)
157 Pounds -- Jordan Amine
First Round - dec. #12 Oliver Pierce (Arizona State), 7-1 SV2
Second Round - dec. by Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), 7-3
Consolations - dec. by Luke Fortuna (Missouri), 4-3
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
165 Pounds -- #8 Garrett Sutton
First Round - dec. Rob Schlitt (Bucknell), 8-3
Second Round - dec. Brandon Krone (Minnesota), 6-4
Quarterfinals - dec. by #1 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), 1-0
Consolations - vs. Devon Gobbo (Harvard)
174 Pounds -- Davonte Mahomes
First Round - dec. Austin Dewey (Boise State), 10-4
Second Round - dec. by #3 Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State), 10-8 SV
Consolations - major dec. Ross Taylor (Utah Valley), 13-5
Consolations - dec. Jack McKeever (Binghamton), 3-1 SV
Consolations - vs. #4 Matt Reed (Oklahoma)
184 Pounds -- #6 Domenic Abounader
Pigtail - dec. Jonathan Costa (San Francisco State), 9-4
First Round - dec. Cole Baxter (Kent State), 8-3
Second Round - pinned Chase Campbell (North Idaho), 2:21
Quarterfinals - #3 Kenny Courts (Ohio State), 3-0
Semifinals - vs. Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech)
197 Pounds -- #2 Max Huntley
First Round - major dec. Jared Bartel (Northern Iowa), 14-4
Second Round - pinned Kyle Conel (Kent State), 4:26
Quarterfinals - dec. #10 Trent Noon (Northern Iowa), 7-2
Semifinals - vs. #3 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota)
Heavyweight -- Payne Hayden
First Round - pinned by Sam Alnassiri (San Francisco State), 2:20
Consolations - pinned Damien Davis (Gateway Bible Institute), 0:24
Consolations - tech. fall by Pat Gillen (Virginia), 17-1 (5:42)
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
Communications Contact: Leah Howard
Players Mentioned
