Michigan
Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Wolverines Place Four at Cliff Keen Invitational
12/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 5, 2015
» Domenic Abounader was U-M's top finisher with a runner-up finish at 184 pounds, placing at the CKLV Invitational for the first time.
» Alec Pantaleo posted a 7-1 record over the two-day tournament, earning three bonus wins and beating three nationally ranked opponents.
Site: Las Vegas, Nev. (Cashman Center)
Event: Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Day 2)
U-M Team Standing: 7th Place of 39 Teams (76 points)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Dec. 10 -- vs. Michigan State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team posted four individual placewinners, including a runner-up finish from junior Domenic Abounader, to claim seventh place (76 points) at the 34th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday (Dec. 5) at the Cashman Center.
Abounader, seeded sixth at 184 pounds, lost to Cornell's top-ranked defending NCAA champion Gabe Dean, 15-6, in the championship final. The bout remained close until the third period when Dean finished on four takedowns to earn the major decision. It was Abounader's first loss of the season. He went 5-1 on the weekend to place at the CKLV for the first time.
Abounader defeated Virginia Tech's Zack Zavatsky, 5-4, in the semifinal round, using 1:15 of riding time for the deciding point. Zavatsky struck first on a first-period single leg before Abounader evened the score with a pair of escapes and rode the bulk of the third to earn his riding-time advantage. Zavatsky took a temporary late lead with a reversal in the waning seconds, but Abounader quickly responded in kind with a reversal of his own and rode out the match.
Sophomore Alec Pantaleo, seeded fifth at 149 pounds, earned four wins on the day, including three over ranked opponents, to wrestle back to third place -- his second top-three CKLV finish in as many appearances. Pantaleo cruised past Arizona State's 17th-ranked Matt Kraus, 7-2, in his placing bout, scoring on two takedowns -- both double legs -- and a reversal and accumulating 1:39 in riding-time advantage.
Pantaleo also earned wins over Boise State's 18th-ranked Geordan Martinez and Kent State's ninth-ranked Mike DePalma, earning a first-period fall against the latter in the consolation semifinals. He scored a quick takedown off of a hard snap down and spin behind before sucking DePalma back for his second fall of the season at 1:47.
Graduate student Max Huntley, seeded second at 197 pounds, settled for fifth place in his final CKLV appearance, bouncing back from a pair of losses to earn a decisive 10-3 win over Virginia Tech's sixth-seeded -- and 13th-ranked -- Jared Haught in his placing bout. Huntley scored on three takedowns and earned a pair of stall points and 3:59 in riding-time advantage.
Huntley suffered his first defeat of the season, 13-3, against Minnesota's third-seeded -- and sixth-ranked Brett Pfarr -- in the semifinals after giving up four takedowns, including three off of his own single-leg attacks. Huntley was caught and pinned in a cradle at 4:14 in his subsequent consolation semifinal bout against CSU Bakersfield's Ruben Franklin; he was leading at the time after scoring on two first-period takedowns.
Sophomore/freshman Davonte Mahomes rounded out the Wolverines' placewinners with an eight-place finish at 174 pounds -- his second CKLV placing performance in as many appearances. Mahomes kicked off the day with a 6-4 sudden-victory decision against Oklahoma's fourth-seeded -- and 12th-ranked -- Matt Reed, rallying from an early deficit with takedowns in the third period and overtime. He used a single leg out of a flurry for the winning takedown, avenging his loss to Reed just two weeks ago in the Oklahoma dual. Mahomes dropped his next two bouts, including a close 6-3 decision against Army's eighth-seeded Brian Harvey after sacrificing a late lead in the consolation semifinals.
Michigan just missed on an additional placewinner when sophomore Garrett Sutton, seeded eighth at 165 pounds, dropped a 2-1 decision to Harvard's Devon Gobbo on riding time. Sutton pushed the action throughout the bout, drawing a late stall warning on the Crimson wrestler, but could not finish on several single-leg attempts.
The Wolverines will close out first-semester competition with a home dual against in-state rival Michigan State at 7 p.m. on Thursday (Dec. 10) at Cliff Keen Arena. Tickets are still available through the U-M Ticket Office.
Top 10 Teams (Final)
1. Missouri 154 2. Cornell 113 3. Minnesota 105 4. Oklahoma 102 5. Ohio State 96.5 6. Virginia Tech 91 7. MICHIGAN 76 8. Kent State 65 9. CSU Bakersfield 62.510. Bucknell 62
Michigan Results (Day 2)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
149 Pounds -- #5 Alec Pantaleo
Consolations - dec. Cody Burcher (Ohio State), 7-3
Consolations - dec. #8 Geo Martinez (Boise State), 7-4
Consolations - pinned #2 Mike DePalma (Kent State), 1:47
Third Place - dec. #7 Matt Kraus (Arizona State), 7-2
Finished in third place with a 7-1 record
165 Pounds -- #8 Garrett Sutton
Consolations - dec. by Devon Gobbo (Harvard), 2-1
Eliminated with a 2-2 record
174 Pounds -- Davonte Mahomes
Consolations - dec. #4 Matt Reed (Oklahoma), 6-4 SV
Consolations dec. by #8 Brian Harvey (Army), 6-3
Seventh Place - pinned by Rustin Barrick (Bucknell), 0:57
Finished in eighth place with a 3-3 record
184 Pounds -- #6 Domenic Abounader
Semifinals - dec. Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech), 5-4
Final - major dec. by #1 Gabe Dean (Cornell), 15-6
Finished in second place with a 5-1 record
197 Pounds -- #2 Max Huntley
Semifinals - major dec. by #3 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota), 13-3
Consolations - pinned by Ruben Franklin (CSU Bakersfield), 4:14
Fifth Place - dec. #6 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech), 10-3
Finished in fifth place with a 4-2 record
Communications Contact: Leah Howard
Players Mentioned
