Michigan
Duke
Wolverines Dominate Duke in Dual-Meet Finale
2/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 21, 2015
• Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Scores: #15 Michigan 33, Duke 7
Records: U-M (8-6), Duke (11-7)
Next U-M Event: Sat-Sun., March 7-8 -- at Big Ten Championships (Columbus, Ohio)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan team closed out the dual-meet season with a dominant 33-7 decision over Duke on Saturday evening (Feb. 21) in front of 1,008 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines claimed eight individual matches in the dual, claiming bonus points in six.
The Wolverines jumped out a sizable early lead with bonus wins at the opening two weights. Junior/sophomore Conor Youtsey, ranked 20th in the latest InterMat poll, rolled to a 19-4 technical fall against Thayer Atkins at 125, scoring seven takedowns, a three-point near fall and 3:07 riding-time advantage. He finished on a variety of shots, cradling up a single late in the first to add his three back points. With bonus in mind late in the third, Youtsey cut Atkins loose and spun around a sloppy shot to secure his tech-fall margin. It was his first collegiate technical fall.
Junior Rossi Bruno, ranked ninth nationally, wrapped up his perfect weekend with a 10-2 major decision against Mitch Finesilver at 133 pounds. Bruno scored on four takedowns, including a pair in the third period, and rode for 2:33 time advantage time.
Sophomore/freshman George Fisher used a big first period, finishing on three early single-leg attacks, to secure a 6-5 decision over Evan Botwin at 141 pounds. He established riding-time advantage in the second period but lost it when Botwin rode him out in the third.
After the Blue Devils got on the board with a major decision at 149 pounds, Michigan responded in kind in the next bout, where sophomore Brian Murphy cruised to a 12-2 win over Immanuel Kerr-Brown at 157 pounds. After fighting off two Duke single legs up in the air in the first, Murphy, ranked eighth nationally, blew the match open in the second, finish on a single leg and scrambling to put Kerr-Brown on his back in a navy ride for three back points. Murphy scrambled for a reversal quickly in the third and again put Kerr-Brown on his back, using a leg turk for another three-point near fall. He accumulated 2:35 in riding-time advantage.
A day after claiming his first varsity win, freshman Garrett Sutton added another, cruising to a 10-3 decision over Brian Dorsey at 165 pounds. Sutton finished on four leg attacks, including an ankle pick and blast double in the third period, and rode for 3:26 time advantage.
Duke added another decision win on a last-second takedown at 174 pounds, but the Wolverines slammed the door with three straight bonus wins to close the dual. Sophomore Domenic Abounader and fifth-year senior Max Huntley earned back-to-back technical falls at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively. Abounader led Jacob Kasper by three after two periods but broke open his bout in the third, finishing on a counter-shot single before turking the Blue Devils three times for nine points in the final minute. It was his team-best fourth technical fall of the season.
Huntley piled on points early en route to a 17-2 victory against Spencer neff, converting on a quick single-leg takedown and twice tilted the Blue Devils for six points. He added three more single legs in the second, cradling up Neff for three back points off the first, to end the bout at the 6:18 mark. It was his second tech fall this season.
Sophomore heavyweight Adam Coon capped the dual with a 17-6 major decision against Brendan Walsh in the final match, scoring on seven takedowns -- just missing on a pair of throw attempts -- and riding for 1:42. Coon concluded the dual season with a team-leading 12-1 mark.
Michigan will take two weeks to prepare for the 2015 Big Ten Championships, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, in Columbus, Ohio. Hosted by Ohio State, the first session is slated for 10 a.m. on Saturday morning at the St. John Arena.
#15 Michigan 33, Duke 7
Individual rankings from InterMat
| Match | Score |
| 125 -- #20 Conor Youtsey (U-M) tech. fall Thayer Atkins, 19-4 (7:00) | U-M, 5-0 |
| 133 -- #9 Rossi Bruno (U-M) major dec. Mitch Finesilver, 10-2 | U-M, 9-0 |
| 141 -- George Fisher (U-M) dec. Evan Botwin, 6-5 | U-M, 12-0 |
| 149 -- Marcus Cain (Duke) major dec. Angelo Latora, 11-3 | U-M, 12-4 |
| 157 -- #8 Brian Murphy (U-M) major dec. Immanuel Kerr-Brown, 12-2 | U-M, 16-4 |
| 165 -- Garrett Sutton (U-M) dec. Brian Dorsey, 10-3 | U-M, 19-4 |
| 174 -- Trey Adamson (Duke) dec. Jake Salazar, 4-3 | U-M, 19-7 |
| 184 -- #11 Domenic Abounader (U-M) tech. fall Jacob Kasper, 15-0 (7:00) | U-M, 24-7 |
| 197 -- #8 Max Huntley (U-M) tech. fall Spencer Neff, 17-2 (4:18) | U-M, 29-7 |
| Hwt -- #6 Adam Coon (U-M) major dec. Brendan Walsh, 17-6 | U-M, 33-7 |
N O T E S
• With tonight's win, Michigan improved to 2-0 in the all-time series against Duke.
• It was the second dual this season that U-M recorded multiple technical falls.
• Sophomore Domenic Abounader leads the Wolverines with four tech falls this season. He owns four in his collegiate career and six bonus wins this season.
• Sophomore Adam Coon improved to 25-2 in career dual matches.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Joe McFarland
On Brian Murphy's win ... "That was a hard fought match. Murph fought hard through a couple of positions and ended up coming up on top from a few scrambles. That kid is tough. Murph got his offense going on and won some scrambles and ended up putting him on his back a couple times, which opened that match wide open. That was a nice win. He's wrestling real well right now, just the way we want him right now."
On Garrett Sutton's improvement at 165 pounds ... "Garrett is feeling better. When we brought him out, he was just coming off of a two-week sickness, and he was lean and light. He had lost some weight. He's got his body back up, he's feeling good, and he's feeling a lot stronger out there, like he has more zip and energy. His body looks better, and you can just tell he's healthy again."
On Domenic Abounader's weekend success ... "He's a great kid. Obviously one of his best positions is top, and I thought he did a great job tonight. I think we need to get more attacks going and get some more offense. Two shots in that match is just not enough for me. He has a really good attack, but he's got to bring more offense and give himself a lot of time on top, because you see he is good there. He's got to work hard to get himself in that position, but he did a great job tonight."
U-M Sophomore Brian Murphy
On his first-period defense ... "I was getting a little tired, but I felt him wearing down more than I was. Coach McFarland always talks about being a tough takedown, so that's what I try to be. I get there a lot, and I'm longer, so it's harder for guys to get into my body when they get my leg. I shouldn't let them get that high, but I'm good from there."
On improvement over the season ... "I've been looking for more scrambles now, and in my scrambles I'm looking to put their backs to the mat and not just settling for two points. My mindset has gotten better."
On earning a good win tonight ... "He's a tough kid; he's pretty strong. I know he had a good year last year for sure. So it's a good win, a good way to close out the dual season."
U-M Fifth-Year Senior Max Huntley
On significance of senior night ... "It's hard to say, because I'm getting so amped up for the postseason. I'm excited to get this postseason going. I'm excited about the final match at home. I'm excited about moving into the postseason, so I wanted to wrestle well."
On picking up two dual wins going into postseason ... "It's good to get a win. We had a lot of Big Ten matches, and everybody in my weight in the Big Ten is a top-10 guy. We're all the best in the country, so it's nice to get away from beating each other up and wrestle other guys to get ready for NCAAs. We crushed both teams. It's nice to get those other teams in there and realize that being part of a Big Ten program is a big deal."
On focus going into postseason ... "I'm just focused on getting my shots. It's a lot of tough bouts in the Big Ten, so I need to focus on not getting caught in anything, getting my points right away and wrestling hard. Get ahead in the close matches. The usual stuff really."
Communications Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
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