Michigan
NCAA Championships
Wolverines Advance Four to NCAA Quarterfinals
3/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Alec Pantaleo
» Conor Youtsey (125 pounds), Alec Pantaleo (149), Brian Murphy (157) and Adam Coon (Hwt) advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal round.
» Youtsey and Murphy both earned upset wins; Youtsey defeated Oklahoma State's sixth-seeded Eddie Klimara, 7-6, in the first round, while Murphy beat Cornell's fifth-seeded Dylan Palacio, 8-7, in the second round.
» With two more Wolverines alive in the wrestlebacks, U-M is in eighth place (15 points) after the first day of NCAA competition.
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Site: New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)
Event: NCAA Wrestling Championships (Day 1 of 3)
U-M Team Standing: 8th Place of 72 Teams (15 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 18 -- at NCAA Championships - Day 2 (New York, N.Y.), 11 a.m.
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team advanced four into the quarterfinal round at the 2016 NCAA Championships on Thursday (March 17) in front of 17,805 fans at Madison Square Garden. With another two wrestlers still alive in the wrestlebacks, the Wolverines are in eighth place (15 points) after the first day of competition.
Senior/junior Conor Youtsey, sophomore Alec Pantaleo, junior Brian Murphy and junior Adam Coon all registered perfect first-day records to advance to the quarterfinals, combining for an 8-0 tally. It will be the second straight quarterfinal appearance for Murphy and Coon.
Youtsey, unseeded at 125 pounds, kicked off the Wolverines' morning round with a big comeback win, scoring two takedowns in the third period to down Oklahoma State's sixth-seeded Eddie Klimara, 7-6, in the 125-pound first round. Klimara finished on two takedowns in the first period but appeared to run out of gas as Youtsey picked up the pace in the second. Youtsey, who also defeated Klimara in last year's NCAA tournament, evened the score with a single leg early in the third and then took his first lead on an inside trip in the final minute. He rode off Klimara's riding-time advantage and rode out the match for the decision win.
Youtsey added another dramatic win in the evening round, scoring on an overtime throw by to defeat Cornell's Dalton Macri, 7-5, in the sudden-victory frame. Youtsey also struck first, spinning behind Macri off a front headlock late in the first period, but Macri responded with a takedown of his own in the second. Youtsey escaped just in time -- with Cornell holding 58 seconds riding-time advantage -- to tie the score and force overtime, where he threw Macri by, finishing with a double leg on the edge.
Pantaleo, seeded fifth at 149 pounds, scored three takedowns to claim an 8-3 decision against Boise State's 12th-seeded Geo Martinez in the evening session. After a scoreless first period, Pantaleo drew a stall point on the edge early in the second before breaking open the bout with a takedown on the ensuing restart and another at the buzzer. He iced it with a double leg in the third. Pantaleo also defeated Minnesota's Jake Short, 4-0, in the morning round, scoring on a third-period takedown and riding for 1:47 advantage time.
Murphy, seeded 12th at 157 pounds, also earned a first-day upset, edging Cornell's fifth-seeded Dylan Palacio, 8-7, in the second round. Murphy took advantage of a big move early, scrambling out of a high single in the air to plant Palacio on his back for four points. The wrestlers traded reversals in the first, and Palacio added another in the second and a takedown in the third but, trailing two, had to cut Murphy. The Wolverine wrestler held on through a late scramble to close out the win. Murphy, like Pantaleo, opened the day with a 4-0 decision, using a first-period takedown and a third-period rideout to defeat Brown's Justin Staudenmayer.
Coon, seeded fifth at heavyweight, earned a pair of bonus wins to cruise on the first day of competition. He tossed Virginia's Patrick Gillen for a second-period pin -- his seventh of the season -- at the 4:21 mark in his first-round contest and followed with a 10-2 major decision against Oklahoma's Ross Larson in the evening session. Coon scored on three takedowns, clinching the bonus point with a single late in the third, and rode for 4:30 advantage time.
Junior Domenic Abounader and graduate student Max Huntley were knocked into the consolation bracket after second-round losses at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively.
Abounader, seeded fourth at 184 pounds, gave up a counter takedown in overtime to fall, 4-2, to NC State's 13th-seeded Peter Renda. Abounader shot in deep on a double leg and nearly finished, but Renda rolled through to put the Wolverine captain on his hip and, after nearly 30 seconds of maneuvering, earn the call. Abounader rolled to an 8-0 major decision against Illinois' Jeff Koepke in the first round, scoring on three takedowns and riding for 3:22.
Huntley, seeded 10th at 197 pounds, was pinned by Princeton's Brett Harner at the 2:16 mark of his second-round match after giving up an early single-leg takedown. He earned an 8-2 decision against Army's Bryce Barnes in the morning round, hitting a six-point crusher in the first period to overcome an early deficit.
Senior Rossi Bruno was eliminated from the competition after posting a 1-2 record and suffering his second loss of the tournament in the evening wrestleback round. Bruno, a 2015 NCAA All-American, used a rideout in the tiebreaker to defeat Penn's Caleb Richardson, 2-1, in the pigtail round before dropping back-to-back one-point decisions, including a 3-2 loss to Air Force's Josh Martinez in the wrestlebacks on a first-period takedown. He just missed on a takedown on his own late in the third.
Tweet of the Day 
Conor Youtsey of @umichwrestling pulls off the upset! #WrestleNYC pic.twitter.com/MEjBH1znln
-- NCAA Wrestling (@ncaawrestling) March 17, 2016
Michigan will resume competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday (March 18) at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The morning session will begin at 11 a.m. and will feature quarterfinal matches and continued wrestleback competition.
Top 15 Teams (After Day 1)
1. Penn State 27.5
2. Ohio State 24
Oklahoma State 24
4. Nebraska 20
5. Iowa 17.5
Missouri 17.5
Virginia Tech 17.5
8. MICHIGAN 15
9. NC State 13
Oklahoma 13
11. Illinois 12
Iowa State 12
13. Cornell 11
14. Lehigh 10.5
15. Rutgers 10
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
125 Pounds -- Conor Youtsey
First Round - dec. #6 Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State), 7-6
Second Round - dec. Dalton Macri (Cornell), 7-5 SV
Quarterfinals - vs. #3 Nico Megaludis (Penn State)
133 Pounds -- Rossi Bruno
Pigtail - dec. Caleb Richardson (Penn), 2-1 TB
First Round - dec. by #9 Mack McGuire (Kent State), 2-1 TB
Consolations - Josh Martinez (Air Force), 3-2
Eliminated with a 1-2 record
149 Pounds -- #5 Alec Pantaleo
First Round - dec. Jake Short (Minnesota), 4-0
Second Round - dec. #12 Geo Martinez (Boise State), 8-3
Quarterfinals - vs. #4 Matthew Cimato (Drexel)
157 Pounds -- #12 Brian Murphy
First Round - dec. Justin Staudenmayer (Brown), 4-0
Second Round - dec. #5 Dylan Palacio (Cornell), 8-7
Quarterfinals - vs. #4 Ian Miller (Kent State)
184 Pounds -- #4 Domenic Abounader
First Round - major dec. Jeff Koepke (Illinois), 8-0
Second Round - dec. by #13 Pete Renda (NC State), 4-2 SV
Consolations - vs. Corey Griego (Oregon State)
197 Pounds -- #10 Max Huntley
First Round - dec. Bryce Barnes (Army), 8-4
Second Round - pinned by #7 Brett Harner (Princeton), 2:16
Consolations - vs. Phil Sprenkle (Lock Haven)
Heavyweight -- #5 Adam Coon
First Round - pinned Patrick Gillen (Virginia), 4:21
Second Round - major dec. Ross Larson (Oklahoma), 10-2
Quarterfinals - vs. #4 Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State)
Players Mentioned
