Michigan
Penn State
Michigan Returns to the Road to Face No. 1 Penn State
1/29/2019 2:21:00 PM | Wrestling
» No. 4 Michigan will travel to State College, Pennsylvania, to face No. 1 Penn State in a BTN-televised dual at 7 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 1) at the Bryce Jordan Center.
» The Wolverines remain undefeated in duals this season with a 9-0 record and have outscored their dual opposition by a combined 241-98 margin; it is U-M's best start since the 1973-74 season.
» Stevan Micic owns a 9-0 record and is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 133 pounds.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Feb. 1 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7 p.m.
Live Results | TV: Big Ten Network | BTN2Go
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter
• Game Day Information: Cliff Keen Arena Information | Ticket Information
The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) will face its second undefeated opponent in as many appearances this Friday (Feb. 2), returning to the road to face No. 1 Penn State (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) -- the three-time defending NCAA champion -- at 7 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania. The dual meet will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
Michigan's Projected Starting Lineup
| Wgt. | Name | Year/Elig. | Hometown (High School) |
| 125 | Drew Mattin | So./So. | Delta, Ohio (Delta) |
| or | Austin Assad | Sr./Jr. | Brecksville, Ohio (Brecksville) |
| 133 | Stevan Micic | Sr./Jr. | Cedar Lake, Ind. (Hanover Central) |
| 141 | Kanen Storr | Jr./So. | Leslie, Mich. (Leslie) |
| 149 | Malik Amine | 5th/Sr. | Brighton, Mich. (Detroit Catholic Central) |
| or | Ben Lamantia | Sr./Jr. | Commack, N.Y. (St. Anthony's) |
| 157 | Alec Pantaleo | 5th/Sr. | Canton, Mich. (Canton) |
| 165 | Logan Massa | Sr./Jr. | St. Johns, Mich. (St. Johns) |
| 174 | Myles Amine | Sr./Jr. | Brighton, Mich. (Detroit Catholic Central) |
| 184 | J.T. Correll | So./Fr. | Easton, Pa. (Wyoming Seminary) |
| 197 | Jackson Striggow | Sr./Jr. | Orono, Minn. (Orono) |
| or | Andrew Davison | So./Fr. | Chesterton, Ind. (Chesterton) |
| Hwt | Mason Parris | Fr./Fr. | Lawrenceburg, Ind. (Lawrenceburg) |
Wolverine Bites
• With its 9-0 dual-meet record, Michigan has posted the program's best start since an undefeated 14-0 season in 1973-74. The Wolverines have defeated five ranked opponents this season and outscored their dual opposition by a combined 241-98 margin.
• The Wolverines surged to No. 4 in the latest NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, released Tuesday (Jan. 29) -- their highest national ranking of the 2018-19 season. Michigan spent the last three weeks of last year's dual season at the No. 4 spot -- after defeating then-No. 4 Iowa, 19-17, in Iowa City -- before placing fourth at the 2018 NCAA Championships.
• Senior/junior Stevan Micic backed up his No. 1 national ranking at 133 pounds with a dominant 14-1 major decision over Ohio State's No. 6 Luke Pletcher last Friday (Jan. 25). Micic, who has claimed four straight over Pletcher since dropping their initial meeting at last year's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, jumped out to an early six-point lead in the first period and ultimately scored three takedowns and six back points and rode for 3:56 in the bout.
• Micic, who has seen only dual-meet action due to an injury suffered at the Poland Open in September that forced him to withdraw from the World Championships, owns a 9-0 record on the season and has earned bonus points in seven bouts, including each of his six second-semester outings. He has defeated ranked opponents in three of his last four matches, also earning wins against Illinois' 18th-ranked Dylan Duncan (18-8, Jan. 12) and Purdue's 19th-ranked Ben Thornton (9-1, Jan. 20). Last year, he posted bonus points in 81 percent of his wins (21 of 26).
Fifth-year senior Alec Pantaleo surged back into the nation's top five at 157 pounds -- he is a consensus No. 5 -- after defeating Ohio State's then-No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes, 3-2, behind a second-period takedown. Pantaleo, who has also seen limited action after missing most of the first semester with mononucleosis, has earned ranked wins in three of his last four bouts, also defeating Illinois' 14th-ranked Eric Barone, (10-3, Jan. 12) and Purdue's 12th-ranked Griffin Parriott (4-3, Jan. 20). Pantaleo took sixth place at Midlands (Dec. 29-30) at 149 pounds but returned to and will remain at 157 pounds, where he took fifth place at last season's NCAA Championships.
• Freshman heavyweight Mason Parris clinched the Wolverines' 19-17 dual win at Ohio State in the final bout, defeating No. 19 Chase Singletary, 6-3, behind two takedowns and 1:13 in riding-time advantage. With the win, Parris avenged one of his three season losses -- a 15-9 decision to Singletary in the Ohio Intercollegiate Open semifinals (Nov. 11). It was Parris' fifth win over a ranked opponent this season.
• Parris came out of redshirt in the new year and has earned six dual wins since, including an 11-4 decision over Oregon State's top-ranked Amar Dhesi in his varsity debut. Parris scored four takedowns -- three in the first period -- against the two-time All-American with 1:31 riding-time advantage. Parris leads the Wolverine team with 23 wins and 10 falls this season.
• Before making his varsity debut, Parris had placed in all four of his unattached open tournament appearances with titles at the Michigan State (Nov. 3) and Cleveland State (Dec. 15) opens. More recently, he placed fifth at the Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30) and earned a 9-6 decision over Wisconsin's eighth-ranked Trent Hillger in the quarterfinals, scoring on two takedowns and two reversals.
• All 10 Wolverine starters are ranked nationally by at least one media outlet, including seven who are ranked within the top 10 at their respective weights. Based on their highest ranking, No. 1 Stevan Micic (133 pounds), No. 3 Myles Amine (174), No. 5 Kanen Storr (141), No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (157), No. 6 Mason Parris (Hwt) and No. 7 Logan Massa (165) lead the U-M squad.
• Several Wolverines are bearing down at the 100-win milestone. Senior/junior Myles Amine currently leads the pack with an 85-17 record over his collegiate career. Senior/junior Stevan Micic and fifth-year senior Alec Pantaleo, both of whom have seen limited action this season, are 83-13 and 81-18, respectively, at Michigan. Last season, Adam Coon became the 36th Wolverine wrestler to reach 100 wins, finishing his career with a stellar 116-15 record.
U-M Individual Rankings
| Wt. | Wrestler | InterMat | Flo | TW | TOM | AWN | WIN |
| 125 | Drew Mattin | 15 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 15 |
| 133 | Stevan Micic | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 141 | Kanen Storr | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| 149 | Malik Amine | NR | NR | 23 | NR | NR | NR |
| 157 | Alec Pantaleo | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 165 | Logan Massa | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 8 |
| 174 | Myles Amine | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 184 | Jelani Embree | NR | NR | 21 | NR | NR | NR |
| 197 | Jackson Striggow | NR | NR | 18 | 20 | 20 | 13 |
| Hwt | Mason Parris | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6 |
Scouting The Opposition
Penn State: The Nittany Lions are 9-0 on the season and 5-0 in Big Ten duals after defeating Purdue (30-10, Jan. 25) and Indiana (35-9, Jan. 27) on the road last weekend. Nine Penn State wrestlers are ranked nationally at their respectively weights, most notably No. 1 Jason Nolf (157 pounds), No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (165), No. 1 Mark Hall (174) and No. 1 Bo Nickal (197). Michigan trails in the all-time series against Penn State, 31-24, and has lost each of the last seven meetings dating back to 2010, including a 25-12 decision last season in Ann Arbor.
Last Time Out
The Wolverines claimed six matches to defeat No. 2 Ohio State, 19-17, at the Schottenstein Center last Friday night (Jan. 25) in Columbus, Ohio. The dual meet came down to the final bout, where freshman Mason Parris used a pair of takedowns to earn a 6-3 decision over Chase Singletary and clinch the Wolverine win. U-M earned its other wins in bunches, taking the first two, including a dominant 14-1 major decision by senior/junior Stevan Micic over No. 6-ranked Luke Pletcher at 133 pounds, and three in a row at the middleweights. Fifth-year senior Alec Pantaleo won a pivotal swing match at 157 pounds, defeating No. 6-ranked Ke-Shawn Hayes, 3-2. It was Ohio State's first loss of the season. [ Full Recap ]
Up Next
Sunday, Feb. 10 -- vs. Northwestern (Cliff Keen Arena), noon
Players Mentioned
