Five Sign National Letters of Intent to Join U-M Wrestling Program
11/18/2020 4:38:00 PM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan wrestling head coach Sean Bormet announced Wednesday (Nov. 18) that five student-athletes -- Patrick Brucki, Chance Lamer, Zack Mattin, Christian Tanefeu and Wilfried Tanefeu -- have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Michigan and join the wrestling program in 2021-22.
"We are really excited about this group," said Bormet. "It is a great combination of proven elite talent at a college level in Pat Brucki and four incoming freshmen that we think all have enormous upside and potential. They love to compete, love to work hard and want to excel in every area of their lives. They're high-character young men who are going to really add to our program, and we can't wait to get them to Ann Arbor."
Brucki, a native of Orland Park, Ill., will join Michigan as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining after completing his bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering at Princeton University. He is a two-time All-American, earning first-team NWCA honors in 2020 after claiming fourth place at 197 pounds as a sophomore (2019), and posted an 82-18 record over his three seasons at Princeton. Brucki was an Illinois state champion and three-time state placewinner at Carl Sandburg High School, where he posted a 175-24 career prep record and was Flowrestling's No. 35 overall recruit in the Class of 2017. He will wrestle at 197 pounds at Michigan.
Lamer, a native of Corvallis, Ore., is ranked No. 3 nationally at 132 pounds and as the No. 56 overall prospect by Flowrestling and No. 32 recruit by InterMat. He is a three-time Oregon state champion for Crescent Valley High School, most recently capturing the 126-pound crown as a junior (2020) after previous titles at 103 and 113 pounds. He owns a 141-6 career prep record. Lamer claimed fifth place at the 2018 Cadet Freestyle World Championships and was a double finalist at Fargo in 2017, winning the cadet Greco title while placing second in freestyle. He placed seventh at UWW Junior Nationals last weekend in Omaha. He is projected to compete at 141 or 149 pounds in college.
Mattin, a native of Delta, Ohio, is ranked No. 8 nationally at 120 pounds and as the No. 26 overall recruit by Flowrestling and No. 97 overall recruit by InterMat. He captured a 106-pound Ohio state title as a sophomore (2019) and is a two-time state placewinner, also claiming seventh place as a freshman (2018). He was 42-0 last season before COVID forced the cancellation of the Ohio state tournament. He owns a 123-14 career prep record. His older brothers, Drew and Cole, are current members of the Michigan wrestling team. Mattin is projected to wrestle at 141 or 149 pounds in college.
The Tanefeu twins hail from Bismarck, N.D., after emigrating to the U.S. from Cameroon six years ago. Christian is a two-time North Dakota state champion for Bismarck High School, winning at 113 pounds as a junior (2010) and 106 pounds as a sophomore (2019), and posted an 86-13 over the two-year stretch. He was a double Fargo All-American in 2018, placing fifth in junior freestyle and second in Greco-Roman, and captured a 16U Greco national title at 106 pounds in 2019. Christian will likely wrestle at 125 pounds for Michigan.
Wilfried Tanefeu also is a two-time North Dakota state champion, capturing titles at 120 pounds as a junior (2020) and 113 pounds as a sophomore (2019). He posted an 89-20 mark over the past two seasons. Wilfried captured the 16U freestyle 113-pound title in Fargo in 2019. He is projected to wrestle at 125 or 133 pounds in college.
