Michigan
Pittsburgh
Bonus Points, Suriano Debut Highlight Wolverine Win at No. 21 Pittsburgh
1/9/2022 4:48:00 PM | Wrestling
» No. 3 Michigan claimed seven matches, including the first five and four with bonus points, to defeat No. 21 Pittsburgh 29-12 in a late-addition road dual.
» Logan Massa (174 pounds) and Myles Amine (184) earned back-to-back first-period falls in the dual's first two matches.
» Nick Suriano (125) went 2-0 on the day and outscored his opponents 38-9 in his Michigan debut.
» Patrick Brucki (197) claimed the dual's marquee against eighth-ranked Nino Bonaccorsi, using takedowns late in the first and third periods to rally to a 6-3 decision.
Site: Pittsburgh, Pa. (Fitzgerald Field House)
Score: #3 Michigan 29, #21 Pittsburgh 12
Records: U-M (4-0), Pitt (4-3)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Jan. 14 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team used bonus points, including back-to-back falls in the opening two weights, to earn a dominant 29-12 win over No. 21 Pittsburgh in its first official dual of 2022 on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 9) at Fitzgerald Field House. The Wolverines claimed seven individual matches, including each of the first five, and scored four bonus wins.
With the dual starting at 174 pounds, graduate students Logan Massa and Myles Amine set the tone with first-period pins. Massa, ranked sixth nationally by InterMat, pinned Hunter Kernan with a half at the 2:20 mark in his season dual debut after scoring three quick takedowns. It was Massa's 100th collegiate win.
Amine, ranked second at 184 pounds, needed even less time to pin Nicholas Meglino, turning the Panther wrestler with a turk before securing the fall just 47 seconds in. Amine improved to 6-0 on the season with a pair of pins.
Graduate student Nick Suriano and senior Mason Parris also earned bonus points at 125 pounds and heavyweight, respectively, in their season dual-meet debuts.
Suriano, an NCAA champion and two-time finalist who joined the Wolverines as a second-semester grad transfer, cruised to an 18-7 major decision over Gage Curry, scoring eight takedowns and accumulating 3:18 in riding-time advantage. Suriano also earned a 19-2 technical fall in an extra match against Army's Jake Staud, going 2-0 on the day with 38 points in his Maize and Blue debut.
Parris, ranked second nationally, posted a 14-4 major decision over Jake Slinger at heavyweight. He scored six takedowns -- two per period -- and rode for 3:44. Parris improved to 6-0 with six bonus wins.
Graduate student Patrick Brucki, ranked ninth at 197 pounds, claimed the dual's marquee match with a 6-3 decision against eighth-ranked Nino Bonaccorsi. Brucki rallied after giving up the first takedown, scoring on a single leg in the final 10 seconds of the first period and adding go-behind to ice it late in the third.
Pitt got on the board with decision wins at 133 and 141 pounds, including an upset in the latter, before Michigan responded with two more match wins at 149 and 157. Junior/sophomore Cole Mattin claimed a controlled 9-4 decision over Dan Mancini at the former weight, scoring a takedown in each period and earning 1:55 in riding-time advantage. Senior/junior Will Lewan, ranked 15th, used a late first-period takedown to defeat a familiar foe in No. 21 Elijah Cleary, formerly of Ohio State, by a 3-1 margin.
Michigan (4-0) will kick off Big Ten Conference action Friday (Jan. 14) when it takes on rival Ohio State at 7 p.m. at the Covelli Center in Columbus. The dual will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
No. 3 Michigan 29, No. 21 Pitt 12
Individual rankings by InterMat
174 -- #6 Logan Massa (U-M) pinned Hunter Kernan, 2:18 -- U-M, 6-0
184 -- #2 Myles Amine (U-M) pinned Nicholas Meglino, 0:46 -- U-M, 12-0
197 -- #9 Patrick Brucki (U-M) dec. #8 Nino Bonaccorsi, 6-3 -- U-M 15-0
Hwt -- #2 Mason Parris (U-M) major dec. Jake Slinger, 14-4 -- U-M, 19-0
125 -- Nick Suriano (U-M) major dec. #31 Gage Curry, 18-7 -- U-M, 23-0
133 -- #7 Micky Phillippi (Pitt) dec. Jack Medley, 5-2 -- U-M, 23-3
141 -- #23 Cole Matthews (Pitt) dec. #3 Stevan Micic, 11-5 -- U-M, 23-6
149 -- Cole Mattin (U-M) dec. Dan Mancini, 9-4 -- U-M, 26-6
157 -- #15 Will Lewan (U-M) dec. #21 Elijah Cleary, 3-1 -- U-M, 29-6
165 -- #13 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) won by forfeit -- U-M, 29-9
Extra Matches
125 -- Nick Suriano (U-M) tech. fall Jake Staud, 19-2 (4:40)
174 -- Matt McKenna (U-M) tech. fall Dominic Falcone, 16-0 (4:51)
197 -- Bobby Striggow (U-M) tech. fall Thomas Godbee, 18-1 (5:35)
149 -- Luke Kemerer (Pitt) dec. Nick Freeman, 6-2
Players Mentioned
