Michigan
NCAA Championships
Wolverines Advance Three to NCAA Quarterfinals, All Eight Still Alive
3/16/2023 11:22:00 PM | Wrestling
» Will Lewan (157 pounds), Cameron Amine (165) and Mason Parris (Hwt) advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal round.
» With five more Wolverines alive in the wrestlebacks, U-M is in eighth place (14.5 points) after the first day of NCAA competition.
» Michigan earned three bonus wins, including pins from Cole Mattin (141) and Amine.
Site: Tulsa, Okla. (BOK Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 1 of 3)
U-M Team Standing: T8th place (14.5 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 17 -- at NCAA Championships - Day 2 (Tulsa, Okla.), 11 a.m. CDT
TULSA, Okla. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team advanced three into the quarterfinal round at the 2023 NCAA Championships on Thursday (March 16) in front of 15,342 fans at the BOK Center. With their other five wrestlers all still alive in the wrestlebacks, the Wolverines are in eighth place (14.5 points) after the first day of competition.
Fifth-year senior Will Lewan, senior/junior Cameron Amine and fifth-year senior Mason Parris all registered perfect first-day records to advance to the quarterfinals. It is the second straight quarterfinal appearance for Lewan and Amine and the third for Parris. All three are previous NCAA All-Americans.
Lewan, the ninth seed at 157 pounds, earned a pair of decisions on the day and avenged an earlier-season loss to North Carolina State's eight-seeded Ed Scott, 7-5, in the evening session. Lewan used a variety of finishes -- single, duck under and double leg -- to score a takedown per period and held Scott to none. Lewan also defeated Appalachian State's Tommy Askey, 3-2, with a first-period single leg in the opening round.
Amine, seeded 11th at 165 pounds, also avenged an earlier loss to Iowa's sixth-seeded Patrick Kennedy with a 3-2 decision in the second round. After a scoreless first period and quick escapes in the second and third, Amine barreled through a reshot single leg to break the tie 30 seconds into the final frame. He rode for another 30 seconds and held ground to seal the win and flip the result from Big Tens. The Wolverine earned bonus points with a third-period pin against South Dakota State's Tanner Cook in his first match, locking up a cradle off a late go behind to secure the fall at 6:29 -- his second of the season.
Parris, the top seed at heavyweight, earned a decisive 6-1 win over Campbell's 17th-seeded Taye Ghadiali in the second round -- his second win over the Camel wrestler this season. He scored on takedowns in the first and third periods while riding out the second to accumulate 3:43 in riding-time advantage. Parris also cruised to a 12-2 major decision over Minnesota's Garrett Joles in the first round, scoring on four takedowns, tacking on two near-fall points off his second-period scramble and earning 3:34 riding time. He improved to 30-0 on the season.
Graduate student Jack Medley and sophomore/freshman Chance Lamer went 1-1 on the day after dropping their second-round bouts in the evening session.
Medley, seeded 16th at 125 pounds, kicked off the day with a 4-2 decision over Army West Point's 17th-seeded Ethan Berginc in the first round. He scored on an early head-in-the-hole takedown and rode out the first period. He lost his riding-time advantage when Berginc finished on a late takedown of his own but escaped to hold on for the win. Medley fell to Iowa's top-seeded and three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee, 16-0, in the second round. Lee countered an early Medley single-leg shot to put the Wolverine on his back in the ensuing scramble before adding four more turns.
Lamer, seeded 22nd at 149 pounds, split a pair of bouts against higher-seeded opponents, with a first-round, 4-3 upset against Penn's 11th-seeded Doug Zapf. Lamer rallied from an initial deficit, scoring a takedown out of a flurry late in the second period and riding out the frame to take the lead. He scooted out of a late Penn single-leg shot in the third to hang on for the win. Lamer dropped a close second-round bout to Missouri's sixth-seeded Brock Mauller, 4-1, on a first-period penalty point and second-period takedown.
Junior/sophomore Dylan Ragusin, senior Cole Mattin and graduate student Matt Finesilver also went 1-1 in the opposite order, rebounding from first-round losses to win the evening wrestlebacks and advance on to tomorrow.
Ragusin, seeded 11th at 133 pounds, bounced back from a first-round defeat with a 7-5 decision over Wisconsin's Taylor Lamont in the evening wrestleback round. Ragusin scored two takedowns, including on an early dump in the first and a reattack single in the second, and accumulated 1:25 in riding-time advantage. He dropped his first bout to Air Force's Cody Phippen by fall when the Falcon wrestler reversed him to his back at the 2:02 mark. The sequence went through two lengthy video reviews but was upheld.
Mattin, seeded 23rd at 141 pounds, picked up big bonus points in the wrestlebacks, reaching back off a first-period restart to reverse Rider's McKenzie Bell to his back and earn the fall -- his fourth of the season -- at the 1:31 mark. Mattin fell to North Carolina's 10th-seeded Lachlan McNeil, 6-2, in the first round with UNC takedowns in the first and third periods.
Finesilver, the eighth seed at 184 pounds, earned a 7-2 decision over South Dakota State's Cade King in the wrestlebacks with takedowns in the first and second periods -- the latter a slick counter scramble off a King double-leg shot -- and 2:14 in riding-time advantage. He dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to Drexel's Brian Bonino after giving up a takedown at the third-period buzzer.
Michigan will resume competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday (March 17) at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. The morning session will begin at 11 a.m. CDT and will feature quarterfinal matches and continued wrestleback competition live on ESPNU.
Top 10 Teams (After Day 1)
1. Penn State 26.0 2. Iowa 21.5 3. Missouri 17.5 4. Minnesota 16.5 4. NC State 16.5 6. Cornell 15.5 6. Nebraska 15.5 8. MICHIGAN 14.5 8. Ohio State 14.5 10. Arizona State 13.0 10. Virginia Tech 13.0 10. Wisconsin 13.0
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seeds
125 Pounds -- #16 Jack Medley
First Round - dec. #17 Ethan Berginc (Army), 4-2
Second Round - tech. fall by #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa), 16-0 (2:30)
Consolations - vs. #18 Ryan Miller (Penn)
133 Pounds -- #11 Dylan Ragusin
First Round - pinned by #22 Cody Phippen (Air Force), 2:02
Consolations - dec. #27 Taylor Lamont (Wisconsin), 7-5
Consolations - vs. #21 Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield)
141 Pounds -- #23 Cole Mattin
First Round - dec. by #10 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina), 6-2
Consolations - pinned #26 McKenzie Bell (Rider), 1:31
Consolations - vs. #9 Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma)
149 Pounds -- #22 Chance Lamer
First Round - dec. #11 Doug Zapf (Penn), 4-3
Second Round - dec. by #6 Brock Mauller (Missouri), 4-1
Consolations - vs. #21 Ethen Miller (Maryland)
157 Pounds -- #9 Will Lewan
First Round - dec. #24 Tommy Askey (Appalachian State), 3-2
Second Round - dec. #8 Ed Scott (NC State), 7-5
Quarterfinals - vs. #1 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)
165 Pounds -- #11 Cameron Amine
First Round - pinned #22 Tanner Cook (South Dakota State), 6:29
Second Round - dec. #6 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), 3-2
Quarterfinals - vs. #3 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)
184 Pounds -- #8 Matt Finesilver
First Round - dec. by #25 Brian Bonino (Drexel), 3-2
Consolations - dec. #24 Cade King (South Dakota State), 7-2
Consolations - vs. #10 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
Heavyweight -- #1 Mason Parris
First Round - major dec. #32 Garrett Joles (Minnesota), 12-2
Second Round - dec. #17 Taye Ghadiali (Campbell), 6-1
Quarterfinals - vs. #9 Lucas Davison (Northwestern)
Players Mentioned
