Michigan
Michigan State Open
Wolverines to Send Large Squad to Annual Michigan State Open
11/6/2024 12:09:00 PM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan field wrestling team (0-0) will send a large contingent of wrestlers to the annual Michigan State Open this Saturday (Nov. 9) in East Lansing, Mich. Action begins at 9:30 a.m. at Jenison Field House.
Notes
• Michigan crowned one champion and posted eight placewinners at the season-opening Clarion Open last Sunday (Nov. 3). Fifth-year senior Joseph Walker led the Wolverines with the 174-pound title, going 4-0, including a 4-2 victory over Clarion's 28th-ranked John Worthing in the championship match. Freshman Brock Mantanona and fifth-year senior Jaden Bullock also reached the finals at 165 and 184 pounds, respectively.
• The Wolverines earned 25 bonus wins at the Clarion Open, including six pins, nine technical falls, and nine major decisions. Mantanona scored bonus points in all four wins, with three technical falls. Sophomore Sergio Lemley also tallied three technical falls, while Walker and senior/junior Zack Mattin each notched three bonus wins.
• Three Wolverines made their collegiate debut at the Clarion Open. Mantanona finished second at 165 pounds, while sophomore/freshman Hayden Walters, who missed last season due to injury, placed fourth at 197 pounds. Sophomore/freshman Amaan Gulacha, also sidelined last year, debuted at 157 pounds.
• Four additional freshmen are slated to debut at the Michigan State Open: Cameron Catrabone, Teddy Flores, Chris Kiser, and Zar Walker. Graduate student Chase Saldate, who spent his first four seasons in East Lansing, will also compete. Saldate won an MSU Open title at 157 pounds in 2021.
• Michigan returns one All-American and three NCAA qualifiers from its 2023-24 lineup. Dylan Ragusin earned fifth place at 133 pounds at last year's NCAA Championships, reached the Big Ten finals, and posted a team-best 28-4 record. Lemley (141) and Bullock (184) had breakout seasons, placing fourth at Big Tens and making their first NCAA appearances. Lemley went 19-9 as a true freshman, while Bullock rebounded from two seasons out of the lineup to go 20-12.
• Two graduate transfers joined Michigan in the offseason: Saldate (157 pounds) from Michigan State and Jacob Cardenas (197) from Cornell. Saldate, a four-time NCAA qualifier, reached the Round of 12 in 2023 and compiled an 85-33 career record, including 25-8 last season. Cardenas, a two-time All-American at 197 pounds, earned fourth and eighth place at the NCAA Championships in 2024 and 2023, respectively, with a career 71-22 record, including 28-8 last season.
• Cardenas recently claimed silver at the 92kg U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania. He went 4-1, including a 10-0 technical fall over Russian Mustafagadzhi Malachdibirov, the junior world champion at 92kg. Cardenas fell to Iran's Amir Hossein Firouzpour, 11-4, in the final. It was Cardenas' third consecutive world medal, adding to silver in 2022 and bronze in 2023.
• Michigan's six-man freshman class, ranked No. 11 nationally, includes four wrestlers listed among the top 100 recruits by at least one outlet. The class combines for 10 high school state titles and is headlined by No. 10 Mantanona and No. 41 Catrabone.
• Head coach Sean Bormet, in his seventh season, has led Michigan to a 56-17 dual-meet record, including 35-13 in Big Ten duals. Under Bormet, Michigan has captured the 2022 Big Ten title and four top-five NCAA finishes, including a runner-up showing in 2022. The program has produced 20 NCAA All-Americans under his leadership, plus four NWCA All-Americans during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season.
• Michigan will face four teams ranked in the NWCA preseason poll, including No. 1 Penn State and No. 4 Nebraska. Twelve of 14 Big Ten teams were ranked or received votes to start the 2024-25 season, with five in the top 10. Michigan enters the season ranked No. 10.
Players Mentioned
