Michigan
NCAA Championships
Five Wolverines Advance to NCAA Quarterfinals, All Nine Qualifiers Still Alive
3/21/2024 11:40:00 PM | Wrestling
» Michigan sits in fourth place at the NCAA Championships with all nine wrestlers still alive after the first day of action -- five in the quarterfinals and four in the consolation bracket.
» Dylan Ragusin (133 pounds), Austin Gomez (129), Cameron Amine (165), Shane Griffith (174) and Lucas Davison (Hwt) all posted 2-0 records to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
» Michael DeAugustino (125), Sergio Lemley (141), Will Lewan (157) and Jaden Bullock (184) are all in the wrestlebacks after day-one decision losses.
Site: Kansas City, Mo. (T-Mobile Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 1 of 3)
U-M Standing: Tied for 4th Place of 68 Teams (22 points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 22 -- at NCAA Championships - Day 2 (Kansas City, Mo.), 11 a.m. CDT
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team advanced five into the quarterfinal round at the 2024 NCAA Championships on Thursday (March 21) in front of 15,486 fans at the T-Mobile Center. With their other four wrestlers all still alive in the wrestlebacks, the Wolverines are tied for fourth place (22 points) after the first day of competition.
Senior/junior Dylan Ragusin, graduate student Austin Gomez, fifth-year senior Cameron Amine, graduate student Shane Griffith and graduate student Lucas Davison all registered perfect first-day records to advance to the quarterfinals and combined for a 10-0 tally with four bonus wins. In all, Michigan posted a strong 14-4 record on the day.
Ragusin, seeded fifth at 133 pounds, earned a pair of decision wins to reach the quarterfinals for the second time in his career. He took advantage of fast starts in both matches. He defeated Appalachian State's Ethan Oakley 11-5 in the evening round with a takedown and three-point turn in the first period, added another takedown out of a second-period scramble and accumulated 1:08 in advantage time. Ragusin opened with a 9-7 decision against Penn's Michael Colaiocco with a pair of first-period takedowns.
Gomez, seeded sixth at 149 pounds, earned big bonus points with a fall in the second period, pinning Wyoming's Gabe Willochell at 4:56 to return to the NCAA quarterfinals. Gomez scored three takedowns in the first period, then hit a chin whip to put Willochell on his back midway through the second, eventually transitioning to a headlock to secure the pin just before the buzzer. Gomez also defeated Harvard's Jack Crook 17-12 in the first round, building a sizable lead with five takedowns before Crook narrowed the final score with a pair of late takedowns.
Amine, seeded 10th at 165 pounds, returned to the quarterfinals for the third straight year with a 4-1 overtime win against Oklahoma State's seventh-seeded Izzak Olejnik in the evening session. Amine capitalized out of a sudden-victory flurry in the center of the mat as Olejnik stumbled, and the Wolverine pounced to secure the winning takedown. Amine also earned a 4-1 decision against NC State's Derek Fields in his first bout, hooking Fields leg on the edge and driving through for the go-ahead takedown midway through the third period.
Griffith, a 2021 NCAA champion and seeded fourth this season at 174 pounds, also went 2-0 to return to the quarterfinals for the third time in his career. He opened his tournament with a dominant 17-2 technical fall against NC State's Alex Faison, scoring five takedowns on ankle picks and single legs and riding for 4:00. He defeated Virginia's 13th-seeded Justin McCoy 5-1 in the second round, starting fast with a takedown in the opening 10 seconds before riding out the third period to earn 3:07 in advantage time.
Davison, seeded 10th at heavyweight, earned bonus points in both of his day-one bouts, including an 8-0 major decision against Campbell's seventh-seeded Taye Ghadiali in the evening session with takedowns in the first and second periods and 1:33 in advantage time. It was Davison's second win over Ghadiali this season. He also earned a second-period pin against Army West Point's Lucas Stoddard in the first round, turning Stoddard with a turk for a four count then the fall at 4:37. It is Davison's third straight trip to the NCAA quarterfinals.
Michigan also has freshman Sergio Lemley, graduate student Will Lewan, senior/junior Jaden Bullock and graduate student Michael DeAugustino alive in the wrestlebacks after splitting their day-one matches.
Lemley, seeded eighth at 141 pounds, could not overcome an early deficit in a 10-4, second-round defeat to Nebraska's seventh-seeded Brock Hardy in the season rubber match between the two. Hardy scored two takedowns early in the first period and added another with Lemley pressing in the second. The Wolverine freshman opened the tournament with a gritty 10-8 win over Oregon State's Cleveland Belton in his NCAA debut, twice rallying from deficits and going ahead for good with takedown midway through the third and subsequent rideout to earn 1:04 in advantage time.
Lewan, seeded ninth at 157 pounds, fell 11-6 to Nebraska's eighth-seeded Peyton Robb in the evening session, sacrificing seven points out of a second-period cradle -- Robb's first points of the bout -- and could not overcome the deficit. He defeated Michigan State's Chase Saldate 4-3 in the opening round with a takedown out of a flurry on the edge midway through the second period.
Bullock, seeded 12th at 184 pounds, sacrificed a late lead to Nebraska's third-seeded Lenny Pinto in a 4-2 defeat in the second round. Bullock earned a go-ahead point with 27 seconds remaining when Pinto was hit with his second stall warning on the edge, but the Husker shot in on the ensuing restart and finished for the winning takedown in the final 20 seconds. Bullock won by injury default at 6:42 against Rutgers' Brian Soldano in the morning session. He rallied from an initial deficit with a takedown late in the first then, when Soldano tried to go big late in the third, Bullock countered and Soldano landed awkwardly on the mat.
Graduate student Michael DeAugustino, seeded 18th at 125 pounds, bounced back from a tough first-round loss to defeat Rider's Tyler Klinsky 9-3 in the wrestlebacks. DeAugustino scored takedowns early and late in the first period and accumulated 1:45 in advantage time after riding most of the third period. He dropped a 4-1 overtime decision to Nebraska's sixth-seeded Caleb Smith in his first bout, with a Nebraska takedown at the buzzer of the sudden victory frame.
Michigan will resume competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday (March 22) at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The morning session will begin at 11 a.m. CDT and will feature quarterfinal matches and continued wrestleback competition live on ESPNU.
Team Standings (Top 10)
1. Penn State  m  34.5 2. Iowa               24.5 2. Iowa State         24.5 4. MICHIGAN           22.0    NC State           22.0 6. Nebraska           21.0 7. Ohio State      20.5 8. Cornell           18.5 9. Virginia Tech  17.5 10. Missouri           14.0 10. Oklahoma State     14.0
Michigan Results (Day 1)
Numbers listed are tournament seeds
125 Pounds -- #18 Michael DeAugustino
First Round - dec. by #6 Caleb Smith (Nebraska), 4-1 SV
Consolations - dec. #31 Tyler Klinsky (Rider), 9-3
Consolations - vs. #17 Brett Ungar (Cornell)
133 Pounds -- #5 Dylan Ragusin
First Round - dec. #28 Michael Colaiocco (Penn), 9-7
Second Round - dec. #21 Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State), 11-5
Quarterfinals - vs. #4 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers)
141 Pounds -- #8 Sergio Lemley
First Round - dec. #25 Cleveland Belton (Oregon State), 10-8
Second Round - dec. by #9 Brock Hardy (Nebraska), 10-4
Consolations - vs. #7 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa)
149 Pounds -- #6 Austin Gomez
First Round - dec. #27 Jack Crook (Harvard), 17-12
Second Round - pinned #22 Gabe Willochell (Wyoming), 4:56
Quarterfinals - vs. #3 Jackson Arrington (NC State)
157 Pounds -- #9 Will Lewan
First Round - dec. #24 Chase Saldate (Michigan State), 4-3
Second Round - dec. by #8 Peyton Robb (Nebraska), 11-6
Consolations - vs. #26 Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan)
165 Pounds -- #10 Cameron Amine
First Round - dec. #23 Derek Fields (NC State), 4-1
Second Round - dec. #7 Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), 4-1 SV
Quarterfinals - vs. #2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State)
174 Pounds -- #4 Shane Griffith
First Round - tech. fall #29 Alex Faison (NC State), 17-2 (7:00)
Second Round - dec. #13 Justin McCoy (Virginia), 5-1
Quarterfinals - vs. #28 Jared Simma (Northern Iowa)
184 Pounds -- #12 Jaden Bullock
First Round - injury def. #21 Brian Soldano (Rutgers), 6:42
Second Round - dec. by #5 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska), 4-2
Consolations - vs. #22 Gavin Kane (North Carolina)
Heavyweight -- #10 Lucas Davison
First Round - pinned #23 Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point), 4:37
Second Round - major dec. #7 Taye Ghadiali (Campbell), 8-0
Quarterfinals - vs. #2 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State)
Players Mentioned
