Michigan

No. 18 MSU Wrestling Falls To No. 1 Minnesota On Senior Day
Nick Simmons records the Spartans lone victory in a 41-3 loss.

EAST LANSING, Mich. ­ Honoring its seniors in the final home dual meet of the season, the 18th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team dropped nine of 10 matches in a 41-3 loss to No. 1 Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Jenison Field House.

"Minnesota is an outstanding team from top to bottom," head coach Tom Minkel said. "I don't think we wrestled as well as we should have, but that doesn't take away from what Minnesota did today. I just wish we could have sent our seniors out on a better note."

Senior Max Lossen had his hands full in the first match of the afternoon, as he clashed with No. 1 Cole Konrad. Minnesota's NCAA finalist remained undefeated on the season by taking Lossen down eight times for a major decision, 17-6.

No. 3 Nick Simmons completed a perfect Big Ten dual season with a 9-2 victory over Minnesota's Travis Lang at 125 pounds. Simmons compiled nearly six minutes of riding time over the course of the match, and tallied two takedowns and two near-fall points to improve to 28-0 on the season, including 13-0 in dual meets and 8-0 in the Big Ten. Simmons will attempt to finish off a perfect regular season against fellow undefeated 125-pounder, No. 2 Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma on Thursday, Feb. 23.

2005 Big Ten Champion and Freshman of the Year Mack Reiter claimed a 14-point major decision at 133 pounds, defeating MSU's Jeff Wimberley, 17-3. Reiter, ranked third in the nation, controlled Wimberley for the majority of the bout, putting the red-shirt freshman in a cradle twice as well as tallying four takedowns.

Wrestling in the first dual meet of his Michigan State career red-shirt freshman Tim Hammer was pinned by No. 13 Manuel Rivera at 6:09 of their match at 141 pounds. Hammer held his own in the opening period, but was trailing 13-2 when Rivera registered the fall. State All-American Andy Simmons took the day off Sunday to prepare for his bout with No. 1 Teyon Ware of Oklahoma on Thursday.

Golden Gopher Dustin Schlatter showed why he is the premier true freshman in the nation and No. 1 ranked wrestler at 149 pounds, as he defeated Spartan senior captain Darren McKnight by technical fall, 15-0. Schlatter needed just 4:01 to notch the technical, as he took McKnight down and racked up 11 near-fall points in the opening period. The first takedown of the second frame stopped the match and gave Minnesota a 19-3 advantage at the midway point of the dual.

UM recorded its second fall of the afternoon at 157 pounds, as No. 4 C.P. Schlatter, Dustin's older brother, pinned State junior Tony Greathouse at the 1:46 mark. In the next match at 165 pounds, Minnesota All-American Matt Nagel, ranked ninth, also tallied a fall, putting Spartan sophomore Bryan Harney to his back and pinning him at 1:22 of the first period to extend the Gophers' lead to 31-3 with three matches remaining.

No. 13 Gabriel Dretsch scored an upset victory for Minnesota at 174 pounds, as he claimed the decision against fifth-ranked MSU senior R.J. Boudro, 4-1. After a scoreless first three minutes, the wrestlers exchanged escapes in the opening moments of the second and third periods. With 45 seconds remaining in the match, Dretsch caught Boudro off-balance and scored the match-clinching takedown, then held the Richmond, Mich., native down to add a riding-time point.

Minnesota claimed its seventh straight decision at 184 pounds, as No. 10 Roger Kish defeated Joe Williams by major decision, 16-5. Kish, a native of Lapeer, Mich., and four-time Michigan high school state champion at Lapeer West High School, took Williams down three times in the first and third periods, and added one more takedown in the middle frame.

State lost a heartbreaker at 197 pounds, as Mitch Kuhlman dropped Jeff Clemens by a riding-time point, 5-4. Clemens took the lead early in the third period, taking the Minnesota wrestler down to move ahead 3-2, but was quickly reversed. Kuhlman was called for stalling in the final 30 seconds, but withstood the Spartan senior's late attack to claim the one-point decision.

The Spartan wrestling team will close out its regular-season dual-meet schedule against 11th-ranked Oklahoma on Thursday, Feb. 23 at McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla. Start time is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST.

285- Cole Konrad maj. dec. Max Lossen MD, 17-6 UM, 4-0
125- Nick Simmons dec. Travis Lang 9-2 UM, 4-3
133- Mack Reiter maj. dec. Jeff Wimberley MD, 17-3 UM, 8-3
141- Manuel Rivera fall Tim Hammer Fall, 6:09 UM, 14-3
149- Dustin Schlatter tech. fall Darren McKnight Tech. fall, 15-0, 4:01 UM, 19-3
157- C.P. Schlatter fall Tony Greathouse Fall, 1:46 UM, 25-3
165- Matt Nagel fall Bryan Harney Fall, 1:22 UM, 31-3
174- Gabriel Dretsch dec. R.J. Boudro 4-1 UM, 34-3
184- Roger Kish maj. dec. Joe Williams MD, 16-5 UM, 38-3
197- Mitch Kulman dec. Jeff Kuhlman 5-4 UM, 41-3
Wrestling Wins Twice at Wendy's Duals

Chippewas open MAC season next Sunday at Eastern Michigan.

ASHLAND, Ohio - Central Michigan University's sixth-ranked wrestling team claimed a pair of wins at the Wendy's Duals on Sunday. The Chippewas (8-4 overall) won 17 of 20 individual matchups on the day in cruising to wins over Lock Haven, 35-7, and Ashland, 47-3.

Five Chippewas won a pair of matches on Sunday, while a total of 12 different CMU wrestlers posted wins.

Luke Smith was a double winner at 125 pounds, opening the day with a 3-2 decision over Lock Haven's Obenson Blanc, then pinning Ashland's Yen Truong just 1:08 into the first period. Eric Kruger won by technical fall twice at 141, while heavyweight Bubba Gritter pinned both of his opponents.

Brandon Sinnott recorded a pair of wins by major decision at 174, while Mark DiSalvo won twice at 149 on a pin and a forfeit.

Leading 14-7 against Lock Haven, CMU won the final five weight classes to pull away. Three of those wins came via major decision. The Chippewas won each of the final eight bouts against Ashland, including four by fall and three major decisions.

CMU opens Mid-American Conference competition next Sunday, visiting Eastern Michigan at 1 p.m.

WENDY'S DUALS RESULTS
CMU 35, Lock Haven 7
125: No. 14 Luke Smith (CMU) dec. Obenson Blanc (LH), 3-2
133: Casey Moore (LH) dec. Matt Steintrager (CMU), 6-4
141: Eric Kruger (CMU) tech. fall Brian Ellis (LH), 16-0
149: No. 7 Mark DiSalvo (CMU), forfeit
157: Seth Martin (LH) maj. dec. Zack Strunk (CMU), 11-1
165: Justin Petrone (CMU) maj. dec. Jameik Mathews (LH), 12-4
174: No. 15 Brandon Sinnott (CMU) maj. dec. Matt Marquart (LH), 14-3
184: Ben Kelto (CMU) maj. dec. Michael Metzger (LH), 16-6
197: Vince DiDona (CMU) dec. Tom Kocher (LH), 11-4
285: No. 16 Bubba Gritter (CMU) pin Tim Meyers (LH), 2:06

CMU 47, Ashland 3
125: No. 14 Luke Smith (CMU) pin Yen Truong (AU), 1:08
133: Jesse Emery (AU) dec. Matt Steintrager (CMU), 10-4
141: Eric Kruger (CMU) tech. fall Jacob Bartley (AU), 15-0
149: No. 7 Mark DiSalvo (CMU) pin Sean Stevenson (AU), 3:47
157: Andy Keller (CMU) maj. dec. Nick Dierkes (AU), 17-6
165: Trevor Stewart (CMU) pin Matt Snyder, 4:08
174: No. 15 Brandon Sinnott (CMU) maj. dec. Jordan Job (AU), 15-5
184: Christian Sinnott (CMU) maj. dec. Hiram Smith (AU), 13-4
197: No. 1 Wynn Michalak (CMU) pin Anthony Krugh (AU), 6:01
285: No. 16 Bubba Gritter (CMU) pin Tim Schanz (AU), 2:05

#5 Michigan 17, #2 Illinois 17

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan wrestling
team split 10 individual matches down the middle against No. 2 Illinois
as the two teams teams battled to a 17-17 tie to remain undefeated in
Big Ten Conference action on Sunday (Feb. 6) in front of 1,551 fans at
Cliff Keen Arena. It marks the first U-M tie in four seasons as well as
the first tie in the series history between the two programs.

In the marquee match of the contest, fifth-year senior captain Ryan
Bertin (Broadview Heights, Ohio/St. Edwards HS), ranked fourth by
Amateur Wrestling News, squared off against second-ranked Alex Tirapelle
in a rematch of the 2003 NCAA 157-pound final and last season's Big Ten
final. The Wolverine scored just a minute into the bout to take the only
lead he would need in the match, converting a single-leg takedown on the
edge of the mat. Tirapelle earned a quick escape to the cut Bertin's
advantage to one point heading into the middle frame. Each wrestler
earned an escape near the beginning of the second and third periods to
close out the scoring as several shots and scrambles produced no points.
With the 3-2 decision, Bertin gave the Wolverines' their first advantage
in the dual meet and took the 4-3 lead in the all-time series with his
conference rival.

Bertin's victory came in the middle of four consecutive wins for
Michigan as the Wolverines rallied from an early 7-0 deficit to build a
seven-point lead after 165 pounds.

Sophomore/freshman Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) started
the U-M comeback at 141 pounds with a 7-2 decision over the Fighting
Illini's Casio Pero. Fifth-ranked Churella controlled throughout the
bout, building an early lead with a pair of first-period takedowns to
hold a 4-1 lead after the opening frame. Churella caught Pero out of
position early in the second to come from the bottom with a reversal
just 30 seconds into the period before riding out the Illini wrestler
for the remainder of the frame. Pero earned his escape midway through
the third period as Churella ended the match with 2:31 riding time
advantage.

Sophomore/freshman Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) used
takedowns in the second and third period to record a 5-2 decision over
14th-ranked Anton Dietzen at 149 pounds. Tannenbaum, ranked seventh,
controlled throughout the entire bout, allowing Dietzen just a pair of
escapes.

Senior/junior captain Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) earned
important bonus points for the Wolverines with a 17-1 technical fall
against Anthony Castillo at 165 pounds, ending the match early by
approximately 30 seconds. Churella, ranked second by Amateur Wrestling
News, dominated from the opening whistle, scoring on his first shot,
just 15 seconds into the match. The Wolverine captain totaled two
takedowns and 13 backs points and nearly stuck the pin in the third
period, using a power half to roll Castillo across the shoulder blades.

The Fighting Illini earned three consecutive wins -- including a major
decision at 184 pounds -- to retake a three-point team advantage heading
into the final bout of the dual meet. Third-ranked senior/junior Greg
Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) could not corral Illinois' Mark
Behnke to earn the necessary bonus for a U-M team victory but posted a
6-2 decision to knot the final score at 17 points a side. The Wolverine
heavyweight converted on a go-behind late in the first period to break
the scoreless match and added another takedown midway through the third
-- countering a Behnke shot -- to seal it up.

The Maize and Blue will continue the grind of the Big Ten schedule next
weekend, hosting Ohio State on Friday (Feb. 11) at 7 p.m. before hitting
the road to face Iowa on Sunday (Feb. 13) at 6 p.m. CST in Iowa City.

#5 Michigan 17, #2 Illinois 17
(Individual rankings from Amateur Wrestling News)

125 -- #2 Kyle Ott (UI) major dec. Jim Shutich, 14-5
133 -- #3 Mark Jayne (UI) dec. #13 Mark Moos, 5-2
141 -- #5 Josh Churella (U-M) dec. Casio Perro, 7-2
149 -- #7 Eric Tannenbaum (U-M) dec. #14 Anton Dietzen, 5-2
157 -- #4 Ryan Bertin (U-M) dec. #2 Alex Tirapelle, 3-2
165 -- #2 Ryan Churella (U-M) tech. fall Anthony Castillo, 17-1 (6:30)
174 -- #4 Pete Friedl (UI) dec. #13 Nick Roy, 6-3
184 -- #5 Brian Glynn (UI) major dec. Joshua Weitzel, 10-2
197 -- #7 Tyrone Byrd (UI) dec. Willie Breyer, 4-2
Hwt -- #3 Greg Wagner (U-M) dec. Mark Behnke, 6-2

Michigan Takes Down Golden Gopher Wrestling Team 24-19

The seventh-ranked Michigan wrestling team (11-3, 3-0) defeated No. 5
Minnesota, 24-19, at the Sports Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. The Golden
Gophers (6-6, 0-2) were without two starters, including seventh-ranked Roger
Kish at 184 pounds, and had three wrestlers competing for the first time in
their respective careers at different weights.

"Last week, Roger (Kish) defeated the Michigan 184-pounder and if he's in
the lineup today, we win the dual meet," head coach J Robinson said. "Last
week we had a full lineup and it was a different story. That said, we needed
some guys to step up today, but we were not able to get the job done."

The Golden Gophers jumped out to a 10-0 lead thanks to wins from
fifth-ranked Bobbe Lowe and third-ranked Mack Reiter. Lowe scored early and
often at 125 pounds against Jim Shutich. Lowe had seven takedowns and a
first-period near fall to cruise to a 19-7 major decision.

Reiter followed at 133 pounds and wowed the Sports Pavilion crowd with his
pin of Craig Gillison in just 1:27. Reiter improved to a team-best 28-3
overall and 12-0 in dual meets. The redshirt freshman from Iowa also
recorded his team-leading 10th pin of the season. Half of Reiter's 12 dual
meet wins have resulted in bonus points for the Golden Gophers.

The Wolverines took over the match with their slew of top-10 wrestlers.
Michigan won the next six matches with four of those wins resulting in bonus
points. At 141 pounds, seventh-ranked Josh Churella defeated Tommy Owen,
7-1.

Sixth-ranked Eric Tannenbaum cut Minnesota's lead to 10-7 with a 13-3 major
decision against sophomore Danny Williams at 149 pounds. Tannenbaum took
control of the match with two second-period takedowns to take 7-1 lead. He
added two more takedowns in the third period.

At 157 pounds, Minnesota moved up C.P. Schlatter. Ranked 11th in the nation
at 149 pounds, Schlatter made his first career start at 157. He was handed a
13-2 major decision against second-ranked Ryan Bertin. Bertin's win put
Michigan up 11-10 heading into intermission.

Second-ranked Ryan Churella followed at 165 pounds and delivered with a 6-0
decision against 10th-ranked Matt Nagel. Churella took a 2-0 lead on a
first-period takedown and added a second takedown with less than 30 seconds
to go in the second intermission.

After Michigan went up 18-10 on 15th-ranked Nick Roy's major decision
against redshirt freshman Nik Lentz, Joshua Weitzel put the match away for
Michigan with a pin of Jeremy Larson in 4:52 at 184 pounds. Both Lentz and
Weitzel were making their first career starts at 174 and 184 pounds,
respectively. Lentz was wrestling in place of senior Josh McLay, while
Larson was wrestling in place of Kish.

The Golden Gophers finished the match strong as redshirt freshman Matt Koz
earned a pin in 4:03 against Willie Breyer at 197 pounds. Minnesota
heavyweight Cole Konrad closed out the dual meet with a 7-2 decision against
third-ranked Greg Wagner. Ranked second in the nation, Konrad earned his
third straight win against Wagner.

Minnesota will next hit the road for a pair of Big Ten dual meets. The
Golden Gophers will face No. 19 Northwestern on Friday night and Purdue on
Saturday night.

#7 Michigan 24, #5 Minnesota 19
Jan. 30, 2005
Sports Pavilion
125 - #5 Bobbe Lowe (MN) maj. dec. Jim Shutich (Mich.), 19-7
133 - #3 Mack Reiter (MN) pins Craig Gillison, 1:27
141 - #7 Josh Churella (Mich.) dec. Tommy Owen (MN), 7-1
149 - #6 Eric Tannenbaum (Mich.) maj. dec. Danny Williams (MN), 13-3
157 - #2 Ryan Bertin (Mich.) maj. dec. #11 C.P. Schlatter (MN), 13-2
165 - #2 Ryan Churella (Mich.) dec. #10 Matt Nagel (MN), 6-0
174 - #15 Nick Roy (Mich.) maj. dec. Nik Lentz (MN), 14-4
184 - Joshua Weitzel (Mich.) pins Jeremy Larson (MN), 4:52
197 - Matt Koz (MN) pins Willie Breyer (Mich.), 4:03
HWT - #2 Cole Konrad (MN) dec. #3 Greg Wagner (Mich.), 7-2