University of Michigan Sports Information
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team claimed sole possession of the 2006 Big Ten Conference dual-meet title with a 31-9 victory against No. 17 Indiana on Sunday (Feb. 19) in front of 851 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. With the victory, the Wolverines closed the regular season with a 16-2 overall record and won the Big Ten dual-meet championship outright with a perfect 8-0 mark.
Michigan won eight of 10 individual bouts, including back-to-back falls at 141 and 149 pounds from junior/sophomores Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) to secure a substanial early advantage. Churella had built up an early advantage against Nick Spatola after a takedown and three-point near fall in the opening period and carried his momentum into the second frame with a quick single leg. The Wolverine went to work on top, using a high-leg turk to turn Spatola before moving around to the front position to finish with a head and arm at the 4:01 mark. Tannenbaum made little work of Indiana’s Isaac Knable in the subsequent bout, using a single leg to take the Hoosier straight to his back and earn his second fall of the season at the 15-second mark.
Fifth-year senior captains Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) both went out winners in their final appearances at Cliff Keen Arena, earning decision victories at 165 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. Churella scored a pair of takedowns and accumulated 4:49 in riding time en route to a 6-1 victory over the Hoosiers’ Max Dean, while Wagner needed just a takedown midway through the opening period to earn a 3-2 decision against Dave Herman to close out the afternoon’s competition.
The performances by Churella and Wagner bookended a stretch of five consecutive U-M wins in the second half of the dual meet. Senior/junior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) started strong and ended strong to control the entire bout against Marc Bennett at 174 pounds, scoring on a pair of first-period takedowns and adding two more in the third.
At 184 pounds, sophomore/freshman Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) grabbed the early lead and never trailed against Justin Curran after scoring on a late first-period takedown. Curran pulled back into the match, scoring his own takedown midway through the final frame to trim Todd’s lead to one point, but the Wolverine rallied with an escape and single leg just seconds later to register the 7-2 decision. Junior/sophomore Omar Maktabi (Iowa City, Iowa/West HS) claimed his first career dual win in overtime against Louis Gouleta at 197 pounds, scoring out of a scramble situation to claim a 3-1 victory.
Freshman Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) opened the dual meet with a dominant 13-1 major decision over the Hoosiers’ Blane Culp to claim his fourth consecutive win at 125 pounds. Watts struck immediately, scoring on a pair of inside trips in the opening frame before adding two back points late in the period. The Wolverine freshman collected another takedown in the second and used a high-leg turk to score a three-point near fall at the final buzzer.
The Wolverines will take a two-week break to prepare for the 2006 Big Ten Championships, scheduled for March 4-5 in Bloomington, Ind. Hosted by Indiana University, the two-day tournament will be held at Assembly Hall.
#3 Michigan 31, #17 Indiana 9
125 — Michael Watts (U-M) major dec. Blane Culp, 13-1 U-M, 4-0
133 — Andrae Hernandez (IU) pinned Jim Shutich, 6:45 IU, 6-4
141 — #4 Josh Churella (U-M) pinned Nick Spatola, 4:01 U-M, 10-6
149 — #4 Eric Tannenbaum (U-M) pinned Isaac Knable, 0:15 U-M, 16-6
157 — Brandon Becker (IU) dec. #13 Steve Luke, 5-3 U-M, 16-9
165 — #1 Ryan Churella (U-M) dec. Max Dean, 6-1 U-M, 19-9
174 — #10 Nick Roy (U-M) dec. Marc Bennett, 10-4 U-M, 22-9
184 — #18 Tyrel Todd (U-M) dec. Justin Curran, 7-2 U-M, 25-9
197 — Omar Maktabi (U-M) dec. Louis Gouletas, 3-1 SV U-M, 28-9
Hwt — #3 Greg Wagner (U-M) dec. Dave Herman, 3-2 U-M, 31-9
Quotes:
Michigan Head Coach Joe McFarland
On the potential of a U-M letdown … “I was a little concerned after Friday’s emotional win. We talked about it a little bit yesterday, but I didn’t think we’d have a problem. These guys are pretty focused from meet to met, and they’re good about the preparation. It didn’t seem to be a problem; everyone was focused and ready to go. We didn’t want any ‘co’ in front of the Big Ten season championship.”
On Michigan’s undefeated conference record … “I think it’s a nice feather in our cap. It’s very difficult to do, because it is such a tough conference. It’s a grueling season. For these guys to be able to do it week to week says a lot about the character of the guys we have in the program. I’m proud of them, really proud.”
On preparing for the postseason … “We’re going to try to get some good workouts in, get these guys ready and keep them fresh. We want to focus in. We’re going to try to wipe the slate clean and get ready for the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Championships. The biggest thing is just to put this all behind us. I think these guys will be ready. They’ve been looking forward to these tournaments.”
Wrestling Gear
