Frosh Tannenbaum lights up the mats
By Mark Giannotto, Daily Sports Writer
Wrestling
February 14, 2005
There comes a point during the wrestling season when unassuming victories stop going unnoticed, and the public becomes aware of a wrestler’s accomplishments.
For redshirt freshman Eric Tannenbaum, yesterday appears to have been his coming out party.
With his 3-2 minor decision over No. 5 Iowa wrestler Ty Eustice yesterday, Tannenbaum propelled the No. 5 Michigan wrestling team to an impressive 21-11 victory over the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes (4-3 Big Ten, 9-5 overall).
Going into the meet, Tannenbaum had quietly been moving up the rankings in the 149-pound weight class, while compiling an impressive 27-3 record.
The Wolverines (5-0-1, 13-3-1) were down 8-3 at the start of the 149-pound bout, but that did not stop Tannenbaum from setting the tone early on in his match. In the first minute, he took Eustice down from the neutral position ” and he did not let up from there. Throughout the match he had the upper hand. Eustice picked up a stalling warning in the middle of the first period.
“I just went out there and wrestled my match,” Tannenbaum said. “Last year, (Ryan Churella) wrestled (Eustice), so I knew he liked to wrestle at a slow pace. But I didn’t let that dictate how I wrestled. I wanted to be the aggressor.”
With this victory, Tannenbaum illustrated for the Big Ten and the rest of the country that he will be a force to be reckoned with come NCAA tournament time.
“I just really liked how he wrestled,” Michigan coach Joe McFarland said. “He just came out on the mat and took it to (Eustice). There were a lot of times where (Tannenbaum) got in real deep (in the neutral position). He just controlled the match.”
One of the quirks about college wrestling is that, because of the Big Ten and NCAA Championships, Tannenbaum will probably face Eustice in just a few weeks.
“Tonight was a big win, but I’m not going to let it get to my head,” Tannenbaum said. “I’m (going to) see (Eustice) down the line. There’s no more easy matches. No win is guaranteed.”
The Wolverines started the meet off slowly, giving up major decisions in the 125- and 133-pound weight classes. But from there the Wolverines middle weights picked up the slack. After Tannenbaum’s win, Michigan won six of the seven remaining matches.
Senior co-captain Ryan Bertin continued to roll picking up a minor decision victory over Joe Johnston of Iowa. This win comes just a week after Bertin defeated Illinois’s Alex Tirapelle ” last year’s national runner-up in the 141-pound weight class. His win against Iowa extended his unblemished record to 22-0.
“(Ryan) has been able to stay healthy so far this season, and he’s been real focused on the goal at hand,” McFarland said.
With the Big Ten Championships coming up in just three weeks, this win over a traditional Big Ten powerhouse gives the Wolverines even more confidence than before.
“I’m real proud of the guys,” McFarland said. “We came in here real focused and were able to execute like we had planned. This is a tough place to win at and despite the slow start; we were able to win most of the big matches. This also keeps us in contention to win the Big Ten regular season title.
The Wolverines will have no chance to rest. Next weekend they will travel to East Lansing to face bitter rival Michigan State. Michigan is currently tied with Illinois for the lead in the Big Ten standings and a loss would more than likely end any hopes of winning the title.
“We’ve got to take (each match) one at a time from here on out,” McFarland said. “Every match counts.”
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