Wolverines Cruise Past MSU for Sixth Straight Win

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team claimed its sixth consecutive dual win, earning six straight matches to close the dual and surge past intrastate rival Michigan State, 26-6, on Friday night (Jan. 24) in front of 1,519 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines won eight individual matches in all to improve to 4-0 in Big Ten Conference competition.

The two teams split the opening four bouts — two decisions apiece — with each team picking up an upset victory early in the dual.

Freshman Domenic Abounader (Gates Mills, Ohio/St. Edward HS) used the overtime tiebreaker to take down No. 18-ranked John Rizqallah, 6-0, at 184 pounds. The match remained scoreless after regulation following rideouts for both wrestlers in the second and third periods. Abounader rode out the first 30-second tiebreaker and escaped quickly in the second, adding a counter takedown and cradling Rizqallah for three at the buzzer.

The Spartans’ upset came two bouts later at heavyweight, where Mike McClure — ranked ninth in the latest InterMat poll — used a late takedown and near fall to hand top-ranked freshman Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Mich./Fowlerville HS) his first collegiate loss. The match was even at 1-1 until the final 20 seconds when McClure countered a Coon half shot to score on a single on the edge. With Coon battling to escape, McClure crunched him to add a two-point near fall out of the circle. Coon is now 23-1 this season.

U-M also picked up an early win from senior/junior Collin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS), who defeated Nick Kaczanowski at 174 pounds, 2-1, on a first-period single leg.

After the MSU heavyweight win, the remainder of the dual was all Michigan as the Wolverines won each of the final six matches to pull away.

The Wolverines picked up back-to-back shutouts at the lowerweights — their second and third of the dual meet. Sophomore/freshman Conor Youtsey (Parma, Mich./Mason HS) defeated Brenan Lyon, 5-0, at 125 pounds, countering a first-period headlock for a takedown midway through the first, earning a reversal in the second and riding out the third to gain 2:38 in time advantage. Sophomore Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) also rode out the third en route to a 2-0 decision over Garth Yenter at 133 pounds. Bruno got in deep on numerous deep attacks in the first and third periods but couldn’t finish.

Senior/junior Steve Dutton (Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point HS) and fifth-year senior Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) just missed on first-period falls at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, both settling instead for major decisions.

Dutton, ranked 13th at 141 pounds, earned his third straight major decision with a 14-2 win over Brian Gibbs, scoring on a double leg midway through the first period before adding a pair of three-point near falls on a leg turk and arm bar. Gibbs scored on a second-period bodylock, but Dutton rebounded with a quick reversal and added another high-crotch takedown in the third.

Grajales, ranked seventh, had Nick Trimble caught in a cradle for the bulk of the first period but couldn’t get the call in his 10-2 major decision win at 149 pounds. Grajales also scored on an arm drag in the second and rode for 2:01 to claim his eighth straight dual win.

Freshman Brian Murphy (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North HS) took advantage of an early takedown to defeat Roger Wildmo, 4-2, at 157 pounds. He caught Wildmo reaching and spun behind for the match’s lone takedown. The wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third, while Murphy, ranked 13th, earned an additional point for his 1:38 riding time.

Fifth-year senior Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS), ranked seventh, capped the dual with an 8-2 decision over Bobby Nash at 165 pounds. He also took advantage of a quick start, scoring on an early head in the hole and subsequent two-point tilt in the first period. Yates added another takedown in the second and rode for 2:19.

The Wolverines will continue Big Ten dual competition next weekend, traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to face Ohio State at 7 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 31) before returning home to face three-time defending NCAA champion Penn State at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 2) at Cliff Keen Arena. The PSU dual will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.