Domenic Abounader wrestling NDSU's Hayden Zillmer at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior Domenic Abounader and juniors Alec Pantaleo and Garrett Sutton of the University of Michigan wrestling team will redshirt the 2016-17 season, head coach Joe McFarland announced on Wednesday (Nov. 16). Abounader will have one year of eligibility remaining, while Pantaleo and Sutton have two. They join senior captain Adam Coon as returning Wolverine starters slated to redshirt the season.
"We've had some bad luck with injuries this year," said McFarland, "but fortunately we're in a position that we can redshirt some of these guys. So, obviously, our situation has changed over the last several months, but it's important to emphasize that we're really excited about the young guys we do have in our lineup. They're bringing a lot of energy and intensity to our workouts. Our goal with this young squad will be to focus on the day-to-day and week-to-week development and to keep wrestling hard and keep wrestling tough. We have been very pleased so far."
Abounader, a two-year team captain, was a perfect 5-0 through the Wolverines' first two events of the season, winning the EMU Open 184-pound title and clinching U-M's home opener against Virginia, but will have season-ending surgery. A three-time NCAA qualifier, Abounader captured a Big Ten title as a sophomore (2015) and owns a 69-23 career record, including an impressive 31-8 mark in dual meets.
Pantaleo has not competed since September's Junior World Championships, where he posted a 1-1 record in just his fifth freestyle competition. Earlier in the summer, he captured a junior freestyle national title before sweeping the junior world team trials to qualify for his first world team. He claimed his first NCAA All-America honor last season with a sixth-place finish at 149 pounds and owns a 49-17 career record.
Sutton, an NCAA qualifier and two-year starter at 165 pounds, saw his season end prematurely last season with an injury late in the dual season. He was pulled out of redshirt just weeks before the Big Ten Championships as a true freshman and took sixth to qualify for the NCAA tournament. He is 26-21 over two seasons.
Michigan previously announced Coon's redshirt due to injury in September. A two-time heavyweight All-American, Coon claimed NCAA runner-up honors in 2015 before earning a third-place NCAA finish as a junior last season. He owns an 87-13 career record, twice leading the Wolverines with 32-win seasons, and boasts 42 bonus wins, including 26 career falls.
The Wolverines debuted seven freshmen in their lineup against Virginia last Friday (Nov. 11), with Stevan Micic (133 pounds), Logan Massa (165), Myles Amine (174) and Jackson Striggow (197) all winning their first collegiate dual matches.
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