Michigan claimed the team title with 127.5 points (Photo/Danielle Hobeika)In a tournament full of impressive Wolverine performances, perhaps none was more exciting than Russell, who, as an unranked true freshman, knocked off the No. 3, No. 5 and No. 9-nationally ranked wrestlers en route to the 141-pound title in his first-career appearance at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Squaring off against Ohio State's second-seeded J Jaggers -- also ranked fifth in the country, Russell built up a sizable advantage after scrambling for a reversal in the closing seconds of the second and adding a quick tilt for two in the third. Jaggers reversed him with 30 seconds remaining in overtime and got a point for riding time, but Russell held on to boast the 4-3 decision and improve his collegiate record to 11-0.
Russell cruised past Hofstra's top-seeded Charles Griffin from Hofstra, who is also ranked third in the nation, in the morning semifinal round, controlling throughout the entire bout to win 6-3. Russell scored the only offensive points in the contest, converting on a single leg on the edge late in the second and scrambled out of a deep Griffin shot to score again in the third while accumulating nearly two minutes in riding time.
Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum defeated Missouri's Dave Marable to win the title (Photo/Danielle Hobeika)In the morning semifinal round, Tannenbaum battled to a 5-2 decision over Nebraska's Stephen Dwyer. He controlled from the opening whistle, countering Dwyer's first shot to score just seconds into the bout. He rode out the period -- accumulating 3:25 in riding time advantage by match's end -- and added another single-leg takedown in the second to ice the win.
Todd capped the Wolverines' strong final-round performance -- and locked up Michigan's first-place team trophy -- by pinning Ohio State's top-seeded Mike Pucillo in overtime in the 184-pound finale. After giving up a pair of high-crotches in the first period, the U-M captain rallied back with two takedowns of his own -- both single legs -- in the third. Pucillo reversed him late in the match to steal away the lead, but Todd earned his escape in the waning seconds to even the score and force overtime. The Wolverine struck with another single-leg attempt early in the sudden-victory frame and the wrestlers hit the mat with Pucillo clinging around Todd's waste underneath. Todd leaned back and, after a few adjustments, rolled up the Buckeye and stuck him at 7:22. In the morning semifinal, Todd cruised past Harvard's third-seeded Louis Caputo, using five takedowns -- two in the first period and three in the third -- to claim a dominant 10-4 decision victory.
Senior/junior Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the 174-pound championship bout, falling to Pittsburgh's top-seeded -- and top-ranked -- Keith Gavin. In match marred by numerous blood timeouts for both wrestlers -- the wrestlers were on the mat for 26 total minutes -- the second round of tiebreakers decided the victor. Each wrestler earned his escape point during regulation and in the first tiebreaker, but Luke could not escape Gavin in the final 30-second frame of the second round as the Panther wrestler won 3-2.
Luke needed overtime to defeat second-seeded Matt Stolpinski of Navy in the semifinals, converting on a takedown in the first round of tiebreakers to claim the 8-6 victory. The Wolverine junior, seeded third, took all the shots in the match and scored on a pair of double legs to establish an early advantage in the first period. Stolpinski stole away the lead, however, in the second period after countering a Luke shot to score on the edge late in the frame. Luke's escape in the third knotted up the score, which stayed even until the second of 30-second tiebreaker frames. After Luke earned a quick escape, his opponent immediately shot in on a bad single-leg attempt. The Wolverine stepped out of the way and lunged at Stolpinski's legs, using a double to take him down.
In addition to the Maize and Blue's four finalists, three additional Wolverines placed, including fifth-year senior Josh Churella (Naperville, Ill./North HS), who took fifth at 149 pounds after suffering a pair of tough second-day losses. The Wolverine defeated Cal State Fullerton's eighth-seeded Morgan Atkinson 5-3 in the fifth-place bout, using a first-period takedown and 1:23 in riding time to persevere through a close contest. Churella lost back-to-back matches to open the second day of competition, falling to NC State's fifth-seeded Darrion Caldwell 12-3 in the semifinals and Nebraska's sixth-seeded Jordan Burroughs 11-7.
Sophomore/freshman Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) claimed seventh place at 197 pounds in his first-career appearance at the Cliff Keen Invitational, wrapping up his tournament with a 4-2 record and a win over North Carolina's Dennis Drury in the seventh-place match. He earned important bonus points in his first consolation contest of the day, pinning Oregon State's Brice Arand at 2:21 to guarantee his placing performance. Biondo gained quick control with a slide-by takedown early in the first period and rode tough to build up riding time advantage. After a restart, he flattened Arand out and used a guillotine to turn his over and secure the fall -- Michigan's second of the tournament.
Fifth-year senior Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) earned a couple extra points when he accepted a forfeit victory in the seventh-place match at 157 pounds. The Wolverine wrestler split his early contests, defeating Columbia's Derick Sickels in his first wrestleback before falling to Missouri's Mike Chandler 5-1. Marsh rallied from an early deficit to beat Sickels, scoring a first-period reversal and takedowns in the second and third to claim a 8-6 decision victory.
The Wolverines will kick off the home portion of their 2007-08 slate next weekend when they host Kent State on Friday (Dec. 7) for a 7 p.m. non-conference dual at Cliff Keen Arena.
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