Junior/sophomores Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) and Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) claimed back-to-back overtime wins at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively, giving the Wolverines their first lead of the evening and putting U-M on top by five points with two bouts remaining. Both matches, which were largely disrupted by several blood timeouts, remained locked at 1-1 at the end of seven minutes, each wrestler claiming an escape point.
Luke, ranked 10th nationally in the NWCA poll, controlled much of the action throughout the match against the Mountain Hawks' eighth-ranted David Helfrich, but couldn't convert on several leg attacks. Midway through the extra stanza, the Wolverine sophomore shot in on a single leg and secured the winning takedown with 49 seconds remaining on the clock -- with the 3-1 win, Luke remains a perfect 6-0 since bumping up to 174 pounds.
Todd, ranked eighth, and squaring off against Lehigh's true freshman David Craig -- who largely was considered the nation's top recruit last season -- looked similarly strong through much of regulation. Todd shot deep on a single-leg attempt late in the overtime period, finishing with the double to bring Craig to the mat and end the bout with a 3-1 win. It was Craig's first loss in several years after posting a perfect 179-0 high school mark and was 5-0 this season entering the dual.
Junior/sophomore Casey White (Commerce, Mich./Walled Lake Central HS) sealed the Wolverine victory in the subsequent match at 197 pounds, cruising to a 7-3 decision over Matt Cassidy. After a scoreless first period, White built up a quick lead early in the second with an escape and takedown, which resulted in Cassidy taking his second injury time of the contest. On the restart, with White receiving his choice on bottom, the Wolverine exploded to his feet, spun around to pick up a reversal and took a 5-0 advantage into the third. The Mountain Hawk earned a quick escape and takedown to cut the lead, but White secured his second reversal to clinch the win.
Junior/sophomore captain Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS), ranked sixth by the NWCA, kicked off the U-M rally with a decisive 7-0 victory at 149 pounds over ninth-ranked Trevor Chinn. The Wolverine captain used a double-leg takedown with just eight seconds remaining in the first period to score the only points he would need in the contest. He added another double leg late in the match, and nearly three minutes in riding time, to remain undefeated on the season.
Senior/junior Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) and junior/sophomore captain Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) continued the Wolverines' momentum through the 157- and 165-pound bouts, as both wrestlers rolled to decision victories. Marsh proved a knack for scrambling on the mat in his 10-5 win over David Naksone, coming out on top of three scrambling scenarios with a takedown and two reversals, to rally from an early deficit.
In his 165-pound debut, Tannenbaum picked up double legs in the first and third periods against Lehigh's Mike Galante, and added a point for riding time to claim a 6-3 decision victory. Galante picked up his lone points on an escape and a pair of penalty calls.
The Mountain Hawks built up an early lead with three straight wins at the opening weights, including a major decision at 141 pounds. Patrick Berger set the early tone with a 10-5 upset against 12th-ranked fifth-year senior Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) at 125 pounds, using four takedowns to control throughout the contest.
Freshman Chris Diehl (Burton, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS), in his collegiate debut at 133 pounds, hung close with Lehigh's Seth Ciasulli, but a first-period takedown by the Mountain Hawk wrestler would prove the difference. Diehl continued to battle but could not finish his shots, including one at the final buzzer, to fall 4-2.
Extending the Lehigh advantage with bonus points at 141, Jeff Santo scored four takedowns and over three minutes of riding time to post a 11-3 major decision against senior/junior Brad Cusumano (Utica, Mich./Utica HS). Lehigh heavyweight Paul Weibel, ranked 16th, rounded out the home team's victories with a 15-7 major decision against senior/junior Omar Maktabi (Iowa City, Iowa/West HS) is the final bout of the evening.
U-M will send its starting rotation to the Body Bar Invitational on Saturday (Nov. 18) in Ithaca, N.Y. Hosted by Cornell University, the tournament will kick off at 9 a.m. at Newman Arena.
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