The Wolverines' fate has come down on Wagner's shoulders three times this season, and the U-M heavyweight has pulled out a victory on each occasion. Squaring off against the Fighting Illini's Matt Weight in the final match of the contest and needing a fall to pull out the Michigan win, Wagner controlled from start to finish after gaining the initial advantage with a takedown late in the first period. Starting the second frame on the mat, Wagner scored quickly on a reversal, and, as Weight worked up to his feet, the U-M heavyweight swept out his leg to dump the Illini wrestler to his back, posting his fourth fall of the season at the 3:51 mark.
The lead went back and forth between the two teams throughout the meet. Illinois struck first with a victory at 125 pounds as Kyle Ott scored a 18-6 major decision against freshman Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS). The Wolverines rallied, however, earning three straight victories at the subsequent weights to steal away the lead and build up a five-point advantage nearing the midway point.
Senior/junior Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) initiated the early charge, taking immediate control of hsi 133-pound bout against Gabe Flores, scoring on a takedown just 14 seconds into the match and cruising to a 9-3 decision. Moos added a pair of second-period reversals and another takedown in the third and accumulated 3:19 in riding time to claim his ninth straight dual victory.
Junior/sophomore Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) had similar success against the Illini's Casio Pero at 141 pounds, breaking open the match in the second period en route to an 8-2 win. After a scoreless opening frame, Churella struck first midway through the match with a quick second-period reversal and takedown. He registered another two takedowns in the third and earned 1:16 in riding-time advantage.
Junior/sophomore Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) persevered through a battle against Troy Tirapelle at 149 pounds, posting a solid third period to earn the final 8-6 edge. Tannenbaum lead early in the match behind a pair of first-period takedowns, but Tirapelle controlled the second period to sneak back into the match and knot things at four points apiece. Starting the third frame in the down position, Tannenbaum earned a quick escape and took the lead for good with a takedown late in the frame. He gave up a reversal following a scramble in the closing seconds but netted an escape point to hang on for victory.
Illinois won at 157 pounds as top-ranked Alex Tirapelle earned a 7-1 decision against sophomore/freshman Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) in a rematch of the Cliff Keen Invitational championship bout won by Luke. Fifth-year senior captain Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) re-established the Wolverines' five-point lead with a close 7-6 overtime victory over Mark Poeta at 165 pounds. Churella scored twice in the first period to take an early advantage, but Poeta neutralized the score with takedowns in the waning moments of both the second and third frames to force overtime. Poeta was in on a double leg late in the extra period when his hand got wrapped up in Churella's kneepad, resulting in an illegal hold call and a point awarded to Churella.
The Wolverines wrap up the weekend road series against Purdue on Sunday (Feb. 5) in West Lafayette, Ind. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. start at the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility.
#4 Michigan 18, #3 Illinois 17
125 -- #3 Kyle Ott (MSU) major dec. Michael Watts, 18-6 UI, 4-0
133 -- #12 Mark Moos (U-M) dec. Gabe Flores, 9-3 UI, 4-3
141 -- #4 Josh Churella (U-M) dec. Casio Pero, 8-2 U-M, 6-4
149 -- #6 Eric Tannenbaum (U-M) dec. Troy Tirapelle, 8-6 U-M, 9-4
157 -- #1 Alex Tirapelle (UI) dec. #11 Steve Luke, 7-1 U-M, 9-7
165 -- #1 Ryan Churella (U-M) dec. #8 Mike Poeta, 6-5 SV U-M, 12-7
174 -- #16 Donny Reynolds (UI) dec. #7 Nick Roy, 11-5 U-M, 12-10
184 -- #4 Pete Friedl (UI) major dec. Hassen Berri, 17-4 UI, 14-12
197 -- #8 Tyrone Byrd (UI) dec. Casey White, 6-3 UI, 17-12
Hwt -- #3 Greg Wagner (U-M) pinned Matt Weight, 3:51 U-M 18-17
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