ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team suffered its first Big Ten Conference loss of the season, falling to No. 1 Penn State, 25-12, on Friday night (Jan. 12) in front of a crowd of 4,009 at the Crisler Center. The Wolverines, who dropped four straight close matches at PSU’s gauntlet at the middle- and upperweights, earned bonus points in all three of their individual wins.
Michigan won early and late in the dual, with freshman Drew Mattin and junior/sophomore Stevan Micic claiming back-to-back major decisions at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, and graduate student heavyweight Adam Coon adding another in the final match of the night.
Mattin, ranked 15th in the latest InterMat poll, used a third-period near fall to secure a bonus point, defeating Devin Schnupp, 8-0, in the dual’s opening bout. Mattin fended off an early leg attack and took control with a first-period single leg and rideout. He also rode out the third period, adding four points on a suck, to accumulate 3:18 in time advantage.
Micic, ranked sixth at 133 pounds, cruised to a 10-1 major decision over Corey Keener — a familiar foe who spent his first three seasons at in-state Central Michigan. Micic scored on four takedowns, including two in the first period, and rode for 3:31. He improved to 6-0 in dual competition.
Coon, ranked second nationally, improved on his perfect record this season with an 8-0 major decision over eighth-ranked Nick Nevills at heavyweight. Coon broke open the match early, finishing a single leg by locking up a cradle for a two-and-two late in the first period. He added an escape and two stall points and accumulated 2:22 in riding-time advantage for the bonus point. Coon is 16-0 on the season and has earned eight wins over ranked opponents.
Penn State gained control with its seven straight wins from 141 to 197 pounds, but only earned two bonus wins over the stretch — which features five reigning NCAA champions. The Wolverines lost by three points or fewer at 157, 174 and 184 pounds.
Senior/junior Alec Pantaleo, ranked fifth nationally at 157 pounds, dropped a 6-4 decision to No. 1 Jason Nolf on a third-period rideout. Pantaleo scored two takedowns in the second period — the first allowed by Nolf in dual competition this season — to temporarily even the score. Trailing by one at the end of the frame, he opted to start down in the third and could not get away as Nolf earned 2:08 in riding-time advantage to ice the match.
Junior/sophomore Myles Amine and fifth-year senior Domenic Abounader could not quite overcome early deficits at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. Amine, ranked sixth nationally, used a takedown and the buzzer to tie his bout against No. 2 Mark Hall, but Hall’s 2:33 riding-time advantage — accumulated mostly in the first period — proved the difference in a 6-5 outcome.
Abounader, ranked fifth, appeared to have two possible takedowns go uncalled in the third period and ultimately fell to No. 1 Bo Nickal, 5-2, after the Nittany Lion countered the latter to ice the match. Abounader shot in deep on four separate leg attacks, but could not finish, as Nickal’s first-period takedown held up to earn him the decision win.
Fifth-ranked junior/sophomore Logan Massa, who returned to the lineup six weeks after suffering an injury at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 1-2), dropped a 12-3 major decision to No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph at 165 pounds — with six of Joseph’s points coming off a late bodylock when Massa went big late. Massa trailed by two points in the first after Joseph’s two first-period takedowns.
The Wolverines (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten) will wrestle a pair of Big Ten duals next weekend, taking on Wisconsin at 7 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 19) at Cliff Keen Arena, before traveling to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take on Minnesota at 1 p.m. CST on Sunday (Jan. 21)
Release By mgoblue.com