Michigan wrestling captures first Big Ten crown since 1973 !
Suriano, Amine Claim Individual Titles, U-M Captures First Big Ten Crown Since 1973
3/6/2022 7:35:00 PM
// Leah Howard
? Michigan captured the Big Ten Conference championship -- its first since 1973 -- with two champions and 10 total placewinners; U-M accumulated 143 points to edge runner-up Penn State by 1.5 points.
? Nick Suriano (125 pounds) and Myles Amine (184) both captured their second individual conference title; Suriano earned bonus with a 12-4 major decision over Wisconsin's Eric Barnett, while Amine rallied past PSU's top-ranked Aaron Brooks, 6-4, in overtime.
? Myles Amine was named Co-Wrestler of the Championship, and head coach Sean Bormet was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Site: Lincoln, Neb. (Pinnacle Bank Arena)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Standing: 1st Place of 14 Teams (143 points)
Next U-M Event: Thu-Sat., March 17-19 -- at NCAA Championships (Detroit, Mich.)
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Graduate students Nick Suriano and Myles Amine captured individual titles at 125 and 184 pounds, respectively, as the No. 3-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team captured the Big Ten Conference championship on Sunday afternoon (March 6) at Nebraska's Pinnacle Bank Arena. It was the Wolverines' 12th Big Ten title in program history and the first since 1973.
Michigan earned 143 points -- a program record at the Big Ten tournament -- and held off a surging Penn State, which went 4-for-5 in the championship round and finished second with 141.5 points -- just 1.5 behind the Wolverines. Iowa took third with 129.5 points. Head coach Sean Bormet was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year; he is just the second Wolverine to earn the award, joining his own college coach, Dale Bahr, who claimed the 1988 honor.
U-M all but clinched the team title with Myles Amine's 6-4 overtime decision over PSU's top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Aaron Brooks in the 184-pound championship match. Amine, ranke second, trailed for much of the bout after a first-period Brooks takedown out of a scramble, but he forced overtime with an ankle pick in the final 20 seconds of the third then converted on another pick just 15 seconds into the extra frame for the winning takedown. With the win, he avenged his only loss of the season -- a 3-1 dual-meet defeat to Brooks. Amine was named the Co-Wrestler of the Championship, along with Wisconsin's 149-pound champion Austin Gomez.
It was Amine's second straight Big Ten title after winning at 197 pounds last season. He is U-M's first Big Ten champion at 184 pounds since Domenic Abounader won the weight as a sophomore in 2015.
Suriano, previously the 2019 Big Ten champion at 133 pounds, cruised to a 12-4 major decision against Wisconsin's third-seeded and sixth-ranked Eric Barnett in the 125-pound final. Suriano scored four takedowns, including two to build an early lead into the first, added a reversal in the third and accumulated 3:34 in riding-time advantage to secure a bonus point in the finals.
Top-ranked Suriano improved to 11-0 on the season with 10 bonus wins, including three this weekend, and has defeated four top-10 opponents, including No. 6 Barnett and Purdue's No. 7 Devin Schroeder (fall, 2:40) in his last two bouts. He is the first Michigan wrestler to capture a Big Ten title at 125 pounds; former head coach Joe McFarland claimed a conference title at 126 pounds in 1984 before the weight class changes.
On a day that every team point proved crucial, Michigan went 4-for-4 in the morning consolation semifinals and earned a pair of third-place wins. Graduate student Patrick Brucki used a second-period double leg to edge Iowa's Jacob Warner, 3-1, in his 197-pound medal match and follow Amine's win with another big huge point. It was his second win over the Hawkeye wrestler in as many days.
Sophomore/freshman Dylan Ragusin also placed third at 133 pounds, avenging an earlier-season loss against Illinois' third-seeded and sixth-ranked Lucas Byrd in the medal match. Ragusin, ranked eighth, won the bout on review in overtime with the officials giving him the winning single-leg takedown on the edge of the mat about 30 seconds into the extra frame. Ragusin also earned a ranked win over Northwestern's No. 9 Chris Cannon, 7-2, in the consolation semifinals, scoring takedowns in the first and third periods and earning 1:37 in riding-time advantage.
Michigan dropped decisions its other three championship bouts. Senior/junior Will Lewan fell to Northwestern's top-seeded and second-ranked Ryan Deakin, 7-2, in the 157-pound final behind takedowns in the first and second periods and 3:04 in riding-time advantage. Junior/sophomore Cameron Amine lost a 2-1 to Iowa's second-seeded and second-ranked Alex Marinelli on a stall point -- the wrestlers traded only escapes in the second and the third periods -- while graduate student Logan Massa fell to Penn State's top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Carter Starocci, 5-1, at 174 pounds after a first-period takedown and a third-period rideout. The Wolverines' five Big Ten finalists was the program's most since 1974.
U-M wrestleback wins from graduate student Stevan Micic and senior Mason Parris at 133 pounds and heavyweight, respectively, before both fell in their third-place matches. Micic accepted a forfeit in the consolation semifinals, earning a big 5.5 points with the advancement, placement and bonus, while Parris defeated Illinois' Luke Luffman, 8-2, with three takedowns and 1:19 riding time.
Graduate student Kanen Storr dropped a close 3-1 decision to Penn State's Beau Bartlett in the seventh-place bout. Storr accumulated 1:46 in riding time in the second period, but lost his time advantage before escaping in the third before Bartlett iced the match with a counter takedown late in the final frame. Storr finished one spot outside the NCAA automatic bids in eighth place; he will require an at-large selection.
Michigan will serve as a co-host for the 2022 NCAA Championships, scheduled for March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. The Wolverines will send at least nine wrestlers to the national event and have an opportunity to add more when NCAA at-large selections are unveiled on Tuesday (March 8). NCAA seeds and full brackets will be announced on Wednesday (March 9).
Team Standings (Final)
1. MICHIGAN 143.0
2. Penn State 141.5
3. Iowa 129.5
4. Ohio State 91.5
5. Northwestern 90.5
6. Minnesota 78.5
7. Wisconsin 75.5
8. Nebraska 75.5
9. Rutgers 41.0
10. Purdue 36.5
11. Illinois 34.5
12. Michigan State 33.0
13. Maryland 15.5
14. Indiana 4.0
Michigan Results (Day 2)
Numbers listed are tournament seeds
125 Pounds -- #1 Nick Suriano
Final - major dec. #3 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin), 12-4
Finished as the 125-pound champion with a 3-0 record
133 Pounds -- #5 Dylan Ragusin
Consolations - dec. #7 Chris Cannon (Northwestern), 7-2
Third Place - dec. #3 Lucas Byrd (Illinois), 3-1 SV
Finished in third place with a 4-1 record
141 Pounds -- #6 Stevan Micic
Consolations - won by forfeit over #3 Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers)
Third Place - dec. by #5 Jakob Bergeland (Minnesota), 4-0
Finished in fourth place with a 5-2 record
149 Pounds -- #11 Kanen Storr
Seventh Place - dec. by #7 Beau Bartlett (Penn State), 3-1
Finished in eighth place with a 2-3 record
157 Pounds -- #3 Will Lewan
Final - dec. by #1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern), 7-2
Finished in second place with a 3-1 record
165 Pounds -- #4 Cameron Amine
Final - dec. by #2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 2-1
Finished in second place with a 3-1 record
174 Pounds -- #2 Logan Massa
Final - dec. by #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State), 5-1
Finished in second place with a 2-1 record
184 Pounds -- #2 Myles Amine
Final - dec. #1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State), 6-4
Finished as the 184-pound champion with a 3-0 record
197 Pounds -- #5 Patrick Brucki
Consolations - dec. #6 Thomas Penola (Purdue), 4-2
Third Place - dec. #4 Jacob Warner (Iowa), 3-1
Finished in third place with a 4-1 record
Heavyweight -- #4 Mason Parris
Consolations - dec. #9 Luke Luffman (Illinois), 8-2
Third Place - dec. by #3 Greg Kervliet (Penn State), 5-3
Finished in fourth place with a 3-2 record
