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Third-ranked Michigan upsets top-ranked Golden Gophers 19-15
February 17, 2006
An upset at 125 and a disqualification at 165 propelled third-ranked Michigan to a 19-15 win against the top-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team. Minnesota dropped its first match of the season and fell to 19-1 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines remained perfect in the league with a 7-0 record as well as a 15-2 overall record. In a battle of unbeatens at heavyweight, Minnesota’s Cole Konrad improved to 32-0 with a 1-0 decision against third-ranked Greg Wagner.
The Wolverines got off to a strong start as Michael Watts upset Travis Lang, 9-6, at 125 pounds. Watts entered the match with a 10-16 overall record. With the match tied at five, Watts took the lead for good with a takedown 34 seconds into the third period. Lang escaped but Watts added a late takedown to put the match away. Lang fell to 24-13 on the year.
Minnesota tied the match at 133 pounds as third-ranked Mack Reiter defeated No. 11 Mark Moos, 13-6. Reiter opened the third period with a reversal to take a 7-3 lead. He led 12-5 with time winding down, but Moos escaped with one second to go in the match to earn a point and deny Reiter a bonus point for the major decision.
The Wolverines regained the lead as fourth-ranked Josh Churella earned a 13-5 major decision against redshirt freshman Tyler Safratowich at 141 pounds. Safratowich was wrestling in place of 13th-ranked Manuel Rivera. Safratowich surprised Churella with a first-period reversal to tie the match at two, but that was all the offense he would generate. Churella took a 12-5 lead with a takedown with 30 seconds to go in the match and was awarded a point for riding time to earn the bonus point.
Minnesota responded with back-to-back wins by the Schlatter brothers. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter improved to 33-1 on the year with a convincing 6-0 decision against fourth-ranked Eric Tannenbaum at 149 pounds. Following a scoreless first period, Tannenbaum was penalized a point for fleeing the mat. Schlatter added a takedown later in the period to take control of the match. In the past month, Schlatter is 7-0 against opponents ranked in the top five in the country.
Older brother C.P. Schlatter gave Minnesota a 9-7 lead with a 2-1 overtime decision against 13th-ranked Steve Luke at 157 pounds. The pair traded escapes in the second and third periods. In the first tiebreaker, Schlatter rode Luke the entire 30 seconds. In the second tiebreaker, Schlatter escaped to take a 2-1 lead and then held Luke off for the remaining 28 seconds to take the win.
The dual meet turned at 165 pounds as senior All-American Matt Nagel was disqualified in the third period for repeated stalling. Top-ranked Ryan Churella led 8-0 when Nagel was called for stalling for the fifth time in the match. The six points gave Michigan a 13-9 advantage, a lead they would not relinquish.
Michigan gave itself some breathing room in a toss-up match at 174. 10th-ranked Nick Roy defeated 13th-ranked Gabriel Dretsch, 3-2, to give the Wolverines a 16-9 lead. Roy broke a 1-1 tie with a two-point takedown with 23 seconds to go in the match. Dretsch escaped with five seconds to go, but ran out of time.
Needing three wins in the final three matches, ninth-ranked Roger Kish kept Minnesota in the match with a 6-4 overtime decision against 18th-ranked Tyrel Todd at 184 pounds. Kish claimed the win with a takedown just 11 seconds into the first overtime. A former four-time Michigan state champion, Kish improved to 29-4 on the year thanks in part to his 11th win in his last 12 matches.
The Wolverines put the match away at 197 pounds as Casey White defeated Mitch Kuhlman, 7-2. Giving up nearly 17 pounds, Kuhlman tied the match at two with a second-period reversal. Trailing 3-2 to start the third, Kuhlman started down but White put the match away with a three-point near fall.
With the victory in hand for Michigan, the highly-anticipated matchup at heavyweight still held meaning. Following a scoreless first period, Konrad rode Wagner the entire two-minute second period. Wagner was unable to get a third-period takedown and Konrad’s riding time advantage proved to be the difference. Konrad’s 32-match winning streak is now tied for fourth in school history. Wagner won the first two meetings with Konrad two years ago, but since then, Konrad has claimed four straight wins.
Minnesota will look to close out the regular season strong on Sunday at No. 18 Michigan State. The Golden Gophers are looking to win 20 matches for just the fourth time in school history.
February 17, 2006 at Ann Arbor, MI
#3 Michigan 19, #1 Minnesota 15
125: Michael Watts (MICH) dec. Travis Lang (MN), 9-6
133: #3 Mack Reiter (MN) dec. #11 Mark Moos (MICH), 13-6
141: #4 Josh Churella (MICH) maj. dec. Tyler Safratowich (MN), 13-5
149: #2 Dustin Schlatter (MN) dec. #4 Eric Tannenbaum (MICH), 6-0
157: #4 C.P. Schlatter (MN) dec. #13 Steve Luke (MICH), 2-1 ot
165: #1 Ryan Churella (MICH) wins by disqualification
174: #11 Nick Roy (MICH) dec. #13 Gabriel Dretsch (MN), 3-1
184: #9 Roger Kish (MN) dec. #18 Tyrel Todd (MICH), 6-4 ot
197: Casey White (MICH) dec. Mitch Kuhlman (MN), 7-2
Hwt: #1 Cole Konrad (MN) dec. #3 Greg Wagner (MICH), 1-0