Michigan wrestling captures its first Big Ten title since 1973 in a stunner
Most experts picked Sean Bormet’s Michigan wrestling team to finish third at the Big Ten wrestling championships this week. Instead, the Wolverines stunned everyone and pulled the upset, capturing its first title since 1973.
Penn State and Iowa entered as the heavy favorites, but the Wolverines entered the third-place heavyweight match needing only for Mason Parris to avoid a fall to capture the title. He fell, 5-2, to Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet, but that was enough. Michigan finished with 143 points to PSU’s 141.5.
“This tournament’s been part of the mission all year. That’s why a lot of these veteran guys came back,” head coach Sean Bormet said. “It’s a tribute to how hard they worked, both days, every session, every match. It’s a tribute to the 25 guys we have back in Ann Arbor who helped us train and prepare. I’m super proud of these guys.”
Myles Amine put the Wolverines in position with a huge upset over two-time defending champion Aaron Brooks of Penn State at 184. His overtime take down gave him two points and a 6-4, sudden victory win.
“We knew that was an important match. Myles had to get that done,” Bormet said. “He did a great job. I knew when he got that first takedown, I could see it in his eyes. He was on a roll.
“Myles is one of the best finishers in the world. He did an awesome job. That obviously put us in position.”
Before that, the Nittany Lions, who beat Michigan 29-6 in a duel meet earlier in the year, all but took a premature victory lap.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Quinn Ewers
Texas QB declares for NFL
- 2New
Carson Beck
UGA myth dead, Bama pursued
- 3
Johntay Cook
Texas WR, Huskies part ways
- 4Trending
Adrian Peterson son
Insane highlight reel out
- 5
Transfer Portal window
Coaches propose big change
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
“We’re not neck-and-neck with Michigan,” PSU’s Carter Starocci said on The Big Ten Network after winning the title at 174 pounds. “We’re a lot better than Michigan.”
But U-M continued to grind. Michigan was up by 11.5 points entering Sunday’s final session and 15.5 after Michigan’s Nick Suriano won the 125-pound title. The Wolverines were clinging to a lead after Starocci’s win brought Penn State within 1.5 points.
They hung on and stunned the wrestling world with the win.
Bormet said they don’t feel like they’re done yet.
“We’ve got a special program. Jim Cameron, one of our alums, reminded me not too long ago that the last time we won was 1973,” he told BTN. “It’s been a big part of why I came back to Michigan 10 years ago … this is part of what I wanted to accomplish.
‘Winning the Big Ten championships — phase one. Two weeks in Detroit, we’ve got to put our best wrestling on the mat [at the NCAA’s] — [that’s] phase two.”
