It was only fitting that a frustrating season ended in frustration for the Michigan wrestling team at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

For only the second time since 1991, no Wolverine wrestler earned All-American status by finishing in the top eight of his weight class. one-hundred-and-sixty-five-pound freshman Taylor Massa was the only wrestler who made it to the round of 12 to have a chance to qualify. Without any wrestlers placing and numerous early exits, Michigan finished 33rd in the tournament.

“We walked out with no All Americans, and that’s not the goal we set at all,” Massa said.

The Wolverine coaching staff had thought its wrestlers had been rounding into form after finishing sixth in the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago, but hopes of NCAA Championships success were put to rest on the first day of the tournament. Of the seven Michigan wrestlers competing, only three made it out of the first round, and only Massa advanced to the quarterfinals.

For perspective on how disappointing this was for the team, nine Big Ten teams finished ahead of the Wolverines in the final standings for the weekend.

“It’s hard sometimes as a coach to put your finger on what exactly went wrong because you’re frustrated,” said Michigan coach Joe McFarland.

Massa, seeded 12th in the 165-pound weight class, won a 7-5 decision over North Dakota State’s No. 5 Steven Monk in the second round on Friday evening. Massa used an early lead to fend to his advantage, spending the third period preventing Monk from turning him for the takedown.

In the quarterfinals, Massa lost a 3-1 decision to Oklahoma State’s No. 4 Tyler Caldwell. A first-period takedown allowed Caldwell to take the early lead, and Massa failed to counter to win the match. In his first round of consolations, with an opportunity to place still possible, Massa was dominated by Iowa State’s Michael Moreno, who earned a 17-2 technical fall.

“I just have to use it as a learning experience and get ready so hopefully I can win three national titles with my last three years,” Massa said.

Many of the other Wolverines who had the potential to make deep runs faltered early on. One-hundred-and-seventy-four-pound redshirt junior Dan Yates was seeded 10th, yet fell in the first round of the tournament to Iowa State’s unseeded Tanner Weatherman, 6-4. Yates failed to wrestle his way back into contention in the wrestlebacks, finishing with a 2-2 record.

Redshirt junior Eric Grajales, seeded 12th in the 149-pound weight class continued his late-season struggles, losing in the second round of the tournament to Columbia’s No. 5 Steve Santos. After an undefeated Big Ten regular season, Grajales has struggled in the postseason, finishing 2-2 in the NCAA Championships and just seventh in the Big Ten Championships.

At the end of the season, Michigan can only look forward to next year. All of its starters except 285-pound fifth-year senior Ben Apland will be back and will be joined by an elite recruiting class. Still, the Wolverine coaching staff knows it will have to make vast improvements to ensure that season will not be full of disappointment.