Setting the tone early is often paramount to success.
And on Saturday, graduate Michael DeAugustino set that tone for the No. 12 Michigan wrestling team. In the 125-pound bout, DeAugustino narrowly edged Iowa’s Drake Ayala in overtime, 2-1. From there, the Wolverines rode that momentum en route to an upset win over the second-ranked Hawkeyes.
Through his experience as a graduate transfer, DeAugustino knows how important a strong start is for the team.
“As I’ve gotten older I kind of enjoyed starting the duels off right,” DeAugustino said. “… After the warm up you’re already warm and ready to go.”
While DeAugustino was warm going into the match, the first period consisted of anything but a hot start. Each wrestler was feeling each other out in the opening few minutes, with neither gaining an advantage over the other.
That back and forth remained consistent until Ayala earned an escape and with it, the first point of the match in the second period. However, similar to the first period, points were hard to come by as DeAugustino still trailed 1-0 entering the third period.
Despite the deficit, DeAugustino didn’t falter.
He stayed loose and trusted his training because he is no stranger to the big moment. Placing top five in the Big Ten Tournament four times throughout his career as well as making a run in the 2021-22 NCAA Tournament, his experience has conditioned him to be prepared for the spotlight.
Leaning on both experience and toughness, DeAugustino remained confident, slipping out of the down position early in the third period to knot up the score at one and gain a crucial edge in riding time.
As both DeAugustino and Ayala struggled to find the tiebreaker, the match headed to overtime — and DeAugustino once again found himself under pressure.
“I just tried to control my breathing,” DeAugustino said. “Make sure I’m in a nice calm state of mind and try not to think like I need to get this takedown right now.”
Staying patient and relying on the skills that got him there, DeAugustino fought through an intense flurry to flip Ayala onto his back, almost earning a takedown. Despite Michigan coach Sean Bormet calling for a review, the ruling of no takedown was upheld and the score remained tied. Still, DeAugustino didn’t waver.
On Senior Night, he had extra motivation in the overtime period. Gazing up into the crowd and finding his family, he found a little extra fire inside of himself.
“Going into overtime I was like I’m not losing this match,” DeAugustino said. “And I’m not losing this match in front of my family. So my family was kind of pushing me up a little bit.”
With his family on his mind and his experience backing up his technique, DeAugustino earned an escape in the first 12 seconds of the period. In the second period, he rode out the final thirty seconds to earn a point of riding time and with it, the 2-1 victory.
Although DeAugustino failed to record a point throughout the first two periods, he never quit. And that toughness throughout the match provided just the spark that Michigan needed to eventually prevail over the No. 2 team in the country.