Headlined by wins from two nonregular starters, the No. 7 Michigan wrestling team flexed its depth in its last Big Ten dual of the season.
Going up against No. 23 Indiana (6-4 overall, 3-4 Big Ten), the Wolverines (7-4, 5-3) came out of the gates hot with freshman Nolan Wertanen, who does not regularly start, earning a pin in the first period of the bout. Immediately after the Hoosiers’ Blaine Frazier opened up the scoring, Wertanen responded with a cradle to earn not only a crucial six points for the Wolverines, but also his first victory in a collegiate dual.
“(I like the) next man up mentality for the 125 pounder, Nolan Wertanen,” Michigan coach Sean Bormet said. “He came off the bench to wrestle the 125 and did a great job, got a pin, and got six points for the team.”
And the Wolverines’ hot start didn’t end with the first bout.
As No. 5 junior Dylan Ragusin started his match with a flurry of takedowns and cradles, Michigan celebrated a 19-4 technical fall and a second straight bout ending before the first period. Continuing their dominance in the pre-intermission bouts, the Wolverines also earned victories over ranked opponents in both the 141 and 149-pound bouts.
“A key theme week in and week out has just been hitting the mat with consistency,” Bormet said. “They’ve been training hard and that’s what we continue to look for.”
Although Michigan’s starting lineup saw a few key swaps, its performances remained consistent as it took a double-digit lead going into the second half of matches. Missing All-Americans in graduates Michael DeAugustino and Shane Griffith, the lineup lacked its usual star-power. Still, the Wolverines’ depth pieces weren’t outshined.
Coming out of the intermission at 165 pounds, No. 10 senior Cameron Amine showed his comfortability in tough situations. As the match neared overtime, knotted up 1-1, Amine swept Indiana’s Nick South to the mat, earning a late takedown and a bout victory for the Wolverines.
In place of Griffith, redshirt junior Joseph Walker — who had only wrestled in two prior Big Ten matches — squared off against No. 21 Donnell Washington. Despite lining up against a ranked opponent and three time NCAA Tournament qualifier, Walker was unphased.
“He’s always been in a situation where he has had some of our best guys in his weight class,” Bormet said. “So you know (Walker) trains with some of them, he wrestles with some of the best college wrestlers in the country.”
Walker’s experience showed in the first period as he staved off multiple attacks from Washington as they headed into the first break tied at zero. After each wrestler earned an escape point, the match appeared deadlocked going into the third period. However, late in the third period Walker countered Washington’s attack with a takedown of his own, earning three points to make the score 4-1.
But the bout didn’t end with his takedown.
Immediately afterwards, Walker conceded both an escape point as well as a locked-hands point. With challenges interspersed from either team, the chaotic third period ended as Walker managed to evade attacks in the last 10 seconds to squeak out a win for Michigan.
“I thought he did a really good job with his composure,” Bormet said. “That match got a little wild with some of those calls and the video reviews … but Joe did a really good job to keep his composure and wrestle a real tough match.”
Later No. 18 ranked junior Jaden Bullock took home an 18-8 major decision, to snap a losing streak of his own, earning a key win to boost his confidence before the start of the postseason.
And after the Wolverines dropped their second bout of the night, No. 6 graduate Lucas Davidson righted the ship with a 4-0 decision. Earning both stall points and points from riding time, Davidson calmly closed out the dual with a win, and with it, the conference season.
Despite the variance in lineup to end the regular season, Michigan remained calm, cool and collected. Its strong performances were indicative of a team that’s ready for the postseason, yet still needs to prove it when that time comes.