In the chaos amongst the multiple mats and crowds of people on the gym floor at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, redshirt junior Tyler Meisinger — wrestling at 165 pounds — ran amongst the crowd to his coaches and embraced them, with a grin stretching from ear to ear.
The No. 21 Michigan wrestling team (7-6) had come out of a tough stretch of Big Ten dual meets, losing three matches in a row against three of the top-12 ranked schools. With the Big Ten tournament coming up, a trip to Edinboro (10-8) could have caused some trouble. But the Wolverines did not overlook the Scots, dominating in a 33-6 win on Friday.
After losing three top athletes to the Olympics, Michigan wrestling coach Sean Bormet and the Wolverines are looking to keep moving forward, despite their depleted roster.
Despite No. 2 heavyweight sophomore Mason Parris’ pin over No. 3 redshirt freshman Tony Cassioppi, the No. 22 Michigan wrestling team (6-4 overall, 5-2 Big Ten) fell to No. 1 Iowa (11-0, 8-0), 27-9, on Senior Night.
On a night at Crisler Center that didn’t provide Wolverines fans with much to cheer for, Parris’ closing act was spectacular. In the course of dazzling those in attendance, the ever-improving Parris staked his claim to be considered the best heavyweight in the nation.
It happened in a flash.
Everyone saw it coming, but it still stunned the masses at Madison Square Garden.
Down 4-3 in the match, Braunagel went low, grabbed Embree’s legs and slammed him onto the mat to take the lead, 5-4. Braunagel finished Embree with a second thunderous takedown to end the match and clinch the meet for the No. 15 Illini (5-3 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) giving them a 20-13 win over No. 23 Michigan (5-3, 4-1) on Sunday afternoon.
It’s a moment Michigan coach Sean Bormet always talks about: being the guy to decide the match. The one with the weight of the team on your shoulders. It’s usually the heavyweights.
With four of its key wrestlers redshirting to potentially compete in the Olympics, the Michigan wrestling team needs its underclassman to close the gap. Early in the season, they’ve shown up in big ways.
In front of an enthusiastic and inspired Crisler Center crowd Sunday afternoon, the Michigan wrestling team (4-2) went on an impressive run. It won four of the meet’s final five matches to clinch a 22-15 comeback victory over No. 11 Minnesota (7-4).