The 10th-ranked Wolverines have received great performances from their captains all season, and Friday’s dual meet against Illinois was no exception.
Orion Sang
Daily Sports Writer
Wrestling
Michigan defeated No. 13 Illinois, 25-14, and erased a 14-8 deficit with four matches to go.
It was fifth-year senior Max Huntley, though, who clinched the meet for the Wolverines. He defeated Mark Martin, 8-3, in the 197-pound class, giving Michigan an insurmountable 18-11 edge and a signature road victory.
The Michigan wrestling team was down, 6-0, before a come-from-behind victory over the Beavers (3-4).
It's been a month since the Michigan wrestling team last used its starters in a match. Yet on Thursday, the Wolverines’ top group had no problem picking up right where it left off.
After the annual Southern Scuffle, the Wolverines and their coaches grew excited about their future thanks to some of the young wrestlers who made the trip.
After going without juniors Brian Murphy and Adam Coon at last weekend’s Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, the Michigan wrestling team got a boost from having the two veterans back in the lineup for the Big Ten season opener Thursday against Michigan State.
When the season began, the No. 10 Michigan wrestling team hoped it would be in the national title picture by this point in the year.
Michigan placed four wrestlers during the event.
The Wolverines have joined top teams from around the country in Las Vegas since December 1983, when head coach Joe McFarland was a junior on the team.