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`M' wrestlers look for top-10 finish

The Michigan wrestling team will be in a position envied by the Michigan basketball team this weekend.

Texas dashed any hopes of a Wolverine appearance in the Midwest regional of the NCAA hoops tournament in Minneapolis this weekend. However, the wrestling team will make the trip to the Twin Cities to compete for the NCAA wrestling championship.

Six wrestlers qualified to represent Michigan (12-5-1) in the three-day event at the Target Center by placing in the top six at the Big Ten championships, March 9-10. While the basketball team could not get past the first round, a top 10 finish is within reach for the wrestling team. This would be an improvement on last year's 22nd-place result.

Michigan coach Dale Bahr speculated that such a finish is an attainable goal in light of the competition.

"Iowa is the prohibitive favorite to repeat as NCAA champions," Bahr said. "But we have a legitimate shot at being among the top 10 teams."

Iowa's dominance in wrestling is nothing new, as the No. 1 Hawkeyes are coming off their 23rd consecutive Big Ten championship. They will be represented in all 10 weight classes.

No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 3 Nebraska will also feature loaded lineups, with each club bringing nine or 10 wrestlers. The Big Ten is firmly entrenched in the rankings, occupying the No. 7 through No. 13 spots. Michigan holds the 12th spot in the rankings heading into the tournament.

The Wolverines hope to come back rejuvenated after a seventh-place finish at the Big Ten meet and make a push for a high national placing. Michigan was somewhat hobbled in the conference tournament, most notably in the heavyweight class as sophomore Airron Richardson battled strep throat and a sore back.

"We lost a lot of tight matches in the Big Tens because we just weren't healthy," Bahr said. "But we've been working hard, everybody's got a positive attitude, and we're really healthy now."

However, team standings are just part of a competition that also rewards outstanding individual performances. About 330 wrestlers qualified for the tournament, and many of these will be the lone representatives of their schools. The top eight finishers in each weight class will be rewarded with All-American status.

Of the six Michigan participants, four are returning NCAA qualifiers, four are nationally ranked, and the lone senior returns from an All-American 1994 season.

In the 158-pound division, sophomore Jeff Catrabone has a chance to grab a national title. Ranked third in the country, Catrabone notched a second-place finish at the conference meet by dropping a one-point decision to the No. 1 wrestler in Iowa's Joe Williams. Catrabone established himself as one of Michigan's all-time leaders in wins in a season with a 41-5 record, and will look for a rematch with Williams this weekend.

Senior captain Jesse Rawls Jr. will bring leadership and experience as the only upperclassmen making the trip to Minneapolis. After receiving All-American honors at 177 pounds in 1994, Rawls qualified for the 1995 championships, but did not wrestle due to a knee injury. Ranked fifth, Rawls (30-8) will look to avenge his controversial one-point loss to Iowa's Curt Heideman in the third-place Big Ten match.

At 118 pounds, redshirt freshman Chris Viola will make his first NCAA appearance. Viola had been injured earlier in the season, but returned to compile an 18-10 overall record for the Wolverines. He qualified for a spot in the national championships by upending Penn State's Jason Betz in the fifth-place match of the Big Ten meet.

Sophomore Brandon Howe will return to his home state to challenge for the 126-pound title. As a returning NCAA qualifier, Howe placed sixth in the Big Ten after compiling an 18-15 season record.

Fellow sophomore Bill Lacure qualified for his first NCAA appearance with a fourth-place Big Ten finish at 150. Although Lacure did not begin the season with a national ranking, his solid performance and 28-11 record earned him a No. 8 ranking by the end of the season.

Rounding out the Wolverines' championship squad is heavyweight and repeat qualifier Richardson. Although illness slowed Richardson down in the Big Ten's, he has turned in many clutch performances in conference dual meets while compiling a 37-9 record and earning a No. 7 ranking.

"Based on how they did this season, six qualifiers is excellent," Bahr said. "... Four All-Americans would be great for us."