There wasn't much love in the air at Cliff Keen Arena yesterday as the Michigan wrestling team took down Purdue with its own version of the Valentine's Day Massacre.
With two starters out with injuries, Michigan had cause for concern wrestling against the 15th-ranked Boilermakers.
"I thought it was going to be a real close match," Michigan coach Dale Bahr said.
Purdue was coming off a 23-7 victory over Michigan State on Friday night-a team Michigan has faced twice this year.
"They beat Michigan State worse than we did," Bahr said. "And with (Frank) Lodeserto and (Corey) Grant out, we were going to give up some points."
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| DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily The Michigan wrestling team might have been shorthanded this weekend, but it didn't show against Purdue. The Wolverines whipped the Boilermakers 23-7 at Cliff Keen Arena yesterday. |
"He's probably our third-best wrestler at 197 pounds," Bahr said. "But we have to make sure that Frank is ready for Big Tens."
Wrestling against Purdue freshman Jared Williams, Tobano quickly dispelled any fears Bahr may have had by pinning Williams 4:41 into the match.
"I was so pumped for my debut at home," Tobano said. "I prepared hard and came out with a lot of intensity."
Tobano's fist-pumping win paved the way for Michigan's 27-11 victory.
Otto Olson continued his rampage through the Big Ten with a dominating 20-7 major decision over Purdue's 17th-ranked James Crnich. Olson, ranked fifth in the country, is undefeated in dual meets this season.
"Olson destroyed another top-twenty opponent," Bahr said. "He goes after people so hard, they can't stand up by the end of the match."
Eighth-ranked Chris Viola, sixth-ranked Joe Warren and fifth-ranked Damion Logan, Michigan's "Killer's Row", swept the lighter weights, punctuated by Viola's 10-8 decision over No. 11 Jason Silverstein.
Viola improved to 29-4 on the season, while Warren and Logan picked up their 25th and 24th wins of the season, respectively.
There was a bit of history made at yesterday's meet when Andy Hrovat picked up his 25th victory of the season. That tied him for 10th all-time for wins by a freshman.
"It's not all that big a deal to me, I guess," Hrovat admitted. "It does feel pretty good though."
The win over Purdue gives the Wolverines some momentum as they head into the last weekend of dual meets before the championship season. It also gives them a good idea of where they stand in the Big Ten.
"There's us, Illinois and Penn State competing for the third spot," Bahr said. He conceded that it will be very tough to beat either Iowa or Minnesota at the conference meet.
Hrovat said dual meets serve as confidence builders. "I think we'll do very well at the end of the season," Hrovat said. "We're building up a lot of steam for Big Tens."
The dual-meet season, Bahr said, is almost inconsequential for his Michigan team. "I'd sacrifice a win in a dual meet to make sure that our guys are ready for Big Tens and NCAAs," Bahr said. "I thought we might be in trouble today with our lineup, but our guys really pulled through."
Even though Michigan was wrestling with a depleted lineup and a fatigued team, Purdue probably wished the Wolverines had shown up with roses and chocolates instead.
"We've had a lot of up and downs," Tobano - yesterday's surprise victor - said. "But we've prepared hard and we're looking to finish up with some wins."
02-15-99
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