Wolverine Spirit: The Heartbeat of University of Michigan Athletics

» No. 10 Michigan evenly divided its bouts with Maryland but lost 19-18 on the second tiebreaker criteria (most falls) in its Big Ten opener.

» Christian Tanefeu (125 pounds) and Jacob Cardenas (197) achieved bonus victories with a major decision and technical fall, respectively; Cardenas improved to 9-0 with nine bonus wins.

» Beau Mantanona (165) and Josh Heindselman (Hwt) were also successful in their season dual debuts; Heindselman gained a ranked victory with a 4-2 decision against No. 13 Seth Nevills.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 10 University of Michigan wrestling squad split matches evenly but lost its Big Ten Conference opener to Maryland, 19-18, on the second tiebreaker criteria (most falls) on Friday night (Jan. 10) before 2,150 spectators at Crisler Center.

Each team secured five match victories and three bonus points, but the Terrapins’ pin at 133 pounds ultimately outweighed Michigan’s major decision at 125 and technical fall at 197 pounds. The Wolverines remained within striking distance late in the contest, needing nine points across the final two matches to surpass the pin, but fell just one point short.

Graduate student Jacob Cardenas, ranked third nationally at 197 pounds, cruised to a 15-0 technical fall against Chase Mielnik, registering two takedowns and eight back points. Cardenas slowed slightly while seeking a pin, but after securing a stall point midway through the second period, he executed a double-leg takedown to conclude the match at 4:54. Cardenas improved his season record to 9-0, accumulating nine bonus victories, including six tech falls.

Graduate student Josh Heindselman, ranked 12th at heavyweight, wrapped up the dual with a 4-2 decision over 13th-ranked Seth Nevills in his Michigan dual-meet debut. Heindselman scored via a counter-go-behind takedown in the first period but was hindered by Nevills’ defensive tactics in the subsequent two periods. This marked his second consecutive ranked victory, improving his season record to 13-0.

Senior/junior Christian Tanefeu kicked off the dual meet with a 12-4 major decision over Tyler Garvin at 125 pounds, achieving takedowns in both the first and second periods, adding a two-point tilt in the first and accumulating 4:22 in riding-time advantage. He successfully thwarted a Terrapin’s single-leg attempt in the closing seconds of the third period to retain the bonus point and secure his second dual win of the season.

Michigan also secured a lower-weight victory at 141 pounds from sophomore Sergio Lemley, who bounced back from an early deficit to defeat Dario Lemus 6-3 and maintain his perfect record in dual-meet competition. Following a scoreless first period, Lemley surrendered a takedown during a scramble at the edge but quickly escaped, grabbing both of Lemus’ ankles late in the round and riding him out for the second period, then the entirety of the third, finishing with 2:02 in riding time.

The Terrapins took the lead with a pin in the third period at 133 pounds and secured close decisions at 149 and 157 pounds to carry a five-point lead into the intermission. Graduate student Chase Saldate, ranked 16th at 157, held a late lead against sixth-ranked Ethen Miller after riding out the second period and quickly escaping in the third, but Miller capitalized on a scramble midway through the final frame and nullified Saldate’s riding time advantage before a late escape.

Sophomore/freshman Beau Mantanona achieved a 6-4 decision over Alex Uryniak in his season dual debut at 165 pounds post-intermission. Mantanona got off to a strong start, scrambling for a takedown in the opening seconds of the first period and was awarded another in that round which was later overturned on review. The competitors exchanged reversals in the second period, but Mantanona could not secure another score to enlarge his lead as time expired.

The Terrapins seized control of the dual with consecutive last-minute decisions at 174 and 184 pounds. Fifth-year senior Joseph Walker, ranked 25th, secured an early double leg but was ultimately defeated by a late takedown in a 5-4 loss to Branson John, while fellow fifth-year senior Jaden Bullock, ranked 19th, lost a 4-1 decision to 13th-ranked Jaxon Smith via a takedown at the edge in the final seconds of the third period.

The Wolverines (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) will travel next weekend for conference duals at Northwestern and Minnesota. U-M will face the Wildcats at 7 p.m. CT on Friday (Jan. 17) before squaring off against the Golden Gophers at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday (Jan. 19).

 

Maryland 19, No. 10 Michigan 18

Individual rankings by InterMat

125 — Christian Tanefeu (U-M) major dec. Tyler Garvin, 12-4 — U-M, 4-0

133 — #14 Braxton Brown (UMD) pinned Nolan Wertanen, 5:45 — UMD, 6-4

141 — #12 Sergio Lemley (U-M) dec. Dario Lemus, 6-3 — U-M, 7-6

149 — #29 Kal Miller (UMD) dec. #28 Dylan Gilcher, 4-3 — UMD, 9-7

157 — #6 Ethen Miller (UMD) dec. #16 Chase Saldate, 4-2 — UMD, 12-7

165 — Beau Mantanona (U-M) dec. Alex Uryniak, 6-4 — UMD, 12-10

174 — Branson John (UMN) dec. #25 Joseph Walker, 5-4 — UMD, 15-10

184 — #13 Jaxon Smith (UMD) dec. #19 Jaden Bullock, 4-1 — UMD, 18-10

197 — #3 Jacob Cardenas (U-M) tech. fall Chase Mielnik, 15-0 (4:54) — UMD, 18-15

Hwt — #12 Josh Heindselman (U-M) dec. #13 Seth Nevills, 4-2 — Tie, 18-18*

* Maryland obtained the tiebreaker point based on the second criteria (most falls)