Former Wolverine Hrovat is Beijing-bound
6/16 - A slew of Michigan natives were in action at the
Olympic Trials in Las Vegas last weekend and only one
came away with a spot on the Olympic squad. Former
Michigan all-american Andy Hrovat became an
Olympian with his best of three finals win over former
Oklahoma State standout Mo Lawal at 84kg. Hrovat,
who will be making his first Olympic trip, rallied back to
win two in a row after losing the first match to Lawal in
two straight periods. Also making the team as an
alternate was Nick Simmons who finished 3rd at 55kg.
For full results, click more.
Olympic Trials freestyle brackets released
5/31 - The Trials for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are two weeks away. The pre-seeds and brackets were recently released for the freestyle division and a handful of wrestlers with Michigan ties have good shots at earning a ticket to Beijing. Former University of Michigan All-American and D1 State Champ Ryan Churella (pictured) earned the #3 seed at 74kg. To view all the seeds and brackets for Men's Freestyle, click more.
Churella, Metcalf, Simmons among US national placers
4/26 - USA Wrestling's intense weekend of freestyle and greco roman action wrapped up today in Las Vegas with the US Senior Freestyle Nationals. Many Michigan wrestlers competed and placed, including Ryan Churella who finished 3rd at 74kg after entering the tournament seeded 7th. The FILA Junior Freestyle Nationals also wrapped up today. For a full recap of both tournaments, click more.
Cunningham finishes 2nd at Pan Am Games
3/3 - CMU assistant coach and former NCAA champ Casey Cunningham competed in the freestyle division of the Pan American Championships in Colorado Springs, CO last weekend, finishing 2nd at 74kg after going 3-1. The Fulton, MI native fell in the finals to former Olympic and World bronze medallist Ivan Fundora of Cuba.
Simmons represents US in Freestyle World Cup
12/22 - Former Michigan State Spartan Nick Simmons continued his quest towards the 2008 Beijing Olympics last weekend as he wrestled as a part of the US squad that competed in the Freestyle World Cup in Russia. Simmons wrestled in two of the US's three duals, winning both bouts without losing a period. Simmons defeated opponents from Ukraine and Turkey. The US finished 5th overall. To read the article from TheMat.com, click more.
Nick Simmons finishes 4th at Schultz International
2/10 - Former MSU Spartan and Williamston native Nick Simmons finished 4th at the prestigous Dave Schultz International yesterday in Colorado Springs, CO. Simmons, competing at 55kg in freestyle, was the 2nd highest placing American in his weight and finished behind 3 former world or olympic medallists. He lost to former Olympic silver medallist Stephen Abas of the US in the consolation finals 2-0, 1-0.
Nick Simmons wins gold at Hargobind International
Simmons, Cunningham, Hrovat win medals in Canadadian Tournament
11/6 - Former MSU 4x All-American and Williamston native Nick Simmons defeated John Pineda of Canada in the 121lb finals of the Hargobind International tournament in British Columbia, Canada last weekend to claim the gold medal.
CMU assistant coach Casey Cunnigham and former UM all-american Andy Hrovat earned medals as well, placing 3rd at 163lbs and 211lbs. Click more to view full results of the Hargobind International....more...
Hrovat & Wechter finish 3rd at Sunkist International
10/28 - The Sunkist International Open took place this weekend in Phoenix, Arizona and featured many of the country and world's top international stars. There were a handful of athletes with Michigan ties competing, including Andy Hrovat and John Wechter, who both finished 3rd. Hrovat, a former all-american for the University of Michigan, placed 3rd at 85kg in freestyle. Wechter, a former MSU Spartan and native of Saginaw, finished 3rd at 85kg in greco-roman. Go to TheMat.com coverage for full results....More...
Hrovat earns silver medal at Medved International
10/22 - Former University of Michigan all-american Andy Hrovat finished 2nd today at the Medved International Tournament in Belarus. Hrovat lost 1-3, 1-0, 0-2 to R. Kouluv of Russia in the finals. Williamston native and MSU grad Nick Simmons went 3-2 at 121lbs, good for 5th. CMU assistant coach Casey Cunningham also competed, but failed to place at 163lbs. Click more to read TheMat.com article on day 2.
Warren claims gold at World Team trials
6/11 - Joe Warren is set for another run at the World Championship as he continued his dominance over the 60kg weight class. Warren defeated Joe Betterman in the best of three challenge series without losing a single period. He won the first match 6-0, 7-2 and then finished Betterman off with a 2-1, 6-0 win in the 2nd match. Former world team member and UM standout Andy Hrovat won the 84kg challenge tournament, but fell to Joe Williams in the best of three challenge series. At 55kg, Nick Simmons first post-college run at the World Team fell just short as he was knocked off by Matt Azevedo in the finals of the challenge tournament. Also in action yesterday was Davison grad Brent Metcalf who went 2-2, knocking off former Olympic...read full article
Churella, Michalak, Steintrager among Michigan placers at University Nationals
4/24 - Ryan Churella defeated Illinois' all-american Mike Poeta in the finals to claim 3rd place at the University Nationals in Akron, OH last weekend. CMU's Matt Steintrager, Wynn Michalak, and Tyler Grayson also placed high. Click here to see how the rest of the Michigan natives fared.
Warren wins US Nationals, Simmons & Cunningham finish runner up
4/9 - Joe Warren proved why he is the baddest man on the planet last weekend as he blew through the greco 60kg weight class in Las Vegas to win the National Greco Championship. By winning the tournament he will be the top seed and favorite entering the World Team Trials later this summer. Also making the finals from Michigan were MSU 4x All-American Nick Simmons and CMU assistant coach Casey Cunnighham... ...Full Story
Cunningham returns to action at Northeast Senior Regional
3/25 - The Northeast Senior Regional's were this weekend in Brockport, NY, and the State of Michigan was well represented. Central Michigan assistant coach Casey Cunningham made his return to action in grand fashion as he dominated the competetion, claiming the 74kg title without surrendering a point. Cunnigham was also a NCAA champion for the Chippewas and was a State Champion in High School for Fulton. Read full article
