8B -The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - December 8, 1997
Vegas vacation wrestles fourth place for 'M'
By Evan Braunstein
Daily Sports Writer
A wrestling tournament held at a casi-
no hotel in Las Vegas certainly posed a
few distractions for Michigan. The
Wolverines, however, were able to focus
on what they do best to place fourth in
the Cliff Keen Classic.
The tournament, held Friday and
Saturday at the Star of the Desert Arena
in Buffalo Bill's Hotel, was only minutes
from the alluring lights and high rollers
of Las Vegas casinos. It drew 42 teams
from around the nation, 13 of which are
ranked in the top 20 in preseason poils.
Fourth-ranked Michigan placed
fourth with 101 points, only 9 1/2 points
behind third-place finisher Illinois. Top-
ranked Oklahoma State won the tourna-
ment with 142.5 points, with Arizona
State coming in a distant second with a
score of 1 19.
Jeff Catrabone was the lone champion
for the Wolverines, with an impressive
performance at the 1 67-pound weight
class. Catrabone was never challenged in
any of his matches, pinning his first four
opponents. He met Arizona State's All-
American Casey Strand in the finals and
dispatched him 13-4 for a major deci-
sion.
The four falls bring Catrabone's career
total to 46, making him Michigan's all-
time falls leader. The title was
Catrabone's second straight at the Las
Vegas Classic.
Bill Lacure, Michigan's 150-pound
entry, and heavyweight Airron
Richardson were the other two
Wolverines to reach the finals. Lacure
cruised through the early rounds, win-
ning by margins of 17, six and nine
before finally facing a tough match in
the semifinals. He decisioned West
Virginia's Mike Mason before falling to
second-ranked Eric Siebert of Illinois.
Richardson faced an equally tough
opponent in his final match - top-
ranked Stephen Neal of Cal State
3akerst'ield. Richardson lost a close 5-3
decision to place second.
The only other wrestler to place was
I 8-ipounder Joe Warren. Warren won
his first t wo matches before losing to
Cory Sanderson of Iowa State, 3-2. In
the consolation rounds. Warren defeated
Wyoming's Chris Walker to place sev-
enth.
Despite only having four wrestlers
place in the tournament, Michigan's
fourth-place finish bodes well for the
team's outlook this season. Three
wrestlers - Damion Logan, Joe DeGain
and Ryan Balcom - came within only
one point from placing, giving the
Wolverines some assurance that their
roster has some depth.
This annual tournament usually gives
the wrestlers a good indication -of their
competition for the upcoming season.
This year looks to be tough as ever for
the Wolverines, who hope to challenge
for the Big Ten title in March.
Knocking off Iowa, which has won the
title the past 24 straight years, won't be
easy.
JOHN KRAFT/Daily
Michigan senior Bill Lacure, a two-time NCAA qualifier, more than held his own at
this weekend's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Classic, finishing second with a 5-1 record.
t -
MICHIGAN
On the mat
The Michigan wrestling team has
substantial depth this season.
Following are Michigan's top
wrestlers in each weight class and
their finish and record this weekend.
118 Chris Viola
7th place, 5-2 record
126 Brandon Howe
1-2
134 Damion Logan
2-2.
142 Gyhandi Hill
1-2
150 Bill Lacure*
5-2
158 Jason Rawls
0-2
167 Jeff Catrabone*
Champion, 5-0
177 Joe DeGain
3-2
190 Ryan Balcom
3-2
Hwt. Airron Richardson*
Runner-up, 4-1
* All-Americans
GOLDEN BACH
Continued from Page 3B
Jan. 2, was offered Brown's clipboard
Friday night. In fact, published reports
said that Donnan, a former Carolina
assistant in the 1970s, could take the
job as early as today.
Donnan didn't. He called Baddour
last night and turned down a very
lucrative offer, one that would have
increased his pay almost five-fold.
"I wish I could be the coach there,'
Donnan said. "I'd really like to be. I
just felt like I'd be going away from
what I've told my players here about
living up to your commitments."
Somewhere, Bo is smiling.
-Alan Goldenbach can be reached
via email at agold@umich.edu.
HOCKEY FANS... CAN'T MAKE ITTOTHE
ROSE BOWL? THEN DON'TMISS TH E GL.I.!!
The WolverincA vie lorstheir 10th cofaective
GlI ChamnpionAhiP.-!
. .