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.-! . .