6 -The Michigan Daily - January 18, 2000 - SportsTuesday Conditioning shines twice as wrestlers outlast opponents By Jqn Schwartz Daily Sports Writer MOUNT PLEASANT - Call it a result of good conditioning. Call it an effective rebound from the devastating loss of two stars. Call it an intense team competing with fire. Whatever it's dubbed, make sure to also call it a two-win weekend for the Michigan wrestling team. With an 18-17 home victory over Pennsylvania - ranked eighth in the Amateur Wrestling News' poll - on Saturday followed by a 21-15 Sunday win at No. 18 Central Michigan, the ninth-ranked Wolverines showed that, healthy or not, they are still ready for the Big Ten season, which starts Friday. Chalk that up to coach Joe McFarland's training regimnen. Throughout the weekend, the Wolverines proved that weeks of rigorous training pay off, when they found themselves tiring opponents out of matches. "We made those guys look silly," 141-pound junior Damion Logan said of the Quakers, as Michigan forced them to use all of their timeouts in the~meet. "They were just tired and backing up." But the meets were never as close as the scores suggested, as the Wolverines ensured that whenever situations got dicey, they had the right response in store.- -With two bouts left against Penn and the score tied 14-14, 184-pound Andy Hrovat ran up to the mat and pulled out one of the team's three major decisions of the night, 11-3, when the team needed the bonus point the most. When Michigan 197- pounder Joe DeGain lost a decision in the night's final match, the extra point made the difference. "My goal before the match was to pin the kid," Hrovat said. "But if I don't pin him, I obviously have to get the extra team point and try to help out the most I can" Hrovat sustained his winning streak on Sunday, when his decision against one of the Chippewas' best wrestlers, Phil Baroni, in the last bout sealed the victory for Michigan. "He's a champion," Logan said of Hrovat. Baroni "was 8-l!" After an undefeated showing at the Virginia Duals, Logan continued his recent tear, winning in both legs of the weekend. His major Saturday night was followed up by Central's Chris Marshall's injury default when the two got tangled up too close to the mat's edge and ended up tumbling to the hard- wood floor. Marshall's early exit crowned Logan the victor of the match to which the Rose Arena fans jeered rau- cously. Perhaps the most important bout at Central was the first - DeGain against Chris Vike, one of the Chippewa studs. A newcomer to the 197-pound weight class, DeGain got his team fired up with a JOANNA PAINE/Daily Andy Hrovat's major decision over Penn's Craig Melcher clinhes the Wolverines' victory Saturday. On Sunday, Hrovat extended his winning streak to seven by beating Central's Phil Baroni. big 10-6 victory. "Joe DeGain really got us going," McFarland said. "We got the momentum on our side early." But what dominated the weekend for the Wolverines were the surprises that added up to suc- cess. With a Joe Warren- and Otto Olson-less squad, McFarland moved wrestlers into weight classes where they didn't belong. In many of the fights, the size discrepancy that favored the opponent was enough to rule the Michigan wrestler out immedi- ately. In others, questionable refereeing left McFarland pacing the sidelines. But Michigan persevered, particularly when 125- pound true freshman A.J. Grant scored a major over Penn's Kevin Rucci and Tony Holifield wiped the floor with Central's Joel Trim for another. "I had some kids step up" McFarland said. "Outside of a few situations, we fought hard" I Grapplers, fight back' win two By Ryan C. Molony Daily Sports Writer MOUNT PLEASANT - If tie Wolverines had gone down quietly.;, i would have been understandable. If they had put up a fight and still come up short in the end, it would have been admirable. If they had not only survived but con- trolled their two weekend matches against No. 8 Pennsylvania and No. 18 Central Michigan, all ofthis without their two best wrestlers, it would have beep surprising and probably impossible in the minds of some. Well, the naysayers never got t Michigan wrestling team on the phone.W And they shouldn't expect any call backs. The Wolverines are thumping their chests today, eyes focused on making something happen instead of what hap. pened to them. Amazing, when you consider that Michigan has been about as lucky with injuries as Wile E. Coyote. "Things didn't go all our way in every match but everyone wrestled hard on ou team and that's the biggest key rnght now," Andy Hrovat said after saving the bacon against Pennsylvania with a crucial major decision. Attention wrestling novices - extra points aren't just for skinny placekickers anymore. Hrovat could have easily con tented himself with a minor decision; three points. Smartly, Hrovat knew that at least six, if not eight guaranteed poins were out of the lineup and a little nickel and-diming for an extra point and a majo decision could pay off. And against Pennsylvania, it did. Half the Wolverines were out of their seats at the conclusion of this Hrovat match, including Joe Warren - again relegated to volunteer coaching duty. "These guys are like my brothers Warrensaid. "I'm out here to help as much as I can:' And synonymous with family is sacri. fice. Joe DeGain knows exactly wha* that's all about. The junior had to move up from his accustomed 184 to 197 a couple of weeks ago to give the Wolverines "a chance to make up points. And there DeGain was on Sunday, tak ing out the 14th-ranked 197-pounder in the country, Chris Vike, 10-6. DeGain, who usually displays as much emotion as the Terminator, threw his headgear towards the Michigan bench in triumph at the end of the match. "I like the guys in our program righ now," Michigan coach Joe McFarland' said. "I like the way they fought." With a story like this, who wouldn't? i ,.. ,.... . The Advisory Committee on Labor Standards and Human Rights will sponsor a public forum to discuss its Working Draft of a Code of Conduct for UM Licensees Tuesday, January 18 7-10 PM Schorling Auditorium School of Education Round-trip airfore " 7 nights hotel accomf * Round-trip airport & " Free welcome, beach Free admission to ni + Discounts on restauro 'Stt PIASk TOIA YOUR SPRING BREAK PACKAGE INCLUDES modations . 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