University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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Wolverines took down their opponents bv Jessica Hermenitt five returning NCAA qualifiers and four All-Americans, the wrestling team was on its way to a promising 75th anniversary season. We ' re [Tri-captains Airron Richardson, Jeff Catrabone and Bill Lacure] relatively young, and though we ' re the leadership of the team, we ' ve had to learn to be leaders. We are the standards, and our actions dictate the actions of others, said Richardson, an All-American. Leadership on the mat and off was a standard the wrestling team continued to improve upon. The Wolverines finished in the top 10 of both the NCAA Championship and in the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Teams. It has been a tradition at the University of Michigan and Wolverine wrestling that we have wrestlers that battle on the mat and in the classroom, said head coach Dale Bahr. Senior All-American Brandon Howe sat out the campaign due to an off- season elbow surgery. At 126 pounds, he was ranked eighth in the preseason rankings by the Amateur Wrestling News and Wrestling USA Magazine . The loss of his services was a major blow to the Wolverines ' lineup. The coaching staff moved redshirt sophomore Chris Viola to 126 pounds in an attempt to replace Howe. Viola was up to the task earning a 13-5 major decision victory over Michigan State University that started a string of six straight wins. Moving Chris Viola to 1 26 pounds was a great move for us to make. Chris wrestled a great match for us at 126 and came through with a big four-point win. Our guys were excited about this match, and they showed it by the enthusiasm with which they wrestled, commented Bahr. The Wolverines swallowed two hard losses at the end of their season to third- ranked University of Minnesota and fourth-ranked University of Illinois. The team finished its season with a Big Ten win against the University of Wisconsin. Bahr ended the season and his Michigan career with his 200th win. Outside of the classroom and Cliff Keen Arena, the wrestling team contin- ued to achieve. Richardson involved himself in organizations such as SHARE, a reading program for school-aged children, the Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC), Michigan Varsity Prime Time, a Christian group for student athletes, and was inducted into Michigamua, a secret honors society. Wrestling is a passion and I try to teach my team that if you want to be good, you ' ve got to be dedicated. In this same respect, I want my team to know that it ' s possible to be involved in other campus organizations, said Richardson. f unior heavyweight Airron Richardson tries to pin his opponent during Michigan ' s 19-18 win over Northwestern at Cliff Keen Arena. 148 + Wrestling Layout by Michelle McCombs

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the flashy section of the per- cussion ranks, the cymbal players show their enthusiasm in their rou- tine during a halftime performance. Chip Peterson Marching Band riled fans playing The Victors by Doug Stevens Many believed that the highlight of a Sat- urday at Michigan Stadium was the privilege of watching one of the most storied football teams in the country. For the most part this was true. However, u run out and people go nuts. It ' s a big rush. In addition to the pregame festivities, the band kept the crowd involved throughout the m football game with continual renditions of The Victors, and chants of Let ' s go Blue. Furthermore, it performed both a halftime and postgame show for the crowd. While strutting their stuff in Ann Arbor was undoubtedly a thrill for members of the band, another perk of the job was the oppor- Chip Peterson irue. owever, p er f orm j na D P6- . 1-11 loll -J I I I I I I I LJ LJ I O the marching band was as a much a part of the Michigan game is my favorite football experience as the foot- aspect of being in ball team itself. Playing such 4-u Q hanrl hprai ICQ selections as the University ' s famous fight song, The Vic- yOU PUn OUt and tors, the band excited the fans people go nUtS. It ' s and was a integral part of the j p usn Michigan football tradition. r ,, rr . Once the band, and the Ed GlaZBT, membeP tunity to go to games on the numerous fans who followed it, arrived at the Big House, the band enjoyed one of the most exciting feelings in sports the opportunity to run through the tunnel and onto the Michigan Stadium field. As LSA junior Ed Glazer, a drummer in the band, explained, Performing pregame is rassing us, but after we won, they pretty much my favorite aspect of being on the band because shut up. Marching Band 147 w road. During the 1996 football campaign, the band made the trip to Columbus for the game against the Ohio State University Buckeyes. The Ohio State game was really a great experience, Glazer said. I was real worried about the OSU fans attacking and ha-

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Big Ten, 10-5 Overall U-of-M Opp. 6 16 15 23 10 26 19 18 15 6 10 12 28 23 10 Opponent Michigan Open Northern Open Las Vegas Eastern Michigan Lehigh Central Michigan Penn State Wartburg Iowa State Oklahoma Northwestern Michigan State Ohio State Indiana Purdue Minnesota Illinois Wisconsin Big Ten NCAA Championships C 3 NTS 4th 34 23 22 13 31 14 16 19 28 31 28 21 10 10 31 5th 5th bold indicates home meet NTS - No Team Scoring Peter Nielsen irst-year student Matt Warner sets his stance in preperation to com- pete and take down his Northwestern opponent. m rent Row: Robert Martin, Meldon Street, Jason Fleis, Greg DeLeon. Matt Warner, Chris Viola, Joe Warren, Luiey Haddad, Matt Michalski, David Hann. Second Row: John Fisher, Joe McFarland, Brian Aparo, Jason Rawls, Steve Basmajian, Corey Grant, Bill Lacure. Joe DeGain, Jon Newsom, Philip Klein, Jeff Reese, Dale Bahr. Back Row: Chad Brown, Ryan Balcom, Otto Olson, Frank Lodeserto, Airron Richardson, Jeff Catrabone. Gyhandi Hill, Matt Shear, Luis Aguilar, Kirk Trost. Peter Nielsen Wrestling + 149