FORT WORTH, Texas — University of Michigan fifth-year senior Logan Massa used a second-period throw to rally from an initial deficit and defeat NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech, 6-4, in the championship final at 74kg/163 pounds at the U.S. Senior Nationals on Sunday (Dec. 22) at the Fort Worth Convention Center. With his performance, Massa also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in April.
Massa, who is currently taking an Olympic redshirt for the 2019-20 season, took his first lead in the final bout with a feet-to-back body lock on the edge of the mat for four points with just over two minutes remaining in the bout. Lewis led 3-1 at the time off a first-period takedown — while on the passivity clock — while both scored stepouts in the opening minute of the second — and again over the final minute of the match.
Massa posted a 5-0 record, earning technical superiority wins in each of his first three bouts before knocking off the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds at his weight. He also rallied from initial deficits in the quarterfinals and semifinals. He defeated Anthony Valencia, 20-8, in the former with three four-point takedowns, including a double leg at the first-period buzzer to take his first lead before piling on 12 points in the second period. Massa also earned a decisive 15-6 win over top-seeded Nazar Kulchytskyy in the semifinals, overcoming an early four-pointer with five takedowns, including two four-pointers of his own.
Massa is the third Wolverine wrestler to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, joining two-time Greco-Roman world team member and world silver medalist Adam Coon (2014-16, ’18) and sophomore Mason Parris, who captured a junior world freestyle title last summer. His classmates, fifth-year senior Myles Amine and graduate student Stevan Micic, have already qualified for the Toyko Games for San Marino and Serbia, respectively.
Alec Pantaleo also placed, narrowly missing a qualifying bid with an eighth-place finish at 74kg — up a class from his U23 Worlds weight of 70kg/154 pounds. Pantaleo’s best win came in the wrestlebacks, where he cruised to a 10-2 decision against former Nebraska standout Tyler Berger with four takedowns.
