Stevan Micic announced his official weight in the Michigan wrestling lineup at 141 lbs. On Instagram he said, “Time to Eat (Literally)! I’ll be moving up to 141 for this college season as I prepare for 65kg for this upcoming Olympic cycle.”
This news came as a shock for many wrestling fans, who expected him to compete at 133 lbs. After all, Micic has already placed three times at the NCAA Championships. From 2017 to 2019 he placed 4th, 2nd, and 3rd until he took time off to train for the Olympics in 2020 and 2021.
This is bad news for anyone at 141 lbs, but does it actually help the team? Take a look at how the Michigan wrestling lineup looks with Stevan Micic wrestling 141 lbs this season?
Returning All-Americans
The Michigan Wrestling lineup will welcome back five All-Americans for the 2021-2022 season. First is the 3X All-American Stevan Micic, who is seeking another NCAA finals appearance in his 8th year of eligibility.
Additionally, Cam Amine, Myles Amine, and Mason Parris are back after NCAA placements last season. Cam Amine finished in 7th place at 165 lbs, which was above his #11 seed. Myles Amine earned his fourth NCAA finish with his third 3rd place podium finish in a row. This year, Myles could become one of the NCAAs first-ever 5X NCAA placers.
Fan favorite Mason Parris will be a brutal force at heavyweight again this season. Of course, the one man standing in his way is Olympic Champion Gable Steveson.
Finally, Pat Brucki steps into Michigan’s lineup at 197 lbs because Myles Amine is dropping down to 184 lbs. Though he hasn’t wrestled for the past two seasons, he did place 4th at the 2019 NCAA Championships while he was still at Princeton.
Michigan Wrestling Lineup Preview
Stevan Micic is moving up to 141 lbs while Myles Amine is moving down to 184 lbs. These are the two most major Michigan Wrestling lineup shifts. Dylan Ragusin and Jack Medley are also pulling a switcheroo at 125 lbs and 133 lbs.
Unfortunately, there is a big elephant in the room that we haven’t discussed yet: Logan Massa. He doesn’t appear to be returning. Losing a 5th place finisher is a big loss. The good news is that with Myles Amine’s shift downwards to 184 lbs, All-American Pat Brucki can step in at 197 lbs.
Other than that, the rest of the Michigan lineup is relatively consistent with last year’s team.
| Weight | Fanco Ranking | Wrestler | NCAA Finishes |
| 125 | Dylan Ragusin | ||
| 133 | Jack Medley | ||
| 141 | #3 | Stevan Micic | 4th, 2nd, 3rd |
| 149 | Kanen Storr | ||
| 157 | Will Lewan | ||
| 165 | Cam Amine | 7th | |
| 174 | Max Maylor | ||
| 184 | #3 | Myles Amine | 4th, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd |
| 197 | #7 | Pat Brucki | 4th |
| 285 | #2 | Mason Parris | 2nd |
Dual Meet Season
The Wolverines have 13 dual meets from November through February, but they will face their toughest opponents in January. Arizona State, Ohio State, and Penn State will deal the Michigan lineup their most challenging tests on their full schedule.
With a shortened season last year, Michigan finished the year 5-1 with a lone loss to Penn State. This year they have the opportunity to win a good chunk of their duals.
The Michigan lineup is deep from 184 lbs through heavyweight, so they’re going to have to find opportunities to score points in the lightweights. Hopefully Micic is giving out some pointers in the room.
Could they finish the season 13-0? It’s possible, but ASU, OSU, and PSU will all have something to say about it. And don’t forget about Rutgers, Minnesota, and Nebraska. After all, the Big Ten has the toughest schedule out of any conference.
Projected NCAA Scoring
Last year Michigan scored 69 points at the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships and finished in 5th place. With the drastic lineup changes, what is their outlook for 2022?
To be honest, Micic’s move up to 141 does not affect Michigan’s NCAA scoring projections by many points. In preseason rankings, he was the #3 ranked wrestler at 133 lbs, and he is in the same spot at 141 lbs. That’s not to say that he can’t gain any ground, but the situation at 125 and 133 will have more pull on the overall scoring.
Last year Drew Mattin started at 141 lbs and won one match at the NCAA Championships. Medley did not qualify at 133 lbs, and Ragusin won one match at 125 lbs. If the same result occurs again and Micic makes the podium, there will be more points scored in the lightweights than at last year’s tournament.
The upper weights, Myles Amine, Pat Brucki, and Mason Parris should all pick up big points at the tournament and make up the majority of the Wolverines’ scoring. Unfortunately, losing Logan Massa at 174 lbs will hurt, but the weight changes should make up for the loss.
So how will the Michigan wrestling lineup finish at this year’s NCAA Championships?
Final Scoring Predictions & Opportunities
As of November, Fanco projects Michigan to score 70 points, which is just above their 69 points at NCAAs last year.
The biggest opportunity is for #11 ranked Cam Amine to make the podium again and bump Michigan up to the 75-80 points range. Medley, Ragusin, Storr, and Maylor also have opportunities to win a few more matches on the big stage to help the team.
Based on these scoring projections, the Michigan Wolverines should finish in the top 5 at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in March.
