Few athletes would likely deem tearing their medial collateral ligament as a cause for celebration. 

Beau Mantanona, however, was elated with such a diagnosis. 

The reason?

For weeks, the Michigan redshirt freshman had been told by multiple medical professionals that his situation appeared far more dire.

Mantanona's injury saga began in October when he went into Michigan's wrestle-offs hoping to become the team's 165-pound starter, filling the significant void left by the transfer of three-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier Cam Amine to Oklahoma State.

Instead, he suffered a painful knee injury during the match. Mantanona underwent an MRI and Michigan's training staff told him the scans indicated he had not only torn his MCL but anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus as well.

Seeking a second opinion, Mantanona presented his MRI images to two more doctors, who each reached similar conclusions.

In mid-November, accompanied by his mother, Mantanona showed up for what he assumed was season-ending knee surgery. Thoughts of seeking a medical redshirt for 2024-25 and embarking on a lengthy recovery process filled Mantanona's mind as he drifted off to sleep under anesthesia. 

He awoke to a miracle.

"It was really crazy when I came to after the surgery because the doctor said he had good news for me -- it was only an MCL tear after all and I could start practicing again in a couple of weeks," Mantanona recalled. "I was like 'Is this for real? That's awesome.' It had been so hard on me hearing the news that this was not going to be my year, but now it still could be."

As soon as he was discharged from the hospital, an ecstatic Mantanona contacted Wolverines head coach Sean Bormet with the unexpected good news and bolted over to his office to discuss the sudden change in plans for Mantanona's season.

Mantanona then began a much shorter recovery process than he originally planned on as younger brother Brock, a true freshman, and Josh Knudten started at 165 pounds in Michigan's first three duals of the season. 

In fact, Brock, who will still be redshirted this season, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Nov. 27 after beating ranked opponents Cesar Alvan (Columbia) and Nick Hamilton (Virginia) is consecutive duals. Hamilton is currently ranked #20 and Alvan #28. 

Beau finally made his season debut at the Bobby Kauffman Open on Jan. 4. 

After dropping a 7-1 decision to 2024 NCAA qualifier Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell) in his opening match, Mantanona finished the tourney with four straight bonus-point wins -- two pins and two technical falls.

After decisioning Maryland's Alex Uryniak in his first dual action of the season Jan. 10, Mantanona posted a pair of significant victories during last weekend's duals.

On Friday, he edged Northwestern's Maxx Mayfield, 4-3. The two-time NCAA qualifier came into the match ranked #16, but Mantanona had also beaten him in sudden victory at last season's Midlands Championships.

The opening period was scoreless this time before Mantanona scored a reversal and added two back points for a 4-1 advantage after the second period and held off Mayfield for the decision.

On Sunday, Mantanona notched his most noteworthy collegiate win thus far, knocking off then-#10 Andrew Sparks of Minnesota, a three-time NCAA qualifier, with a 7-4 decision.  

Mantanona wasted little time, striking with a duck-under takedown just 10 seconds into the match and adding another for a 6-2 lead after the opening period. 

Mantanona added an escape during the second period while keeping Sparks' offensive damage to a minimum throughout the match. 

As a result, Mantanona has jumped from #24 to #18 in the latest rankings and is one of only four ranked freshman at 165. He is 7-1 this season and is already tied for fifth on the team with nine dual points despite missing half of Michigan's duals.

"I'm feeling good about how I'm wrestling so far because I've been progressing with every match and have beaten some tough competition," he said. "I'm happy with where I'm heading. I focused on increasing my attack rate with help from our coaches during offseason because getting to my offense is how I'm going to win more matches."

Mantanona emphasized that he has also benefitted from Brock joining him in Ann Arbor and becoming the fourth Mantanona sibling to wrestle at the Division 1 level. Older brothers Anthony, a three-time NCAA qualifier, and Troy both wrestled for Oklahoma and were teammates for two seasons.

Beau and Brock combined for three state championships and a 240-8 record at Palm Desert High School in California. 

"Having Brock has been great for both of us because we've been each other's main practice partners our whole lives and it was kind of an adjustment spending last season without him," Beau said. "We offer each other familiarity and going back to our roots in a way. This is also the first time we've ever been the same weight because I've always been a little bigger, but he's caught up now."

Beau noted he and Brock always planned to wrestle for the same college program, the question was only where.

"We were thinking Oklahoma at first to follow Anthony and Troy there, but visiting other schools opened our minds to going elsewhere and Michigan ended up being the best fit," Beau said. "Really, it was the people here, the coaching staff and the RTC program (Cliff Keen Club) more than anything because the great partners we can practice with will help us with freestyle too."

Cliff Keen members around the Mantanonas' size include 2016 Hodge Trophy winner and three-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer and three-time All-Americans Will Lewan and Alec Pantaleo. All have enjoyed their share of freestyle success as well. 

"I've formed great relationships since I've here and I'm very appreciative of how the Michigan coaching staff is developing me," Mantanona said. "In high school, I was kind of an unorthodox wrestler, but they have dialed in some of those habits and I've improved on things like baseline defense and hand fighting. I feel like a more complete wrestler."

Mantanona will also always be appreciative of growing up amid the craziness, closeness and camaraderie of a high-level wrestling household. 

Father Anthony, also a third-degree black belt in both Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo, coached his children at home and at the club and high school levels. 

"It was awesome heading out to a garage filled with mats to practice and challenge ourselves," he said. "We could always count on each other as we prepared for competitions. We all have great memories of working out together, going on runs together with our dad guiding us. It was really special."

The remainder of the Big Ten dual season will bring even stiffer competition for Mantanona, beginning with a likely clash against #9 Bubba Wilson, a two-time NCAA qualifier, when the Wolverines host Nebraska on Friday.

Other potential matchups for Mantanona include top-ranked Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State), last year's NCAA runner-up, #13 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) and #15 Tyler Lillard (Indiana), both past NCAA qualifiers.  

Mantanona redshirted last season, but saw plenty of competition, finishing 15-6, including 1-2 in duals, with five pins and two major decisions. 

He knocked off three-time NCAA qualifier Caleb Fish, then with Michigan State and now ranked #13 at 157 pounds after transferring to Oklahoma State. Mantanona also bested two-time NCAA qualifier Tanner Cook (South Dakota State).

Still, his last match of the season came on Feb. 2. 

Now, Mantanona is eagerly preparing to test himself in the Big Ten and NCAA Championships for the first time.

"I'm just focused on getting better with each match and getting more quality wins because that's going to be the key to wrestling at my best in March," he said. "The goal is to become a Big Ten and NCAA champion. I'm excited for what the rest of the season brings."

Gilcher Breaks Through

Redshirt freshman Dylan Gilcher entered last weekend's duals unranked at 149 pounds. 

That's no longer the case after the four-time Michigan state champion reeled off impressive, gritty wins over wrestlers then ranked in the top 23 to make his own rankings debut at #28 this week.

First, Gilcher gutted out a 5-4 tiebreaker decision over Northwestern's Sam Cartella, who came into the match ranked #23. 

Trailing 4-1 as the clock ticked under 20 seconds in the third period, Gilcher struck for a go-behind takedown with 16 seconds remaining before riding Cartella out the remainder of the period to force overtime.

Gilcher then displayed his stamina as the two battled through a scoreless sudden victory period before Gilcher rode out the first tiebreaker. He  thwarted Cartella in the second tiebreaker to clinch the decision.

The result was vastly different from the pair's previous meeting when Cartella rolled to a 13-0 shutout during last season's Michigan State Open.

Less than 48 hours later, Gilcher had an easier time against then-#19 Drew Roberts of Minnesota, cruising to an 11-3 victory during which he steadily extended his advantage following a scoreless opening period.

Roberts, a 2024 NCAA qualifier, started the second period down and escaped for a 1-0 lead before Gilcher notched the first takedown of the match. Gilcher then pounced after a restart with less than 15 seconds left in the period, putting Roberts on his back for a 6-1 lead.

He added two escapes and another takedown in the third period to earn his second major decision of the season. 

Gilcher's wins represented the Wolverines' first dual victories at 149 pounds this season in six matches. He has started Michigan's last three duals, dropping a 4-3 decision to #31 Kal Miller (Maryland) before beating Cartella and Roberts.

Gilcher, who also decisioned NCAA qualifier Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) at Midlands, is 8-4 this season. 

He redshirted last season, but still went 1-1 in duals before the arrival of transfer Austin Gomez, a three-time All-American and 2024 Olympian for Mexico who finished second in last season's NCAA Championships.

Gilcher was 10-8 overall last season with his most significant win coming against NCAA qualifier Jeffrey Boyd (The Citadel).