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Central Michigan Mount Pleasant, MI

No. 21 CMU Falls to No. 16 Kent State, 22-13

KENT, Ohio - No. 16 Kent State led from start to finish in a 22-13 Mid-American Conference wrestling victory over No. 21 Central Michigan on Sunday.

CMU (12-5 overall, 4-1 MAC) scored bonus points in two of its three victories, but Kent State (10-4 overall, 3-0 MAC) won each of the dual's four bouts decided by two points or less to secure the victory.

The loss was just the fourth for CMU in its last 74 MAC duals dating back to the 1998-99 season.

Kent State won each of the first four bouts, including narrow decisions at 125 and 133 pounds, to build a 13-0 lead on the scoreboard.

At 125 pounds, CMU's Joe Roth just missed scoring on deep shots in the first and second periods, and Kent State's Nic Bedelyon scored the bout's first takedown by countering a Roth shot in the final seconds of the second period. Roth finally reversed Bedelyon for two points in the third period, but was forced to cut Bedelyon loose and could not score again.

CMU's Tyler Keselring and Kent State's Stevie Mitcheff were tied 6-6 entering the third period at 133 pounds, but Keselring took a 7-6 lead when Mitcheff cut him loose early in the period. Mitcheff went in front, 8-7, with a takedown with 1:15 remaining, but Keselring drew even with an escape 15 seconds later. Mitcheff scored the decisive takedown on the edge of the mat with 40 seconds left in regulation.

Kent State relied on a pair of top-10 ranked individuals to earn victories at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. Tyler Small, ranked No. 8 nationally at 141, posted a 6-0 shutout of CMU's Scott Mattingly, while Ian Miller, ranked No. 10 at 149 pounds, claimed a 13-5 major decision over Joey Kielbasa.

CMU cut the Kent State lead in half with victories by Donnie Corby and Mike Ottinger at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. Corby earned a 5-2 decision over Mallie Shuster, while Ottinger controlled the pace throughout an 18-8 major decision over Ross Tice.

Kent State's Brandonn Johnson was a 7-1 winner over Anthony Bill at 174 pounds to extend the Golden Flashes' lead to 16-7, but No. 5-ranked Ben Bennett kept the Chippewas within striking distance with a third-period fall against Casey Newburg. Bennett's seventh fall of the season drew CMU with three points, 16-13.

Keith Witt scored a dramatic 3-1 decision over Chad Friend at 197 pounds to stretch Kent State's lead back to six points. The bout was tied 1-1 until Witt scored the match's lone takedown off a scramble in the final five seconds of regulation.

At heavyweight, No. 20 Brendan Barlow used riding time in overtime to upset No. 12 Peter Sturgeon. The duo combined for just six escape points, one each in regulation and two each in two rounds of overtime. Barlow, however, built a 15-second riding time advantage in the tiebreaker periods to earn the decision.

The Chippewas are back on the road next weekend, visiting George Mason and Old Dominion for a pair of nonconference duals.

No. 16 Kent State 22, No. 21 Central Michigan 13

125: No. 4 Nic Bedelyon (KSU) dec. No. 16 Roth, 4-2; KSU 3-0

133: Stevie Mitcheff (KSU) dec. Tyler Keselring, 10-9; KSU 6-0

141: No. 8 Tyler Small (KSU) dec. Scott Mattingly, 6-0; KSU 9-0

149: No. 10 Ian Miller (KSU) maj. dec. Joey Kielbasa, 13-5; KSU 13-0

157: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Mallie Shuster, 5-2; KSU 13-3

165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) maj. dec. Ross Tice, 18-8; KSU 13-7

174: Brandonn Johnson (KSU) dec. Anthony Bill, 7-1; KSU 16-7

184: No. 5 Ben Bennett (CMU) pin Casey Newburg at 6:00; KSU 16-13

197: Keith Witt (KSU) dec. Chad Friend, 3-1; KSU 19-13

285: No. 20 Brendan Barlow (KSU) dec. No. 12 Peter Sturgeon, 3-3 RT TB2; KSU 22-13

No. 14 Lehigh Claims 23-11 Win Over No. 21 CMU

MOUNT PLEASANT - No. 14 Lehigh won a pair of pivotal overtime matches to pull away from No. 21 Central Michigan, 23-11, in nonconference wrestling action at McGuirk Arena on Friday.

Five of the dual meet's 10 bouts were decided by two points or less, including the two overtime affairs that swung six key team points in Lehigh's favor.

"I felt like we were in a lot of situations where, if we would have taken advantage of them, the dual meet would have been a lot closer and we would feel a little better about ourselves," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "There are a lot of things we need to work on, and that's why we wrestle the teams that we do. It takes a pretty good team to beat us, but we're used to winning some of those matches, so it's a little disappointing."

The Chippewas (12-4 overall) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead when Joe Roth scored a 24-9 technical fall over Alex Abreu at 125 pounds. Roth reversed Abreu to his back in the match's final 10 seconds and collected the riding time point to secure the technical fall.

In his last three matches, Roth has scored 24 takedowns while allowing just one and out-scoring his three opponents by a combined score of 58-23.

The 133-pound bout between Lehigh's Mason Beckman and CMU's Zach Horan was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation and through the first sudden victory period. Beckman rode out Horan in the first 30-second tiebreaker, then escaped in the second 30-second period to claim a 2-1 decision.

Lehigh (9-4 overall) took its first lead of the dual when No. 15 Steve Dutton posted a 17-2 technical fall over CMU's Scott Mattingly at 141 pounds. The Mountain Hawks' lead stretched to 11-5 when Kyle Rosser defeated Joey Kielbasa, 5-2, in the 149-pound bout.

Back-to-back one-point decisions by CMU's Donnie Corby and Mike Ottinger at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively, evened the team score at 11-11. Corby needed just a second-period escape and riding time to earn a 2-1 victory over Brian Tanen, while Ottinger scored the only takedown of the bout with less than a minute remaining to defeat Sean Bilodeau, 3-2.

Ottinger's victory would be the last of the night for CMU, however, as Lehigh claimed decisions in each of the final four bouts.

The most anticipated bout of the night came at 184 pounds, where Lehigh's Robert Hamlin, ranked No. 4 nationally and the 2011 national runner-up, edged CMU's Ben Bennett, ranked No. 5, 3-1 in sudden victory. Neither individual scored an offensive point in regulation despite plenty of early action; a second-period escape by Bennett and third-period escape by Hamlin sent the match to overtime tied at 1-1. In the sudden victory period, Bennett defended a pair of shots before Hamlin scored the decisive takedown off a scramble as the final buzzer sounded.

The heavyweight bout also featured a pair of nationally ranked competitors, as Lehigh's No. 3 Zach Rey, the defending national champion, defeated CMU's No. 12 Peter Sturgeon, 5-3. Rey scored on single-leg takedowns in the first and second periods while holding Sturgeon to three escape points in the match.

The Chippewas are back in action Sunday, visiting No. 16 Kent State at 2 p.m. CMU can clinch the outright Mid-American Conference regular season title with a win.

No. 14 Lehigh 23, No. 21 Central Michigan 11

125: No. 16 Joe Roth (CMU) tech. fall Alex Abreu, 24-9 at 7:00; CMU 5-0

133: Mason Beckman (LU) dec. Zach Horan, 2-1 TB1; CMU 5-3

141: No. 15 Steve Dutton (LU) tech. fall Scott Mattingly, 17-2 at 7:00; Lehigh 8-5

149: Kyle Rosser (LU) dec. Joey Kielbasa, 5-2; Lehigh 11-5

157: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Brian Tanen, 2-1; Lehigh 11-8

165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Sean Bilodeau, 3-2; Tied 11-11

174: Nate Brown (LU) dec. Anthony Bill, 4-0; Lehigh 14-11

184: No. 4 Robert Hamlin (LU) dec. No. 5 Ben Bennett, 3-1 SV1; Lehigh 17-11

197: Kadeem Samuels (LU) dec. Chad Friend, 10-4; Lehigh 20-11

285: No. 3 Zach Rey (LU) dec. No. 12 Peter Sturgeon, 5-3; Lehigh 23-11

Attendance: 623

CMU Announces Error Regarding Weight-Class Eligibility of Wrestling Student-Athlete

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan University's Department of Athletics announced on Friday a sport administrative error regarding the weight-class eligibility of wrestling student-athlete Craig Kelliher.

While he has remained in compliance with the strict NCAA Wrestling Weight Loss Certification Plan guidelines throughout the year, Kelliher's competition in four matches at 174 pounds violated NCAA wrestling bylaw 8.3.5.4 which states, in part, "A wrestler weighing in two weight classes above an original certified weight class shall forfeit his or her right to return to the original wrestled weight class."

After initially certifying at the 174-pound weight class prior to the beginning of the current 2011-12 competition season, Kelliher was permitted to compete in the 197-pound weight class as an unattached individual (not representing CMU) at the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 5, 2011. Kelliher wrestled three matches at 197 pounds at the tournament. Between Dec. 10, 2011 and Jan. 22, 2012, Kelliher competed in four dual meets for CMU at the 174-pound weight class.

Kelliher's results for the matches in which he wrestled are vacated. Team scores and all other results for those four dual meets are not changed.

Two Nationally Ranked Opponents Await CMU

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan's wrestling program will face a pair of nationally ranked opponents in less than 48 hours this weekend.

CMU, ranked No. 21 in this week's NWCA/USA Today coaches' poll, will host No. 14 Lehigh on Friday at 7:30 p.m. before traveling to No. 16 Kent State on Sunday for a 2:05 p.m. dual. The Chippewas (12-3 overall, 4-0 Mid-American Conference) can secure the outright MAC regular season title with a win at Kent State on Sunday.

"We're going to have to be composed and more efficient with what we do," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We have to score when we attack, and we have to do a good job of picking our spots. It's important too that we handle the anxiety and the pressure that will be put on us by some quality opponents."

Headlining Friday's dual is the 184-pound bout between a pair of top-five ranked opponents: Lehigh's No. 4-ranked Robert Hamlin, the defending national runner-up, and CMU's No. 5-ranked Ben Bennett, a two-time All-American at 174 pounds. Bennett enters the dual 21-2 overall this season; one of his two losses came to Hamlin in the finals at the Midlands Championships.

Two special presentations will take place at McGuirk Arena following Friday's dual meet. The 2011 MAC champion Chippewas will be presented their conference championship rings, and Borrelli will be recognized for earning his 300th career dual meet victory. He enters the weekend with a career record of 304-128-8; he is 258-103-7 in 21 seasons at CMU and was 46-25-1 in five seasons as the head coach at Lake Superior State.

On Sunday, the Chippewas will head to Kent State seeking their 13th MAC title in the last 14 seasons. Last season, CMU shared the MAC regular season title with Kent State and Ohio.

Follow the Action: Friday's dual meet against Lehigh will be streamed live through the CMU Sports Zone on CMUChippewas.com, and live scoring will be available through TrackWrestling.com. Live updates also will be provided on Twitter @CMUWrestling. Fans tweeting during Friday's dual are encouraged to use the hashtag #CMULEHIGH.

On Sunday, live video will be available through mac-sports.com and live scoring will be available through TrackWrestling.com.

Promotions, Giveaways Set for Friday's Dual: Several promotions and giveaways are scheduled for Friday's dual meet against Lehigh. As part of CMU's partnership with the WCFX "Caravan of Care," fans who bring four non-perishable food items to McGuirk Arena will be eligible for a buy-one-get-one-free ticket promotion.

All fans in attendance at Friday's dual will be eligible to win a 32-inch flat-screen television, which will be given away immediately following the meet. CMU's wrestling program also will host an autograph session immediately following the dual meet.

CMU vs. the MAC: The Chippewas have won 70 of their last 73 conference duals dating back to the 1998-99 season. CMU has won at least a share of 12 of the last 13 MAC titles and claimed 10 straight conference tournament championships.

Scouting Lehigh: The Mountain Hawks are 8-4 overall, including 4-1 against EIWA opponents, and enter the weekend on a three-match winning streak. Lehigh's lineup features two individuals ranked in the top five nationally: junior 184-pounder Robert Hamlin (18-1 overall, 2011 NCAA runner-up) and senior heavyweight Zack Rey (15-1 overall, 2011 NCAA champion).

CMU vs. Lehigh: CMU is 2-2 all-time against Lehigh, including a 23-9 loss at Lehigh last season.

Scouting Kent State: Kent State is 9-4 overall, including 2-0 in the MAC, and has won seven straight dual meets. Included in the winning streak is a run to the team title at the Virginia Duals. Three Golden Flashes are ranked in the top 10 nationally: senior Nic Bedelyon (No. 4, 125 pounds), sophomore Tyler Small (No. 8, 141 pounds) and freshman Ian Miller (No. 10, 149 pounds).

CMU vs. Kent State: The Chippewas are 24-19 all-time against Kent State and have won 13 of the last 14 meetings. CMU secured a share of the 2011 MAC championship with a 20-14 win over the Golden Flashes at McGuirk Arena last season.

Coming Up: The Chippewas are on the road next weekend, visiting George Mason and Old Dominion on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

No. 10 Michigan Defeats No. 19 CMU, 23-14

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - No. 10 Michigan fought off No. 19 Central Michigan to claim a 23-14 decision in nonconference wrestling action on Sunday.

The score was tied 10-10 with four bouts remaining and 14-14 with two bouts left, but the Wolverines claimed victories at 197 pounds and heavyweight to improve to 5-2 overall. The visiting Chippewas, who fell to 12-3 on the season, had their seven-match winning streak snapped.

"I thought we gave good effort and wrestled hard," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "In certain situations, we just have to have more composure in big matches."

Joe Roth gave the Chippewas their only lead when he opened the dual with a 17-6 major decision over Grant Pizzo at 125 pounds. Roth scored eight takedowns, including fourth in the third period, to earn the bonus-point victory. In two matches this weekend, including a 17-8 major decision over Northern Illinois' Nick Smith on Friday, Roth has scored 16 takedowns while allowing zero.

Michigan answered with three straight victories to take a 10-4 lead, but the run was not without some drama. The Wolverines' Kellen Russell, the defending national champion, was reversed to his back on a five-point move by Scott Mattingly late in the first period. Mattingly held a 6-5 lead entering the third period, but surrendered three third-period takedowns and Russell rallied for a 12-9 decision.

Decisions by Donnie Corby and Mike Ottinger at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively, evened the score at 10-10. Corby and Brandon Zeerip were tied 6-6 after one period and 8-8 after two, but Corby had locked up riding time entering the third period and Zeerip was forced to cut him loose and surrender the escape point. Corby avoided the takedown to earn the 10-8 victory.

At 165, Ottinger collected one of the biggest victories of his freshman season against No. 16 Dan Yates. Ottinger scored takedowns in the first and third periods to earn a 5-3 decision that knotted the team score.

Fifth-ranked Justin Zeerip put Michigan back in front with a 13-5 major decision over Craig Kelliher at 174 pounds, but Ben Bennett, ranked fifth in the country at 184 pounds, drew CMU even with a 10-0 major decision of his own. Bennett improved to 21-2 overall this season with his 18th bonus-point victory.

Victories in the final two bouts swung the dual in Michigan's favor. No. 15 Max Huntley scored four takedowns in a 10-6 decision over Chad Friend at 197 pounds, while No. 14 Ben Apland got in deep on a shot and pinned No. 13 Peter Sturgeon, scoring the fall as the whistle blew to end the second period.

The Chippewas are back in action Friday night, hosting Lehigh in a nonconference dual meet at 7:30 p.m. CMU then travels to Kent State on Sunday; a victory at Kent State would secure the outright Mid-American Conference title for the Chippewas.

No. 10 Michigan 23, No. 19 Central Michigan 14

125: No. 16 Joe Roth (CMU) maj. dec. Grant Pizzo, 17-6; CMU 4-0

133: No. 18 Zac Stevens (UM) dec. Zach Horan, 4-2; CMU 4-3

141: No. 2 Kellen Russell (UM) dec. Scott Mattingly, 12-9; UM 6-4

149: No. 9 Eric Grajales (UM) maj. dec. Joey Kielbasa, 12-4; UM 10-4

157: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Brandon Zeerip, 10-8; UM 10-7

165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. No. 16 Dan Yates, 5-3; Tied 10-10

174: No. 5 Justin Zeerip (UM) maj. dec. Craig Kelliher, 13-5; UM 14-10

184: No. 5 Ben Bennett (CMU) maj. dec. Hunter Collins, 10-0; Tied 14-14

197: No. 15 Max Huntley (UM) dec. Chad Friend, 10-6; UM 17-14

285: No. 14 Ben Apland (UM) pin No. 13 Peter Sturgeon at 5:00; UM 23-14

No. 19 CMU Remains Unbeaten in MAC with 24-9 Win Over NIU

MOUNT PLEASANT - No. 19 Central Michigan won seven of 10 bouts, scoring bonus points in three, en route to a 24-9 Mid-American Conference wrestling victory over Northern Illinois Friday night at McGuirk Arena.

The Chippewas improved to 12-2 overall, 4-0 in the MAC with their seventh straight win and 70th victory in their last 73 conference duals. Northern Illinois dropped to 6-6 overall, 0-3 in the MAC.

The win sets up an opportunity for CMU to clinch an outright MAC title next Sunday when the Chippewas close out their conference dual schedule at Kent State.

"I thought we were really competitive in every match tonight," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "Even the matches we lost were competitive matches, so I was happy with that. It takes a lot to beat us, which is a good starting point.

"We certainly need to work on a lot of things," Borrelli added. "It's hard to change things that you had a lot of success with at a younger level, because you tend to go back to those things when you're in the heat of the battle. We need to be more focused and better at executing in the heat of the battle."

CMU led Friday's dual from start to finish, with sophomore Joe Roth and redshirt freshman Tyler Keselring staking the hosts to an early 8-0 lead with major decisions at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Roth scored eight takedowns in a 17-8 victory over Nick Smith, while Keselring's 12-1 major decision avenged a 7-4 loss to Robert Jillard from earlier this season.

After Kevin Fanta's 7-2 decision over Scott Mattingly at 141 pounds cut the CMU lead to 8-3, the Chippewas posted wins in four of the next five bouts to secure the victory. Craig Kelliher used a late takedown to defeat Caleb Busson, 4-3, at 174 pounds, while Ben Bennett improved to 20-2 overall with a 14-4 major decision over Shane Rosenberry at 184 pounds.

Peter Sturgeon capped the victory with a 2-1 tiebreaker victory over Jared Torrence at heavyweight. Sturgeon scored an escape in the first 30-second tiebreaker period, then rode out Torrence in the second period to improve to 3-0 in overtime this season.

CMU is back in action Sunday, visiting No. 10 Michigan for a nonconference dual meet. Wrestling begins at 2 p.m.

No. 19 Central Michigan 24, Northern Illinois 9
125: No. 16 Joe Roth (CMU) maj. dec. Nick Smith, 17-8; CMU 4-0
133: Tyler Keselring (CMU) maj. dec. Rob Jillard, 12-1; CMU 8-0
141: Kevin Fanta (NIU) dec. Scott Mattingly, 7-2; CMU 8-3
149: Joey Kielbasa (CMU) dec. Tyler Argue, 5-2; CMU 11-3
157: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Tyler Loethen, 2-1; CMU 14-3
165: Matt Mougin (NIU) dec. Dakota Cooley, 4-3; CMU 14-6
174: Craig Kelliher (CMU) dec. Caleb Busson, 4-3; CMU 17-6
184: No. 5 Ben Bennett (CMU) maj. dec. Shane Rosenberry, 14-4; CMU 21-6
197: Mike Lukowski (NIU) dec. Chad Friend, 6-4; CMU 21-9
285: No. 13 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. Jared Torrence, 2-1 TB1; CMU 24-9

Central Michigan- Chippewas Host NIU, Visit Michigan This Weekend

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan's wrestling program is in action twice this weekend, hosting Northern Illinois in a Mid-American Conference dual meet on Friday before visiting Michigan on Sunday.

Friday's dual begins at 7:30 p.m. at McGuirk Arena, while Sunday's nonconference matchup with the Wolverines gets underway at 2 p.m. in Ann Arbor.

The Chippewas (11-2 overall, 3-0 MAC) have won six straight duals following Friday's 21-12 victory at Eastern Michigan.

Follow the Action: Friday's dual meet against Northern Illinois will be streamed live through the CMU Sports Zone on CMUChippewas.com, and live statistics will be available through TrackWrestling.com. Live updates also will be provided on Twitter @CMUWrestling. Fans tweeting during Friday's dual are encouraged to use the hashtag #CMUNIU.

On Sunday, live video and live scoring will be available through Michigan's official site, mgoblue.com.

In the Rankings: CMU enters the weekend ranked No. 19 in the NWCA/USA Today coaches' dual meet poll. Michigan is No. 10 in the NWCA/USA Today poll and No. 8 in the InterMat tournament strength rankings. Northern Illinois is not ranked in either poll.

Scouting NIU: Northern Illinois enters Friday's dual 6-5 overall, 0-2 in the MAC following a 27-6 loss at Ohio last Friday. Sophomore Rob Jillard is the Huskies' top individual. He is 12-9 overall and ranked No. 2 in the MAC at 133 pounds.

Scouting Michigan: The Wolverines are 4-2 overall, including 3-1 in the Big Ten, entering Sunday's dual. Michigan has won three of its last four duals, including a 33-6 victory over Indiana last Friday. Seven Wolverines are ranked in the top 20 nationally, including senior 141-pounder Kellen Russell; the defending national champion is 19-1 this season and ranked No. 2 nationally after posting a perfect 38-0 mark last season.

The Matchups: Probable lineups for CMU, Northern Illinois and Michigan this weekend:

Central Michigan
125: No. 16 Joe Roth (So., 25-6)
133: Zach Horan (Fr., 11-6) or Tyler Keselring (R-Fr., 9-8)
141: Scott Mattingly (So., 9-12) or Christian Cullinan (Jr., 11-7)
149: Joey Kielbasa (Fr., 17-9)
157: Donnie Corby (Jr., 7-4)
165: Mike Ottinger (Fr., 13-6) or Dakota Cooley (R-Fr., 2-7)
174: Craig Kelliher (So., 3-3) or Anthony Bill (R-Fr., 4-9)
184: No. 5 Ben Bennett (Jr., 19-2)
197: Chad Friend (Sr., 9-13)
285: No. 13 Peter Sturgeon (Sr., 21-6)

Northern Illinois
125: Nick Smith (So., 10-2) or Derek Elmore (Fr., 4-7)
133: Rob Jillard (So., 12-9)
141: Kevin Fanta (So., 7-3) or Shawn Fayette (R-Fr., 7-5)
149: Matt Smith (R-Fr., 7-6) or Tyler Argue (Fr., 5-8)
157: Tyler Loethen (Fr., 8-7) or Sam Bennett (R-Fr., 1-4)
165: Matt Mougin (So., 3-6) or Dan Burk (So., 3-5)
174: Caleb Busson (So., 7-10)
184: Brad Dieckhaus (Sr., 7-0) or Shane Rosenberry (So., 0-5)
197: Mike Lukowski (Sr., 6-4)
285: Jared Torrence (So., 9-9)

Michigan
125: Grant Pizzo (So., 5-10)
133: No. 18 Zac Stevens (Sr., 15-5)
141: No. 2 Kellen Russell (Sr., 19-1)
149: No. 9 Eric Grajales (So., 11-3)
157: Brandon Zeerip (So., 11-8)
165: No. 16 Dan Yates (So., 16-4)
174: No. 5 Justin Zeerip (Sr., 16-1)
184: Hunter Collins (Jr., 6-6)
197: No. 15 Max Huntley (R-Fr., 13-7)
285: No. 14 Ben Apland (Jr., 17-4)

Individual rankings are as of this week's InterMat rankings.

CMU vs. NIU: The Chippewas are 29-22-2 all-time against Northern Illinois and have won 15 of the last 16 meetings. CMU claimed a 21-13 victory at NIU last season. The Huskies' last victory over CMU was in 2003, 16-15.

CMU vs. Michigan: The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 19-5. CMU had won three straight in the series prior to Michigan's 21-12 victory at McGuirk Arena last year.

CMU vs. the MAC: The Chippewas have won 69 of their last 72 conference duals dating back to the 1998-99 season. CMU has won at least a share of 12 of the last 13 MAC titles and claimed 10 straight conference tournament championships.

CMU vs. the State of Michigan: CMU has won 15 of its last 16 dual meets against in-state opponents. The Chippewas' lone loss during that stretch was a 21-12 defeat against Michigan last season. CMU has won 21 straight duals over Eastern Michigan, 10 straight over Michigan State and had won three straight against Michigan prior to last season's loss.

Bennett Nears Victory No. 20: Junior 184-pounder Ben Bennett enters the weekend 19-2 overall, including 16 bonus-point victories: three major decisions, six technical falls, six falls and one forfeit.

Three Chippewas 3-0 in the MAC: Three Chippewas remain unbeaten in MAC duals this season. Sophomore Joe Roth (125 pounds), freshman Mike Ottinger (165) and junior Ben Bennett (184) each are 3-0 in conference duals entering Friday's match against Northern Illinois.

CMU Reaches 10 Wins Again: The Chippewas enter the weekend 11-2 overall. This is the 17th time in Tom Borrelli's 21 seasons as head coach that CMU has won at least 10 dual meets in a season. The school record for dual victories in a season is 17, set in 2007 and matched in both 2009 and 2010.

Coming Up: CMU returns to McGuirk Arena next Friday, Jan. 27, hosting Lehigh in a nonconference dual meet at 7:30 p.m.

No. 19 CMU Wins Sixth Straight, 21-12 at Eastern Michigan

YPSILANTI, Mich. - No. 19 Central Michigan controlled the middle weights on its way to its sixth straight victory, 21-12 at Eastern Michigan Friday night.

The Chippewas improved to 11-2 overall, 3-0 in the Mid-American Conference with their 21st straight dual meet victory over EMU. The host Eagles fell to 7-4 overall, 1-1 in the MAC.

The victory also was CMU's 69th in its last 72 MAC duals and the Chippewas' 15th in their last 16 duals against in-state opponents.

Eastern Michigan led Friday's matchup, 6-3, before the Chippewas reeled off three straight wins at 149, 157 and 165 pounds. True freshman Joey Kielbasa tallied a bonus point with an 11-3 decision at 149 pounds that put CMU in front for good. Junior Donnie Corby and freshman Mike Ottinger followed with decisions at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively, that extended CMU's lead to 13-6.

The Eagles drew within 13-9 when Phillip Joseph claimed a 7-6 decision over Craig Kelliher at 174 pounds, but Ben Bennett secured the victory for CMU with a 15-0 first-period technical fall at 184 pounds.

Bennett improved to 19-2 overall on the season with the victory. Sixteen of his 19 victories have accounted for bonus points: three major decisions, six technical falls, six falls and one forfeit.

Eastern Michigan cut the Chippewas' lead to 18-12 with a decision at 197 pounds, but Peter Sturgeon locked up the victory for CMU with a 4-2 decision over Wes Schroeder at heavyweight. Sturgeon scored a takedown in the second sudden victory period to earn his 21st victory of the season.

The dual's lone matchup between ranked competitors came in the night's opening bout at 125 pounds, when No. 17 Joe Roth (CMU) earned a 12-6 decision over No. 18 Jared Germaine. Roth improved to 25-6 with the victory, his second in as many matches against Germaine this season.

CMU is back in action next Friday at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts Northern Illinois in a MAC dual at McGuirk Arena.

No. 19 Central Michigan 21, Eastern Michigan 12
125: No. 17 Joe Roth (CMU) dec. No. 18 Jared Germaine, 12-6; CMU 3-0
133: Andrew Novak (EMU) dec. Zach Horan, 8-4; Tied 3-3
141: Corey Phillips (EMU) dec. Scott Mattingly, 7-4; EMU 6-3
149: Joey Kielbasa (CMU) maj. dec. Jaylyn Bohl, 11-3; CMU 7-6
157: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Aaron Sulzer, 3-2; CMU 10-6
165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Lester France, 10-3; CMU 13-6
174: Phillip Joseph (EMU) dec. Craig Kelliher, 7-6; CMU 13-9
184: No. 5 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Michael Curby, 15-0 at 3:00; CMU 18-9
197: Nick Whitenburg (EMU) dec. Chad Friend, 4-1; CMU 18-12
285: No. 14 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. Wes Schroeder, 4-2 SV2; CMU 21-12

No. 19 Central Michigan 21, Eastern Michigan 12

Full recap to follow.

Central Michigan- No. 19 Chippewas Set to Visit Eastern Michigan

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan's wrestling team looks to extend its five-match winning streak Friday night when it visits Eastern Michigan for a Mid-American Conference dual meet.

Friday's dual begins at 7 p.m. in EMU's Convocation Center.

The Chippewas closed the 2011 calendar year by winning five straight duals, including MAC matches against Ohio and Buffalo and a sweep of Sacred Heart, Princeton and Bucknell at the Bison Duals on Dec. 17. CMU is 10-2 overall, including 2-0 in the MAC.

Eastern Michigan is 7-3 overall, 1-0 in the MAC. The Eagles split four matches at the Pitt Duals last week.

"I expect us to compete really hard Friday night," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "I feel like some of our guys are just starting to come around, so I'm excited to see how they respond after training this past week."

The Matchups: A top-20 matchup at 125 pounds will highlight Friday's dual (CMU wrestlers listed first):

125: No. 17 Joe Roth (So., 24-6) vs. No. 18 Jared Germaine (So., 17-4)
133: Zach Horan (Fr., 11-5) or Tyler Keselring (R-Fr., 9-8) vs. Andrew Novak (Sr., 12-6)
141: Scott Mattingly (So., 9-11) vs. Corey Phillips (Sr., 10-8)
149: Joey Kielbasa (Fr., 16-9) or Jared Porter (R-Fr., 2-2) vs. Jaylyn Bohl (R-Fr., 10-8)
157: Donnie Corby (Jr., 6-4) vs. Aaron Sulzer (Jr., 14-4)
165: Mike Ottinger (Fr., 12-6) vs. Lester France (Sr., 11-6)
174: Anthony Bill (R-Fr., 4-9) or Craig Kelliher (So., 3-2) vs. Phillip Joseph (So., 12-7)
184: No. 5 Ben Bennett (Jr., 18-2) vs. Mike Curby (R-Fr., 6-10) or Khodor Hoballah (So., 5-5)
197: Chad Friend (Sr., 9-12) vs. Nick Whitenburg (So., 7-6)
285: No. 14 Peter Sturgeon (Sr., 20-6) vs. Wes Schroeder (Sr., 9-9)

The Series: CMU is 53-9-1 all-time against Eastern Michigan and has won 20 straight meetings, including a 29-3 victory at McGuirk Arena last season. The Chippewas have more wins over Eastern Michigan than any other opponent in program history. Eastern Michigan's last win in the series was a 17-16 decision in 1991.

In the Rankings: CMU enters Friday's dual ranked No. 19 nationally in the NWCA/USA Today coaches' poll. Eastern Michigan is not ranked.

Three Chippewas are ranked in Intermat's individual weight class rankings: Joe Roth (No. 17, 125 pounds), Ben Bennett (No. 5, 184 pounds) and Peter Sturgeon (No. 14, heavyweight). Jared Germaine (No. 18, 125 pounds) is the lone ranked Eastern Michigan wrestler.

CMU vs. the MAC: The Chippewas have won 68 of their last 71 conference duals dating back to the 1998-99 season. CMU has won at least a share of 12 of the last 13 MAC titles and claimed 10 straight conference tournament championships.

CMU vs. the State of Michigan: CMU has won 14 of its last 15 dual meets against in-state opponents. The Chippewas' lone loss during that stretch was a 21-12 defeat against Michigan last season. CMU has won 20 straight duals over Eastern Michigan, 10 straight over Michigan State and had won three straight against Michigan prior to last season's loss.

Coming Up: CMU returns home next week, hosting Northern Illinois in a MAC dual on Friday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Central Michigan- Day One Complete at Midlands Championships

EVANSTON, Ill. - Central Michigan junior 184-pounder Ben Bennett has advanced to the semifinals at the 49th Midlands Championships.

Bennett is one of four Chippewas still in the bracket following the first day of competition at Midlands. CMU is 10th in the 43-team field with 32.5 points.

A two-time Midlands runner-up at 174 pounds, Bennett has blazed his way through the first three rounds of the 184-pound bracket in 2011. The No. 3-seed Bennett has posted technical falls against each of his first three opponents, defeating the trio by a combined score of 50-1.

Bennett will face his toughest test thus far in the tournament in the semifinals when he faces No. 2 seed Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa). Loder scored a fall and two major decisions in his three victories on Thursday.

Joe Roth, the No. 6 seed at 125 pounds, and Peter Sturgeon, the No. 2 seed at heavyweight, both advanced to the quarterfinals before falling into the consolation bracket.

Roth posted a pair of major decisions, out-scoring his first two opponents 28-7, to advance to the quarters where he was defeated by No. 3 seed Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma), 5-1. Sturgeon claimed a pair of wins by decision before being upset by the No. 10 seed, Northwestern's Mike McMullan, in overtime in the semis.

Freshman Mike Ottinger (165 pounds) also remains in contention in the consolation bracket. Ottinger, Roth and Sturgeon each must win his first match on Friday to secure a top-eight finish in his weight class.

Friday's first session of competition begins at noon Central Time.

Team Standings Top 10
1. Iowa - 79.5
2. Northwestern - 71
3. Oklahoma - 69
4. Edinboro - 56
5. Illinois - 47.5
6. Lehigh - 47
t-7. Iowa State - 43.5
t-7. Virginia Tech - 43.5
9. Rutgers - 33.5
10. Central Michigan - 32.5

2011 Midlands Complete Results

125 Pounds: No. 6 Joe Roth
First Round: W, maj. dec. Thomas Williams (American), 10-1
Second Round: W, maj. dec. No. 10 Tyler Iwamura (Bakersfield), 18-6
Quarterfinals: L, dec. No. 3 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma), 5-1
Consolation Fifth Round: Aaron Pickrel (South Dakota State)

133 Pounds: No. 12 Zach Horan*
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, dec. Joe Colon (Northern Iowa), 13-8
Consolation Third Round: W, maj. dec. Jake Tanenbaum (Cal Poly), 15-5
Consolation Fourth Round: L, dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 3-2

133 Pounds: Tyler Keselring
First Round: L, dec. Ryan Fillingame (Adams State), 10-6
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. Christian Cullinan (Central Michigan), 9-4
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Ryan Jauch (Northern Iowa), 8-2
Consolation Fourth Round: L, No. 5 Bryan Ortenzio (Penn), 6-4

133 Pounds: Christian Cullinan
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 4-3
Consolation Second Round: L, dec. Tyler Keselring (Central Michigan), 9-4

141 Pounds: Scott Mattingly
First Round: L, dec. Kevin Fanta (Northern Illinois), 8-2
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. Lou Mascola (Maryland), 6-2
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Andrew Zobac (North Central), 5-0
Consolation Fourth Round: L, dec. No. 4 Steve Dutton (Lehigh), 10-4

149 Pounds: Joey Kielbasa
First Round: L, tech. fall Jake Patacsil (Notre Dame Wrestling Club), 15-0 at 4:13
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. Chase Gordon (Oklahoma), 3-1
Consolation Third Round: W, maj. dec. Aaron Heidersheid (UW-Parkside), 11-2
Consolation Fourth Round: W, medical forfeit, No. 11 Zac Cibula (Rider)
Consolation Fifth Round: L, dec. No. 9 Kaleb Friedley (Northwestern), 6-2

157 Pounds: No. 7 Donnie Corby
First Round: W, dec. Troy Hernandez (Penn), 6-1
Second Round: W, dec. Napoleon Aniciete (Utah Valley), 5-3
Third Round: L, dec. No. 10 John Greisheimer (unattached), 13-7
Consolation Fourth Round: L, dec. Tommy Churchard (Purdue), 8-7

165 Pounds: Mike Ottinger
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, dec. No. 2 Scott Winston (Rutgers), 11-6
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Adam Fierro (Bakersfield), 3-2
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. No. 7 Luke Manuel (DCAC), 5-3
Consolation Fifth Round: No. 5 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion)

165 Pounds: Zack Cline*
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, fall No. 1 Steve Fittery (DCAC) at 0:37
Consolation Third Round: W, maj. dec. Lenny Kuspa (Triton), 13-5
Consolation Fourth Round: L, dec. No. 9 Ben Jordan (Wisconsin), 4-0

174 Pounds: Anthony Bill*
First Round: W, maj. dec. Rich Tado (unattached), 12-2
Second Round: W, forfeit No. 10 Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State)
Third Round: L, maj. dec. No. 7 John-Martin Cannon (unattached), 18-7
Consolation Fourth Round: L, fall Brandon Lintner (Rider) at 2:47

184 Pounds: No. 3 Ben Bennett
First Round: W, tech. fall Arber Bebo (Northern Illinois), 17-0 at 6:02
Second Round: W, tech. fall Clint Morrison (Rider), 18-1 at 4:12
Quarterfinals: W, tech. fall Erich Smith (Penn), 15-0 at 7:00
Semifinals: No. 2 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa)

197 Pounds: Chad Friend
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, dec. Joe McMullan (Bucknell), 6-5
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Josh Wood (SIU-Edwardsville), 9-7
Consolation Fourth Round: L, maj. dec. Keldrick Hall (Oklahoma), 12-3

285 Pounds: No. 2 Peter Sturgeon
First Round: Bye
Second Round: W, dec. James Malacek (UW-Parkside), 5-3
Third Round: W, dec. Kelan Bragg (Cal Poly), 6-3
Quarterfinals: L, dec. No. 10 Mike McMullan (Northwestern), 8-6 SV1
Consolation Fifth Round: Matt Gibson (Iowa State)

*Zach Horan, Zack Cline and Anthony Bill do not count toward the Chippewas' team score.

Bison Duals on Tap for No. 19 Central Michigan

MOUNT PLEASANT - No. 19 Central Michigan will travel to Lewisburg, Pa., this weekend to take part in the annual Bison Duals, hosted by Bucknell University.

The Chippewas (7-2, 2-0 MAC) are coming off back-to-back dual victories over Ohio, 17-15, and Buffalo, 30-6, and will take on host Bucknell, Princeton and Sacred Heart University Saturday.

"We want to keep moving forward and improving on the things we have been emphasizing," head coach Tom Borrelli said. "We need as many matches as we can get. We have a young team and need opportunities to compete."

The Maroon and Gold are a perfect 3-0 all-time versus Saturday's opponents, having defeated the Bison (0-5), 25-6, at the Northeast Duals in 2008 and taking a pair of duals over Princeton in 2002 and 2003. The Chippewas shutout the Tigers (1-4), 46-0, in their last meeting and have outscored Princeton 80-7 in their two victories.

CMU will be wrestling against the Pioneers (0-7) for the first time in program history.

Follow the Action: Fans can follow this weekend's Bison Duals through live stats, provided by trackwrestling.com, and through CMU's official wrestling Facebook page, Facebook.com/CMUWrestling.

Bison Duals Schedule: Each team will wrestle three duals Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. Each proceeding dual will begin approximately 10 minutes following the conclusion of the last.

Round 1: No. 19 Central Michigan vs. Sacred Heart / Bucknell vs. Princeton
Round 2: No. 19 Central Michigan vs. Princeton / Bucknell vs. Sacred Heart
Round 3: No. 19 Central Michigan vs. Bucknell / Princeton vs. Sacred Heart

In The Rankings: Central Michigan dropped one spot and is ranked No. 19 in this week's NWCA/USA Today poll. Bucknell, Princeton and Sacred Heart are unranked.

The NWCA poll is voted on by a nationwide pool of head coaches and bases on perceived dual meet strength, while the InterMat team rankings are based on individual weight class rankings. Individuals ranked in the top 20 nationally of their respective weight classes by InterMat:

No. 19 Central Michigan Princeton
125: No. 18 Joe Roth No. 20 Garrett Frey
184: No. 8 Ben Bennett
285: No. 6 Peter Sturgeon

Borrelli Nears 300: Head Coach Tom Borrelli is just one win shy of 300 for his career. The 21st-year head coach has compiled 253 victories during his tenure at CMU after earning 46 victories as the head coach of Lake Superior State.

MAC December Rankings: The Mid-American Conference released its annual monthly rankings Thursday, with two Chippewas ranked No. 1 in their respective weight class and an additional three grapplers ranked No. 2 in their weight classes. True freshman 165-pounder Mike Ottinger and junior 184-pounder Ben Bennett ranked No. 1 according to MAC coaches, while 133-pounder Christian Cullinan, 157-pounder Donnie Corby and heavyweight Peter Sturgeon are each ranked second.

To Be The Best, You Must Beat the Best: True freshman Mike Ottinger proved that he is a force to be reckoned with in the MAC last Saturday, defeating 2010 MAC Champion Mark Lewandowski of Buffalo. Lewandowski was ranked No. 20 in the nation at the time and Ottinger used apair of third-period takedowns to earn arguably his best win of the season. The freshman is 10-3 overall on the season and has won three-straight matches.

Roth in the Rankings: Sophomore 125-pounder Joe Roth is now 17-3 overall and ranked No. 18 nationally at 125 pounds. Roth has won back-to-back dual matches entering this weekend after falling to the nation's top 125- pounder, Zach Sanders of Minnesota, and has now won 14 of his last 16 matches overall.

Looking Ahead: Following this weekend's Bison Duals, the Chippewas will return to action after the holidays at the Midland Championships in Evanston, Ill, on Dec. 29-30. CMU returns to MAC competition Jan. 13 at Eastern Michigan and returns home Jan. 20 versusNorthern Illinois.

No. 18 Chippewas Dominate Buffalo, 30-6

BUFFALO, N.Y.- No. 18 Central Michigan earned wins at eight of the 10 weight classes Saturday, earning a 30-6 dual victory over Buffalo.

The Chippewas (7-2, 2-0 MAC) claimed the final six matches of the dual, getting a kick-start from two freshmen at 157 and 165 pounds.

After the Chippewas and Bulls (0-6, 0-1 MAC) split the first four matches, redshirt-freshman Jared Porter earned his first collegiate victory at 157 pounds by decision over Dominic Montesanti, 3-2. Despite leading, 2-1, in the third period, Porter had allowed Montesanti to accumulate enough riding time for a bonus point, but was able to come up with an escape with just two seconds remaining to claim the 3-2 decision.

True freshman Mike Ottinger continued to prove that he is a force to be reckoned with in the Mid-American Conference at 165 pounds. The Schnecksville, Pa., native claimed a decision, 6-3, over No. 20 Mark Lewandowski, the MAC's highest ranked 165-pounder, pushing the Chippewas' lead to six, 12-6.

Craig Kelliher, wrestling at 174 pounds for the first time this season, earned a pin victory over Patrick Bradley to give the Chippewas six bonus points, and No. 8 Ben Bennett earned a win by forfeit at 184 pounds for another six bonus points for CMU, extending their lead again to 21, 24-6.

Seniors Chad Friend and No. 6 Peter Sturgeon closed the dual with decisions at 197 and 285 pounds, 8-3 and 3-1.

The Chippewas return to action next Saturday when they travel to Lewisburg, Pa., for the Bucknell Duals where they will square off versus Bucknell and Princeton.

No. 18 Central Michigan 30, Buffalo 6
125: Joe Roth (CMU) dec. Max Soria, 12-5; CMU 3, UB 0
133: Tyler Keselring (CMU) dec. Justin Farmer, 4-2; CMU 6, UB 0
141: Kevin Smith (UB) dec. Scott Mattingly, 7-4; CMU 6, UB 3
149: Chris Conti (UB) dec. Malcolm Martin, 6-1; Tied, 6-6
157: Jared Porter (CMU) dec. Dominic Montesanti, 3-2; CMU 9, UB 6
165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. No. 20 Mark Lewandowski, 6-3; CMU 12, UB 6
174: Craig Kelliher (CMU) pin Patrick Brady, 1:54; CMU 18, UB 6
184: No. 8 Ben Bennett (CMU) win by forfeit; CMU 24, UB 6
197: Chad Friend (CMU) dec. Justin Heiserman, 8-3; CMU 27, UB 6
285: No. 6 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. Tyler Peter, 3-1; CMU 30, UB 6

Central Michigan- Chippewas Travel East to take on Buffalo in MAC Dual

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan will continue Mid-American Conference competition Saturday at the University of Buffalo at 1 p.m.

The Chippewas (6-2, 1-0 MAC)) picked up a close 17-15 victory over Ohio to open the MAC season last Saturday, while the Bulls (0-5, 0-0 MAC) will be opening their conference schedule.

"We are a very young team and we have to be prepared for every opponent," head coach Tom Borrelli said. "We can't take anything for granted and have to earn everything we get. Buffalo has a good team coming back that was right in the MAC Tournament last year, so we certainly can't overlook anyone."

The Chippewas defeated the Bulls last season in Mount Pleasant, 19-14, thanks in large part to senior Chad Friend's debut at 197 pounds. Trailing by one, 14-13, CMU got a 7-3 decision from Friend over Josh Peters to push the Chippewas to victory.

Follow the Actions: Fans can follow this weekend's dual on BuffaloBulls.com. The dual will be streamed live through the Buffalo Portal and live match updates will be provided on Facebook.com/CMUWrestling. Live match scoring also will be available through trackwrestling.com.

CMU vs. Buffalo: The Chippewas are a perfect 16-0 versus Buffalo, including a 35-3 victory in Buffalo on Feb. 14, 2010, when CMU was ranked No. 6 in the country. Buffalo is the only team in the MAC CMU has never dropped a dual to.

In The Rankings: Central Michigan moved up one spot and is ranked No. 18 in this week's NWCA/USA Today poll. Buffalo is unranked.

Central Michigan Buffalo
125: No. 19 Joe Roth 165: No. 20 Mark Lewandowski
184: No. 8 Ben Bennett
285: No. 6 Peter Sturgeon

CMU vs. the MAC: The Chippewas have won 67 of their last 70 conference duals dating back to the 1998-99 season. CMU has won at least a share of 12 of the last 13 MAC titles and 10 straight conference tournament championships.

Borrelli Nears 300: Head Coach Tom Borrelli is just two wins shy of 300 for his career. The 21st year head coach has compiled 252 victories during his tenure at CMU after earning 46 victories as the head coach of Lake Superior State.

A Pair of Upsets: Despite a 24-9 loss to No. 4 Minnesota last Friday, a pair of CMU grapplers earned upsets at 184 and 285 pounds. Then No. 9 ranked Ben Bennett defeated Minnesota's then No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus by decision, 2-1, and No. 9 ranked Peter Sturgeon defeated No. 2 Tony Nelson by decision, 6-4. The victories allowed both Bennett and Sturgeon tomove up in this week's InterMat rankings, jumping Steinhaus and Nelson.

Roth in the Rankings: Sophomore 125-pounder Joe Roth is now 16-3 overall and ranked No. 18 nationally at 125 pounds. Roth had won six-straight matches prior to falling to Minnesota's No. 2 ranked Zach Sanders last Friday. Roth bounced back in Saturday's dual versus Ohio, claiming a 9-2 decision over Gabe Ramos and has now won 13 of his last 15 matches.

Looking Ahead: Following this weekend's dual versus the Bulls, the Chippewas will travel to Lewisburg, Pa., for the Bucknell Duals on Dec. 17 and Evanston, Ill., for the Midland Duals on Dec. 29-30. CMU returns to MAC competition Jan. 13 at Eastern Michigan.

Central Michigan-No. 19 Chippewas Edge Ohio, 17-15

MOUNT PLEASANT - Ben Bennett earned a key technical fall at 184 pounds to push Central Michigan to a 17-15 win over Ohio in its opening Mid-American Conference dual of the season Saturday night.

The two-time All-American earned the important technical fall over Ryan Garringer to erase the Chippewas' (6-2, 1-0) 12-9 deficit and put them on top, 14-12.

Bennett jumped out in front, 4-1, in the first period with two takedowns, accumulating over a minute of riding time. With two more takedowns and an escape in the second period, the junior continued to dominate his opponent, eventually getting athree-point nearfall in the third period. Two stalling calls and Bennett's riding time point gave the Chippewas' the five bonus points to take control of the match.

"I was going out there to try to score points," Bennett said. "I knew it was important to pick up bonus points and I was going to need to do that because it was pretty tight. I knew I was going to take a lot of takedowns and after getting my riding time up, I just wanted to get on my feet and get as many points as Icould."

Senior Chad Friend followed Bennett's lead, earning a decision, 4-1, over Kyle Sanders to extend the Chippewas' lead to five, 17-12, to secure the win. Friend earned a takedown in the first period and an escape in the second, while accumulating 2:03 of riding time for the victory.

The Chippewas opened the match with a quick lead, 6-0, with wins by Joe Roth and Christian Culllinan at 125 and 133 pounds. Roth bounced back from his loss Friday night versus Minnesota with a decision, 9-2, over Gabe Ramos, while Cullinan used a second period takedown and riding town to defeat Jake Wojcik, 3-1.

Freshman Mike Ottinger also earned his first true dual victory of his career, defeating the Bobcats' (0-1, 0-1 MAC) Miles Chapman by decision, 11-6.

"Our team is fighting as hard as we can fight," head coach Tom Borelli said. "We have to do a lot of things better at a lot of positions, but our guys are battling pretty hard. There were a few guys that wrestled better today than they wrestled yesterday."

The Maroon and Gold continue MAC competition next Saturday when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Bulls at 1 p.m.

No. 19 Central Michigan 17, Ohio 15

Joe Roth (CMU) dec. Gabe Ramos, 9-2 (3:27 riding time); CMU 3-0
Christian Cullinan (CMU) dec. Jake Wojcik, 3-1 (2:16 riding time); CMU 6-0
Darrin Boin (Ohio) dec. Scott Mattingly, 4-3; CMU 6-3
Brad Squire (Ohio) dec. Joey Kielbasa, 4-0 (2:13 riding time); CMU 6, Ohio 6
Harrison Hightower (Ohio) dec. Jared Porter, 5-2 (3:02 riding time); Ohio 9-6
Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Miles Chapman, 11-6 (1:20 riding time); CMU 9, Ohio 9
No. 15 Nick Purdue (Ohio) dec. Anthony Bill, 3-0; Ohio 12-9
No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Ryan Garringer, 23-7; CMU 14-12
Chad Friend (CMU) dec. Kyle Sanders, 4-1 (2:03 riding time); CMU 17-12
No. 12 Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) dec. No. 9 Peter Sturgeon, 5-0 (3:43 riding time); CMU 17-15

Central Michigan-No. 4 Minnesota Takes Down Chippewas, 24-9

MOUNT PLEASANT - The No. 4 ranked Minnesota wrestling program proved too much for Central Michigan Friday night, earning a 24-9 victory in the first dual inside McGuirk Arena of the season.

Despite the loss, the Chippewas (5-2) were able to get upset victories at two weight classes as No. 9 Ben Bennett defeated the Gophers' (3-1) No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus by a 2-1 decision and No. 9 Peter Stugeon defeated No. 2 Tony Nelson by decision, 6-4.

Bennett was able to get an escape to start the second period and accumulated 1:51 riding time to secure the 2-1 decision. Sturgeon earned two takedowns in the second period, including one with just nine seconds remaining to grab a 4-3 lead heading into the final period. He sealed the victory with his third takedown of the match with 1:16 remaining.

"Peter has been very, very good for our team," head coach Tom Borelli said. "He trains real hard and wants to do everything everyone else does. He's definitely one of the guys on our team that our guys are excited about."

"I was very impressed with Ben's win," Borrelli continued. "Steinhaus is very quality competition. Ben has had some tough losses and to bounce back from that and wrestle a very, very solid match was impressive."

The Gophers jumped out to a 20-0 lead by winning the first six matches of the contest, including a technical fall victory by No. 2 Zach Sanders over Joe Roth, 25-9, at 125 to open the meet. During the stretch, No. 6 David Thorn squeaked out a 5-4 decision by taking down Christian Cullinan with less than twenty seconds remaining at 133 and No. 8 Cody Yohn earned a 2-1 decision over freshman Mike Ottinger at 165 by accumulating 1:03 of riding time.

Redshirt-freshman Anthony Bill gave the Chippewas their first victory of the dual at 174 pounds, 10-4 over Steven Avalos, earning takedowns in all three periods, including two in the third.

The Maroon and Gold are back in action tomorrow night inside McGuirk Arena when they open their Mid-American Conference season versus Ohio. The Bobcats used a pair of defensive falls to upset the Chippewas, 21-17 in Athens last season. The dual is set to start at 7 p.m.

No. 4 Minnesota 24, No. 19 Central Michigan 9

125: No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minn) tech. fall Joe Roth, 25-9; Minnesota 5-0
133: No. 6 David Thorn (Minn) dec. Christian Cullinan, 5-4; Minnesota 8-0
141: No. 13 Nick Dardanes (Minn) dec. Scott Mattingly, 8-5; Minnesota 11-0
149: No. 13 Dylan Ness (Minn) dec. Joey Kielbasa, 8-1; Minnesota 14-0
157: Alec Ortiz (Minn) dec. Jared Porter, 5-2; Minnesota 17-0
165: No. 8 Cody Yohn (Minn) dec. Mike Ottingers, 2-1; Minnesota 20-0
174: Anthony Bill (CMU) dec. Steven Avalos, 10-4; Minnesota 20-3
184: No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus, 2-1; Minnesota 20-6
197: No. 3 Sonny Yohn (Minn) maj. dec. Chad Friend, 21-7; Minnesota 24-6
285: No. 9 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. No. 2 Tony Nelson, 6-4; Minnesota 24-9

Central Michigan-Chippewas Host No. 4 Minnesota, Ohio This Weekend

MOUNT PLEASANT - The Central Michigan wrestling program returns to McGuirk Arena this weekend, hosting back-to-back dual meets to open the home schedule.

The weekend begins with a top-20 matchup when No. 4 Minnesota travels to Mount Pleasant to face the No. 19 Chippewas Friday at 7:30 p.m. CMU welcomes Ohio to McGuirk Arena Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.

"We're really excited about the opportunity to compete at home this weekend," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "Our home crowd has always been good to us. This is our first match in front of them this season, and we're really excited for that."

Minnesota will be the first top-five ranked team to visit Mount Pleasant since Nebraska in 2009. All 10 probable starters for the Golden Gophers are ranked in the top 20 nationally in their respective weight class.

Ohio handed the Chippewas their only Mid-American Conference loss a year ago, a 21-17 decision in Athens. CMU, Ohio and Kent State ended the 2010-11 season in a three-way tie atop the MAC standings.

Follow the Action: Fans can follow both of this weekend's duals on CMUChippewas.com. Both duals will be streamed live through the CMU Sports Zone on CMUChippewas.com, and live match updates will be provided on Facebook.com/CMUWrestling and on Twitter @CMUWrestling. Live match scoring also will be available through trackwrestling.com.

Twitter Reminder: You've already found the social media home for CMU Athletics at cmuchippewas.com/socialmedia, but you can now receive specific game updates during home CMU events by including event-specific hashtags in all tweets related to the event. Include the hashtag #CMUMINN to join the conversation between fans, media and CMU Athletics during Friday's dual, and #CMUOHIO for Saturday's dual.

iPad2 Giveaway: All fans in attendance at Friday's dual meet against Minnesota will be eligible to win an iPad2 courtesy of CMU Athletics. Fans will receive a raffle ticket as they enter McGuirk Arena, and CMU head coach Tom Borrelli will draw the winning ticket in a video posted on Facebook.com/CMUWrestling on Monday.

Pre-Match Tailgate at O'Kelly's: The CMU wrestling program is hosting a pre-match tailgate on Friday at O'Kelly's in Mount Pleasant. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Food and drink specials will be offered to those in attendance.

CMU vs. Minnesota: CMU is seeking their first win over the Golden Gophers, who lead the all-time series 11-0. Last season, victories at 184 and 197 pounds carried Minnesota to a 21-17 come-from-behind win over CMU at the Northern Quad. Friday's dual marks Minnesota's first trip to Mount Pleasant.

CMU vs. Ohio: The Chippewas lead the all-time series over Ohio, 22-17. CMU had won 12 straight in the series until the Bobcats used a pair of defensive falls to upset the Chippewas, 21-17, in Athens last season. The Chippewas shut out Ohio, 40-0, in the teams' last meeting in Mount Pleasant two years ago.

In the Rankings: Central Michigan is ranked No. 19 in this week's NWCA/USA Today poll. Minnesota is ranked No. 4 in the NWCA/USA Today poll and No. 3 in the InterMat tournament strength rankings. Ohio is not ranked in either poll.

The NWCA poll is voted on by a nationwide pool of head coaches and based on perceived dual meet strength, while the InterMat team rankings are based on individual weight class rankings. Four Chippewas are ranked in the top 20 nationally by InterMat: Joe Roth (No. 19, 125), Donnie Corby (No. 19, 157), Ben Bennett (No. 9, 184) and Peter Sturgeon (No. 9, 285). All 10 of Minnesota's projected starters are nationally ranked, while Ohio features two individuals ranked in the top 20 of their weight class.

CMU vs. the Top 5 in Mount Pleasant: CMU is 1-2-2 at home against top-five opponents since the start of the 2005-06 season:

Dec. 11, 2005: No. 2 Michigan, L, 22-14
Dec. 9, 2006: No. 2 Missouri, L, 31-9
Jan. 7, 2007: No. 3 Hofstra, T, 18-18
Jan. 20, 2008: No. 4 Michigan, W, 21-13
Jan. 25, 2009: No. 4 Nebraska, T, 17-17

CMU vs. the MAC: The Chippewas have won 66 of their last 69 conference duals dating back to the 1998-99 season. CMU has won at least a share of 12 of the last 13 MAC titles and 10 straight conference tournament championships.

Roth Enters the Rankings: Sophomore 125-pounder Joe Roth is now 15-2 overall and ranked No. 19 nationally at 125 pounds. Roth has won six straight matches and 12 of his last 13. He was the only Chippewa to post a perfect 4-0 mark at Northeast Duals last weekend.

Coming Up: CMU travels to Buffalo next Saturday, Dec. 10, for a Mid-American Conference dual match against the Bulls.

Central Michigan Chippewas Claim Three Wins at Northeast Duals

TROY, N.Y. - Central Michigan won three matches, including a pair over top-20 opponents, at the Northeast Duals on Saturday.

The Chippewas defeated Northern Iowa, 31-6, No. 14 American, 21-20, and No. 16 Rutgers, 16-15, before closing the day with a 23-15 loss to No. 12 Maryland. CMU improved to 5-1 overall this season in dual meets.

"I was excited about how hard our guys competed to get those one-point wins against a couple of ranked opponents," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "Against Maryland, we just got tired. We were one of just a couple teams that had to wrestle all of our matches back-to-back today without a break, and I think that caught up with us at the end of the day."

Sophomore Joe Roth got the Chippewas off to a 3-0 lead on the scoreboard in all four duals, posting decisions in each of his four 125-pound bouts. He improved to 15-2 overall this season, including 6-0 in dual meets.

"I was really impressed with his performance," Borrelli said. "He wrestled well on top today, and we've really been focusing on that with him the last couple of weeks."

Christian Cullinan was 3-0 at 133 pounds with two decisions and a technical fall, while heavyweight Peter Sturgeon won three of his four bouts. Among Sturgeon's three wins was a 2-1 decision over Maryland's No. 6-ranked Spencer Myers; his lone loss came to American's No. 2-ranked Ryan Flores, the defending national runner-up.

Eleven different Chippewas won at least one match during Saturday's four duals. Against both American and Rutgers, No. 9-ranked Ben Bennett scored bonus-point victories at 184 pounds to give the Chippewas the lead in eventual come-from-behind victories.

The Chippewas open the home schedule next weekend with a pair of dual meets. CMU hosts No. 4 Minnesota on Friday at 7:30 p.m., then welcomes Ohio to McGuirk Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.

No. 21 Central Michigan 31, Northern Iowa 6

125: Joe Roth (CMU) dec. Cruse Aarhus, 6-2; CMU 3-0
133: Ryan Jauch (UNI) dec. Tyler Keselring, 6-2; Tied 3-3
141: Scott Mattingly (CMU) maj. dec. Seth Noble, 10-1; CMU 7-3
149: Joey Kielbasa (CMU) dec. Clay Welter, 7-1; CMU 10-3
157: No. 20 Donnie Corby (CMU) pin No. 19 David Bonin; CMU 16-3
165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Riley Banach, 5-4; CMU 19-3
174: Ryan Quinn (CMU), win by forfeit; CMU 25-3
184: No. 7 Ryan Loder (UNI) dec. No. 9 Ben Bennett, 3-1; CMU 25-6
197: Chad Friend (CMU) dec. Taylor Kettman, 3-1; CMU 28-6
285: No. 16 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. Blayne Beale, 10-3; CMU 31-6

No. 21 Central Michigan 21, No. 14 American 20

125: Joe Roth (CMU) dec. Thomas Williams, 5-2; CMU 3-0
133: Christian Cullinan (CMU) tech. fall Chris Brienza, 16-0; CMU 8-0
141: No. 9 Matt Mariacher (AU) maj. dec. Scott Mattingly, 13-3; CMU 8-4
149: Kevin Tao (AU) maj. dec. Malcolm Martin, 13-5; Tied 8-8
157: No. 4 Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) dec. No. 20 Donnie Corby, 6-3; American 11-8
165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Mark Cirello, 12-6; Tied 11-11
174: Phillip Barreiro (AU) dec. Ryan Quinn, 3-2; American 14-11
184: No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) maj. dec. Thomas Barreiro, 21-7; CMU 15-14
197: Chad Friend (CMU), win by forfeit; CMU 21-14
285: No. 2 Ryan Flores (AU) pin No. 16 Peter Sturgeon; CMU 21-20

No. 21 Central Michigan 16, No. 16 Rutgers 15

125: Joe Roth (CMU) dec. Vincent Dellafave, 3-2; CMU 3-0
133: Christian Cullinan (CMU) dec. Michael DeMarco, 2-1; CMU 6-0
141: No. 15 Bill Ashnault (RU) dec. Scott Mattingly, 7-1; CMU 6-3
149: No. 4 Mario Mason (RU) dec. Joey Kielbasa, 10-4; Tied 6-6
157: No. 20 Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Anthony Volpe, 2-1; CMU 9-6
165: No. 6 Scott Winston (RU) dec. Mike Ottinger, 6-1; Tied 9-9
174: No. 16 Greg Zannetti (RU) dec. Anthony Bill, 6-1; Rutgers 12-9
184: No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) maj. dec. David Seidenberg, 8-0; CMU 13-12
197: Daniel Seidenberg (RU) dec. Chad Friend, 8-3; Rutgers 15-13
285: No. 16 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. Daniel Hopkins, 6-3; CMU 16-15

No. 12 Maryland 23, No. 21 Central Michigan 15

125: Joe Roth (CMU) dec. Shane Gentry, 4-2; CMU 3-0
133: Christian Cullinan (CMU) dec. Geoffrey Alexander, 3-2; CMU 6-0
141: Frank Goodwin (UM) maj. dec. Scott Mattingly, 11-0; CMU 6-4
149: Ben Dorsay (UM) dec. Joey Kielbasa, 5-2; Maryland 7-6
157: No. 16 Kyle John (UM) tech. fall Malcolm Martin, 16-0; Maryland 12-6
165: No. 2 Josh Asper (UM) maj. dec. Zack Cline, 14-4; Maryland 16-6
174: No. 17 Jimmy Sheptock (UM) dec. Anthony Bill, 9-2; Maryland 19-6
184: Craig Kelliher (CMU) pin Josh Snook; Maryland 19-12
197: No. 20 Christian Boley (UM) maj. dec. Chad Friend, 12-4; Maryland 23-12
285: No. 16 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. No. 6 Spencer Myers, 2-1; Maryland 23-15

Central Michigan- Chippewas Sweep No. 12 Stanford, UTC to Open Dual Season

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - No. 24 Central Michigan opened the dual meet season with a pair of victories Sunday, sweeping No. 12 Stanford, 22-13, and Chattanooga, 24-8.

Six Chippewas were double winners as CMU won seven bouts in both duals. Three freshmen-Joey Kielbasa (149), Mike Ottinger (165) and Anthony Bill (174)-posted their first career dual meet victories. Ottinger won both of his matches on Sunday.

"I thought we wrestled really solidly today," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We put ourselves in some pretty good positions and were able to win some pretty tight matches, especially against Chattanooga. For as young as we are, I thought it was a pretty good start today."

Sophomore Joe Roth set the tone in both duals, scoring two major decisions at 125 pounds. He defeated Stanford's Matt Sencenbaugh and Chattanooga's Daniel Gallagher by a combined score of 26-7.

Sophomore Scott Mattingly, ranked 20th nationally at 141 pounds by InterMat, scored a pair of narrow victories. He was a 3-2 winner over Stanford's Donovan Halpin, then out-scored Chattanooga's Shawn Greevy, 11-9, in his second bout of the day.

Also claiming two victories for the Chippewas were junior Donnie Corby (157), Ottinger (165), junior Ben Bennett (184) and senior Peter Sturgeon (285).

Bennett defeated his two opponents by a combined score of 20-0, including a 15-0 technical fall in just 4:12 against Chattanooga's Robert Prigmore. He has not allowed an offensive point in his last five dual meet matches dating back to last season.

Sturgeon won the only overtime match of the day, scoring a takedown in the second sudden victory period against Stanford's Dan Scherer.

Bennett and Borrelli are traveling to Arizona tonight in advance of tomorrow's NWCA All-Star Classic at Arizona State University. Bennett, a two-time All-American at 174 pounds, will face three-time 184-pound All-American Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) in the 184-pound bout tomorrow night. The all-star event begins at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will be streamed live through nwcaonline.com.

The Chippewas are back in action Saturday when they travel to New York for the Northeast Duals. CMU will compete against American, Maryland, Northern Iowa and Rutgers at the event.

No. 24 Central Michigan 22, No. 12 Stanford 13
125: Joe Roth (CMU) maj. dec. Matt Sencenbaugh (Stanford), 14-4; CMU 4-0
133: No. 6 Ryan Mango (Stanford) pin Tyler Keselring (CMU), 3:48; Stanford 6-4
141: No. 20 Scott Mattingly (CMU) dec. Donovan Halpin (Stanford), 3-2; CMU 7-6
149: Joey Kielbasa (CMU) dec. Timmy Boone (Stanford), 3-1; CMU 10-6
157: No. 20 Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Josh Lauderdale (Stanford), 11-4; CMU 13-6
165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Matt Schneider (Stanford), 6-4; CMU 16-6
174: No. 1 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) maj. dec. Anthony Bill (CMU), 10-2; CMU 16-10
184: No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Spence Patrick (Stanford), 5-0; CMU 19-10
197: Alen Yen (Stanford) dec. Chad Friend (CMU), 8-6; CMU 19-13
285: No. 15 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. Dan Scherer (Stanford), 4-2 SV2; CMU 22-13

No. 24 Central Michigan 24, Chattanooga 8
125: Joe Roth (CMU) maj. dec. Daniel Gallagher (UTC), 12-3; CMU 4-0
133: Nick Soto (UTC) dec. Christian Cullinan (CMU), 5-0; CMU 4-3
141: No. 20 Scott Mattingly (CMU) dec. Shawn Greevy (UTC), 11-9; CMU 7-3
149: Kelly Felix (UTC) dec. Joey Kielbasa (CMU), 4-2; CMU 6-5
157: No. 20 Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Daniel Waddell (UTC), 3-2; CMU 9-5
165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Brandon Wright (UTC), 3-2; CMU 12-5
174: Anthony Bill (CMU) dec. Levi Clemons (UTC), 6-5; CMU 15-5
184: No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Robert Prigmore (UTC), 15-0 at 4:12; CMU 20-5
197: Nikolas Brown (UTC) dec. Chad Friend (CMU), 5-3; CMU 20-8
285: No. 15 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) maj. dec. Kevin Malone (UTC), 10-2; CMU 24-8
*Both teams were penalized one team point following the 149-pound bout.

Central Michigan- Bennett to Compete in NWCA All-Star Classic

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan junior Ben Bennett (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) has been selected to compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic later this month.

Bennett, ranked ninth nationally at 184 pounds by InterMat, will face No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) in the event, set for Nov. 21 at Arizona State University.

Bennett is the second Chippewa in as many years to compete in the event and the fifth different CMU wrestler to appear at the meet overall. Heavyweight Jarod Trice represented CMU in last year's all-star meet.

A two-time All-American and Mid-American Conference champion at 174 pounds, Bennett is entering his first season competing at 184 pounds. He placed eighth as a sophomore at the 2011 NCAA Championships after a sixth-place finish as a redshirt freshman in 2010.

LeBlanc is a three-time All-American at 184 pounds, finishing fifth nationally in 2009, fourth in 2010 and sixth in 2011.

The all-star match will mark the first career meeting between Bennett and LeBlanc.

Visit the NWCA's official Web site for more on the 2011 NWCA All-Star Classic.

CMU at the NWCA All-Star Classic

1981: Nate Carr (Iowa State) maj. dec. Fred Boss (CMU), 17-7
1998: Steven Schmidt (Oklahoma State) dec. Casey Cunningham (CMU), 7-2
1999: Casey Cunningham (CMU) dec. Clint Musser (Penn State), 3-0
2005: Troy Letters (Lehigh) dec. David Bolyard (CMU), 3-2
2010: Ryan Flores (American) dec. Jarod Trice (CMU), 3-1
2011: Ben Bennett (CMU) vs. Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming)

CMU Announces 2011-12 Wrestling Schedule

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan head wrestling coach Tom Borrelli has announced his program's schedule for the 2011-12 season, a slate that includes at least seven duals against teams that finished in the top 20 at the 2011 NCAA Championships and an appearance at the National Dual Meet Championships.

Highlighting the home schedule are nonconference matches against Minnesota (Dec. 2) and Lehigh (Jan. 27), who finished seventh and eighth, respectively, at last year's NCAA Championships. The Chippewas also will host Michigan State (Feb. 16) in nonconference action, along with Mid-American Conference duals against Ohio (Dec. 3) and Northern Illinois (Jan. 20).

CMU will be one of 24 teams to participate in the reformatted National Dual Meet Championships beginning Feb. 11. The Chippewas will compete against regional host Cornell, American, Illinois, Oklahoma and Purdue for the right to advance to the four-team national finals the following the weekend.

If CMU and Purdue do not advance to the championship round of the National Dual Meet Championships, the teams will wrestle a dual meet at Oregon Clay (Ohio) High School on Feb. 19. CMU will serve as the home team for that dual.

The MAC Championships, previously held over two days, will be condensed into a one-day event this season. Ohio University will host the conference tournament on Sunday, March 4.

The NCAA Championships will be March 15-17 in St. Louis.

CMU claimed a share of its 12th Mid-American Conference title in 13 seasons and won its 10th straight conference tournament championship in 2011. The Chippewas finished tied for 13th at the NCAA Championships, their fifth straight top-15 finish and seventh in the last eight seasons.

Central Michigan's Corby, Mattingly Named to Academic All-MAC Wrestling Team

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan sophomore Donnie Corby and redshirt freshman Scott Mattingly have been named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference wrestling team.

Corby is a member of the academic all-conference squad for the second straight season, while Mattingly earns the honor for the first time.

Both Corby (149 pounds) and Mattingly (141 pounds) finished runner-up at the Mid-American Conference Championships. Corby earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, which begin Thursday.

Corby is a biomedical sciences major with a 3.36 grade-point average, while Mattingly maintains a 3.46 GPA. He will declare a major at the end of the current academic year.

The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award. Outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments for the current season are only considered.

CMU won a share of its 12th MAC title in 13 seasons and its 10th consecutive conference tournament title in 2011. Four Chippewas-Corby, Scotti Sentes (133 pounds), Ben Bennett (174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (heavyweight)-will compete at the NCAA Championships this week.

Three Central Michigan Chippewas Secure All-America Honors

PHILADELPHIA - Central Michigan junior heavyweight Jarod Trice dropped a 4-0 decision to American's Ryan Flores in the semifinals at the NCAA Wrestling Championships Friday night, but he will be one of three Chippewas to take home All-America honors.

Junior 133-pounder Scotti Sentes and sophomore 174-pounder Ben Bennett won their first wrestleback matches of Friday's evening session to secure All-America honors. Trice, Sentes and Bennett all will be All-Americans for the second time in their careers.
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"We've consistently had multiple All-Americans for the last several years, so we're getting to the point where that is the expectation," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "Now, we need to get to the point where the expectation is to get multiple guys to the finals and really make a push for a team trophy. I'm proud of the way our guys competed this whole weekend, and I think we actually over-performed a little bit."
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Trice, seeded second at heavyweight, met No. 3 seed Ryan Flores (American) in the semifinals. Flores rode out Trice in the second period, then escaped off a restart to take a 1-0 lead in the third. With Flores having riding time locked up, Trice attempted a toss on the edge of the mat, but Flores countered for a two-point takedown that put the match away.

Trice can finish as high as third place and as low as sixth. He will have a rematch with Indiana's Ricardo Alcala in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning; Trice defeated Alcala, 3-2 in a tiebreaker, in the second round of the tournament.

By the time Friday's evening session was barely an hour old, Sentes and Bennett had posted dramatic victories to become CMU's second and third All-Americans of 2011.

"Both of those guys were really determined to be All-Americans," Borrelli said. "Ben's match was incredible. He got taken down on a five-point move, then scored the last eight points of the match. That was a fantastic performance that you don't see in Division I wrestling very often."

Sentes, the No. 11 seed at 133, earned his second career All-America honor with a second-period fall against Penn's Rollie Peterkin, the No. 10 seed. Sentes scored a quick takedown after a neutral start to the second period, then locked in a cradle and worked for the fall before the referee slapped the mat at the 4:08 mark.

Sentes returned to the mat later in the session to defeat No. 7 seed B.J. Futrell (Illinois), 4-0, and advance to the consolation semifinals. Sentes escaped and was awarded a penalty point in the second period, then scored the bout's lone takedown with 15 seconds remaining in the third.

Sentes, who will like Trice can finish as high as third or as low as sixth, will face No. 4 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning.

Bennett, the No. 6 seed, dug himself an early hole against Oklahoma State's Mike Benefiel, the No. 12 seed, in the consolation quarterfinals, surrendering three back points and falling behind 5-0 midway through the first period. He slowly worked his way back into the match, however, first escaping, then scoring a takedown in the closing seconds of the first period.

Bennett chose bottom to begin the second period, and a reversal knotted the score at 5-5. In the third, Bennett defended a shot by Benefiel and countered with his second takedown of the bout; he added riding time to complete the comeback and the 8-5 decision.

In the consolation quarterfinals, Bennett ran into No. 2 seed Ed Ruth (Penn State), who pinned Bennett in the opening minute.

Bennett will wrestle in the seventh-place match against No. 8 seed Mike Letts (Maryland) Saturday morning.

Through four sessions, CMU is 18th in the team standings with 32 points.

Saturday morning's All-America round begins at 11 a.m. ESPNU will televise the third-place, fifth-place and seventh-place matches live.

NCAA Championships Session IV Notes

- Jarod Trice, Scotti Sentes and Ben Bennett each are now two-time All-Americans. They are the 14th, 15th and 16th Chippewas to earn multiple All-America accolades.

- CMU has produced multiple All-Americans for eight consecutive seasons, and 2011 marks the fourth time in five years that at least three Chippewas have been All-Americans.

- Scotti Sentes is CMU's first Division I All-American at the 133-pound weight class. He was an All-American at 125 pounds in 2009.

- CMU has had a 174-pound All-American for five straight seasons.

- Sentes pinned Penn's Rollie Peterkin Friday night to earn All-America honors. Sentes also defeated Peterkin in a match to determine All-America status in 2009; Sentes won that 125-pound bout by a score of 4-0.

- With a win over Ricardo Alcala in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning, Jarod Trice would secure the highest place finish (either third or fourth) of any heavyweight in school history.

Central Michigan Bout-by-Bout Results

133 Pounds - No. 11 Scotti Sentes - All-American
First Round: W, dec. Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia), 7-0
Second Round: W, dec. No. 6 Tony Ramos (Iowa), 2-0
Quarterfinals: L, No. 3 Andrew Long (Penn State), fall at 2:46
Consolation Fourth Round: W, No. 10 Rollie Peterkin (Penn), fall at 4:08
Consolation Quarterfinals: W, dec. No. 7 B.J. Futrell (Illinois), 4-0
Consolation Semifinals: No. 4 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin)

149 Pounds - Donnie Corby
First Round: L, maj. dec. No. 4 Kyle Dake (Cornell), 9-0
Consolation First Round: W, dec. Matt Lester (Oklahoma), 5-4 TB1
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. No. 10 Kurt Kinser (Indiana), 3-2
Consolation Third Round: L, dec. Derek Valenti (Virginia), 6-2

174 Pounds - No. 6 Ben Bennett - All-American
First Round: W, maj. dec. Alex Caruso (Rutgers), 8-0
Second Round: W, maj. dec. Curran Jacobs (Michigan State), 16-2
Quarterfinals: L, dec. No. 3 Mack Lewnes (Cornell), 7-3
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. No. 12 Mike Benefiel (Oklahoma State), 8-5
Consolation Quarterfinals: L, No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State), fall at 0:42
Seventh-Place Match: No. 8 Mike Letts (Maryland)

285 Pounds - No. 2 Jarod Trice - All-American
First Round: W, dec. Joshua Wine (VMI), 3-1 SV1
Second Round: W, dec. Ricardo Alcala (Indiana), 3-2 TB2
Quarterfinals: W, dec. No. 10 Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma), 3-2
Semifinals: L, dec. No. 3 Ryan Flores (American), 4-0
Consolation Semifinals: Ricardo Alcala (Indiana)

Central Michigan's Sentes, Trice Place Fourth, Bennett Takes Seventh at NCAAs

PHILADELPHIA - Central Michigan's Scotti Sentes (133 pounds) and Jarod Trice (heavyweight) have finished fourth, while Ben Bennett (174 pounds) has placed eighth at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

All three will receive their second career All-America awards during the tournament's final session Saturday night.

CMU enters the final session of competition at the national tournament tied for 12th place with 39 points. The 39 points rank as the sixth-most CMU has ever scored at the NCAA Championships.

"Our kids competed really hard all weekend, and I thought they competed hard for us the whole last month of the season," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "I knew we were going to be more of a tournament team, and that really played out. I don't think anybody expected us to finish in the top 15 in the country. Our kids over-achieved, especially only bringing four guys here."

Sentes, seeded 11th at 133 pounds, worked his way into the third-place match with a 5-0 decision over No. 4 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) in the consolation semifinals. Sentes scored late takedowns in the first and third periods to lock up the victory.

Sentes took down Penn State's Andrew Long twice in the first period of their third-place match and still led 5-4 entering the third period. Long chose a neutral start for the third period, took Sentes to the mat 30 seconds into the period and rode him out for the 7-5 decision.

Sentes closes his junior season with an overall record of 35-8.

Trice, the No. 2 seed at heavyweight, moved into the third-place match when he defeated Indiana's Ricardo Alcala in the second tiebreaker for the second time in the tournament. After escaping to take a 3-2 lead in the second tiebreaker, Trice rode out Alcala for the final 30 seconds to secure the decision.

Trice trailed throughout his third-place bout against No. 5 Dominique Bradley (Missouri), but managed to get deep on a shot in the final 10 seconds. Bradley slipped loose of the single-leg attempt to hold on for a 3-2 decision.

Trice finishes his junior season 29-5 overall.

In the seventh-place match at 174 pounds, Bennett, the No. 6 seed, surrendered a takedown in each period in a 7-2 loss to Maryland's Mike Letts, the No. 8 seed. Bennett had his best shot to score in the third, nearly picking Letts's ankle before the Terrapin countered to extend his lead to 6-1.

Bennett closes his sophomore season 30-8 overall.

All four of CMU's national qualifiers, including 149-pounder Donnie Corby who won two matches at the national tournament, are either juniors or sophomores and will return next season.

"Any time you have returning All-Americans and returning national qualifiers, that just makes your room tougher and more competitive," Borrelli said. "It raises everybody up to that level. Hopefully we have some leaders and that will happen."

Session V Notes

- CMU is one of just 15 teams with three All-Americans in 2011. Of those 15, the Chippewas are tied with Stanford with the fewest national qualifiers (four). Both CMU and Stanford enter the final session of competition in the top-12 in the team standings.

- Tom Borrelli's 35 total All-Americans are tied for the eighth most among active Division I coaches.

- CMU's three All-Americans are the most of any program in Michigan in 2011. Michigan had one All-American-141-pound national finalist Kellen Russell-while Michigan State and Eastern Michigan had zero. CMU has produced the most All-Americans of any Michigan school both of the last two seasons.

- Despite sending just four qualifiers to the NCAA Championships, CMU led the MAC in All-Americans with three. Kent State and Buffalo, which both had six qualifiers, combined for one All-American-Kent State's Dustin Kilgore, who will wrestle for the 197-pound national title Saturday night.

- CMU moved into a tie for 12th in the team standings entering the placement matches early Saturday. The Chippewas enter the final session of competition in position to finish in the top-15 nationally for the fifth straight season and seventh time in the last eight seasons.

- Jarod Trice's fourth-place finish is the best showing at the national tournament for a heavyweight in CMU history.

Central Michigan Bout-by-Bout Results

133 Pounds - No. 11 Scotti Sentes - Fourth Place - All-American
First Round: W, dec. Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia), 7-0
Second Round: W, dec. No. 6 Tony Ramos (Iowa), 2-0
Quarterfinals: L, No. 3 Andrew Long (Penn State), fall at 2:46
Consolation Fourth Round: W, No. 10 Rollie Peterkin (Penn), fall at 4:08
Consolation Quarterfinals: W, dec. No. 7 B.J. Futrell (Illinois), 4-0
Consolation Semifinals: W, dec. No. 4 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin), 5-0
Third-Place Match: L, dec. No. 3 Andrew Long (Penn State), 7-5

174 Pounds - No. 6 Ben Bennett - Eighth Place - All-American
First Round: W, maj. dec. Alex Caruso (Rutgers), 8-0
Second Round: W, maj. dec. Curran Jacobs (Michigan State), 16-2
Quarterfinals: L, dec. No. 3 Mack Lewnes (Cornell), 7-3
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. No. 12 Mike Benefiel (Oklahoma State), 8-5
Consolation Quarterfinals: L, No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State), fall at 0:42
Seventh-Place Match: L, dec. No. 8 Mike Letts (Maryland), 7-2

285 Pounds - No. 2 Jarod Trice - Fourth Place - All-American
First Round: W, dec. Joshua Wine (VMI), 3-1 SV1
Second Round: W, dec. Ricardo Alcala (Indiana), 3-2 TB2
Quarterfinals: W, dec. No. 10 Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma), 3-2
Semifinals: L, dec. No. 3 Ryan Flores (American), 4-0
Consolation Semifinals: W, dec. Ricardo Alcala (Indiana), 3-2 TB2
Third-Place Match: L, dec. No. 5 Dominique Bradley (MIssouri), 3-2

Central Michigan's Mattingly Named MAC Wrestler of the Week

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan redshirt freshman Scott Mattingly (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake HS) has been named the Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Week.

Mattingly picked up one of the biggest wins of his young career on Sunday to help the Chippewas secure a share of the conference championship, rallying from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat Kent State's Chase Skonieczny, 3-2, in the 141-pound bout. Mattingly tied the score with a reversal in the second period, then started the third period on top and rode Skonieczny for the entire two minutes to earn the decisive riding time point.

Mattingly's victory provided three critical team points in the Chippewas' 20-14 win, which created a three-way tie between CMU, Kent State and Ohio for the MAC title. The conference championship is CMU's 12th in the past 13 seasons.

Mattingly earns the MAC's weekly honor for the first time in his career. He is the third different Chippewa to be named MAC Wrestler of the Week this season.

CMU is off this week before traveling to Northern Illinois for the MAC

Championships March 5-6. The Chippewas have won nine consecutive conference tournament titles.

No. 15 Central Michigan Earns Share of MAC Title with 20-14 Win Over Kent State

MOUNT PLEASANT - No. 15 Central Michigan secured a share of 12th Mid-American Conference championship in the last 13 seasons with a 20-14 victory over Kent State at McGuirk Arena on Sunday.

CMU (8-8 overall), Kent State (14-6) and Ohio (10-6) all share the conference's regular season title with identical 4-1 MAC records.

"I'm proud of our team," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We started seven new guys most of the year, and we wrestled an unbelievable schedule. We probably asked too much of our young team. We got beat down a little bit, but I'm proud that they hung in there and kept fighting. When it's all said and done, I think our kids are proud to be Chippewas. They're going to fight to keep the things that our alumni and former teams have earned over the years."

CMU won five of Sunday's first seven bouts, but the dual was not decided until Jarod Trice, the nation's No. 2-ranked heavyweight, scored a dramatic 3-1 decision over Brendan Barlow.

Trice trailed 1-0 entering the third period, but chose to start in the down position and tied the score with an escape. After having several shots defended by Barlow, Trice finally got in on a leg and scored the bout's only takedown with just five seconds remaining in regulation.

"I know that I can get off bottom, and I know that once I get to my feet I can push the pace," Trice said. "When I push the pace that fast, heavyweights can't keep up. I know I can do that all the time, because that's what we practice here at Central Michigan. We do down workouts every day, and they make us sprint for those last 30 seconds, those last 15 seconds where we can get those last-second takedowns to win the match."

Kent State took its only lead of the dual when No. 12 Nic Bedelyon defeated Christian Cullinan, 9-5, in the opening bout at 125 pounds.

Scotti Sentes put CMU in front with a dominant 10-2 major decision over Tyler Small at 133 pounds. Sentes, ranked 11th nationally, scored the first of his three takedowns just 16 seconds into the match and built 2:44 of riding time in the first period alone. A second-period reversal helped Sentes finish with 4:28 riding time and his team-leading 26th victory of the season.

The Chippewas then picked up key victories from Scott Mattingly and Donnie Corby at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. Mattingly trailed 2-0 after being taken down early in the first period by Chase Skonieczny, but he evened the score with a reversal in the second period. Mattingly began the third period on top and rode out Skonieczny, earning a 3-2 decision that bumped CMU's lead to 7-3.

"I thought the big match in the meet was Scott Mattingly's match," Borrelli said. "He got taken down right away and fought his way back and found a way to win the match. He rode his guy out the whole third period. That was probably the biggest momentum swing."

At 149, Corby used a first-period takedown, second-period escape and 2:22 of riding time to defeat Marcel Clopton, 4-1. Corby's decision extended CMU's lead to 10-3.

Kent State cut into the lead with a major decision at 157 pounds, but CMU senior Mike Miller followed the loss with an emotional victory at 165 pounds.

Limited by injuries to just seven matches all season and competing for only the third time since December, Miller took a 2-0 lead with a takedown just 10 seconds into his final appearance at McGuirk Arena. He added a second takedown in the period and a third takedown in the second period en route to an 8-2 decision over Ross Tice.

"There's a lot of pride there in that young man," Borrelli said. "For a kid to go through the things that he's gone through and still mentally be able to get himself ready to compete the way he does, he's a really special kid."

Ben Bennett then stretched CMU's lead to 17-7 with a 9-1 major decision at 174 pounds. Bennett, ranked seventh nationally with a 25-5 record, took Brandonn Johnson to the mat in each of the three periods and built up 2:56 of riding time.

Kent State drew within striking distance with a decision at 184 pounds and a major decision at 197 pounds; the Chippewas led 17-14 when Trice and No. 14-ranked Brendan Barlow took the mat. This marked the third straight year that a CMU-Kent State heavyweight bout decided the MAC title; Trice is 2-1 in those matches with victories each of the last two seasons.

CMU is off this week before traveling to Northern Illinois for the MAC Championships March 5-6. The Chippewas have won nine straight conference tournament titles.

No. 15 Central Michigan 20, Kent State 14
125: No. 12 Nic Bedelyon (KSU) dec. Christian Cullinan, 9-5; KSU 3-0
133: No. 11 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Tyler Small, 10-2; CMU 4-3
141: Scott Mattingly (CMU) dec. Chase Skonieczny, 3-2; CMU 7-3
149: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Marcel Copton, 4-1; CMU 10-3
157: No. 17 Matt Cathell (KSU) maj. dec. Ryan Cubberly, 9-1; CMU 10-7
165: No. 17 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Ross Tice, 8-2; CMU 13-7
174: No. 7 Ben Bennett (CMU) maj. dec. Brandonn Johnson, 9-1; CMU 17-7
184: Casey Newburg (KSU) dec. Craig Kelliher, 6-2; CMU 17-10
197: No. 6 Dustin Kilgore (KSU) maj. dec. Chad Friend, 15-7; CMU 17-14
285: No. 2 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. No. 14 Brendan Barlow, 3-1; CMU 20-14

Attendance: 489

No. 15 Central Michigan Defeats Eastern Michigan, 29-3

MOUNT PLEASANT - No. 15 Central Michigan won nine of 10 bouts in a 29-3 Mid-American Conference victory over Eastern Michigan Thursday night in McGuirk Arena.

The Chippewas, who improved to 7-8 overall and 3-1 in the MAC, can earn a share of the MAC regular season title with a win over Kent State in the regular season finale at McGuirk Arena on Sunday.

CMU controlled Thursday's match from start to finish, surrendering just three takedowns in earning its 20th straight dual win over Eastern Michigan (11-10, 0-4 MAC). The victory also was CMU's 65th in its last 68 conference duals.

"I think we're getting better at executing the things we're working on in practice," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We've been really focused on getting the first takedown in a lot of matches and also being more aggressive˜getting our hands on the guys first and making them back up and opening up our offense. I think we did a good job of that tonight."

Christian Cullinan opened the dual for CMU with a 4-3 decision over Eastern Michigan's Jared Germaine. Germaine drew even at 3-3 with a third-period reversal, but Cullinan escaped late for the one-point victory.

At 133, CMU's Scotti Sentes scored 10 back points in a 17-6 major decision over Filiberto Colon. Sentes held a riding time advantage of 5:00 in earning his team leading 25th win of the season.

Scott Mattingly and Donnie Corby followed with decisions at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. Mattingly scored a reversal, takedown and the riding time point in his 5-1 decision over Seth Schaner, while Corby tallied a first-period takedown, second-period escape and the riding time point in his 4-1 decision over Mike LeHolm.

Ryan Cubberly needed overtime to earn his 2-1 decision over Aaron Sulzer at 157 pounds. The match was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, and remained tied through the sudden victory period. Cubberly escaped in the first 30-second tiebreaker, then rode out Sulzer for his first career MAC dual victory.

Eric Cubberly stretched the Chippewas' lead to 19-0 with a 4-2 decision at 165 pounds. Cubberly scored the bout's only takedown in the final minute to secure the win.

Ben Bennett added a bonus point at 174 pounds with a 13-0 major decision over Chris Eggert. Bennett led 3-0 entering the third period; after a neutral start, Bennett scored a takedown and seven back points in the match's final two minutes.

At 184 pounds, a takedown in the opening seconds was enough for Craig Kelliher in a 3-0 decision over Khodor Hoballah. Kelliher built 2:42 of riding time in the first period, then Hoballah and Kelliher rode each other out in the second and third periods, respectively.

Eastern Michigan picked up its lone win at 197 pounds, a 7-6 decision by Nick Whitenburg over Chad Friend. Friend scored a pair of first-period takedowns, but Whitenburg escaped twice and scored a takedown of his own to tie the bout at 4-4. The score was tied 5-5 in the third period when Whitenburg scored the decisive takedown.

CMU's Jarod Trice improved to 22-3 overall with a 2-0 decision over Wes Schroeder in the heavyweight bout. Trice escaped after starting the second period in the down position, then rode out Schroeder in the third to secure the riding time point.
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The Chippewas' regular season finale against Kent State begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at McGuirk Arena. CMU will honor its two seniors˜Ryan Cubberly and Mike Miller˜prior to the start of the dual.

No. 15 Central Michigan 29, Eastern Michigan 3
125: Christian Cullinan (CMU) dec. Jared Germaine, 4-3; CMU 3-0
133: No. 11 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Filiberto Colon, 17-6; CMU 7-0
141: Scott Mattingly (CMU) dec. Seth Schaner, 5-1; CMU 10-0
149: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Mike LeHolm, 4-1; CMU 13-0
157: Ryan Cubberly (CMU) dec. Aaron Sulzer, 2-1 TB1; CMU 16-0
165: Eric Cubberly (CMU) dec. Nick Hendrick, 4-2; CMU 19-0
174: No. 7 Ben Bennett (CMU) maj. dec. Chris Eggert, 13-0; CMU 23-0
184: Craig Kelliher (CMU) dec. Khodor Hoballah, 3-0; CMU 26-0
197: Nick Whitenburg (EMU) dec. Chad Friend, 7-6; CMU 26-3
285: No. 2 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Wes Schroeder, 2-0; CMU 29-3

Attendance: 509

No. 17 Central Michigan Earns 19-14 Victory Over Buffalo

MOUNT PLEASANT - Chad Friend's victorious debut at 197 pounds helped lead No. 17 Central Michigan to a 19-14 win over Buffalo in a Mid-American Conference dual meet at McGuirk Arena on Sunday.

Friend's decision was the key victory in a dual that saw CMU jump to a 9-0 lead before trailing twice in the final five bouts.

Friend made an instant impact at 197 pounds, driving Buffalo's Josh Peters to the mat in the match's opening seconds for the first of his three takedowns. He never trailed on his way to a 4-3 decision that gave the Chippewas a 16-14 lead.

Heavyweight Jarod Trice secured the dual victory with a 6-2 decision over Brett Correll. Trice trailed 1-0 entering the third period before scoring a pair of late takedowns.

"We noticed Chad having a hard time competing with the same intensity he was practicing with," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli on moving Friend up to 197. "I think making the weight was taking a lot out of him, so we made the decision to make the switch. His record is not really indicative of how good of a wrestler he is, and I think he proved it a little bit today."

Decisions by Christian Cullinan (125 pounds), Scotti Sentes (133) and Scott Mattingly (141) staked the Chippewas to their early 9-0 lead.
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Cullinan edged Sean Walton, 4-2 in sudden victory, after the pair exchanged reversals in the final 20 seconds of the third period. Walton's reversal came in the final 10 seconds, and the officials conferred before awarding the two points following the completion of regulation. In overtime, Cullinan finished the decisive takedown with just three seconds remaining in the period.

At 133 pounds, Sentes needed just an escape and riding time to defeat Kevin Smith, 2-0. Sentes escaped early in the second period, then rode out Smith in the third.

Mattingly scored a late reversal for his 6-5 decision over Chris Conti at 141 pounds. A first-period takedown and second-period back points gave Mattingly a 4-2 edge entering the final period. Conti evened the bout with a takedown after Mattingly chose to start the period neutral, but Mattingly finished a reversal with 30 seconds remaining to extend CMU's lead to 9-0.

Buffalo answered with major decisions at 149 and 157 pounds to draw within 9-8, then took its first lead when John-Martin Cannon defeated Eric Cubberly, 6-4, at 165 pounds.

Ben Bennett regained the lead for CMU with an 11-0 major decision over Ron Majerus at 174 pounds. Bennett scored three takedowns and a pair of back points to improve to 23-5 overall.

Jimmy Hamel gave Buffalo its final lead with a 5-3 decision over Craig Kelliher at 184 pounds. The bout was tied 2-2 entering the third period before Hamel scored a takedown and Kelliher was penalized for an illegal hold. The Bulls led 14-13 following Hamel's victory, setting the stage for Friend and Trice to rally the Chippewas.

"It was nice to get a win," Borrelli said. "Any time we can win right now, and not just from a team standpoint, but any time we're competing well as individuals is really important this time of year."

The Chippewas improved to 6-8 overall, 2-1 in the MAC with the victory, the 64th in their last 67 conference duals. Buffalo fell to 8-8 overall, 1-3 in the MAC.

CMU closes the regular season with a pair of MAC duals at McGuirk Arena this week. The Chippewas host Eastern Michigan Thursday night and Kent State Sunday afternoon, when a share of the MAC championship could be on the line.

No. 17 Central Michigan 19, Buffalo 14
125: Christian Cullinan (CMU) dec. Sean Walton, 4-2 SV1; CMU 3-0
133: No. 11 Scotti Sentes (CMU) dec. Kevin Smith, 2-0; CMU 6-0
141: Scott Mattingly (CMU) dec. Chris Conti, 6-5; CMU 9-0
149: No. 14 Desi Green (UB) maj. dec. Donnie Corby, 11-3; CMU 9-4
157: Mark Lewandowski (UB) maj. dec. Ryan Cubberly, 8-0; CMU 9-8
165: John-Martin Cannon (UB) dec. Eric Cubberly, 6-4; UB 11-9
174: No. 7 Ben Bennett (CMU) maj. dec. Ron Majerus, 11-0; CMU 13-11
184: Jimmy Hamel (UB) dec. Craig Kelliher, 5-3; UB 14-13
197: Chad Friend (CMU) dec. Josh Peters, 7-3; CMU 16-14
285: No. 2 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Brett Correll, 6-2; CMU 19-14

Attendance: 307

Central Michigan Hosts Old Dominion in Royal Rumble and Tumble

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan hosts Old Dominion at 2 p.m. Sunday in the inaugural Royal Rumble and Tumble at McGuirk Arena.

While the No. 13 Chippewas and Monarchs meet on the mat, the CMU gymnastics program will simultaneously host its home opener against Northern Illinois.

"We've been involved in a few of these events on the road, and it's always a very entertaining event with a lot going on," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We expect a great crowd and an exciting event on Sunday."

CMU enters the dual 4-7 overall after a 19-18 win at Michigan State last weekend, the Chippewas' 10th consecutive win over the Spartans. Old Dominion is 5-8-1 overall and is led by one of the top 125-pounders in the country, senior James Nicholson. He enters Sunday's dual 23-0 overall and ranked No. 4 nationally by InterMat.

A top-15 bout is on tap at 133 pounds, where No. 11 Scotti Sentes (CMU) is set to face No. 12 Kyle Hutter (ODU).

"We've wrestled Old Dominion the last couple of years, so we know they're well-coached and they're going to wrestle hard for seven minutes," Borrelli said. "They're pretty strong in their lighter weights, so we're going to have to be sharp and be on top of our game."

The Series: The Chippewas are 3-0 all-time against Old Dominion, with all three meetings coming in the past three seasons. CMU defeated the Monarchs at the Virginia Duals, 24-12, and in Mount Pleasant, 19-14, during the 2008-09 season. Last year, the Chippewas posted a 23-14 victory at Old Dominion.

In the Rankings: CMU is ranked 13th in the InterMat poll and 21st in the NWCA/USA Today poll this week. Old Dominion is not ranked in either poll. The InterMat team rankings are based on InterMat's individual weight class rankings, while the NWCA/USA Today poll is voted on by a nationwide pool of head coaches. Four Chippewas and two Monarchs are ranked in the top 20 nationally in InterMat's weight class rankings. CMU's ranked individuals are Scotti Sentes (11th, 133), Mike Miller (17th, 165), Ben Bennett (5th, 174) and Jarod Trice (2nd, 285). Old Dominion's ranked individuals are James Nicholson (4th, 125) and Kyle Hutter (12th, 133).

Fearsome Threesome: Scotti Sentes, Ben Bennett and Jarod Trice are a combined 26-5 in dual meets this season and have combined to score 103 dual meet points, 57.5 percent of CMU's total of 179 points in 11 duals. Sentes is 8-3 in duals with a team-leading 37 points, Bennett is 10-1 with 36 points and Trice is 8-1 with 30 points.

Chippewas Win 10th Straight Over Michigan State: CMU's 19-18 win at Michigan State last weekend was its 10th consecutive victory over the Spartans dating back to 2001. The victory evened the all-time series at 13-13. The Chippewas have won 13 of their last 14 duals against in-state opponents.

Bennett Continues Winning Streak: Sophomore Ben Bennett has won 11 of his last 12 matches overall to improve 21-4 on the season, including 10-1 in dual meets. Bennett leads the team in dual victories and is second in overall victories. All four of his losses this season have been to an opponent who has been ranked No. 1 nationally at 174 pounds.

Miller Makes His Return: Senior 165-pounder Mike Miller returned to the lineup against Michigan, his first action since suffering an injury at the Cliff Keen Invitational on Dec. 3. Miller trailed 6-2 in the second period against UM's Dan Yates before rallying for a 9-7 sudden-victory decision. He followed that with another victory at Michigan State last week to improve to 4-3 on the season.
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Trice Evens Season Series with Apland: Junior heavyweight Jarod Trice closed the Chippewas' dual with Michigan with a 5-3 decision over Ben Apland. Trice had been defeated by Apland by the same score in the semifinals at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Trice, ranked No. 2 nationally at heavyweight, is 4-4 against opponents in this week's InterMat top 10 following, including a 3-1 exhibition loss to No. 7 Ryan Flores (American) at the NWCA All-Star Classic.

Top of the Tournament: Scotti Sentes (133 pounds), Ben Bennett (174) and Jarod Trice (heavyweight) combined for seven top-three finishes at the Body Bar Invitational, Cliff Keen Invitational and Midlands Championships. Sentes won the Body Bar and was third at Midlands, Bennett finished runner-up at all three events and Trice was third at the Cliff Keen and runner-up at Midlands.

Pair Earns First MAC Wins: Sophomore Christian Cullinan and redshirt freshman Craig Kelliher both earned their first career MAC dual victories in the Chippewas' 21-13 win over Northern Illinois last week. Cullinan was a 5-4 winner over Nick Smith at 125 pounds, while Kelliher earned a 4-3 decision over Mike Lukowski at 197 pounds.

Trice Travels the World: Junior heavyweight Jarod Trice has competed in a pair of events outside of CMU's schedule this season. In October, Trice placed eighth in Greco-Roman at the University World Championships in Italy. He was the highest placing American in Greco-Roman at the event. In November, Trice represented CMU at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Fresno, Calif. American's Ryan Flores scored a third-period takedown to defeat Trice, 3-1.

Chippewas Open New Practice Facility: CMU celebrated the new year by moving into its new practice facility at the CMU Events Center. Built as part of the Events Center construction project, the new practice room has space for three full mats and fitness equipment. The practice room is just steps away from the competition floor in McGuirk Arena.??"During dual meets our guys will be able to warm up in the wrestling room and then run from the wrestling room, where they‚re comfortable, right into the arena to wrestle a match," Borrelli said. "That is a perfect situation that not many other programs in the country have."

??CMU Adds Four During Early Signing Period: Four high school student-athletes signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Chippewas for the 2011-12 season, including three of the top-60 ranked recruits in the country. Ty Davis (141 pounds), Zach Horan (133), Joey Kielbasa (157) and Devin Pommerenke (285) committed to CMU during the early signing period. Horan (No. 16), Kielbasa (No. 59) and Pommerenke (No. 42) are ranked among the top 60 recruits nationally by InterMat. The group was ranked as the No. 13 recruiting class in the country by W.I.N. Magazine.??

Coming Up: The Chippewas travel to Ohio for a Mid-American Conference dual on Friday, Feb. 4, then close the regular season with three consecutive MAC duals at home: Buffalo (Feb. 13), Eastern Michigan (Feb. 17) and Kent State (Feb. 20).

No. 11 Central Michigan Defeat Michigan State, 19-18

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Bonus points by Scotti Sentes at 133 pounds and Scott Mattingly at 141 pounds lifted No. 11 Central Michigan to a 19-18 nonconference wrestling win at Michigan State Friday night.

The victory was CMU's 10th straight over the Spartans dating back to 2001.

"It was a win, but I didn't think we were really sharp tonight," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "I think we're improving and guys are doing all the right things with their training, but we just looked a little fatigued tonight."

Michigan State (8-3 overall) took its only lead of the night when Eric Olanowski opened the dual with an 8-3 decision over Christian Cullinan at 125 pounds. Sentes and Mattingly, however, scored 10 points in the next two bouts to give the Chippewas (4-7 overall) a lead they would not relinquish.

Sentes needed just 1:50 to record his team-leading seventh fall of the season. He also leads the Chippewas with 22 victories this season.

Mattingly snapped a seven-match losing skid with a decisive 12-2 major decision over Joel Trombly at 141 pounds. The victory was Mattingly's second in a dual match and his first major decision this season.

Michigan State drew within 10-6 when Dan Osterman defeated Donnie Corby at 149 pounds, but the Chippewas won each of the next three bouts to put the match out of reach.

Ryan Cubberly (157), Mike Miller (165) and Ben Bennett (174) all won by decision to stretch the Chippewas' lead to 19-6. Cubberly's victory was a 4-2 decision over Sean McMurray that went to the second set of tiebreakers. Miller won his second straight match since returning from an injury, while Bennett improved to 21-4 overall, 10-1 in duals with his victory.

Michigan State claimed decisions at 184 and 197 pounds, and CMU forfeited the heavyweight bout with the team victory already secured.

The Chippewas are back in action next Sunday, Jan. 30, when they host Old Dominion as part of the inaugural Royal Rumble and Tumble at McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas' dual against Old Dominion and CMU's gymnastics home opener against Northern Illinois will be held simultaneously in McGuirk Arena at 2 p.m.

No. 11 Central Michigan 19, Michigan State 18
125: Eric Olanowski (MSU) dec. Christian Cullinan, 8-3; MSU 3-0
133: No. 9 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin Levi Stace at 1:50; CMU 6-3
141: Scott Mattingly (CMU) maj. dec. Joel Trombly, 12-2; CMU 10-3
149: Dan Osterman (MSU) dec. Donnie Corby, 4-1; CMU 10-6
157: Ryan Cubberly (CMU) dec. Sean McMurray, 4-2 TB2; CMU 13-6
165: No. 18 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Ben Boudro, 6-2; CMU 16-6
174: No. 5 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Curran Jacobs, 5-2; CMU 19-6
184: Ian Hinton (MSU) dec. Chad Friend, 7-3; CMU 19-9
197: Tyler Dickenson (MSU) dec. Craig Kelliher, 6-2; CMU 19-12
285: Joe Rizqallah (MSU) win by forfeit; CMU 19-18

No. 11 Central Michigan Visit Michigan State

MOUNT PLEASANT - No. 11 Central Michigan travels an hour south Friday to visit Michigan State for a nonconference match.

The dual begins at 7 p.m. at Michigan State's Jenison Field House.

The Chippewas enter the match 3-7 overall, including 1-2 against Big Ten Conference opponents. Michigan State is 8-2 overall. The teams share just one common opponent, having both defeated Northern Illinois earlier this season.

CMU is looking to snap a two-match losing skid in its final nonconference road dual of the season. The Chippewas were defeated by No. 18 Michigan, 21-12, at McGuirk Arena last Sunday. Michigan State, meanwhile, had won four straight matches before falling at Ohio State, 19-16, last weekend to fall to 0-2 in the Big Ten.

Dan Osterman (149 pounds), Curran Jacobs (174 pounds) and Mike McClure (heavyweight) share the team lead with 18 victories apiece, but McClure is the only one of the three Spartans ranked nationally. He checks in at No. 17 in this week's InterMat weight class rankings.

The Series: CMU is 12-13 all-time against Michigan State and has won each of the last nine meetings. The Chippewas defeated MSU, 23-10, last season in Mount Pleasant. Michigan State's last win in the series was an 18-16 victory at CMU in 2001.

CMU vs. the State of Michigan: CMU had won 12 consecutive duals against opponents from the state of Michigan prior to Sunday's 21-12 loss to Michigan. The loss snapped a three-match winning streak over the Wolverines and was CMU's first loss to an in-state opponent since 2005. The Chippewas still have active streaks of nine straight wins over Michigan State and 19 straight victories against Eastern Michigan.

In the Rankings: CMU is ranked 11th in the InterMat poll and 21st in the NWCA/USA Today poll this week. Michigan State is not ranked in either poll. The InterMat team rankings are based on InterMat's individual weight class rankings, while the NWCA/USA Today poll is voted on by a nationwide pool of head coaches.

Four Chippewas and one Spartan are ranked in the top 20 nationally in InterMat's weight class rankings. CMU's ranked individuals are Scotti Sentes (9th, 133 pounds), Mike Miller (18th, 165 pounds), Ben Bennett (5th, 174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (2nd, 285 pounds). Michigan State heavyweight Mike McClure is ranked 17th in the country.

Bennett Continues Winning Streak: Sophomore Ben Bennett has won 10 of his last 11 matches overall to improve 20-4 on the season, including 9-1 in dual meets. He has not surrendered an offensive point in his last 10 victories. Bennett leads the team in dual victories and is second in overall victories. All four of his losses this season have been to an opponent who has been ranked No. 1 nationally at 174 pounds.

Trice Evens Season Series with Apland: Junior heavyweight Jarod Trice closed Sunday's dual with a 5-3 decision over Michigan's Ben Apland. Trice had been defeated by Apland by the same score in the semifinals at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Trice, ranked No. 2 nationally at heavyweight, is 4-4 against opponents in this week's InterMat top 10 following Sunday's win over No. 10 Apland, including a 3-1 exhibition loss to No. 7 Ryan Flores (American) at the NWCA All-Star Classic.

Borrelli Adds Dwyer to Central Michigan Coaching Staff

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan head wrestling coach has added Stephen Dwyer to his coaching staff.

Dwyer is a December 2010 graduate of the University of Nebraska, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American.

"We're excited to add Stephen to our staff," Borrelli said. "He's an individual who has had a lot of success in collegiate wrestling, and he will have an immediate impact on our program."

Dwyer was a four-time NCAA Championships qualifier while at Nebraska. He placed fourth at 174 pounds as a senior in 2010 and eighth at 165 pounds in 2008. He was 106-35 overall during his career, including a 2010 Big 12 Conference championship. Dwyer was named Nebraska's Most Dedicated Wrestler in 2008 and 2010.

Dwyer was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and twice earned NWCA All-Academic honors. He received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Nebraska.

No. 12 Central Michigan Falls to No. 18 Michigan, 21-12

MOUNT PLEASANT - No. 18 Michigan won six bouts, scoring bonus points in two, to claim a 21-12 nonconference wrestling decision over No. 12 Central Michigan at McGuirk Arena on Sunday.

Michigan improved to 6-2 overall with the win, while CMU fell to 3-7. The loss snapped a three-match winning streak over the Wolverines for CMU.

"I thought today was a great day for college wrestling and high school wrestling in this state," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We had a lot of high school wrestlers in the stands today, and any time you have two top-20 teams wrestling and a good crowd and a lot of enthusiasm in the gym, it's good for wrestling.

"We had to win at 125, 149 and 184, and we lost all three of those matches," he added. "That's the dual meet. We have to get better at those weight classes."

After the teams split decisions at 125 and 133 pounds, Michigan posted three straight wins at 141, 149 and 157 pounds to open a 15-3 lead. The Wolverines scored bonus points at 149 and 157 pounds via Eric Grajales's technical fall and Brandon Zeerip's major decision.

Mike Miller claimed the Chippewas' second victory of the day with a 9-7 sudden-victory decision at 165 pounds over Michigan's Dan Yates. Miller trailed 6-2 in the second period and was still trailing 7-5 before scoring a tying takedown on the edge late in regulation. He tallied the decisive takedown 30 seconds into the sudden victory period.

Ben Bennett followed with a 6-1 decision at 174 pounds to draw the Chippewas within 15-9, but Michigan secured the dual victory with decisions at 184 and 197 pounds.

The dual concluded with a pair of top-10 ranked heavyweights squaring off in CMU's No. 2-ranked Jarod Trice and Michigan's No. 10-ranked Ben Apland. Trice scored takedowns in the first and second period to take a 4-3 lead, and neither individual could score off a neutral start to the third period. A 1:24 riding time advantage gave Trice the 5-3 decision.

The Chippewas are back in action Friday when they visit Michigan State at 7 p.m.

No. 18 Michigan 21, No. 12 Central Michigan 12
125: Sean Boyle (UM) dec. Christian Cullinan, 9-5; Michigan 3-0
133: No. 9 Scotti Sentes (CMU) dec. Zac Stevens, 5-1; Tied 3-3
141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (UM) dec. Scott Mattingly, 3-0; Michigan 6-3
149: Eric Grajales (UM) tech. fall Donnie Corby, 20-4 at 6:07; Michigan 11-3
157: Brandon Zeerip (UM) maj. dec. Eric Cubberly, 19-7; Michigan 15-3
165: Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Dan Yates, 9-7 SV1; Michigan 15-6
174: No. 5 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Aaron Hynes, 6-1; Michigan 15-9
184: Hunter Collins (UM) dec. Chad Friend, 8-2; Michigan 18-9
197: No. 13 Anthony Biondo (UM) dec. Craig Kelliher, 6-4; Michigan 21-9
285: No. 2 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. No. 10 Ben Apland, 5-3; Michigan 21-12

Attendance: 3,047

Central Michigan Close 2010 at Midlands Championships

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan's wrestling program will close the calendar year at the Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern University, Dec. 29-30.

CMU will be one of 32 teams in the tournament. Fourteen teams are ranked in this week's InterMat top 25.

"It's going to be really good competition," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "It will be similar to the Cliff Keen Invitational, where we had nine of the top 15 teams in the country. This is the same type of event and will be a great challenge for our guys."

Midlands will mark the Chippewas' first competition since a 23-9 dual loss at No. 12 Lehigh on Dec. 12. Borrelli said the 17-day layoff has given the Chippewas an opportunity to improve conditioning and continue to refine technique.

"We haven't competed the way we would have liked this semester and haven't had the results we would have liked to have," Borrelli said. "We don't feel like we're competing at the level we want to compete at, so this tournament will give us a chance to right some things and redeem ourselves a little bit."

Chippewas Open New Practice Facility: CMU held its first practice this week in its new practice facility at the CMU Events Center. Built as part of the Events Center construction project, the new practice room has space for three full mats and fitness equipment. The practice room is just steps away from the competition floor in McGuirk Arena.

"During dual meets our guys will be able to warm up in the wrestling room and then run from the wrestling room, where they‚re comfortable, right into the arena to wrestle a match," Borrelli said. "That is a perfect situation that not many other programs in the country have."

Follow Midlands Online: Brackets and team standings will be updated throughout the tournament at Northwestern's official Midlands page at nusports.com.
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Midlands Pre-Seeds Announced: Three Chippewas are included in the Midlands Championships pre-seeds: Scotti Sentes (No. 6, 133 pounds), Ben Bennett (No. 3, 174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (No. 7, heavyweight). Official seeds for the tournament will be announced next week.

Reviewing the 2009 Midlands: Jarod Trice won the heavyweight title to lead CMU to a third-place finish at the 2009 Midlands Championships. Trice was CMU's first Midlands champion since Wynn Michalak in 2005. Ben Bennett was runner-up at 174 pounds, and six other Chippewas placed in the top eight of their weight class.

The Chippewas' third-place finish was their fifth top-four finish in six seasons. CMU finished with 118 team points, the most it has ever scored at Midlands.

In the Rankings: CMU is ranked No. 17 in this week's NWCA/USA Today coaches' poll and No. 25 in this week's InterMat rankings. Four Chippewas are ranked in the top 20 nationally in their weight class by InterMat: Scotti Sentes (No. 10, 133 pounds), Mike Miller (No. 19, 165 pounds), Ben Bennett (No. 5, 174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (No. 8, heavyweight).

CMU Adds Four During Early Signing Period: Four high school student-athletes signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Chippewas for the 2011-12 season, including three of the top-60 ranked recruits in the country. Ty Davis (141 pounds), Zach Horan (133), Joey Kielbasa (157) and Devin Pommerenke (285) committed to CMU during the early signing period. Horan (No. 16), Kielbasa (No. 59) and Pommerenke (No. 42) are ranked among the top 60 recruits nationally by InterMat. The group was ranked as the No. 13 recruiting class in the country by W.I.N. Magazine.

Coming Up: The Chippewas open Mid-American Conference competition on Thursday, Jan. 6 when they visit Northern Illinois.

No. 12 Lehigh Tops No. 24 Central Michigan, 23-9

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - No. 12 Lehigh claimed a 23-9 victory over No. 24 Central Michigan in a nonconference dual meet on Sunday that saw five bouts decided by two points or less.

The Mountain Hawks won seven of the match's 10 bouts, including three decided by two points or less, to improve to 7-2 overall. CMU falls to 1-4 on the season.

The Chippewas led 6-3 after wins by Christian Cullinan and Scott Mattingly at 125 and 141 pounds, respectively. Lehigh, however, took six of the final seven bouts to earn the victory.

Cullinan improved to 2-0 in duals with his 5-2 decision over Mitch Berger to open the match. Lehigh evened the score at 3-3 when Frank Cagnina scored a takedown in the final seconds against Scotti Sentes at 133 pounds. Sentes led 2-0 after a second-period reversal, but Cagnina had built a riding time advantage of more than a minute prior to the reversal. Cagnina chose neutral to begin the third period and gained control just prior to the final whistle.

Mattingly gave the Chippewas their final lead with his first dual victory of the season, 4-3 over Stephen Dutton, at 141 pounds. The Mountain Hawks won the next three bouts, including an 8-6 decision by No. 14 Brandon Hatchett over No. 17 Mike Miller at 165 pounds, to build a 13-6 lead.

CMU's Ben Bennett, ranked fifth nationally at 174 pounds, improved to 11-3 overall with a narrow 1-0 decision over No. 20 Austin Meys. A second-period escape by Bennett accounted for all the scoring. His victory drew the Chippewas within 13-9, but Lehigh secured the win with victories at 184 and 197 pounds.

The heavyweight bout featured the most anticipated matchup of the dual: No. 1-ranked Zach Rey of Lehigh against CMU's No. 10-ranked Jarod Trice. Rey and Trice traded escapes in regulation, sending the match to sudden victory tied at 1-1. Neither individual scored in the 60-second sudden victory period, but Rey escaped in the first 30-second tiebreaker period and rode out Trice in the second 30-second period to claim the 2-1 decision.

Rey remained unbeaten at 9-0 on the season, while Trice dropped to 8-2.

CMU closes out the calendar year at the Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30.

No. 12 Lehigh 23, No. 24 Central Michigan 9
125 ˆ Christian Cullinan (CMU) dec. Mitch Berger (LU) 5-2
133 ˆ Frank Cagnina (LU) dec. No. 8 Scotti Sentes (CMU) 3-2
141 ˆ Scott Mattingly (CMU) dec. Stephen Dutton (LU) 4-3
149 ˆ Joey Napoli (LU) dec. Donnie Corby (CMU) 10-4
157 ˆ Brian Tanen (LU) maj. dec. Adam Miller (CMU) 9-1
165 ˆ No. 14 Brandon Hatchett (LU) dec. No. 17 Mike Miller (CMU) 8-6
174 ˆ No. 5 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. No. 20 Austin Meys (LU) 1-0
184 ˆ No. 7 Robert Hamlin (LU) maj. dec. Chad Friend (CMU) 14-5
197 ˆ No. 13 Joe Kennedy (LU) dec. Craig Kelliher (CMU) 12-6
285 ˆ No. 1 Zach Rey (LU) dec. No. 10 Jarod Trice (CMU) 2-1 TB1

No. 24 Central Michigan Visit No. 12 Lehigh on Sunday

MOUNT PLEASANT - Another weekend, another nationally ranked opponent for the Central Michigan wrestling program.

The Chippewas, ranked 24th in this week's InterMat poll, visit No. 12 Lehigh Sunday at 1 p.m. The Mountain Hawks will be the third nationally ranked dual meet opponent for CMU, and the meet comes just one week after the Chippewas competed against eight other top-25 programs at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas.

CMU finished 15th as a team at the Cliff Keen Invitational, with three Chippewas earning spots on the medal stand: Ben Bennett (runner-up, 174 pounds), Jarod Trice (third, heavyweight) and Scotti Sentes (seventh, 133 pounds). Redshirt freshman Scott Mattingly (141 pounds) finished one victory shy of a top-eight finish.

"We wrestled hard even though we didn't get some of the results we wanted," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We weren't as competitive as we wanted to be as a team, but now we have to move on from that."

CMU is 1-3 overall in duals heading into Sunday's meet, while Lehigh will be competing in its ninth dual already this season. The Mountain Hawks are 6-2 overall, including a 25-9 win over Bucknell in their EIWA opener last Friday.

Lehigh is 3-2 against ranked opponents this season.

The most anticipated match of Sunday's dual will be at heavyweight, where CMU's Jarod Trice, ranked 10th nationally, will square off against Lehigh's Zach Rey, the top-ranked heavyweight in the country.

Trice is 8-1 overall this season, including 3-0 in duals. He won five of his six matches en route to a third-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational last weekend. Rey is a perfect 8-0 this season. Trice and Rey finished eighth and third, respectively, at the 2010 NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors.

"Lehigh has a really solid dual meet team. Their lineup is solid from top to bottom," Borrelli said. "Their heavyweight, Zach Rey, is very good, so that will be a nice challenge for Jarod Trice."

In the Rankings: CMU is No. 24 in this week's InterMat poll and No. 14 in this week's NWCA/USA Today coaches' poll. Four Chippewas are ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight class by InterMat: Scotti Sentes (No. 8, 133 pounds), Mike Miller (No. 17, 165 pounds), Ben Bennett (No. 5, 174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (No. 10, heavyweight).
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Lehigh is No. 12 in this week's InterMat rankings and No. 11 in the coaches' poll. Five Mountain Hawks are ranked individually by InterMat: Brandon Hatchett (No. 14, 165 pounds), Austin Meys (No. 20, 174 pounds), Robert Hamlin (No. 7, 184 pounds), Joe Kennedy (No. 13, 197 pounds) and Zach Rey (No. 1, heavyweight).

CMU vs. the Top 25: Since the start of the 2006-07 season, the Chippewas are 27-11-2 (.700) against ranked opponents.

Bennett Improves to 10-3 Overall: Ben Bennett is the Chippewas' highest ranked individual at No. 5 nationally at 174 pounds. He enters Sunday's dual 10-3 overall, including runner-up finishes at the Body Bar Invitational and Cliff Keen Invitational. All three of Bennett's losses this season have come against the nation's No. 1-ranked 174-pounder, Cornell's Mack Lewnes.

Sentes Starts Fast: Junior 133-pounder Scotti Sentes improved to 13-2 overall following last weekend's seventh-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Sentes, who entered the tournament a perfect 8-0 on the season, is 4-0 in duals heading into Sunday's trip to Lehigh. He has accounted for 18 team points in the Chippewas' four duals, recording three major decisions and one fall.

Coming Up: The Chippewas are off until Dec. 29-30, when they compete at the Midlands Championships at Northwestern.

No. 6 Central Michigan Open Dual Season at No. 1 Cornell

MOUNT PLEASANT - A pair of top-10 teams tangle Friday night when No. 6 Central Michigan opens the dual meet season at No. 1 Cornell.

Friday's dual begins at 6:30 p.m. The match will be streamed live on CornellBigRed.com and FloWrestling.org. Live match-by-match results also will be available on CornellBigRed.com.

Cornell returns three All-Americans from last season's national runner-up squad, including defending 141-pound national champion Kyle Dake. He has moved up to 149 pounds this season and is ranked No. 2 nationally by InterMat; returning All-Americans Mack Lewnes (174) and Cam Simaz (197) are both ranked No. 1 nationally by InterMat.

"Any time you get the chance to go into a hostile environment and wrestle the No. 1-ranked team in the country is a good experience," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We want to put our guys in an environment where there's a lot of noise, a big crowd and a little bit of pressure on them. I think that's a good way to help prepare for the NCAA Championships."

Borrelli, entering his 20th season at CMU, welcomes back four All-Americans as well. The Chippewas must replace six starters from last season's squad, however.

Friday's dual will be the third meeting all-time between CMU and Cornell. The Big Red have won both of the previous two matchups; the programs last met at National Duals in 2000.

Following Friday night's dual, the Chippewas will remain in New York and compete in the Body Bar Invitational on Saturday.

CMU will be one of 10 teams competing at the Body Bar Invitational on Saturday. Rounding out the tournament field are Army, Binghamton, Buffalo, Clarion, No. 1 Cornell, Drexel, Ithaca, No. 18 Kent State, Lock Haven and Sacred Heart.

The Matchups: Here are the probable lineups for Friday night's dual (all rankings are according to InterMat):

No. 6 Central Michigan vs. No. 1 Cornell
125: Kyle Waldo or Christian Cullinan vs. No. 16 Frank Perrelli
133: No. 6 Scotti Sentes vs. No. 4 Mike Grey or Joe Stanzione
141: Scott Mattingly vs. No. 19 Corey Manson
149: Donnie Corby vs. No. 2 Kyle Dake
157: Eric Cubberly vs. D.J. Meagher
165: No. 3 Mike Miller or Adam Miller vs. No. 5 Justin Kerber
174: No. 4 Ben Bennett vs. No. 1 Mack Lewnes
184: Chad Friend vs. No. 4 Steve Bosak
197: Jeff Beebe or Craig Kelliher vs. No. 1 Cam Simaz
285: No. 2 Jarod Trice vs. Oney Snyder or Stryker Lane

CMU vs. the Top 25: Since the start of the 2006-07 season, the Chippewas are 27-9-2 (.737) against ranked opponents.

Chippewas Return Four All-Americans: CMU's lineup includes four returning All-Americans. Senior 165-pounder Mike Miller is a two-time All-American, placing eighth at 165 pounds at the 2007 NCAA Championships and finishing national runner-up at 174 pounds in 2009. Junior 133-pounder Scotti Sentes was an All-American at 125 pounds in 2009, while junior heavyweight Jarod Trice and sophomore 174-pounder Ben Bennett earned All-America honors last season.

Trice to Compete in NWCA All-Star Classic: Following Friday's dual at Cornell, Jarod Trice will travel to Fresno, Calif. to compete in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Trice will face No. 8 Ryan Flores (American University).

Coming Up: CMU closes the month at the Minnesota Quad on Nov. 27. The Chippewas will wrestle duals against North Dakota State, Appalachian State and No. 5 Minnesota.

Central Michigan Wrestling Picked to Win MAC Championship

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan has been tabbed the preseason favorite to win the 2011 Mid-American Conference wrestling championship.

The Chippewas were named the favorite based on the MAC's preseason weight class rankings, voted on by the conference's six wrestling head coaches. Four Chippewas--Scotti Sentes (133 pounds), Mike Miller (165), Ben Bennett (174) and Jarod Trice (285)--are ranked No. 1 in their weight class, and CMU has an individual ranked in the top four in nine of the 10 weight classes. Sentes, Miller, Bennett and Trice all are returning All-Americans.

CMU tallied 24.5 team points based on the individual rankings, while Kent State was second with 24 points. Buffalo and Ohio tied for third with 15 points apiece.

CMU has won 10 of the last 11 MAC titles and nine straight MAC Tournament championships. The Chippewas open the 2010 season at the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 6, with the first dual meet slated for Nov. 19 at Cornell.

Borrelli Announces 2010 Central Michigan Wrestling Recruiting Class

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan head wrestling coach Tom Borrelli has announced the addition of 15 student-athletes to the Chippewas' wrestling program.

Five student-athletes have signed a National Letter of Intent, while 10 others will join the program as preferred walk-ons.

"We're really excited to have these 15 individuals join our program," Borrelli said. "We feel they are the right type of hard-working student-athletes to fit in here and fill our needs."

The 15 newcomers represent five different states and are projected to fill eight of the 10 weight classes. The five NLI signees combined to win seven state championships during their high school careers.

CMU must replace six seniors who helped lead the Chippewas to the 2010 Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament championships. One of just four schools to qualify 10 individuals for the NCAA Championships, CMU finished tied for 12th at the national tournament and produced three All-Americans.

2010 CMU Wrestling Signing Class

Dakota Cooley - 149 pounds - Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea HS

At Chelsea: Finished a perfect 60-0 and claimed the Division 2 state championship at 140 pounds in 2010 ... advanced to the state semis before placing third at the 2009 state tournament ... 57-6 overall record as a junior ... finished fifth in the state at 135 pounds as a sophomore in 2008 ... 50-6 overall in 2008 ... also qualified for the state tournament as a freshman at 112 pounds ... career record of 204-16 ... 2010 Washtenaw County Wrestler of the Year by AnnArbor.com ... 2010 Heritage Newspapers All-Area Wrestler of the Year.

Personal: Son of Jerry and Karen Cooley ... born Nov. 29, 1991.

Tyler Keselring - 133 pounds - Cedar Springs, Mich./Greenville High School

At Greenville: Three-time state champion ... career record of 192-12 ... 2010 Division 2 state champion at 130 pounds ... posted a 57-2 record as a senior ... Division 2 state champion at 112 pounds as a sophomore in 2008 ... posted a 46-4 overall record ... 2007 Division 2 state champion at 103 pounds as a freshman ... 44-2 overall record as a freshman ... helped lead team to a Division 2 state team championship in 2008.

Personal: Son of Steve and Stacie Keselring ... born Feb. 14, 1992.

Ben Matthiesen - 141 pounds - Holt, Mich./Holt HS

At Holt: Division 1 state champion at 125 pounds in 2010 ... 55-1 overall record as a senior ... Division 1 state runner-up at 112 pounds as a junior in 2009 ... posted a 59-3 record as a junior ... placed fourth in the state at 103 pounds as a sophomore ... finished with a 54-6 overall record as a sophomore ... three-time selection to the Lansing State Journal All-Area Dream Team ... helped lead team to a Division I state team championship in 2008 and runner-up finish in 2009.

Personal: Son of Robert and Kay Matthiesen ... born Aug. 18, 1992.

Jared Porter - 149 pounds - Oklahoma City, Okla./Carl Albert HS

At Carl Albert: Two-time Oklahoma Class 5A state champion at 145 pounds ... posted a 37-1 record en route to first state title as a junior in 2009 ... defended championship and tallied a 38-1 mark as a senior ... placed fourth at 145 pounds in the Class 4A state tournament as a sophomore.

Personal: Son of Ryan and Christie Porter ... born Nov. 12, 1991 ... high school teammate of current Chippewa Zach Aylor.

Ryan Quinn - 174 pounds - Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills HS

At Oak Hills: Two-time Division I state qualifier at 171 pounds ... earned all-area honorable mention accolades from the Cincinnati Enquirer as a senior ... was a two-year starter and captain on the football team ... all-conference second-team selection as a defensive lineman in 2009.

Personal: Son of Jeff and Shannon Quinn ... born April 6, 1992 ... father is the head football coach at the University at Buffalo.

2010 CMU Wrestling Preferred Walk-Ons

Sven Alm - 157 pounds - Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS
Anthony Bill - 174 pounds - Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard HS
Dave Cheatham - 133 pounds - Zeeland, Mich./Allendale HS
Doug Eldridge - 157 pounds - Livonia, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central HS
Malcolm Martin -149 pounds - White Cloud, Mich./Hesperia HS
Anthony Pace - 157 pounds - Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich HS
Brendon Sall - 165 pounds - Trenton, Mich./Trenton HS
Taylor Schuck - 174 pounds - Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central HS
Dylan Wells - 285 pounds - Farmington, Mich./Farmington HS
Ty Wells - 197 pounds - Fenton, Mich./Fenton HS

Central Michigan's Borrelli, Bennett Claim MAC Awards

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan's wrestling program has collected two of the Mid-American Conference's annual specialty awards.

Head coach Tom Borrelli was named MAC Coach of the Year for the 11th time in his 19 seasons at CMU, while redshirt freshman 174-pounder Ben Bennett (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) was selected MAC Freshman of the Year.

The awards were voted on by the conference's six wrestling head coaches.

Borrelli has claimed the MAC Coach of the Year award seven times in the past eight seasons. His 11 coach of the year accolades are the most of any coach in any sport in conference history.

Borrelli led the Chippewas to their 11th MAC title in the past 12 seasons and ninth consecutive conference tournament crown in 2010. CMU qualified all 10 individuals for the NCAA Championships and finished tied for 12th at the national tournament.

Bennett earned All-America honors with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, becoming just the fourth freshman in program history to be named an All-American. He earned an automatic bid to the national tournament after claiming the MAC title at 174 pounds; Bennett posted a 15-0 technical fall against Kent State's Keith Witt in the conference tournament championship match.

Bennett is the 11th different Chippewa to be named MAC Freshman of the Year and first since Mike Miller in 2007. He ranked second on the team in total victories, posting an overall mark of 26-8.

Central Michigan Conclude Competition at NCAA Championships

OMAHA, Neb. - Three Central Michigan wrestlers have finished in the top eight of their respective weight class at the 2010 NCAA Championships.

Ben Bennett finished sixth at 174 pounds, while Steve Brown and Jarod Trice placed eighth at 157 pounds and 285 pounds, respectively. Each earns All-America honors and will receive their All-America awards during the finals Saturday night.

Trice is just the third heavyweight in school history to earn All-America honors, joining Bubba Gritter (two-time All-American) and Bill Stouffer. Bennett's performance marks the fourth straight year CMU has produced an All-American at 174 pounds, while Brown is CMU's first 157-pound All-American since Casey Cunningham won the national title at that weight in 1999.

CMU is tied for 12th in the team standings with 39.5 points, the fifth highest total in program history at the national tournament. The Chippewas could move to 13th overall depending on Saturday night's championship matches.

Bennett dropped to the fifth-place match after suffering a 5-3 sudden-victory loss to No. 3 Chris Henrich (Virginia). Henrich used riding time to force overtime, then shot off the whistle on a restart 45 seconds into sudden victory to score the decisive takedown.

Bennett finished sixth after he was defeated for the second time in the tournament by No. Jordan Blanton (Illinois), 3-2. Blanton reversed Bennett off a restart midway through the third period to take a 2-1 lead. Bennett tied the score with a late escape, but riding time gave Blanton the victory.

Brown finished eighth after dropping a 12-7 decision to Northern Colorado's Justin Gaethje in the seventh-place match. Gaethje scored three takedowns in the final period to pull away in a match that was tied 4-4 entering the final period.

At heavyweight, Iowa's Daniel Erekson scored a takedown in each period in an 8-2 decision over Jarod Trice.

Central Michigan Complete Results

125 Pounds: No. 8 Matt Steintrager
First Round: W, dec. James Knox (Maryland), 3-2 TB1
Second Round: L, dec. Brad Pataky (Penn State), 3-2
Consolation Second Round: L, dec. Jason Lara (Oregon State), 6-4

133 Pounds: No. 7 Scotti Sentes
Pigtail First Round: L, Matthew Fisk (Lehigh), fall at 3:29
Consolation Pigtail: W, dec. Brandon Low (UC Davis), 8-3
Consolation First Round: L, dec. Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), 5-0

141 Pounds: Conor Beebe
First Round: W, dec. No. 11 Chris Diaz (Virginia Tech), 4-0
Second Round: L, dec. No. 6 Montell Marion (Iowa), 10-5
Consolation Second Round: L, dec. Todd Schavrien (Missouri), 9-4

149 Pounds: Tony D'Alie
First Round: W, dec. No. 10 Barrett Abel (UC Davis), 5-2
Second Round: L, dec. No. 7 Mitch Mueller (Iowa State), 8-4
Consolation Second Round: W, maj. dec. Glenn Shober (Navy), 12-3
Consolation Third Round: L, dec. Kyle Borshoff (American), 10-6

157 Pounds: No. 12 Steve Brown - All-American - 8th Place
First Round: W, maj. dec. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel), 12-1
Second Round: L, dec. No. 5 Steve Fittery (American), 8-6
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. Kyle John (Maryland), 10-7
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Kurt Kinser (Indiana), 3-1
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. No. 3 Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech), 5-2
Consolation Fifth Round: L, maj. dec. No. 2 Adam Hall (Boise State), 12-4
Seventh-Place Match: L, dec. Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado), 12-7

165 Pounds: Tyler Grayson
First Round: W, maj. dec. No. 8 Shane Onufer (Wyoming), 14-4
Second round: L, dec. No. 9 Andrew Rendos (Bucknell), 3-2
Consolation Second Round: L, dec. No. 3 Nick Marable (Missouri), 4-3

174 Pounds: No. 7 Ben Bennett - All-American - 6th Place
First Round: W, dec. Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), 4-2 TB1
Second Round: L, dec. No. 10 Jordan Blanton (Illinois), 5-2
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. Brad Darrington (Utah Valley), 4-3
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. No. 5 Scott Glasser (Minnesota), 7-3
Consolation Fourth Round: W, pin No. 8 Colby Covington (Oregon State) at 0:44
Consolation Fifth Round: W, pin Jarion Beets (Northern Iowa) at 1:23
Consolation Semifinals: L, dec. No. 3 Chris Henrich (Virginia), 5-3 SV1
Fifth-Place Match: L, dec. No. 10 Jordan Blanton (Illinois), 3-2

184 Pounds: Mike Miller
Pigtail First Round: W, dec. No. 10 Mike Pucillo (Ohio State), 4-2
First Round: L, dec. Jason McCroskey (Chattanooga), 5-2
Consolation First Round: L, dec. Josh Ihnen (Nebraska), 3-1

197 Pounds: Eric Simaz
First Round: L, dec. Joseph Kennedy (Lehigh), 3-1
Consolation First Round: L, maj. dec. Daniel Mitchell (American), 10-2

285 Pounds: No. 7 Jarod Trice - All-American - 8th Place
First Round: L, Brandon Williamson (West Virginia), fall at 6:59
Consolation First Round: W, dec. Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma), 5-4
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. Tucker Lane (Nebraska), 3-1 SV1
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. No. 12 Scott Steele (Navy), 6-2
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. Ben Berhow (Minnesota), 6-5 TB1
Consolation Fifth Round: L, dec. No. 11 Mitchell Monteiro (Cal State Bakersfield), 1-0
Seventh-Place Match: L, dec. No. 5 Daniel Erekson (Iowa), 8-2

Central Michigan's D'Alie, Trice Earn At-Large Bids to NCAA Championships

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan senior 149-pounder Tony D'Alie and sophomore heavyweight Jarod Trice have earned at-large bids to the 2010 NCAA Championships.

Their additions to the tournament make the 2010 Chippewas the first team in Mid-American Conference history to qualify all 10 individuals to the NCAA Championships, slated for March 18-20 in Omaha, Neb.

Five Chippewas earned top-12 seeds in their respective weight class.

CMU won the MAC's regular season and tournament championships in 2010. CMU has won 11 of the past 12 MAC titles and 12 of the past 13 conference tournament crowns, including nine straight.

Complete brackets and more tournament information will be available on cmuchippewas.com later Wednesday night.

Central Michigan's NCAA Championships First Round Matchups
125 Pounds: No. 8 Matt Steintrager vs. James Knox (Maryland)
133 Pounds: No. 11 Scotti Sentes vs. Matthew Fisk (Lehigh)
141 Pounds: Conor Beebe vs. No. 11 Christopher Diaz (Virginia Tech)
149 Pounds: Tony D'Alie vs. No. 10 Barrett Abel (UC Davis)
157 Pounds: No. 12 Steve Brown vs. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel)
165 Pounds: Tyler Grayson vs. No. 8 Shane Onufer (Wyoming)
174 Pounds: No. 7 Ben Bennett vs. Robert Hamlin (Lehigh)
184 Pounds: Mike Miller vs. No. 10 Mike Pucillo (Ohio State)
197 Pounds: Eric Simaz vs. Joe Kennedy (Lehigh)
285 Pounds: No. 7 Jarod Trice vs. Brandon Williamson (West Virginia)

Central Michigan Claims Ninth Straight MAC Championships Title

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan claimed individual championships in five weight classes on its way to a ninth consecutive Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships title on Sunday.

The Chippewas topped the team standings with 94 points. Finishing runner-up was Kent State with 73 points, while Ohio was third with 62. Kent State's Danny Mitcheff, who won his second consecutive title at 133 pounds, was named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler.

Winning individual titles for CMU were Matt Steintrager (125), Conor Beebe (141), Steve Brown (157), Tyler Grayson (165) and Ben Bennett (174)

Eight Chippewas earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships based on their placement at the MAC Championships. Earning automatic bids were the five weight class champions, Scotti Sentes (133), Mike Miller (184) and Eric Simaz (197).

CMU entered Sunday's championship with seven individuals in the finals and three others still alive in the consolation bracket. Of the five Chippewas who won individual titles, four were first-time champions.

Steintrager was the first Chippewa to advance to the national tournament, earning a medical forfeit victory at 125 pounds. The conference championship was the first of his career.

Beebe also won his first career conference title at 141 pounds. Beebe defeated 2008 MAC champion Pat McLemore (Northern Illinois), 6-2, in the championship match.

Brown, Grayson and Bennett strung together three straight titles for the Chippewas at 157, 165 and 174 pounds. Brown's 8-5 decision over NIU's Bryan Deutsch secured his third consecutive conference championship, making him just the ninth Chippewa to win at least three individual MAC titles.

Grayson, a senior, and Bennett, a redshirt freshman, were both first-time champions. Grayson posted a 7-2 decision over Buffalo's John-Martin Cannon in the 165-pound finals, while Bennett was dominant in a 15-0 technical fall against Kent State's Keith Witt.

CMU's other finalists, Sentes at 133 pounds and Jarod Trice at heavyweight, both finished third after losing in the championship match and forfeiting their true-second matches. Trice and Kent State's Brendan Barlow battled through three tiebreakers in the heavyweight final before Barlow earned the decision based on riding time. The loss snapped a 20-match winning streak for Trice, tied for the second longest in school history.

Trice and Tony D'Alie, who placed third at 149 pounds, will be considered for at-large berths to the NCAA Championships. The NCAA will announce at-large qualifiers on Wednesday, March 10.

Central Michigan Complete Results

125 Pounds: No. 1 Matt Steintrager - Champion
First Round: W, pin Greg Egbert (EMU) at 3:12
Semifinals: W, dec. No. 4 Troy Opfer (KSU), 5-1
Finals: W, No. 2 Dan Bishop (UB), med. forfeit

133 Pounds: No. 1 Scotti Sentes - Third place
First Round: W, dec. Tristen DeShazer (NIU), 10-3
Semifinals: W, dec. No. 4 Sean Clair (EMU), 11-8
Finals: L, dec. No. 2 Danny Mitcheff (KSU), 8-2
True Second: L, No. 3 Kevin Smith (UB), med. forfeit

141 Pounds: No. 1 Conor Beebe - Champion
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: W, dec. No. 4 Chase Skonieczny (KSU), 4-0
Finals: W, dec. No. 3 Pat McLemore (NIU), 6-2

149 Pounds: No. 2 Tony D'Alie - Third place
First Round: W, maj. dec. David Pienaar (EMU), 15-4
Semifinals: L, dec. No. 3 Seth Morton (OU), 6-5
Consolation Semifinals: W, dec. No. 4 Marcel Clopton (KSU), 3-2
Third-place Match: W, dec. Dan Ruettiger (NIU), 6-3

157 Pounds: No. 1 Steve Brown - Champion
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: W, dec. No. 4 Clay Tucker (OU), 3-2
Finals: W, dec. No. 2 Bryan Deutsch (NIU), 8-5

165 Pounds: No. 1 Tyler Grayson - Champion
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: W, dec. No. 4 Ross Tice (KSU), 6-1
Finals: W, dec. No. 2 John-Martin Cannon (UB), 7-2

174 Pounds: No. 1 Ben Bennett - Champion
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: W, maj. dec. No. 4 Brian Sheehan (UB), 14-2
Finals: W, tech. fall No. 3 Keith Witt (KSU), 15-0 at 7:00

184 Pounds: No. 2 Mike Miller - Third place
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: L, dec. No. 3 Nick Purdue (OU), 7-5
Consolation Semifinals: W, dec. Josh Peters (UB), 5-4
Third-place Match: W, dec. No. 4 Phillip Joseph (EMU), 8-5

197 Pounds: No. 1 Eric Simaz - Third place
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: L, dec. No. 4 Jimmy Hamel (UB), 3-1 SV1
Consolation Semifinals: W, dec. Scott Penny (NIU), 4-2
Third-place Match: W, dec. No. 3 Adam Cogar (KSU), 5-2

285 Pounds: No. 1 Jarod Trice - Third place
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: W, dec. No. 4 Andy Hartshorn (OU), 7-3
Finals: L, dec. No. 2 Brendan Barlow (KSU), 4-4 RT TB3
True Second: L, No. 3 David Wade (EMU), med. forfeit

Central Michigan Signs New Five-Year Contract

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan head wrestling coach Tom Borrelli has agreed to a new five-year contract with the university.

"We are very excited to have the opportunity to structure a longterm agreement with Coach Borrelli," said CMU Director of Athletics Dave Heeke. "It is no secret that he is one of the top wrestling coaches in the nation. Tom has done an incredible job guiding the Central Michigan wrestling program to an elite level on a national scale. We are pleased that this new agreement ensures his leadership and vision will continue with the Chippewas well into the future."

Borrelli, in his 19th season at CMU, is the winningest wrestling coach in school history. He has guided the Chippewas to 11 Mid-American Conference championships and 11 conference tournament titles. Twenty-nine Chippewas have earned All-America honors during Borrelli's tenure.

In 2006, Borrelli became the first Olympic sport coach in CMU history to sign a multi-year contract when he and the university agreed to a four-year deal. The new five-year pact includes a base salary of $104,448 and several performance bonuses.

"I'm very appreciative of everything Central Michigan University and the athletics department have done for my family and me," Borrelli said. "I'm looking forward to continuing to build the program that we have established here."

Borrelli has guided the Chippewas to seven top-15 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including five in the past six seasons. He has coached four individual national finalists, including 1999 national champion Casey Cunningham.

CMU has been a fixture among the top 10 in the national dual meet polls in recent years, climbing as high as No. 2 in the InterMat poll during the final week of the 2007-08 season.

The Chippewas are 238-92-7 in dual meets during Borrelli's tenure, including 82-13 in MAC duals. CMU has won 62 of its last 64 conferece duals dating back to the 1998-99 season.

Borrelli has been named MAC Coach of the Year a conference record 10 times. He was named national coach of the year by a pair of organizations in 1998, and he was recognized with the National Wrestling Coaches Association Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award in 2004.

Borrelli's wrestlers have excelled in the classroom as well. The Chippewas have ranked in the top 16 nationally in team grade-point average in 15 of the past 16 seasons, and two Chippewas--Wynn Michalak and Mark DiSalvo--have been named Academic All-Americans and earned NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.

CMU hosts the MAC Wrestling Championships Saturday and Sunday at Rose Center. Competition begins at 1 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.

Central Michigan to Host 2010 MAC Wrestling Championships

Central Michigan is hosting the 2010 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7. CMU will be distributing updated brackets and team scoring following each of the tournament's three sessions of competition. Results also will be posted on CMU's MAC Wrestling Championships Central page on cmuchippewas.com.

Photos from Sunday's championship finals, as well as video interviews with the championship team's head coach and the tournament's most outstanding wrestler will be made available on the Mid-American Conference's .ftp site. Login information for the .ftp site:

ftp://ftp.xosn.com
Username: macmedia
Password: mac2009

For those planning to cover next weekend's tournament, please direct credential requests to Scott Rex.

Central Michigan's Sentes Named MAC Wrestler of the Week

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan sophomore Scotti Sentes (Fort Myers, Fla./Riverdale HS) has been named Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Week.

Sentes won both of his matches last week to help Central Michigan clinch the MAC championship. Sentes, ranked seventh nationally at 133 pounds, posted a 9-0 major decision over Ohio‚s Michael Fennell on Friday, then claimed a 3-2 decision over No. 8-ranked and defending MAC champion Danny Mitcheff (Kent State) on Sunday. The Chippewas shut out Ohio, 40-0, on Friday, then won at No. 20 Kent State, 21-13, to clinch the conference title on Sunday.

Sentes has won eight of his last nine matches to improve to 18-5 overall, and he finished 5-0 in the MAC. He earns the conference‚s weekly honor for the second time this season and third time in his career.

CMU finished the regular season 17-2 overall, 5-0 in the MAC, matching the school record for victories in a season. The sixth-ranked Chippewas won their 11th conference championship in the past 12 seasons.

CMU will host the MAC Wrestling Championships at Rose Center March 6-7.

No. 6 Central Michigan Clinches MAC Title with 21-13 Win at No. 20 Kent State

KENT, Ohio - Sixth-ranked Central Michigan can celebrate its 11th Mid-American Conference championship in the past 12 seasons following its 21-13 win at No. 20 Kent State in the regular season finale on Sunday.

The roles were reversed from a year ago, when Kent State defeated CMU, 18-14, at Rose Center to end the Chippewas' streak of 10 consecutive MAC titles. This season, it was CMU traveling to the home of the defending conference champion to lock up the outright title.

"I'm really happy for our guys, especially our seniors," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "I know they were really disappointed last year, especially since it happened at our gym. I think the MAC Tournament will be more important for them now since it's at home, but today was an important win for them."

CMU (17-2 overall, 5-0 MAC) matched a school record for victories in a season with the win. Kent State dropped to 15-4 overall, 4-1 in the MAC.

"I thought that we wrestled very well today," Borrelli said. "I felt like we should have won nine of the 10 matches. We didn't get a call at 141 and we made a mistake at 149 when we were leading in the match, but we can learn from those mistakes."

The dual was tied 9-9 after five bouts, and CMU led just 15-13 after the 184-pound bout. Eric Simaz and Jarod Trice sealed the victory for the Chippewas, however, with overtime decisions at 197 and 285 pounds, respectively.

The dual began at 125 pounds, where No. 9 Matt Steintrager shut out Troy Opfer, 5-0. A first-period takedown, second-period reversal and more than 4:00 of riding time accounted for Steintrager's five points.

A pair of top-10 ranked individuals squared off at 133 pounds, where CMU's No. 7 Scotti Sentes edged No. 8 Danny Mitcheff, 3-2. Mitcheff scored the bout's only takedown in the third period, but Sentes escaped twice and used riding time to earn the victory.

"We almost didn't wrestle Scotti after he got hurt against Ohio Friday night," Borrelli said. "That was a pretty formidable opponent that he was facing today, and we weren't even sure if Scotti was going to be able to make it through the match. For him to get the win is really a tribute to the type of competitor that he is."

Kent State recorded its first victory at 141 pounds when Chase Skonieczny defeated Conor Beebe, 5-4. Beebe led 2-0 after the first period and 4-3 midway through the third, but a late escape by Skonieczny tied the score at 4-4. Beebe nearly secured a takedown at the final buzzer, but officials waived it off and Skonieczny earned the decision via riding time.

Matt Cathell followed with an upset victory over Tony D'Alie to give Kent State its only lead of the dual. D'Alie led 6-2 in the third before Cathell reversed D'Alie and scored a fall in the final minute. The pin gave Kent State a 9-6 advantage.

Steve Brown evened the score with a 3-2 decision over Mallie Shuster at 157 pounds. A second-period escape and third-period takedown was enough for Brown to earn the victory.

Tyler Grayson put the Chippewas in front for good with a 5-0 decision at 165 pounds. Grayson scored just one takedown, but added an escape, a penalty point and riding time against Kent State's Ross Tice.

Ben Bennett extended the CMU lead to 15-9 with a 9-3 decision over Keith Witt at 174 pounds. Bennett led just 2-0 after two periods but pulled away with a pair of takedowns and two back points in the final period.

Fifth-ranked Dustin Kilgore kept the Golden Flashes in contention with a major decision at 184 pounds, but Simaz and Trice posted the decisive wins for CMU.

At 197, Simaz and Adam Cogar finished regulation tied 1-1. The pair was scoreless through the sudden victory period, sending the match to the first tiebreaker. Simaz escaped in the first 30-second tiebreaker, then rode out Cogar in the second 30-second period to earn the 2-1 decision.

Trice also needed overtime to earn his 19th consecutive victory. Both he and Kent State's Brendan Barlow scored escapes in regulation and were tied 1-1 entering overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Trice began the first 30-second tiebreaker in the top position. Barlow escaped, but Trice scored a takedown to take a 3-2 lead. Trice added an escape in the second 30-second tiebreaker for the final 4-2 advantage.

CMU is now off for two weeks before hosting the Mid-American Conference Championships at Rose Center March 6-7.

No. 6 Central Michigan 21, No. 20 Kent State 13
125: No. 9 Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. Troy Opfer, 5-0; CMU leads 3-0
133: No. 7 Scotti Sentes (CMU) dec. No. 8 Danny Mitcheff, 3-2; CMU leads 6-0
141: Chase Skonieczny (KSU) dec. Conor Beebe, 5-4; CMU leads 6-3
149: Matt Cathell (KSU) pin No. 12 Tony D'Alie at 6:02; Kent State leads 9-6
157: No. 13 Steve Brown (CMU) dec. Mallie Shuster, 3-2; Tied 9-9
165: No. 20 Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. Ross Tice, 5-0; CMU leads 12-9
174: No. 10 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Keith Witt, 9-3; CMU leads 15-9
184: No. 5 Dustin Kilgore (KSU) maj. dec. Dillon Kern, 11-3; CMU leads 15-13
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Adam Cogar, 2-1 TB1; CMU leads 18-13
285: No. 4 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Brendan Barlow, 4-2 TB1; CMU leads 21-13

No. 6 Central Michigan Blanks Ohio, 40-0

MOUNT PLEASANT - No. 6 Central Michigan sent its seniors out in style, rolling to a 40-0 Mid-American Conference victory over Ohio in the home finale at Rose Center Friday night.

The Chippewas' eighth straight victory sets up a winner-take-all dual at No. 20 Kent State on Sunday, with the victor claiming the MAC regular season championship.

All six of CMU's seniors - Matt Steintrager (125), Conor Beebe (141), Tony D'Alie (149), Steve Brown (157), Tyler Grayson (165) and Eric Simaz (197) - claimed victories in their final dual meet at Rose Center. It was Beebe, however, who scored the biggest win of the night, a 6-1 upset of No. 11 Germane Lindsey that brought the Rose Center crowd to its feet.

"I thought Conor wrestled a very good match," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "He scored when he needed to score. Conor's good on the mat, and he's good defensively, and that paid off for him tonight. The other thing that is important about that win is that Germane Lindsey is ranked 11th in the country, and hopefully that moves Conor into the rankings and secures our conference another wild card spot to the national tournament."

CMU (16-2 overall, 4-0 MAC) was dominant from start to finish, scoring three victories by fall and allowing Ohio (11-5 overall, 2-2 MAC) just four takedowns in the 10 bouts combined. Two of those takedowns came in the heavyweight bout, where No. 4 Jarod Trice rode out Andy Hartshorn in the third period to claim his 18th straight win and improve to 21-1 overall.

"We've been trying to get Jarod better on top, so that when he needs to ride someone he can, and the whole third period he did a good job of riding his opponent tonight," Borrelli said. "When you execute what we've been trying to get him to improve on in practice, that's a bright spot."

Steintrager opened the dual with a 6-4 decision over Gabe Ramos at 125 pounds, and Scotti Sentes followed with a 9-3 major decision at 133. Sentes scored his first of three takedowns just 7 seconds into the match and finished with more than six minutes of riding time.

At 141, Beebe scored a key takedown in the closing seconds of the second period to take a 3-0 lead. He added a takedown in the third period and tacked on the riding time point for the final 6-1 margin.

D'Alie, Brown and Grayson all won by decision before the Chippewas recorded three consecutive falls to put the dual out of reach. Ben Bennett's third fall of the season came in the second period against Jacob Ison at 174 pounds. Dillon Kern needed just 1:26 to stick Steve Wilson at 184, and Simaz scored his fall against Brian Driscoll with just 1 second remaining in the first period.

At heavyweight, Trice and Hartshorn were tied 3-3 after one period and 5-5 entering the third period. Trice began the final period on top and rode Hartshorn the entire two minutes to claim the decisive riding time point.

The shutout was CMU's first since a 45-0 victory over Ohio at Rose Center in 2008.

Sunday's dual at No. 20 Kent State begins at 2 p.m. and will be televised on SportsTime Ohio.

No. 6 Central Michigan 40, Ohio 0
125: No. 9 Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. Gabe Ramos (OU), 6-4; CMU leads 3-0
133: No. 7 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Michael Fennell (OU), 9-0; CMU leads 7-0
141: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. No. 11 Germane Lindsey (OU), 6-1; CMU leads 10-0
149: No. 12 Tony D‚Alie (CMU) dec. Seth Morton (OU), 3-1; CMU leads 13-0
157: No. 13 Steve Brown (CMU) dec. Casey Gordon (OU), 7-1; CMU leads 16-0
165: No. 20 Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. Kevin Christensen (OU), 9-3; CMU leads 19-0
174: No. 10 Ben Bennett (CMU) pin Jacob Ison (OU) at 3:47; CMU leads 25-0
184: Dillon Kern (CMU) pin Steve Wilson (OU) at 1:26; CMU leads 31-0
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) pin Brian Driscoll (OU) at 2:59; CMU leads 37-0
285: No. 4 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Andy Hartshorn (OU) 6-5; CMU wins 40-0

Attendance: 678

No. 6 Central Michigan Extends Winning Streak at Buffalo, 35-3

BUFFALO, N.Y. - No. 6 Central Michigan scored bonus points in four bouts and cruised to a 35-3 Mid-American Conference victory at Buffalo on Sunday.

The Chippewas (15-2 overall, 3-0 MAC) have won seven straight duals. The victory also was CMU's 60th in its last 62 MAC duals. Buffalo fell to 8-7-1 overall, 1-3 in the MAC.

"I thought we wrestled pretty well," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We had a few matches that I felt it was important that we did well in to set ourselves up for seeding at the MAC Tournament, and we won each of those matches. Overall I thought we had a pretty good day."

CMU scored bonus points via Tyler Grayson's fall at 165 pound, technical falls by Tony D'Alie (149) and Ben Bennett (174) and Jarod Trice's major decision at heavyweight.

Grayson's fall was his first of the season. He pinned No. 19 John-Martin Cannon with just less than a minute remaining in the third period.

Both D'Alie and Bennett completed their technical falls in the third period. Bennett won 16-0, the fifth consecutive match in which he has not allowed a point. Overall, he has won eight straight bouts to improve to 17-5 overall.

Trice became the first Chippewa to reach 20 victories this season, posting a 19-7 major decision over Jason Weber. Trice extended his winning streak to 17 matches to improve to 20-1 overall this season.

Winning via decision for CMU were Matt Steintrager (125), Scotti Sentes (133), Conor Beebe (141), Steve Brown (157) and Eric Simaz (197).

Brown defeated Andrew Stella, 6-5, in his first match since competing at Midlands on Dec. 30. Brown had missed the past six weeks with an injury.

"We felt like it was important for him to get back on the mat and get back in the rhythm of things, and I thought he did a good job today," Borrelli said.

CMU closes the regular season with a pair of duals this week. The Chippewas host Ohio Friday at 7 p.m., then visit Kent State Sunday at 2 p.m. A pair of victories would secure an outright conference championship for CMU and match a program record for victories in a season.

No. 6 Central Michigan University 35, University at Buffalo 3
125: No. 9 Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. Dan Bishop (UB), 6-3
133: No. 7 Scotti Sentes (CMU) dec. No. 19 Kevin Smith (UB), 4-1 141: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. Andrew Schutt (UB), 6-1
149: No. 13 Tony D'Alie (CMU) tech. fall Chris Conti (UB), 19-4 at 6:05 157: Steve Brown (CMU) dec. Andrew Stella (UB), 6-5
165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) pin No. 19 John-Martin Cannon (UB), 6:09
174: No. 10 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Brian Sheehan (UB), 16-0 at 6:24 184: Josh Peters (UB) dec. Dillon Kern (CMU), 4-1
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Jimmy Hamel (UB), 5-4
285: No. 3 Jarod Trice (CMU) maj. dec. Jason Weber (UB), 19-7

No. 6 Central Michigan Wins Sixth Straight, 29-6 Over Northern Illinois

Attachments: Central Michigan's Scotti Sentes pins Northern Illinois' Zach Taylor in the 125-pound bout at Rose Center on Sunday. Sentes' win capped CMU's 29-6 win over NIU. (Tim Fitzgerald/CMU Athletics)

No. 6 CMU Wins Sixth Straight, 29-6 Over Northern Illinois

MOUNT PLEASANT - No. 6 Central Michigan extended its winning streak to six duals with a 29-6 victory over Northern Illinois in a Mid-American Conference dual at Rose Center on Sunday.

The Chippewas improved to 14-2 overall, 2-0 in the MAC with the victory. It was their 59th win in their last 61 conference duals. NIU fell to 9-8 overall, 1-3 in the MAC.

"We were very competitive in all 10 of the matches," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We lost two matches, but we were wrestling with freshmen in both of those matches, and we lost a one-point match and we lost to a returning conference champion. For us to win the MAC Tournament, we have to have contributions from all 10 weight classes, and we feel like we're getting that."

Sunday's dual began at 141 pounds, where Conor Beebe earned a 5-3 decision over NIU's Pat McLemore. The match was tied 3-3 after one period, but Beebe scored a decisive reversal after beginning the second period in the bottom position.

No. 14 Tony D'Alie extended CMU's lead to 6-0 with a 3-2 decision at 149 pounds. A third-period takedown was the difference in the victory.

Northern Illinois' first victory of the day came at 157 pounds, where Bryan Deutsch posted a 6-3 decision over Donnie Corby. Deutsch led 2-1 after the first period, and he extended his lead to 4-1 with two back points after beginning the second period in the top position. Deutsch and Corby traded reversals in the final 10 seconds of the match for the final 6-3 margin.

Eric Cubberly and No. 10 Ben Bennett followed with victories for CMU at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Cubberly was a 5-3 winner over John Odeen, while Bennett earned bonus points with a 17-0 technical fall over Joe Clothier. Bennett scored 12 back points in the win.

NIU won at 184 pounds when Zach Benzio defeated Dillon Kern, 9-8. Benzio scored a reversal in the third period for the decisive points.

The Chippewas won each of the final four bouts, beginning with Eric Simaz's 7-2 decision over Scott Penny at 197 pounds. Jarod Trice (heavyweight) and Matt Steintrager (125) followed with decisions as well, and Scotti Sentes (133) capped the win with a first-period pin of NIU's Zach Taylor.

The Chippewas continue MAC competition next Sunday with a road trip to Buffalo.

No. 6 Central Michigan 29, Northern Illinois 6
141: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. Pat McLemore, 5-3; CMU leads 3-0
149: No. 14 Tony D'Alie (CMU) dec. Dan Ruettiger, 3-2; CMU leads 6-0
157: Bryan Deutsch (NIU) dec. Donnie Corby, 6-3; CMU leads 6-3
165: Eric Cubberly (CMU) dec. John Odeen, 5-3; CMU leads 9-3
174: No. 10 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Joe Clothier, 17-0 at 4:58; CMU leads 14-3
184: Zach Benzio (NIU) dec. Dillon Kern, 9-8; CMU leads 14-6
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Scott Penny, 7-2; CMU leads 17-6
285: No. 3 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Dakota Greenhaw, 8-3; CMU leads 20-6
125: No. 9 Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. Izzy Montemayor, 4-1; CMU leads 23-6
133: No. 8 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin Zach Taylor at 1:55; CMU leads 29-6

Attendance: 618

Match began at 141 pounds.

No. 6 Central Michigan Defeats Michigan State, 23-10

MOUNT PLEASANT - No. 6 Central Michigan extended its winning streak to five duals with a 23-10 nonconference victory over Michigan State in front of a crowd of 3,009 at Rose Center Friday night.

The Chippewas (13-2 overall) have won nine consecutive matchups against Michigan State (7-5-1).

"I was happy with the way we performed overall," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "I felt like we took the fight to them in the third period in a lot of the matches and even the matches that we lost, we were very capable of winning those matches."

CMU led 7-6 after splitting the dual's first four bouts, but the Chippewas won five of the final six matchups to win going away.

CMU's Matt Steintrager opened the dual with a 17-8 major decision over Eric Olanowski at 125 pounds. Steintrager was in control from start to finish, scoring six takedowns, a reverse and two back points in the win. He also held a riding time advantage of 3:48.

The most anticipated match of the dual came at 133 pounds, where No. 8 Scotti Sentes faced defending national champion and fourth-ranked Franklin Gomez. Gomez scored an early takedown to take a 2-0 lead and held a 3-1 advantage entering the third period. Sentes escaped to draw within 3-2 early in the final period, but Gomez scored a takedown off a shot with a minute remaining that proved to be the difference in his 5-3 decision.

Conor Beebe led from start to finish in his 8-2 decision at 141 pounds. He scored a pair of first-period takedowns and allowed just two escapes in the win.

No. 12 David Cheza drew the Spartans within 7-6 with a 7-3 decision over No. 14 Tony D'Alie. D'Alie scored a takedown in the third period to tie the score at 3-3, but Cheza had locked up riding time following a first-period takedown and was cut loose by D'Alie. Cheza added another takedown at the buzzer for the final four-point margin.

Donnie Corby swung the momentum back CMU's way with a 5-3 decision over Anthony Jones at 157 pounds. Tied 1-1 in the third period, Corby took Jones straight to his back from the neutral position for two nearfall points that proved to be the margin of victory.

"The big thing with Donnie is he's getting an opportunity to compete, maybe a year earlier than we thought he would," Borrelli said. "I think he's growing in that role. That was a very big win for him tonight. He worked very hard this week to prepare for that match, and he wrestled the match exactly the way he wanted to wrestle it. It was nice to see him prepare that way and then be able to go out and execute."

Tyler Grayson followed with a methodical 10-2 major decision over Kyle Bounds at 165 pounds. Grayson scored four takedowns, the last of which came in the final 15 final seconds and secured the bonus point.

Ben Bennett made it three straight Chippewa victories with a 5-0 decision over Ian Hinton at 174 pounds. Bennett led 1-0 after the first two periods, then started the third period in the top position. He turned Hinton to score three back points and rode him out to earn the riding time point as well.

Michigan State's final victory of the night came at 184 pounds, where Curran Jacobs was a 12-4 winner over Dillon Kern. Jacobs had four takedowns and a 3:33 riding time edge in the win.

Eric Simaz (197) and Jarod Trice (285) closed the match with back-to-back decisions for the Chippewas.

No. 6 Central Michigan 23, Michigan State 10
125: No. 9 Matt Steintrager (CMU) maj. dec. Eric Olanowski, 17-8; CMU leads 4-0
133: No. 4 Franklin Gomez (MSU) dec. No. 8 Scotti Sentes, 5-3; CMU leads 4-3
141: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. Dan Osterman, 8-2; CMU leads 7-3
149: No. 12 David Cheza (MSU) dec. No. 14 Tony D'Alie (CMU), 7-3; CMU leads 7-6
157: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Anthony Jones, 5-3; CMU leads 10-6
165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) maj. dec. Kyle Bounds, 10-2; CMU leads 14-6
174: No. 10 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Ian Hinton, 5-0; CMU leads 17-6
184: Curran Jacobs (MSU) maj. dec. Dillon Kern, 12-4; CMU leads 17-10
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Tyler Dickenson, 8-1; CMU leads 20-10
285: No. 3 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Alan O'Donnell (MSU), 4-2; CMU leads 23-10

Attendance: 3,009

No. 7 Central Michigan Earns 21-17 Win at No. 15 Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG - No. 7 Central Michigan scored bonus points in the final two bouts to rally past No. 15 Virginia Tech, 21-17, in a nonconference dual Friday night.

The victory was CMU's third straight and improved the Chippewas' overall record to 11-2. Virginia Tech falls to 14-3 overall.

The Hokies posted five victories in a span of six bouts to take a 17-11 lead into the 197-pound matchup between CMU's Eric Simaz and Virginia Tech's Chris Penny. Simaz scored an 8-0 major decision to draw the Chippewas within 17-15, and Virginia Tech's void at heavyweight allowed CMU to complete the comeback.

CMU took an early 7-0 lead with victories at 125 and 133 pounds. No. 9 Matt Steintrager scored takedowns in both of the first two periods in a 7-4 decision over No. 14 Jarrod Garnett at 125 pounds. It was Steintrager's second victory over Garnett this season.

Ninth-ranked Scotti Sentes followed Steintrager with a 13-0 major decision over Brock LiVorio at 133 pounds.

Tenth-ranked Chris Diaz's 7-4 decision over Conor Beebe at 141 pounds was the first of four straight victories for the Hokies that gave the hosts a 13-7 lead. Included in the run were a pair of upsets: unranked Brian Stephens scored a pair of takedowns and three back points in the third period of a 12-7 decision over No. 11 Tony D'Alie at 149 pounds, and unranked Matt Epperly was a 6-3 winner over No. 17 Tyler Grayson at 165 pounds.

CMU and Virginia Tech traded major decisions at 174 and 184 pounds, with CMU's 10th-ranked Ben Bennett (174) and the Hokies' 19th-ranked Tommy Spellman (184) earning victories.

That set the stage for Simaz, who posted his second major decision in his last three matches.

The Chippewas are back in action Sunday, visiting No. 25 Old Dominion at 5:30 p.m.

No. 7 Central Michigan 21, No. 15 Virginia Tech 17
125: No. 9 Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. No. 14 Jarrod Garnett, 7-4
133: No. 9 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Brock LiVorio, 13-0
141: No. 10 Chris Diaz (VT) dec. Conor Beebe, 7-4
149: Brian Stephens (VT) dec. No. 11 Tony D'Alie, 12-7
157: No. 4 Jesse Dong (VT) maj. dec. Donnie Corby, 10-0
165: Matt Epperly (VT) dec. No. 17 Tyler Grayson, 6-3
174: No. 10 Ben Bennett (CMU) maj. dec. Taylor Knapp, 10-0
184: No. 19 Tommy Spellman (VT) maj. dec. Dillon Kern, 13-2
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) maj. dec. Chris Penny, 8-0
285: No. 3 Jarod Trice (CMU) wins by forfeit

No. 7 Central Michigan Chippewas Win at Eastern Michigan, 34-3

YPSILANTI, Mich. - No. 7 Central Michigan won nine of 10 individual bouts and opened Mid-American Conference competition with a 34-3 win at Eastern Michigan Thursday night.

The Chippewas (10-2 overall, 1-0 MAC) extended their winning streak over EMU (7-8-1, 0-1 MAC) to 19 matches dating back to 1991. CMU has won 58 of its last 60 conference duals.

CMU scored bonus points in three matches: a pin by Matt Steintrager at 125 pounds and technical falls by Tyler Grayson and Ben Bennett at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively.

"I thought it was a good start for us in the MAC," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "I felt like we wrestled really well with the lineup we had tonight."

The Chippewas won each of the first five bouts to build an 18-0 lead.

Steintrager pinned EMU's Greg Egbert in the second period to open the dual. Scotti Sentes (133), Conor Beebe (141), Justin McDermitt (149) and Donnie Corby (157) followed with decisions to extend the Chippewas' advantage.

Both McDermitt and Corby recorded their first career MAC dual victories.

"They both did a really good job," Borrelli said. "Both of them got behind early and wrestled their way back to win. This was a good opportunity for them to continue to learn how to handle overcoming anxiety and performing in front of a crowd."

Eastern Michigan's lone victory came at 165 pounds, where Alex Ortman edged CMU's Eric Cubberly, 4-3.

Grayson, competing up a weight class from his normal 165 pounds, posted a 17-2 technical fall at 174 pounds over EMU's Nick Hendrick. Bennett, also competing up a weight, followed with a five-point technical fall of his own at 184 pounds, his first career MAC dual victory.

CMU's Eric Simaz and Jarod Trice closed the match with decisions at 197 and 285 pounds, respectively.

The Chippewas are off for a week before visiting Virginia Tech (Jan. 29) and Old Dominion (Jan. 31) next weekend.

No. 7 Central Michigan 34, Eastern Michigan 3
125: No. 10 Matt Steintrager (CMU) pin Greg Egbert, 4:14; CMU 6-0
133: No. 9 Scotti Sentes (CMU) dec. Sean Clair, 6-1; CMU 9-0
141: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. Chris Jenkins, 9-3; CMU 12-0
149: Justin McDermitt (CMU) dec. David Pienaar, 6-4; CMU 15-0
157: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Aaron Sulzer, 4-3; CMU 18-0
165: Alex Ortman (EMU) dec. Eric Cubberly, 4-3; CMU 18-3
174: No. 19 Tyler Grayson (CMU) tech. fall Nick Hendrick, 17-2 (7:00); CMU 23-3
184: No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Phillip Joseph, 18-3 (7:00); CMU 28-3
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Josh Lewis, 6-1; CMU 31-3
285: No. 3 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Wes Schroeder, 3-1; CMU 34-3

No. 6 Central Michigan Posts 1-2 Record at National Duals

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - No. 6 Central Michigan won an opening round match at National Duals before being eliminated from the tournament Saturday.

The Chippewas (8-2 overall) opened the tournament with a 28-12 victory over Northwestern before falling to No. 5 Minnesota, 25-9, and No. 22 Wisconsin, 23-10.

Wins by Matt Steintrager (125 pounds), Scotti Sentes (133) and Conor Beebe (141) gave CMU, seeded fourth in the 16-team field, an early 10-0 lead in its first-round match against Northwestern. The Wildcats closed the gap with wins at 149 and 157 pounds, but the Chippewas claimed victories in four of the final five bouts to pull away.

The Chippewas' second-round opponent was fifth-seeded Minnesota. The Golden Gophers led 16-0 before Tyler Grayson recorded CMU's first victory at 165 pounds. Eric Simaz added a 3-2 upset of No. 15 Sonny Yohn at 197 pounds, and Jarod Trice closed the dual with a 3-2 decision against Ben Berhow.

CMU's matchup with Wisconsin in the consolation bracket was the programs' first meeting since the 2001 Virginia Duals. Steintrager opened the dual with a 9-0 major decision at 125 pounds, and Sentes defeated No. 6-ranked Tyler Graff, 7-3, at 133 pounds to stake the Chippewas to an early 7-0 lead.

Wisconsin, however, recorded victories in each of the next seven bouts before Trice claimed his third win of the day at heavyweight.

Injuries took a toll on the Chippewas' lineup Saturday. CMU entered National Duals missing two starters due to injury and lost a third, returning All-American Mike Miller, when he could not finish his second match of the day against Minnesota.

The Chippewas return to action Sunday, Jan. 17 when they host Stanford at 2 p.m.

No. 6 Central Michigan 28, Northwestern 12
125: No. 10 Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. Levi Mele, 4-2
133: No. 9 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Eric Metzler, 12-4
141: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. Robert Joyce, 4-0
149: No. 17 Andrew Nadhir (NU) maj. dec. Justin McDermitt, 14-4
157: Kevin Bialka (NU) dec. Donnie Corby, 9-3
165: Eric Cubberly (CMU) dec. Ben Kuhar, 6-4
174: No. 5 Ben Bennett (CMU), win by forfeit
184: No. 12 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Aaron Jones, 6-4
197: John Schoen (NU) tech. fall Raylen Davis, 20-4
285: No. 4 Jarod Trice (CMU), win by forfeit

No. 5 Minnesota 25, No. 6 Central Michigan 9
125: No. 6 Zach Sanders (UM) dec. No. 10 Matt Steintrager, 5-2
133: No. 2 Jayson Ness (UM) dec. No. 9 Scotti Sentes, 14-7
141: No. 7 Mike Thorn (UM) dec. Conor Beebe, 11-5
149: No. 18 Mario Mason (UM) maj. dec. Justin McDermitt, 19-8
157: Joe Grygelko (UM) dec. Donnie Corby, 3-2
165: No. 19 Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. Nathan Matousek, 8-1
174: No. 13 Scott Glasser (UM) dec. No. 5 Ben Bennett, 4-3
184: Kaleb Young (UM), injury default vs. No. 12 Mike Miller
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. No. 15 Sonny Yohn, 3-2
285: No. 4 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Ben Berhow, 3-2

No. 22 Wisconsin 23, No. 6 Central Michigan 10
125: No. 10 Matt Steintrager (CMU) maj. dec. Drew Hammen, 9-0
133: No. 9 Scotti Sentes (CMU) dec. No. 6 Tyler Graff, 7-3
141: Cole Schmitt (UW) dec. Conor Beebe, 8-4
149: No. 2 Kyle Ruschell (UW) tech. fall Justin McDermitt, 16-0
157: Greg Burke (UW) dec. Donnie Corby, 7-1
165: No. 1 Andrew Howe (UW) dec. No. 19 Tyler Grayson, 6-2
174: Jimmy Duffy (UW) dec. No. 5 Ben Bennett, 6-0
184: Travis Rutt (UW) dec. Raylen Davis, 10-8
197: No. 7 Trevor Brandvold (UW) dec. Eric Simaz, 10-8
285: No. 4 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Eric Bugenhagen, 5-3

Team and individual rankings are as of this week's InterMat poll.No. 6 CMU Posts 1-2 Record at National Duals

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - No. 6 Central Michigan won an opening round match at National Duals before being eliminated from the tournament Saturday.

The Chippewas (8-2 overall) opened the tournament with a 28-12 victory over Northwestern before falling to No. 5 Minnesota, 25-9, and No. 22 Wisconsin, 23-10.

Wisconsin, however, recorded victories in each of the next seven bouts before Trice claimed his third win of the day at heavyweight.

The Chippewas return to action Sunday, Jan. 17 when they host Stanford at 2 p.m.

Team and individual rankings are as of this week's InterMat poll.

Central Michigan's Trice Wins Heavyweight Title at Midlands

EVANSTON, Ill. - Jarod Trice's individual title at heavyweight led Central Michigan to a third-place finish at the 2009 Midlands Championships.

Trice, the No. 8 seed, capped his run through the bracket with a 3-2 decision over No. 3 seed David Zabriskie (Iowa State) in the finals Wednesday night. He earned his spot in the championship match by defeating No. 1 seed Aaron Anspach in the quarterfinals and No. 4 seed Dom Bradley in the semis.

Trice, just a sophomore, is CMU's first Midlands champion since Wynn Michalak won the 197-pound title as a sophomore in 2005.

CMU finished third in the team standings with 118 points, trailing only Iowa (168.5 points) and Iowa State (144.5). It is the Chippewas' fifth top-four finish at Midlands in the past six years, and the 118 team points are the most CMU has ever scored at Midlands.

Trice was one of seven Chippewas to finish in the top eight of their weight class.

Redshirt freshman Ben Bennett, seeded second at 174 pounds, finished runner-up after dropping a 6-1 decision to No. 1 Jay Borschel in the finals.

Also finishing in the top eight were Matt Steintrager (fourth, 125 pounds), Tony D'Alie (sixth, 149 pounds), Steve Brown (sixth, 157 pounds), Tyler Grayson (sixth, 165 pounds) and Eric Cubberly (seventh, 165 pounds).

Michalak, a three-time NCAA All-American at CMU and the 2008 NCAA Championships runner-up, represented Chippewa Wrestling Club at Midlands and finished runner-up.

The Big Ten Network will air the finals on tape delay on Sunday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

CMU next competes at National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa Jan. 9-10.

Central Michigan Individual Results
Tournament seed listed where applicable.

No. 5 Matt Steintrager - 125 pounds - Fourth Place
First Round: W, maj. dec. Eric Olanowski (Michigan State), 10-2
Second Round: W, dec. James Knox (Maryland), 2-0 SV1
Quarterfinals: L, fall No. 4 Andrew Long (Iowa State), 2:15
Consolation Fifth Round: W, dec. Conor Beebe (Central Michigan), 3-2
Consolation Quarterfinals: W, dec. No. 9 Anthony Zanetta (Pittsburgh), 4-1
Consolation Semifinals: W, dec. No. 2 Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech), 4-2
Third-Place Match: L, med. forfeit No. 1 Brandon Precin (unattached)

Conor Beebe - 125 pounds
First Round: W, tech. fall Mark Johnson (Lincoln College), 17-0 at 2:30
Second Round: L, dec. No. 6 Ben Kjar (Utah Valley), 8-2
Consolation Third Round: W, default Joe Waltko (Clarion)
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. No. 8 Jasen Borshoff (American), 5-2
Consolation Fifth Round: L, dec. No. 5 Matt Steintrager (Central Michigan), 3-2

No. 2 Scotti Sentes - 133 pounds
First Round: W, maj. dec. Bill Putman (Purdue), 10-0
Second Round: L, dec. Nate Moore (Iowa), 2-1
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Josh Statum (Chattanooga), 3-0
Consolation Fourth Round: L, dec. Nathan McCormick (Missouri), 8-3

No. 6 Tony D'Alie - 149 pounds - Sixth Place
First Round: W, maj. dec. Derrick Pouson (unattached), 17-3
Second Round: W, dec. Joey Napoli (Lehigh), 7-5
Quarterfinals: W, dec. No. 3 Kyle Borshoff (American), 5-3 SV1
Semifinals: L, maj. dec. No. 2 Kyle Ruschell (Wisconsin), 12-2
Consolation Semifinals: L, med. forfeit No. 4 Kevin LeValley (Bucknell)
Fifth-Place Match: L, med. forfeit Eric Albright (Pittsburgh)

No. 3 Steve Brown - 157 pounds - Sixth Place
First Round: W, dec. Anthony Jones (Michigan State), 6-4
Second Round: L, dec. Tyson Reiner (Northern Iowa), 3-1, SV1
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. JJ Jackson (Anderson), 3-2
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. Andrew Sorenson (Iowa State), 6-0
Consolation Fifth Round: W, dec. No. 4 Patrick Wright (Missouri), 2-1
Consolation Quarterfinals: W, dec. Hadley Harrison (Clarion), 3-2
Consolation Semifinals: L, fall No. 6 Jake Deitchler (unattached), 4:41
Fifth-Place Match: L, med. forfeit Derek St. John (unattached)

No. 9 Tyler Grayson - 165 pounds - Sixth Place
First Round: W, maj. dec. David Bonin (Northern Iowa), 12-3
Second Round: W, dec. No. 8 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford), 3-1 SV1
Quarterfinals: L, dec. No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin), 6-2
Consolation Fifth Round: W, maj. dec. Rob Morrison (Rider), 12-3
Consolation Quarterfinals: W, dec. Eric Cubberly (Central Michigan), 6-3
Consolation Semifinals: L, No. 3 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa), 4-1
Fifth-Place Match: L, dec. Mike Galante (Lehigh), 4-3

Eric Cubberly - 165 pounds - Seventh Place
Pigtail Round: L, dec. Lamar Reed (Cal Baptist), 6-4 SV1
Consolation First Round: W, dec. Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh), 3-1 SV1
Consolation Second Round: W, maj. dec. Robert Kellogg (Nebraska), 10-2
Consolation Third Round: W, med. forfeit Scott Winston (unattached)
Consolation Fourth Round: W, fall Joe Barczak (Illinois), 3:41
Consolation Fifth Round: W, med. forfeit No. 5 Andy Rendos (Bucknell)
Consolation Quarterfinals: L, dec. No. 9 Tyler Grayson (Central Michigan), 3-2
Seventh-Place Match: W, dec. No. 11 Zach Toal (unattached), 5-1

No. 2 Ben Bennett - 174 pounds - Runner-Up
First Round: W, dec. Dave Sullivan (Pitt), 6-1
Second Round: W, dec. Jarion Beets (Northern Iowa), 8-2
Quarterfinals: W, fall No. 7 Shane Riccio (Bucknell), 1:57
Semifinals: W, dec. No. 6 Dorian Henderson (Missouri), 3-2
Finals: L, dec. No. 1 Jay Borschel (Iowa), 6-1

No. 6 Mike Miller - 184 pounds
Pigtail Round: L, dec. Corey Peltier (Maryland), 10-5
Consolation First Round: W, dec. Nate Schiedel (Binghamton), 10-3
Consolation Second Round: W, med. forfeit Chad Friend (unattached)
Consolation Third Round: W, med. forfeit Clint Podish (Clarion)
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. Curran Jacobs (Michigan State), 7-4
Consolation Fifth Round: L, dec. No. 8 Jerome Ward (Iowa State), 5-4

No. 8 Jarod Trice - 285 pounds - Champion
First Round: W, maj. dec. Steve Franklin (San Francisco State), 13-4
Second Round: W, dec. Clayton Jack (Oregon State), 6-1
Quarterfinals: W, dec. No. 1 Aaron Anspach (Lions WC), 8-1
Semifinals: W, dec. No. 4 Dom Bradley (Missouri), 2-1 TB2
Finals: W, dec. No. 3 David Zabriskie (Iowa State), 3-2

No. 6 Central Michigan Sweeps Pair of Duals at Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. - Sixth-ranked Central Michigan improved to 7-0 overall with a pair of dual wins at Nebraska on Saturday.

The Chippewas opened the day with a 37-3 win over Neb.-Kearney, the nation's No. 3-ranked team in Division II, before posting a 29-6 victory over No. 12 Nebraska.

CMU is now 3-0-1 in its last four duals against Big 12 Conference opponents. The Chippewas own wins over Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Missouri since the start of the 2008-09 season.

"I think wins like this validate our program," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "People are starting to figure out that we have a pretty decent program here at Central Michigan. This group of guys that we have in the program right now has been part of a lot of big wins. They are excited to be in opportunities to improve themselves, and they have the mindset that they are going to be difficult to beat."

CMU scored bonus points in six of its nine individual wins over Neb.-Kearney, including a pair of victories by fall. Scotti Sentes, competing at 141 pounds for the first time in his career, pinned Kazuhiro Fujinawa in the third period, and Steve Brown pinned Jordan Gienger in the second period at 157 pounds.

The Lopers' lone victory came at 174 pounds. Marty Usman, ranked No. 1 nationally in Division II, defeated Ben Bennett, 5-4, in the first tiebreaker. Bennett was called twice for stalling in the first 30-second tiebreaker and could manage only an escape in the second 30-second tiebreaker.

CMU improved to 3-0 this season against ranked opponents with its 29-6 decision over No. 12 Nebraska.

Steve Brown posted a 3-2 decision over defending 157-pound national champion and No. 1-ranked Jordan Burroughs, who suffered a knee injury during Saturday's match. Both individuals scored escapes in regulation and in the first set of 30-second tiebreakers. Brown chose down for the second sudden victory period, and his third escape of the match provided the decisive point and ended Burroughs' 44-match winning streak.

"Any time you knock off the No. 1-ranked guy in the country it's a great win," Borrelli said. "I hope Jordan is able to come back healthy for the end of the season. Steve still had to do enough to win the match, and he was able to do it."

CMU and Nebraska split the other two matchups of ranked individuals. No. 3 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska) was a 4-1 winner over No. 5 Ben Bennett at 174 pounds, while No. 15 Jarod Trice (CMU) defeated No. 12 Tucker Lane, 3-2, at heavyweight.

The Chippewas scored bonus points at 141 and 149 pounds. Sentes posted a 13-3 major decision at 141, while Tony D'Alie won by fall at 149.

The Chippewas close the calendar year at Midlands Dec. 29-30.

No. 6 Central Michigan 37, Neb.-Kearney 3
125: No. 14 Matt Steintrager (CMU) maj. dec. Jordan White, 10-2
133: Conor Beebe (CMU) maj. dec. Josh Smith, 13-4
141: No. 6 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin Kazuhiro Fujinawa, 6:50
149: No. 13 Tony D'Alie (CMU) dec. T.J. Hepburn, 9-7
157: No. 13 Steve Brown (CMU) pin Jordan Gienger, 3:54
165: No. 20 Tyler Grayson (CMU) maj. dec. Taylor May, 13-3
174: Marty Usman (UNK) dec. No. 5 Ben Bennett, 5-4
184: No. 8 Mike Miller (CMU) maj. dec. Derek Ross, 17-4
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Justin McKain, 6-4
285: No. 15 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Ben Hohensee, 4-2

No. 6 Central Michigan 29, No. 12 Nebraska 6
125: No. 14 Matt Steintrager (CMU) maj. dec. David Klingsheim, 9-1
133: Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. C.J. Napier, 3-0
141: No. 6 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Mike Koehnlein, 13-3
149: No. 13 Tony D'Alie (CMU) pin Chris Hacker, 3:57
157: No. 13 Steve Brown (CMU) dec. No. 1 Jordan Burroughs, 3-2
165: No. 20 Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. James Nakashima, 6-2
174: No. 3 Stephen Dwyer (NU) dec. No. 5 Ben Bennett, 4-1
184: No. 8 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Josh Ihnen, 6-5
197: No. 2 Craig Brester (NU) dec. Eric Simaz, 11-4
285: No. 15 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. No. 12 Tucker Lane, 3-2

Central Michigan Finishes 4-0 at Northeast Duals

TROY, N.Y. - Central Michigan swept its four matchups at Northeast Duals on Saturday, including a pair of victories over top-20 opponents.

The 10th-ranked Chippewas defeated American, 29-12, No. 18 Virginia, 25-12, No. 6 Maryland, 21-16 and Bloomsburg, 23-15. The Chippewas improved to 5-0 on the season with the four-match sweep.

Eighth-ranked Scotti Sentes, transitioning to 133 pounds after earning All-America accolades at 125 as a true freshman last season, swept all four of his matches in impressive fashion. He pinned three of his opponents, including a first-period fall against No. 7-ranked Steve Bell of Maryland. Sentes began his day with an 8-0 major decision against American‚s Thomas Williams, then pinned Virginia‚s Matt Cubillos in the first period. He capped his day with a third-period fall against Bloomsburg‚s Jeremiah Biddle.

Sentes is now 5-0 with four victories by fall this season.

Redshirt freshman Ben Bennett, ranked 14th nationally at 184 pounds, was 3-1 in four matches at 174 pounds. His biggest win of the day was a 4-2 decision over No. 4-ranked Mike Letts (Maryland).

The nation‚s top-ranked 174-pounder, Mike Miller, swept a trio of matches at 184 pounds at Northeast Duals. Each of the three victories was by two points or less.

Also winning three matches for the Chippewas were No. 14 Tony D‚Alie (149 pounds), Tyler Grayson (165 pounds) and ninth-ranked Jarod Trice (heavyweight).

CMU is off until Dec. 19, when it faces both Neb.-Kearney and No. 8-ranked Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.

No. 10 Central Michigan 29, American 12
125: Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. No. 18 Jasen Borshoff, 4-1
133: No. 8 Scotti Sentes (CMU) maj. dec. Thomas Williams, 8-0
141: Ryan Cubberly (CMU) dec. Jordan Lipp, 3-1
149: No. 3 Kyle Borshoff (AU) dec. No. 14 Tony D'Alie, 8-2
157: No. 15 Steve Fittery (AU) dec. No. 7 Steve Brown, 8-4
165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) maj. dec. Tanner Schaffer, 13-0
174: No. 14 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Phillip Barreiro, 15-0
184: No. 4 Mike Cannon (AU) pin Raylen Davis, 1:51
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) maj. dec. Kenneth Clessas, 14-1
285: No. 9 Jarod Trice (CMU) pin Mingo Grant, 1:44

No. 10 Central Michigan 25, No. 18 Virginia 12
125: Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. No. 20 Ross Gitomer, 5-3
133: No. 8 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin Matt Cubillos, 1:03
141: Derek Valenti (UVA) dec. Jeff Shutich, 6-1
149: No. 14 Tony D'Alie (CMU) maj. dec. Kellon Balum, 12-4
157: Danny Gonsor (UVA) dec. Donnie Corby, 4-0
165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) maj. dec. Beau Fisher, 11-3
174: No. 6 Chris Henrich (UVA) dec. No. 14 Ben Bennett, 3-1
184: No. 1 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Mike Salopek, 3-1
197: No. 15 Brent Jones (UVA) dec. Eric Simaz, 9-7
285: No. 9 Jarod Trice (CMU) tech. fall Calvin Cardillo, 23-8

No. 10 Central Michigan 21, No. 6 Maryland 16
125: No. 14 Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. James Knox, 5-4
133: No. 8 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin No. 7 Steve Bell, 2:19
141: No. 7 Alex Krom (UMD) maj. dec. Ryan Cubberly, 11-3
149: No. 14 Tony D'Alie (CMU) dec. Jon Kohler, 14-13
157: Kyle John (UMD) dec. Donnie Corby, 7-1
165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. Josh Asper, 6-4
174: No. 14 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. No. 4 Mike Letts, 4-2
184: No. 1 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Corey Peltier, 3-2
197: No. 3 Hudson Taylor (UMD) pin Eric Simaz, 1:14
285: Pat Gilmore (UMD) dec. No. 9 Jarod Trice, 2-1

No. 10 Central Michigan 23, Bloomsburg 15
125: No. 14 Conor Beebe (CMU) tech. fall James Bak, 17-0
133: No. 8 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin Jeremiah Biddle, 6:35
141: Frank Hickman (BU) maj. dec. Jeff Shutich, 13-2
149: No. 14 Tony D'Alie (CMU) dec. Josh Roosa, 5-3
157: No. 5 Matt Moley (BU) tech. fall Donnie Corby, 15-0
165: Rickey Schmelyun (BU) dec. Eric Cubberly, 5-3
174: No. 14 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Nate Graham, 2-0
184: No. 1 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Derrick Coffey, 4-3
197: Jacob Dabishinsky (BU) dec. Raylen Davis, 12-9
285: No. 9 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Zac Walsh, 11-5

Central Michigan Chippewas Open Dual Season with 32-6 Win Over Chattanooga

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan opened the dual meet portion of its schedule with a 32-6 win over Chattanooga Sunday at Rose Center.

The 13th-ranked Chippewas won nine of 10 individual bouts, with the lone loss being a void at 141 pounds. CMU scored bonus points in three matches and allowed a total of just two takedowns and three reversals in the victory.

Matt Steintrager built a 5-0 lead on takedowns in the first and second period against Demetrius Johnson at 125 pounds, but Johnson reversed Steintrager late in the second period, escaped to open the third and took Steintrager down on the edge of the mat to tie the score at 5-5. Steintrager scored an escape with one minute remaining for the decisive point.

Scotti Sentes was victorious in his debut at 133 pounds, pinning Josh Statum at the 4:49 mark. After a scoreless first period, Sentes quickly worked Statum to his back in the second period and scored three back points before eventually sticking the pin.

UTC scored its only team points when CMU voided the 141-pound match.

Tony D‚Alie scored a takedown 10 seconds into his 149-pound match with Dean Pavlou, and he added three more takedowns and built a riding time advantage of 2:02 in a 10-2 major decision at 149 pounds.

In the only matchup of ranked opponents, Steve Brown earned a 6-5 decision over Joey Knox at 157 pounds. Brown, ranked eighth nationally, scored a pair of first-period takedowns and added a reversal in the second period of take control of the match. Knox, ranked No. 16 nationally, tallied an escape early in the third period and a takedown in the closing seconds for the final margin.

Tyler Grayson added three team points for the Chippewas with an 8-3 decision at 165 pounds. Grayson scored a takedown in each period while building a riding time advantage of 2:03.

Mike Miller, the nation‚s top-ranked 174-pounder, opened his season with a 3-1 decision over Chattanooga‚s Jake Young. Miller and Young traded escapes before Miller scored the decisive takedown in the third period.

Redshirt freshman Ben Bennett earned his first career victory at 184 pounds, claiming a 5-4 decision over UTC‚s Jason McCroskey. Bennett scored the only takedown of the bout in the first period, but the pair traded reversals before Bennett added an escape late in the opening period. A pair of escapes accounted for the rest of the scoring.

Eric Simaz scored an escape and a takedown in the second period on his way to a 4-0 victory at 197 pounds. Simaz held a riding time advantage of 2:28 in the match.

Jarod Trice capped the win with an 11-1 major decision at heavyweight. Trice scored four takedowns in the victory and added riding time.

CMU is off until Nov. 28 when it travels to Northeast Duals.

No. 13 Central Michigan 32, Chattanooga 6
125: Matt Steintrager (CMU) dec. Demetrius Johnson, 6-5; CMU leads 3-0
133: No. 9 Scotti Sentes (CMU) pin Josh Statum at 4:49; CMU leads 9-0
141: No. 20 Cody Cleveland (UTC), win by forfeit; CMU leads 9-6
149: No. 19 Tony D‚Alie (CMU) maj. dec. Dean Pavlou, 10-2; CMU leads 13-6
157: No. 8 Steve Brown (CMU) dec. No. 16 Joey Knox, 6-5; CMU leads 16-6
165: Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. Brandon Wright, 8-3; CMU leads 19-6
174: No. 1 Mike Miller (CMU) dec. Jake Young, 3-1; CMU leads 22-6
184: No. 16 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Jason McCroskey, 5-4; CMU leads 25-6
197: Eric Simaz (CMU) dec. Niko Brown, 4-0; CMU leads 28-6
285: No. 11 Jarod Trice (CMU) maj. dec. Tom Minwell, 11-1; CMU leads 32-6

Attendance: 344

Borrelli Coaching Tree Extends Across the Country

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan head wrestling coach Tom Borrelli is recognized nationally for his ability to mold championship-caliber student-athletes, but his influence is now spreading through the coaching profession as well.

In 18 seasons at CMU, Borrelli has coached 29 All-Americans and led CMU to 10 Mid-American Conference championships and 11 conference tournament titles. He has been named MAC Coach of the Year 10 times.

And now, many of those same student-athletes Borrelli guided to success on the mat are following his footsteps into the coaching profession. At least 33 individuals with ties to the Borrelli era at CMU are now involved in coaching at either the college, high school or club level.

"Traditionally, Central Michigan University has been a teaching institution, and what we are trying to do is produce individuals who can be competent in their professional fields," Borrelli said. "I think it is a compliment to our institution that we have had as much success in the coaching profession as we have."

Earlier this year, Borrelli was selected as one of 19 collegiate coaches, administrators and businessmen from across the country to serve as a peer mentor for young wrestling coaches at the National Wrestling Coaches Association's inaugural Coaches Leadership Academy. The invitation was largely in recognition of the respect Borrelli has earned from his peers nationally.

The academy was simply an extension of habits Borrelli has formed in his own practice room at CMU. The veteran coach has developed a sense of recognizing which of his student-athletes could enter the coaching profession and preparing them early for the role. Not coincidentally, many of the former Chippewas now in the coaching profession have been some of the most successful competitors of Borrelli's tenure.

"The guys that have coaching qualities share a lot of the same traits," Borrelli said. "They are leaders by example, they're hard workers and they're motivated not just by personal success, but team success as well. If I see coaching being in the future of someone, I'll say certain things to them or put them in certain situations in practice or in meetings. I might ask them, 'How would you react to that or handle that if you were in my shoes?' just to get them in that mindset."

Of the 12 opponents currently on CMU's 2009-10 dual meet schedule, four have members of their coaching staffs who competed at CMU under Borrelli. That number will likely increase when the Chippewas' opponents at the Northeast Duals and National Duals are announced. Among those former wrestlers is Borrelli's youngest son, Jason, who is entering his second season as the head coach at Stanford. The Cardinal visit CMU on Jan. 17.

"Wrestling coaches, especially at the college level, are part of a pretty small fraternity," Borrelli said. "I stay in really good contact with most of those guys, but it can be difficult when you have to compete against someone you know that well."

Former CMU wrestlers can be found on the coaching staffs of 10 other NCAA Division I programs aside from CMU. High school programs in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, California and Florida also feature former Chippewas on their coaching staffs.

Within his own office, all four of Borrelli's staff members are former Chippewas. Top assistant coach Mark DiSalvo was a two-time All-American, while second assistant Eric Kruger was a MAC champion and national qualifier. All-Americans Wynn Michalak and Bubba Gritter also remain involved in the CMU wrestling program.

Borrelli has long been respected for his ability to develop championship student-athletes. What can no longer be ignored is his ability to develop championship coaches as well.

- central michigan athletics -

Scott Rex
Assistant Sports Information Director
Central Michigan University
Rose Center 115
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
989.774.7323 (office)
989.621.9450 (cell)
scott.rex@cmich.edu

Central Michigan Wrestling Announces 2009-10 Schedule

MOUNT PLEASANT – Central Michigan University head wrestling coach Tom Borrelli has announced his program’s schedule for the 2009-10 season.

The Chippewas will face four dual opponents that finished in the top-25 of the team standings at the 2009 NCAA Championships, participate in the nationally renowned National Duals and Midlands tournaments and host the 2010 Mid-American Conference Championships.

“I think we have a really competitive schedule again this year,” Borrelli said. “We’ll have some tough nonconference matches, and we know we’ll see quality competition at both the Northeast Duals and National Duals.”

CMU opens the dual meet season at home against Tenn.-Chattanooga on Sunday, Nov. 15. The Chippewas also will host nonconference duals against Michigan State (Dec. 12) and Stanford (Jan. 17). Jason Borrelli, a four-year letterman at CMU (2003-06) and son of CMU head coach Tom Borrelli, is entering his second season as the head coach at Stanford.

“It’s pretty neat that we’re going to have Stanford here, and then to have my son as the head coach there is pretty neat too,” Borrelli said. “I’m excited about it.”

CMU opens the MAC portion of the schedule at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 21. The Chippewas will host conference duals against Northern Illinois (Feb. 7) and Ohio (Feb. 19).

CMU will host the MAC Championships on March 6-7 at Rose Arena. The Chippewas have won the conference tournament eight consecutive seasons. CMU last hosted the conference tournament in 2003, when it won the second of those eight straight titles.

The 2010 NCAA Championships are slated for March 18-20 in Omaha.

CMU 2009-10 Wrestling Schedule
Date    Opponent    Time
Oct. 30    Maroon/Gold Intrasquad    7:30 p.m.
Nov. 7    at Eastern Michigan Open    TBA
Nov. 15    at Michigan State Open    9:30 a.m.
Nov. 15    TENN.-CHATTANOOGA    2 p.m.
Nov. 28    at Northeast Duals    10 a.m.
Dec. 12    MICHIGAN STATE    7 p.m.
Dec. 19    vs. Nebraska-Kearney    10 a.m.
Dec. 19    at Nebraska    noon
Dec. 29-30    at Midlands    9 a.m.
Jan. 8-9    at National Duals    TBA
Jan. 17    STANFORD    2 p.m.
Jan. 21    at Eastern Michigan*    7 p.m.
Jan. 29    at Virginia Tech    7 p.m.
Jan. 31    at Old Dominion    5:30 p.m.
Feb. 7    NORTHERN ILLINOIS*    2 p.m.
Feb. 14    at Buffalo*    1 p.m.
Feb. 19    OHIO*    7:30 p.m.
Feb. 21    at Kent State*    2 p.m.
March 6-7    MAC Championships    TBA
March 18-20    NCAA Championships    TBA
Home matches in CAPS
*indicates MAC dual

###

Scott Rex
Assistant Sports Information Director
Central Michigan University
Rose Center 115
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
989.774.7323 (office)
989.621.9450 (cell)
scott.rex@cmich.edu

Central Michigan's DiDona Named to Academic All-MAC Team

MOUNT PLEASANT ˆ Central Michigan University senior Vince DiDona (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edward HS) has been named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference wrestling team.

DiDona is a marketing major with a 3.31 grade-point average. He was the MAC Championships runner-up at 184 pounds and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

DiDona finished the season with an overall record of 28-14, more than doubling his career win total during senior season. He was named MAC Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 28 after defeating 10th-ranked Vince Jones (Nebraska), 8-6.

DiDona earns academic all-conference honors for the second time in his career. He also was named to the academic all-conference squad in 2006.

The Academic All-MAC honor is for student-athletes who have at least a 3.20 grade-point average and participate in at least 50 percent of the contests for their particular sport. First-year students and transfer students in their first season at an institution are not eligible for the Academic All-MAC honor. The team is voted on by the schools‚ Faculty Athletics Representatives.

CMU finished tied for 14th at the NCAA Championships last week, the fifth time in the last six years the Chippewas have finished in the top-15 at the national tournament.

Central Michigan's Miller Runner-Up at NCAA Championships

ST. LOUIS ˆ Central Michigan sophomore Mike Miller has finished as the national runner-up in the 174-pound bracket at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Miller, the No. 7 seed, lost to No. 1 seed and undefeated Steve Luke (Michigan), 8-4, in the national championship match Saturday night. Miller had defeated the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to advance to the national title bout.

This is the second time in as many years CMU has produced a national runner-up. Wynn Michalak finished second in the 197-pound bracket in 2008.

Miller earned All-America honors for the second time, and true freshman 125-pounder Scotti Sentes was an All-American for the first time as CMU finished tied for 14th in the team standings.

The Chippewas‚ 35 team points are the sixth-most CMU has ever scored at the NCAA Championships.

Miller is CMU‚s second runner-up in as many seasons. His appearance in the finals marked the fifth time a Chippewa has wrestled for a Division I national championship.

Miller, the No. 7 seed at 174 pounds, had defeated the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds to earn a place in the finals against No. 1 seed and undefeated Steve Luke (Michigan).

Luke scored a pair of takedowns in the first period, but both times Miller escaped. Miller started the second period in the bottom position and escaped to cut Luke‚s lead to 4-3, but a third Luke takedown midway through the period made it 6-3. Miller escaped later in the period to pull within 6-4, but Luke added a third-period escape and the riding time point for the final margin.

Miller concludes his sophomore season 30-7 overall.

Earlier Saturday, true freshman Scotti Sentes defeated Kent State‚s Nic Bedelyon, 7-2, in the 125-pound seventh-place match.

Sentes is the first true freshman All-American in school history. He finished the season 30-8 overall, setting a school record for victories by a true freshman.

CMU finished the national tournament with multiple All-Americans for the sixth straight season and ninth time in the last 10 years.

Central Michigan Complete Results

125 Pounds: No. 10 Scotti Sentes ˆ Seventh Place ˆ All-American
First Round: W, dec. Brandon Zoetewey (Cal State-Bakersfield), 7-3
Second Round: L, dec. No. 7 Joey Fio (Oklahoma), 5-4
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Marcos Orozco (UC Davis), 3-2
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. Nikko Triggas (Ohio State), 6-3
Consolation Fifth Round: W, dec. No. 8 Rollie Peterkin (Penn), 4-0
Consolation Quarterfinals: L, maj. dec. No. 4 Brandon Precin (Northwestern), 13-2
Seventh-Place Match: W, dec. Nic Bedelyon (Kent State), 7-2

133 Pounds: Conor Beebe
First Round: L, dec. No. 6 Jayson Ness (Minnesota), 8-1
Consolation Second Round: L, dec. Brandon Low (UC Davis), 3-2

141 Pounds: Tony D‚Alie
First Round: L, dec. Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh), 7-5
Consolation Second Round: L, dec. Keith Sulzer (Northwestern), 5-0

149 Pounds: No. 11 Steve Brown
First Round: W, dec. Michael Roberts (Boston University), 4-1
Second Round: L. maj. dec. No. 6 Jake Patacsil (Purdue), 11-2
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Kevin LeValley (Bucknell), 4-1
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. Desmond Green (Buffalo), 5-4
Consolation Fifth Round: L, dec. No. 5 Kyle Ruschell (Wisconsin), 9-8

165 Pounds: No. 11 Trevor Stewart
First Round: W, Matt Pletcher (Rutgers), 4-0
Second Round: L, dec. No. 6 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State), 3-1
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Luke Manuel (Purdue), 4-0
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. Ethan Headlee (Pittsburgh), 4-3
Consolation Fifth Round: L, fall No. 4 Moza Fay (Northern Iowa), 4:08

174 Pounds: No. 7 Mike Miller ˆ Runner-Up ˆ All-American
First Round: W, dec. Bagna Tovuujav (George Mason), 7-5
Second Round: W, dec. Scott Giffin (Penn), 4-1
Quarterfinals: W, dec. No. 2 Michael Cannon (American), 6-5
Semifinals: W, dec. No. 3 Brandon Browne (Nebraska), 7-3
Finals: L, dec. No. 1 Steve Luke (Michigan), 8-4

184 Pounds: Vince DiDona
First Round Pigtail: W, dec. Justin Kerber (Cornell), 9-2
First Round: W, dec. Dorian Henderson (Missouri), 8-1
Second Round: L, dec. No. 4 Kirk Smith (Boise State), 4-0
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. David Thompson (Bucknell), 3-0
Consolation Fourth Round: L, dec. A.J. Kissel (Purdue), 6-0

285 Pounds: Jarod Trice
First Round: W, dec. No. 12 Christian Brantley (Northern Iowa), 3-2
Second Round: L, dec. No. 5 Konrad Dudziak (Duke), 3-1
Consolation Third Round: L, dec. Zach Sheaffer (Pittsburgh), 2-1 TB1

Central Michigan Wins Eighth Consecutive MAC Championships Title

YPSILANTI, Mich. ˆ Central Michigan claimed four individual titles on its way to its eighth consecutive Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships team title Sunday afternoon.

CMU finished with 111.5 team points. Kent State was the runner-up with 82.5 points, while Northern Illinois was third with 47.5.
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Winning individual titles for CMU were Scotti Sentes (125 pounds), Steve Brown (149), Trevor Stewart (165) and Mike Miller (174).
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All 10 Chippewas finished in the top three of their weight class. Finishing runner-up were Conor Beebe (133), Tony D‚Alie (141), Tyler Grayson (157), Vince DiDona (184) and Jarod Trice (285). Eric Simaz placed third at 197 pounds.
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Eight Chippewas˜Sentes, Beebe, D‚Alie, Brown, Stewart, Miller, DiDona and Trice˜have earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.
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CMU‚s eight-year winning streak at the conference tournament is the longest in MAC history. The 111.5 team points the Chippewas scored marks the fourth-highest total in MAC Championships history.
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CMU has won 13 conference tournament titles overall.

CMU began Sunday‚s session with eight individuals in the finals of their respective weight classes.
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In the 125-pound final, Sentes led Kent State‚s Nic Bedelyon 4-0 after a takedown and two back points in the first period. Bedelyon drew within 5-2 with a third-period takedown, but a late takedown by Sentes provided the final margin.
v

Brown, the conference‚s 157-pound champion in 2008, won the 149-pound title with a 6-1 decision over Buffalo‚s Desmond Green. Takedowns in both of the first two periods gave Brown a 4-1 advantage, and he added a third-period escape and riding time.

Stewart won his second consecutive conference title at 165 pounds, pinning Kent State‚s Obie Simpson. Stewart took down and cradled Simpson midway through the first period and scored the fall at the 2:23 mark.

Miller, the 2007 MAC champion at 165 pounds, won his first MAC title at 174 by pinning Buffalo‚s Nate Rock in the first period. The fall came at the 2:47 mark.

Four other Chippewas were defeated in championship bouts.
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Beebe finished runner-up at 133 after placing third each of the last two seasons. He and Kent State‚s Danny Mitcheff were tied 2-2 entering the third period, but Mitcheff pulled away with an escape, takedown and riding time.
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D‚Alie was the runner-up at 141 pounds in his first conference tournament appearance. Kent State‚s Drew Lashaway tallied two takedowns and three back points in the first period of the championship bout.

DiDona also finished runner-up in his first conference tournament, falling to Kent State‚s Dustin Kilgore, 12-1, in the 184-pound final. DiDona rebounded to secure second place with a 5-2 decision over Buffalo‚s Mickey Moran in a true-second match.
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True freshman Jarod Trice finished second at heavyweight. He dropped a 6-2 decision to Kent State‚s Jermail Porter, who won his first individual MAC title.

CMU‚s Tyler Grayson (157) and Eric Simaz (197) entered Sunday‚s action still alive in the consolation bracket. Grayson defeated Kent State‚s Ross Tice, 8-3, in the consolation final, then posted a 5-2 decision over Ohio‚s Clay Tucker in a true-second match.
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At 197, Eric Simaz clinched third place by pinning Kent State‚s Eric Chine at the 5:00 mark in the consolation finals.

The 2008-09 wrestling season concludes with the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. The three-day tournament begins March 17.

2009 MAC Championships ˆ Central Michigan Results

125 Pounds: Scotti Sentes ˆ Champion
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: W, pin Chris Jenkins (Eastern Michigan), 1:53
Finals: W, dec. Nic Bedelyon (Kent State), 8-2

133 Pounds: Conor Beebe ˆ Runner-up
First Round: W, dec. Tristen DeShazer (Northern Illinois), 6-2
Semifinals: W, dec. Kevin Smith (Buffalo), 5-2
Finals: L, dec. Danny Mitcheff (Kent State), 6-3

141 Pounds: Tony D‚Alie ˆ Runner-up
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: W, dec. Patrick McLemore (Northern Illinois), 8-3
Finals: L, dec. Drew Lashaway (Kent State), 9-2

149 Pounds: Steve Brown ˆ Champion
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: W, maj. dec. Steve Zimmerman (Northern Illinois), 9-0
Finals: W, dec. Desmond Green (Buffalo), 6-1

157 Pounds: Tyler Grayson ˆ Runner-up
First Round: L, pinned by Bryan Deutsch (Northern Illinois), 5:31
Consolation Semifinals: W, maj. dec. Josh Moulton (Eastern Michigan), 14-6
Consolation Finals: W, dec. Ross Tice (Kent State), 8-3
True Second: W, dec. Clay Tucker (Ohio), 5-2

165 Pounds: Trevor Stewart ˆ Champion
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: W, maj. dec. Ron Majerus (Buffalo), 9-1
Finals: W, pin Obie Simpson (Kent State), 2:23

174 Pounds: Mike Miller ˆ Champion
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: W, maj. dec. Derrick Yant (Northern Illinois), 14-1
Finals: W, pin Nate Rock (Buffalo), 2:47

184 Pounds: Vince DiDona ˆ Runner-up
First Round: W, dec. Derek Foore (Eastern Michigan), 4-0
Semifinals: W, dec. Erik Schuth (Ohio), 5-3
Finals: L, maj. dec. Dustin Kilgore (Kent State), 12-1
True Second: W, dec. Mickey Moran (Buffalo), 5-2

197 Pounds: Eric Simaz ˆ Third place
First Round: Bye
Semifinals: L, dec. James Hamel (Buffalo), 3-1 SV1
Consolation Semifinals: W, pin Scott Penny (Northern Illinois), 2:41
Consolation Finals: W, pin Eric Chine (Kent State), 5:00

285 Pounds: Jarod Trice ˆ Runner-up
First Round: W, maj. dec. Brett Correll (Buffalo), 12-3
Semifinals: W, dec. David Wade (Eastern Michigan), 8-3
Finals: L, dec. Jermail Porter (Kent State), 6-2