Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
MAC championships
Wrestling Wins MAC Tournament
3/10/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 10, 2002
YPSILANTI -- The Central Michigan wrestling team (10-6, 5-0 Mid-American Conference) used top-three finishes by each of its 10 wrestlers to capture the Mid-American Conference tournament title Sunday afternoon at Eastern Michigan.
CMU finished with 93 points with the next closest team being Northern Illinois with 69.5 points. The tournament title was the sixth in school history and the Chippewas have taken home the trophy four of the last five years. The Chippewas were 5-0 in MAC dual action this season and also won their fourth straight MAC championship.
Two Central wrestlers earned MAC titles at their weights. Jordan Webster (Washington, Ill./Jr.) won the 133-pound class with a major decision over Anthony Carrizales of Ohio, 11-0. Heavyweight Jack Leffler (Morris, Ill./Sr.) won his weight class with a 4-2 decision over Jim Swetter of Kent State.
Five other Chippewas took second place. Jason Mester (Mineral Point, Wis./So.) defeated Ryan Bentley of Buffalo ,7-2, after Mester lost to Darnell Ruffin in the finals, 3-2. Ty Morgan (Huber Heights, Ohio/So.) lost a heartbreaker at 149, losing in the last second when Jake Percival of Ohio scored a takedown to win the match, 10-9. After a protest of the takedown, Pervical came away with the victory after video evidence was insufficient. David Bolyard (Akron, Ohio/Fr.) fell in the 157 final to fifth-ranked Scott Owen of Northern Illinois.
The last two that earned second had to battle through the consolation bracket. Tony Gansen (Belle Plain, Minn./Sr.) battled back to take second at 174 after losing his first match of the tournament. Gansen beat Ed Magrys of Eastern Michigan, 3-1, in the third-place match and defending MAC champion Luke Moore of Ohio in the true second place match, 3-2. Russ Vanderheyden (Rockton, Ill/Fr.) used the same path in his second-place finish. He beat Adam Gilmore of Eastern Michigan, 7-2, and pinned Garrett Bontempo of Buffalo to take second.
Three more wrestlers took third. Jason Borrelli (Mount Pleasant/Fr.) won his third-place match at 125 over Charlie Voorhees of Buffalo, 4-1. Kevin Carr (Warsaw, Ind./So.) fell in both his matches at 165 to take third. Bill Stouffer (Lowell/Fr.) won his 197 match over Travis Kraft of Eastern Michigan to take third.
Scott Owen was named both the MAC "Wrestler of the Year" and the "Wrestler of the Tournament." Percival of Ohio was named the "Freshman of the Year" and Dave Grant of Northern Illinois was named "Coach of the Year."
Webster and Leffler earn automatic bids to the NCAA tournament with their titles and the two will be joined at nationals by teammates Mester, Morgan, Bolyard and Gansen who all received wild card bids as voted on by the conference coaches.
The NCAA tournament will take place on March 21-23 in Albany, New York.
Final Team Standings
1. Central Michigan - 93
2. Northern Illinois -- 69.5
3. Kent State -- 55.5
4. Ohio -- 53.5
5. Buffalo -- 30.5
6. Eastern Michigan - 26
Complete brackets can be found on Eastern Michigan's web site at www.emich.edu/goeagles
