Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Midlands
Wrestling Sits in First at Midlands
12/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 30, 2004
The Central Michigan University wrestling team sits in first-place after day one of the prestigious Midlands tournament being held at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
The tournament continues tomorrow, Dec. 30, with the first matches starting at noon and the finals at 7 p.m.
The Chippewas sit in first with 74.5 team points and eight point-scoring wrestlers still alive in the tournament. Iowa State is second with 71.0 points and eight wrestlers remain in the tournament while Illinois is third with 68.5 points and 10 wrestlers remaining. Iowa (61.5 points, seven remaining) and Michigan State (56.5 points, five remaining) round out the top five.
Five of CMU's eight remaining point-scoring wrestlers sit in the championship semifinals and have locked up at least a sixth-place finish in the tournament. The athletes in the semifinals are: junior Jason Borrelli at 133; junior Mark DiSalvo at 149; senior David Bolyard at 165; senior Mitch Hancock at 174; and senior Bill Stouffer at heavyweight. Bolyard and Stouffer both placed in the tournament last season while this is the first time placing for the other three.
The other three point-scorers in the consolation bracket for the Maroon and Gold are: freshman Luke Smith at 125; senior Alex Lammers at 184; and freshman Wynn Michalak at 197. Also alive is freshman Christian Sinnott at 184, but Sinnott is not a point scorer for CMU. All four wrestlers in the consolation bracket have never placed at the Midlands and need to win their first match of day two to do so.
CMU enters the second day of competition with a chance for its best performance ever at the Midlands. The Chippewas finished third in 1998. Last season, the Maroon and Gold took sixth in the tournament with 79 points and a pair of champions, Jason Mester at 141 and Bolyard at 165.
Midlands Standings - Day One
1. Central Michigan University - 74.5 points
2. Iowa State University - 71.0 points
3. University of Illinois - 68.5 points
4. University of Iowa - 61.5 points
5. Michigan State University - 56.5 points
