Central Michigan University Athletics
Wrestling Opens Dual Season at Michigan State
12/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 7, 2004
MOUNT PLEASANT - Another classic battle awaits.
The Central Michigan University wrestling team travels to East Lansing on Wednesday for what will likely be another action-packed dual with Michigan State.
The Chippewas face the Spartans at Jenison Field House beginning at 8 p.m. CMU has won the last three meeting between these two teams, but two of those victories came down to the final match.
The Maroon and Gold enter this dual ranked 14th in the USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches Association poll while MSU is unranked. This will be the first dual for CMU while the Spartans kicked off their dual season with a 44-6 victory over Eastern Michigan last week.
The Spartans at a Glance - Both MSU and CMU competed in the Michigan State Open on November 20. In the open, MSU had eight wrestlers finish in the top eight with 17 Chippewas also placing. In addition, Andy Simmons at 141 took home a championship title for the Spartans and three CMU wrestlers earned championships: Luke Smith at 125; Mitch Hancock at 174; and Bill Stouffer in the heavyweight class.
Prior to winning his weight group, Simmons beat Chippewa Brandon Carter in the semifinals with a fall at 2:57. Another matchup was Hancock's last second victory over Spartan R.J. Boudro, 5-4, in the 174 championship.
MSU is led by Nick Simmons at 125 and Andy Simmons at 141, ranked third and fourth in the country, respectively.
For the all-time series, MSU holds an advantage 13-6.
Last Season's Meetings - CMU defeated the Green and White twice last season.
In the first meeting, the Chippewas won a nail-biter over MSU , 19-15, in front of one of the biggest home crowds ever.
The dual came down to the heavyweight match as CMU's Bill Stouffer clinched the victory with a last minute escape to win 5-4 against former Spartan Mike Keenan.
CMU dominated the second matchup, a 20-15 victory at the National Duals. The Maroon and Gold jumoed out to an early 9-0 lead and cruised home to victory, even forfeiting the final match.
Coach Borrelli's Thoughts - "I am excited to wrestle Michigan State this week and kick off our dual season. This is the first really pressure situation we have faced as a team and it will be interesting to see how our guys respond.
"It is important we take the things we learned during the open tournaments and apply them to this dual. It is always a hard-fought battle when we face Michigan State. There should be a huge crowd and it is important are wrestlers stay composed and focused during each second of their match."
Bolyard MAC Wrestler of the Week - CMU's David Bolyard was named the Mid-American Conference "Wrestler of the Week" on Tuesday afternoon.
Bolyard earned the honor with his performance at the Northern Iowa Open last weekend. The 165-pounder won his weight class, going 5-0 in the tournament. The Akron, Ohio native defeated Garrett South in the finals, 4-2, and also recorded two pins and a pair of major decisions.
