Central Michigan University Athletics
Wrestling Ready for Wendy's Classic
1/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 12, 2005
MOUNT PLEASANT - The Central Michigan University wrestling team (2-1 overall) hits the road on Sunday, Jan. 16, to compete in the Wendy's Classic hosted in Ashland, Ohio.
The 13th-ranked Chippewas take on host Ashland first beginning at 10 a.m. They then battle Cleveland State at noon, and conclude the day against Purdue at 2 p.m.
Coach Borrelli's Thoughts - I was happy with the intensity we had in the victory over Penn and it is important we continue that this weekend. It will be tough to face three competitive opponents back-to-back-to-back, but it will prepare us for the National Duals in a couple weeks. Our guys need to continue to improve in every practice and not let the success we have had so far this season get to their heads. The most important part of the year still lies ahead, so we must remain focused on that."
A Glance at the Opponents - Coming into the tournament, Ashland is ranked fifth in Division II. The Eagles just won their sixth consecutive Midwest Classic last weekend in Indianapolis, Ind.
The Eagles are led by top-ranked Tom Bauer at 174 pounds, as well as second-ranked wrestlers Gary Skoch at 157, and 197-pounder Aldo Campea.
Cleveland State is looking for its first dual meet win this season, as they are 0-6 in dual meets. In the Buckeye Duals on January 8, the Vikings had a close 18-15 loss against Drexel and were defeated solidly by Greensboro, 26-13, and Ohio State, 33-3.
Purdue enters the Wendy's Classic with a dual meet record of 4-5. On January 8, Purdue competed in the Lone Star Duels held in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Boilermakers came away with a 21-16 win over Columbia in their first meet, but then suffered back-to-back defeats against 10th-ranked Cornell, 29-9, and ninth-ranked Oklahoma, 30-6.
184-pound junior Ben Wissel, ranked 12th in the nation, leads the Boilermakers.
Familiar Faces - None of the opponents that the Chippewas face this weekend will be new ground.
CMU is 2-0 all-time against Ashland in the series and won the most recent meet 40-3 in 1997.
It's a much different story for the Chippewas against Cleveland State. The Vikings hold a 5-3 advantage over the Chippewas; however, CMU won 22-15 in the last meeting.
The last opponent, Purdue, also lead the series with CMU, 4-1. The most recent meet was held in Rose Arena in 1996 as the Boilermakers barely escaping with a 21-18 win over CMU.
Repeat Success? - Last season in the Wendy's Classic, the Chippewas crushed the competition by finishing with a 3-0 record against the competition and also won 28 of their 30 matches.
CMU wrestlers will look to have the same success this weekend as well in the Wendy's Classic. This includes Kyle Stoffer, David Bolyard, Mitch Hancock, Alex Lammers and Bill Stouffer, all whom went undefeated there last year.
