Central Michigan University Athletics
No. 9 Wrestling is Set for South Carolina
2/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 8, 2005
MOUNT PLEASANT -- The Central Michigan University wrestling team (12-4, 3-0 Mid-American Conference) will conclude its non-conference schedule on Sunday, Feb. 13, when traveling to Charleston, South Carolina. The Chippewas take on the University of North Carolina at noon and The Citadel at 2 p.m. The Citadel is the alma mater of CMU head coach Tom Borrelli.
The Chippewas, ranked ninth in the USA Today/NWCA poll, remain on top of the MAC standings at 3-0. They finish up conference play at home against Kent State and on the road at Ohio. Northern Illinois is second at 3-1 in conference play.
SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS - North Carolina (4-7, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) is coming off two tough losses after returning from Philadelphia last weekend. The Tar Heels barely lost 21-20 to Drexel and were beat by former Chippewa opponent No. 25 Pennsylvania, 24-10. The Tar Heels had to forfeit the 157-pound match for both duals.
The headliners for North Carolina are No. 11 Evan Sola, at 133, and 184-pounder Justin Dobies. Sola and Dobies were both 2-0 last weekend in matches. Sola won by fall at the 4:08 mark against Drexel's Zach Makovsky, and he won 8-2 over Penn's Mike Silengo. Sola advanced to 11-0 in duals and 24-3 overall this season. Dobies won two very close matches against Drexel's Carl Schmidt, 3-2, and Penn's Dan Gallagher, 2-1.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS - The Citadel (2-5, 1-1 Southern Conference) finished fourth out of five teams last weekend in the All-Academy Title in Charleston, South Carolina. The United States Naval Academy took home its second consecutive championship at the event.
The principal performances for the Bulldogs were from No. 16 Travis Piccard, at 157, and Ryan McClester, at 133. McClester and Piccard both earned first place in their weight class. It took overtime for McClester to use a takedown and beat Midshipmen Sam Gray. Piccard won his championship by winning 3-1 in overtime as well against Midshipmen Pat Lukanich.
COACH BORRELLI'S THOUGHTS - "North Carolina is an up-and-coming program and one of the better programs in the ACC. They're looking at us as a big test for them."
"The Citadel had a great year as 2004 Southern Conference Champions last season. They've had some injuries this year, and it will be interesting to see how they match up with us."
"I'm happy with our team's attitude and focus so far this year. This is a key part of the season for us."
BACK IN THE DAY - Borrelli is 2-0 against his alma mater since becoming the head coach of CMU. The Chippewas dominated The Citadel 38-6 in January 2002 and 43-0 in January 2001. However, this is the first time Borrelli will face the Bulldogs on the road.
His athletic achievements at The Citadel included a 58-27-2 career record, two-time Outstanding Wrestling Award and wrestling team captain, and was a four year letterman from 1975-79. In addition, Borelli finished second, third, and fourth in the Southern Conference Wrestling Tournament in his career.
He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1979 in Physical Education while minoring in General Science at The Citadel. Borrelli continued his education with a Master of Education in Adminstration and Supervision from Clemson University in 1987.
"It's nice to go back to The Citadel and be around family," Borrelli said. "I'm familiar with the program and area."
CLIMBING UP - The Chippewas, ranked at ninth nationally, look to improve in the USA Today/NWCA poll as the season winds down. The highest ranking ever for CMU was seventh on February 7, 1999, and the Chippewas ended that season ranked eighth in the nation.
