Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
MAC Tournament (Day Two)
Wrestling Wins Eight Titles at MAC Championships
3/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 5, 2005
MAC Wrestling Championships Website
KENT, Ohio - The records continue to fall for the 2005 edition of the Central Michigan University wrestling team as it won its fourth-straight Mid-American Conference tournament title in dominating fashion.
This is also the seventh tournament title in the last eight years for CMU.
The Chippewas won individual titles in eight of the 10 weight class to tie the record for most titles in a single tournament. CMU also won eight in 1998. The squad also scored 119.5 team points which is the second-most behind the 1999 team who scored 124.5. All eight champions were first-time winners.
Earning postseason awards were freshmen Luke Smith and Wynn Michalak along with head coach Tom Borrelli. Smith and Michalak shared the "Freshman of the Year" honors while Borrelli was named "Coach of the Year" for a record seventh time.
All eight champions receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Championships which will be held in St. Louis, Mo., on March 17-19. Also earning a bid was 157-pounder Eric Neil, who earned one of the MAC's nine wild cards. That gives CMU a record nine national qualifiers.
The finals began with CMU's Luke Smith battling defending conference titlist Mark McKnight at 125. The two sat tied at one midway though the third period when McKnight was call for unsportsmanlike conduct and Smith was awarded the deciding point. Smith held on for the 2-1 victory, the freshman's first MAC title.
The final at 133 pitted CMU's Jason Borrelli against two-time defending champion Sam Hiatt of Northern Illinois. Hiatt jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a takedown, but Borrelli quickly reversed him. The Mount Pleasant native then locked up a cradle, Putting Hiatt on his back to earn the fall at the 2:46 mark. It is the first MAC title for the junior and his first birth to the NCAA Championships.
Mark DiSalvo also earned his first conference crown with a 8-2 victory over Jason Bake of Kent State. DiSalvo took control of the match early on with a takedown midway though the first period. He added two more takedowns along with an escape and the riding time point to lock up his title.
The final at 157 pounds provided CMU's lone loss on Saturday with Eric Neil falling to fourth-ranked Jake Percival of Ohio, 6-0. Neil, a freshman, still earned a spot in the national tournament for the first time as one of the conference's nine wild cards.
The Chippewas got back on track in the 165-pound final as senior David Bolyard pinned Johnny Galloway of NIU with just under a minute left in the match. Bolyard place in the MAC Championships all for years, this is his first title. The Akron, Ohio native was actually losing, 4-3, when he inside tripped Galloway to his back. Bolyard then cradled him for the pin at the 6:07 mark.
Senior Mitch Hancock also won his first title with a 4-1 victory over J.J. Holmes in the 174 final. Hancock jumped out to an early lead with a takedown in the first period and controlled the rest of the match with an escape and the riding time point. This is the Royal Oak native's second trip to nationals after finishing a match away from All-America honors last year.
The surprise performance of the tournament for CMU came at 184 as senior Alex Lammers won his first title with a 3-1 victory over Alex Camargo of Kent State. Lammers entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed, but beat top-seeded Ed Magrys of Eastern Michigan last night to move into the finals. The Huber Heights, Ohio native got a late takedown to earn the victory and his first trip to nationals.
Wynn Michalak became to second CMU freshman to win a title with a 4-1 victory over Joel Weimer of Ohio. Weimer entered the tournament as the top seed after defeating Michalak two weeks ago, but the Caro native got his revenge. Michalak got an early lead with a first period takedown and controlled the match though out, adding an escape and the riding time point to lock up the victory.
The final CMU title was earned by senior heavyweight Bill Stouffer over 2003 MAC Champion Tomas Rodriguez of Kent State. Stouffer was losing 1-0 entering the third period, but reversed the KSU wrestler to take the lead. The Lowell native then rode Rodriguez out the remainder of the match to earn the riding time point and a stalling point for a 4-1 victory.
Team Scores
1. CMU - 119.5 points
2. Northern Illinois - 59 points
2. Kent State - 46.5 points
4. Ohio - 41.5 points
5. Eastern Michigan - 33.5 points
6. Buffalo - 31 points
Postseason Awards
Wrestler of the Year - Jake Percival, Ohio
Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament - Jake Percival, Ohio
Co-Freshmen of the Year - Luke Smith and Wynn Michalak, CMU
Coach of the Year - Tom Borrelli, CMU
125 - First-place Luke Smith (ranked 18th national, seeded first)
First round - W, fall Caleb Metcalf (Ohio), 0:14
Champ. Semifinals - W, dec. Chad Vandiver (Northern Illinois), 5-1
Champ. Finals - W, dec. Mark McKnight (Buffalo), 2-1
133 - First-place Jason Borrelli (ranked eighth national, seeded first)
Champ. Semifinals - W, dec. Matt Smith (Ohio), 10-6
Champ. Finals - W, fall Sam Hiatt (Northern Illinois), 2:46
141 - Brandon Carter (seeded fourth)
First round - W, dec. Nick Conklin (Eastern Michigan), 8-7
Champ. Semifinals - L, dec. Josh Wooton (Northern Illinois), 5-4
Consol. Semifinals - L, fall Dana Gingerich (Buffalo), 6:29
149 - First-place Mark DiSalvo (ranked 10th national, seeded first)
Champ. Semifinals - W, dec. Mike Grimes (Northern Illinois), 3-2
Champ. Finals - W, dec. Jason Bake (Kent State), 8-2
157 - Second-place Eric Neil (seeded second)
Champ. Semifinals - W, fall Kurt Gross (Kent State), 2:00
Champ. Finals - L, Jake Percival (Ohio), 6-0
165 - First-place David Bolyard (ranked ninth national, seeded first)
First round - W, fall Ben Best (Eastern Michigan), 6:06
Champ. Semifinals - W, tech. fall Jake Blowers (Buffalo), 19-3
Champ. Finals - W, fall Jake Galloway (Northern Illinois), 6:07
174 - First-place Mitch Hancock (ranked seventh national, seeded first)
Champ. Semifinals - W, dec. Danny Burk (Northern Illinois), 10-4
Champ. Finals - W, dec. J.J. Holmes (Eastern Michigan), 4-1
184 - First-place Alex Lammers (seeded fourth)
First round - W, fall Tyler Bruesewitz (Northern Illinois), 2:11
Champ. Semifinals - W, dec. Ed Magrys (Eastern Michigan), 6-4 2OT
Champ. Finals - W, dec. Alex Camargo (Kent State), 3-1
197 - First-place Wynn Michalak (ranked 11th national, seeded second)
Champ. Semifinals - W, Ben Rings (Kent State), 8-1
Champ. Finals - W, dec. Joel Weimer (Ohio), 4-1
285 - First-place Bill Stouffer (ranked sixth national, seeded first)
Champ. Semifinals - W, dec. Jeremiah Beltran (Ohio), 4-1
Champ. Finals - W, dec. Tomas Rodriguez (Kent State), 4-1
