Central Michigan University Athletics
Wrestling Enters Regular Season Finale Ranked Fourth in National Poll
2/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 15, 2006
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MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan University's wrestling program made history without even stepping on the mat on Tuesday evening.
The Chippewas found themselves at the No. 4 spot in the latest NWCA/InterMat poll, the highest the program has ever climbed in the national rankings. CMU earned the nod on the heels of three straight convincing conference wins and, in part, due to former No. 4 Nebraska's 19-16 loss to Oklahoma last week. CMU defeated then-No. 3 Oklahoma, 19-16, at National Duals on Jan. 14.
CMU closes out the regular season this weekend with a pair of Mid-American Conference duals. The Chippewas (11-4 overall, 3-0 MAC) host Ohio at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, then visit Kent State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
CMU has swept through its first three conference outings in convincing fashion, winning a total of 26-of-30 individual bouts in wins over Eastern Michigan (30-5), Buffalo (30-3) and No. 24 Northern Illinois (33-2). Two wins this weekend would lock up the Chippewas' eighth consecutive MAC regular season crown.
"We don't talk about that much," said 15th-year head coach Tom Borrelli. "Everyone in our program knows our main goals every year are to win the regular season championship, the MAC Tournament championship and finish in the top 10 in the nation. Those are consistently our goals every year."
Borrelli does not expect this weekend's opponents to make life easy on his squad.
"Ohio is a dangerous team," he said. "They are young and talented and are in a position where they could turn the corner at any time.
"Kent State is wrestling as good as anyone in the conference right now, and we have to go to there," he continued. "It's a tough trip. We know that if circumstances work out right on Friday, then Sunday could be a huge match."
CMU will honor its two seniors, Jason Borrelli and Mark DiSalvo, prior to the start of Friday's home finale. Borrelli enters the weekend with a career record of 83-39 and is the defending MAC champ at 133 pounds, while DiSalvo is 54-13 during his CMU career and is the reigning conference champ at 149. Both were national qualifiers last season, with DiSalvo earning All-America honors. DiSalvo also qualified for nationals as a freshman at VMI in 2002.
"They've brought a lot of leadership during their careers," Borrelli said of his two seniors. "They've led by example. They are quiet leaders who have taken a lot of pride in their accomplishments as individuals as well as the accomplishments of the team."
Following Sunday's dual, CMU is next in action at the MAC Championships on March 3-4. Northern Illinois will serve as the host of the conference championships.
Scouting Ohio: Friday's dual serves as the regular season finale for the Bobcats (11-10 overall, 1-3 MAC), who dropped a 25-6 decision to Kent State on Sunday. Junior 184-pounder Brian Cesear has won a team-high 20 matches this seson for a young Ohio squad that did not return any of its five place-finishers from the 2005 MAC Championships. CMU has won seven straight matchups with Ohio.
Scouting Kent State: Kent State (13-3-1 overall, 3-0-1 MAC) will put its seven-match unbeaten streak on the line on Saturday against Ashland before it welcomes CMU to the M.A.C. Center. The Golden Flashes boast three individuals who are a perfect 4-0 in conference action: sophomore 157-pounder Kurt Gross (25-6 overall), junior 174-pounder Aaron Miller (28-5) and senior 184-pounder Alex Camargo (27-3). The trio finished third, fourth and third, respectively, at the 2005 MAC Championships. CMU has won eight straight duals over the Golden Flashes, who have spent most of this season in the others receiving votes section of the NWCA/InterMat poll.
Goin' Streakin': CMU will put its two conference winning streaks on the line again this weekend. The Chippewas have won 17 straight MAC duals overall and 21 consecutive conference duals in Rose Arena. CMU has also won 41 of its last 42 conference duals dating back to the 1997-98 season.
Movin' On Up: CMU checks in at No. 4 in this week's NWCA/InterMat poll, the highest ranking the Chippewas have ever held in the national rankings. CMU had spent two different weeks this year at the fifth slot in the NWCA/InterMat top 25. Prior to this season, the Chippewas had never climbed higher than sixth in the national rankings.
Dazzling Debut: True freshman 165-pounder Trevor Stewart is 2-0 in conference action following his 9-7 come-from-behind win over NIU's Johnny Galloway on Friday. Stewart scored five points late in the second period, then tallied an escape and the riding time point in the third to rally from a 7-2 deficit against the 2005 MAC runner-up. He is now the top-ranked 165-pounder in the MAC according to the conference coaches.
The Headliners: Only two bouts look to pit ranked individuals this weekend, with both taking place on Sunday at Kent State:
125: No. 12 Luke Smith (CMU) vs. No. 15 Chad Sportelli (KSU)
184: No. 19 Christian Sinnott (CMU) vs. No. 16 Alex Carmargo (KSU)
On a Roll: Sophomore heavyweight Bubba Gritter has won six straight bouts following his 4-0 decision over NIU's No. 20 Joe Sapp. Gritter began his run with a 7-1 decision over Nebraska's No. 19 Jon Wall in the third-place match at National Duals, then posted a pair of pins at Wendy's Duals on Jan. 22. Gritter is now 17-12 on the season, including 3-0 in the MAC, and ranked 13th in the NWCA/InterMat poll.
Mr. Automatic: Wynn Michalak is 25-1 this season after pinning Northern Illinois' Derek Hunsinger on Friday night. Eleven of Michalak's 24 wins this year have been by fall; in the other 14, Michalak has won by an average score of 9.0-2.2. An All-American as a redshirt freshman last season, Michalak is 59-11 with 22 pins in his CMU career. He is now tied for 10th all-time at CMU in career pins.
Taking on the Top 25: CMU has faced off against nine teams that were ranked in the InterMat top 25 this season and is 5-4 in those matches. Of the Chippewas' first 10 dual opponents, only two were not ranked at the time the teams met.
Leading the Pack: Wynn Michalak, ranked first in the nation at 197, is the first Chippewa to be ranked first in his weight class since Jason Mester during the 2002-03 season. Mester was the top-ranked 141-pounder for two weeks during his junior season, in which he earned All-America honors by finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships. Michalak is now in his eighth week atop the national rankings at 197.
Coming Up: Following the regular season finale at Kent State on Sunday, the Chippewas have 12 days to prepare for a run at their fifth straight MAC Championships title. Northern Illinois will host the conference tournament on March 3-4.