Central Michigan University Athletics
No. 6 Chippewas Prepare for Midlands Championships
12/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
MOUNT PLEASANT - Sixth-ranked Central Michigan closes the 2009 calendar year with its annual trip to Northwestern University for the Midlands Championships.
Competition begins Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. Central Time and continues throughout the day. The semifinals and consolation bracket matches begin at noon Central Time on Wednesday, with the finals scheduled to begin at 7:20 p.m. Central Time.
CMU is one of 31 Division I teams competing in the tournament. Highlighting the field are four of the top seven teams in the most recent InterMat poll: No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Iowa State, No. 6 Central Michigan and No. 7 Maryland.
Midlands is the first team-scored tournament in which CMU has competed this season. The Chippewas are 7-0 in dual meet action, and four individuals will enter Midlands with records of 5-0 or better: Matt Steintrager (5-0), Scotti Sentes (7-0), Tyler Grayson (6-0) and Mike Miller (6-0). Five of Sentes' seven victories have come via fall.
Six Chippewas were ranked in the top eight of their weight class in the Midlands pretournament rankings announced last week. Ben Bennett (second, 174 pounds) is CMU's highest pre-seeded wrestler entering the tournament.
CMU has finished in the top six of the team standings each of the past six years, including a run of four straight top-four finishes from 2004-07. CMU's runner-up finish in 2005 is the program's top finish at the event.
Follow Midlands Online: Brackets will be updated throughout the tournament at Northwestern's official Midlands Championships Information Center.
Midlands Memory Lane: CMU placed sixth in a field of 47 teams at the 2008 Midlands. The Chippewas were led by Mike Miller, who finished runner-up at 174 pounds. Miller was defeated by American's Mike Cannon, 3-2 in the finals; Miller later defeated Cannon in the quarterfinals at last season's NCAA Championships. Also placing in the top eight at Midlands last season were Scotti Sentes (fourth, 125 pounds), Conor Beebe (eighth, 133 pounds), Steve Brown (fifth, 149 pounds) and Vince DiDona (eighth, 184 pounds). Tony D'Alie was fourth at 141 pounds competing unattached.
Coming Up: CMU opens 2010 at National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Chippewas' next appearance at home at Rose Center is Jan. 17 against Stanford.
Competition begins Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. Central Time and continues throughout the day. The semifinals and consolation bracket matches begin at noon Central Time on Wednesday, with the finals scheduled to begin at 7:20 p.m. Central Time.
CMU is one of 31 Division I teams competing in the tournament. Highlighting the field are four of the top seven teams in the most recent InterMat poll: No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Iowa State, No. 6 Central Michigan and No. 7 Maryland.
Midlands is the first team-scored tournament in which CMU has competed this season. The Chippewas are 7-0 in dual meet action, and four individuals will enter Midlands with records of 5-0 or better: Matt Steintrager (5-0), Scotti Sentes (7-0), Tyler Grayson (6-0) and Mike Miller (6-0). Five of Sentes' seven victories have come via fall.
Six Chippewas were ranked in the top eight of their weight class in the Midlands pretournament rankings announced last week. Ben Bennett (second, 174 pounds) is CMU's highest pre-seeded wrestler entering the tournament.
CMU has finished in the top six of the team standings each of the past six years, including a run of four straight top-four finishes from 2004-07. CMU's runner-up finish in 2005 is the program's top finish at the event.
Follow Midlands Online: Brackets will be updated throughout the tournament at Northwestern's official Midlands Championships Information Center.
Midlands Memory Lane: CMU placed sixth in a field of 47 teams at the 2008 Midlands. The Chippewas were led by Mike Miller, who finished runner-up at 174 pounds. Miller was defeated by American's Mike Cannon, 3-2 in the finals; Miller later defeated Cannon in the quarterfinals at last season's NCAA Championships. Also placing in the top eight at Midlands last season were Scotti Sentes (fourth, 125 pounds), Conor Beebe (eighth, 133 pounds), Steve Brown (fifth, 149 pounds) and Vince DiDona (eighth, 184 pounds). Tony D'Alie was fourth at 141 pounds competing unattached.
Coming Up: CMU opens 2010 at National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Chippewas' next appearance at home at Rose Center is Jan. 17 against Stanford.
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