Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Prepare for Annual Trip to Midlands Championships
12/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Official Midlands Site | CMU Wrestling on Facebook | CMU Wrestling on Twitter
MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan will close out the 2011 calendar year by making its annual trip to the Midlands Championships.
The two-day tournament begins Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Central Time and runs through Friday evening.
The Chippewas enter the 49th Midlands ranked 19th in the NWCA/USA Today coaches' poll and 25th in the InterMat tournament strength rankings. CMU is 10-2 overall in dual meets but has not competed in a team-scored tournament this season.
CMU is one of 10 teams ranked in the most recent NWCA/USA Today top 25 set to compete in the tournament. The Chippewas will be joined by No. 1 Iowa, No. 7 Illinois, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 12 Lehigh, No. 13 Maryland, No. 15 Virginia Tech, No. 17 Rutgers, No. 18 Northwestern and No. 24 Edinboro.
Final tournament seeds and brackets will be announced Thursday morning, but four Chippewas were listed among the top eight contenders in their weight class by the tournament committee last week: Joe Roth (No. 7, 125 pounds), Donnie Corby (No. 8, 157 pounds), Ben Bennett (No. 3, 184 pounds) and Peter Sturgeon (No. 4, 285 pounds). Jarod Trice, who is taking an Olympic redshirt for the 2011-12 season, will compete unattached at Midlands is listed as the No. 2 contender at heavyweight.
The Schedule: The tournament will consist of four sessions of competition over two days. Thursday's opening session begins at 10:30 a.m., while the evening session gets underway at 8 p.m. Session III begins at 1 p.m. Friday and includes the semifinals, consolation matches and the seventh-place bouts. First-, third-, and fifth-place bouts begin at 8 p.m. Friday. (All times are Eastern.)
Follow the Action: Thursday night's quarterfinals will be streamed live through Northwestern's official site, NUsports.com. The Big Ten Network will carry Friday's finals on tape delay beginning at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Fans can also follow the tournament on Twitter @NU_Wrestle and are encouraged to use the hashtag #midlands49. Bout-by-bout updates of Friday's finals will be available @NU_SportsLive. Updated brackets and team standings will be posted throughout the tournament at the official Midlands site.
Last Year at Midlands: Ben Bennett (174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (heavyweight) both finished runner-up to lead CMU to a seventh-place finish in a 44-team field. Bennett was a runner-up for the second straight season, while Trice finished second after winning the Midlands heavyweight title as a sophomore in 2009. Scotti Sentes (third, 133 pounds) and Donnie Corby (fifth, 149 pounds) also earned spots on the medal stand.
Bennett Named MAC Wrestler of the Week: Junior 184-pounder Ben Bennett is the reigning MAC Wrestler of the Week after pinning all three of his opponents at the Bison Duals on Dec. 17. Bennett needed just 6:51 of mat time to record his three falls and improve to 14-1 on the season.
Coming Up: The Chippewas open 2012 with a Mid-American Conference dual meet at Eastern Michigan on Friday, Jan. 13. CMU is back home the following Friday, Jan. 20, to host Northern Illinois in a conference dual.
MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan will close out the 2011 calendar year by making its annual trip to the Midlands Championships.
The two-day tournament begins Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Central Time and runs through Friday evening.
The Chippewas enter the 49th Midlands ranked 19th in the NWCA/USA Today coaches' poll and 25th in the InterMat tournament strength rankings. CMU is 10-2 overall in dual meets but has not competed in a team-scored tournament this season.
CMU is one of 10 teams ranked in the most recent NWCA/USA Today top 25 set to compete in the tournament. The Chippewas will be joined by No. 1 Iowa, No. 7 Illinois, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 12 Lehigh, No. 13 Maryland, No. 15 Virginia Tech, No. 17 Rutgers, No. 18 Northwestern and No. 24 Edinboro.
Final tournament seeds and brackets will be announced Thursday morning, but four Chippewas were listed among the top eight contenders in their weight class by the tournament committee last week: Joe Roth (No. 7, 125 pounds), Donnie Corby (No. 8, 157 pounds), Ben Bennett (No. 3, 184 pounds) and Peter Sturgeon (No. 4, 285 pounds). Jarod Trice, who is taking an Olympic redshirt for the 2011-12 season, will compete unattached at Midlands is listed as the No. 2 contender at heavyweight.
The Schedule: The tournament will consist of four sessions of competition over two days. Thursday's opening session begins at 10:30 a.m., while the evening session gets underway at 8 p.m. Session III begins at 1 p.m. Friday and includes the semifinals, consolation matches and the seventh-place bouts. First-, third-, and fifth-place bouts begin at 8 p.m. Friday. (All times are Eastern.)
Follow the Action: Thursday night's quarterfinals will be streamed live through Northwestern's official site, NUsports.com. The Big Ten Network will carry Friday's finals on tape delay beginning at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Fans can also follow the tournament on Twitter @NU_Wrestle and are encouraged to use the hashtag #midlands49. Bout-by-bout updates of Friday's finals will be available @NU_SportsLive. Updated brackets and team standings will be posted throughout the tournament at the official Midlands site.
Last Year at Midlands: Ben Bennett (174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (heavyweight) both finished runner-up to lead CMU to a seventh-place finish in a 44-team field. Bennett was a runner-up for the second straight season, while Trice finished second after winning the Midlands heavyweight title as a sophomore in 2009. Scotti Sentes (third, 133 pounds) and Donnie Corby (fifth, 149 pounds) also earned spots on the medal stand.
Bennett Named MAC Wrestler of the Week: Junior 184-pounder Ben Bennett is the reigning MAC Wrestler of the Week after pinning all three of his opponents at the Bison Duals on Dec. 17. Bennett needed just 6:51 of mat time to record his three falls and improve to 14-1 on the season.
Coming Up: The Chippewas open 2012 with a Mid-American Conference dual meet at Eastern Michigan on Friday, Jan. 13. CMU is back home the following Friday, Jan. 20, to host Northern Illinois in a conference dual.
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