Central Michigan University Athletics
Bennett Claims Midlands Title, Named Most Outstanding Wrestler
12/31/2012 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
EVANSTON, Ill. - Senior Ben Bennett finally grabbed the Midlands Championships title that has eluded him through his prestigious Central Michigan career, defeating No. 1 seed Robert Hamlin of Lehigh Sunday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Bennettt entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed and a three-time Midlands runner-up, but breezed his way through the bracket before eventually earning a slim 1-0 decision over No. 3 Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland to set up a rematch of last year's final with Hamlin. The win over Sheptock also made Bennett the 16th member of the Chippewas' 100-win club.
The championship bout came down to riding time and it was Bennett who had a 1:30 advantage, earning him the 2-1 victory and avenging the championship loss from a year ago. The victory over Hamlin allowed Bennett to be named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
The Chippewas tallied 76.5 points to finish fifth as a team, thanks in part to four additional top-eight finishes.
Senior Christian Cullinan also found his way to the podium Sunday, defeating No. 3 seed Cory Clark of Iowa to finish third at 125 pounds. Cullinan defeated Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma, 4-0, in the consolation semifinals to earn a bid to the third-place match.
Junior Joe Roth started his day with a 5-3 decision over Dom Malone of Northwestern, but fell to Patterson in the consolation quarterfinals to fall into the seventh-place match. The No. 10 seed was able to defeat No. 1 seed Anthony Zanetta of Pittsburgh to finish seventh at 125 pounds.
Senior Scotti Sentes (133) and junior Craig Kelliher (174) both finished eighth for the Chippewas. After each winning their first bouts of Sunday's sessions, the two Chippewas fell in the consolation quarterfinals. Sentes then fell by major decision to Randy Cruz of Lehigh in the seventh-place match, 10-0, while Kelliher conceited his bout with No. 7 Bryce Hammond of CSU Bakersfield.
Senior Jarod Trice fell short in his bid for his third Midlands title at 285, falling in the semifinals to eventual champion No. 4 Chad Hanke of Oregon State, 3-2, in the first tiebreaker. Trice went on to finish tied for fifth as the fifth-place match versus No. 2 Michael McMullen did not take place.
125 Pounds: No. 8 Christian Cullinan - 3rd Place
First Round: Bye
Second Round: W, maj. dec. Jade Rauser (Utah Valley), 8-0
Third Round: W, decision No. 9 Dom Malone (Northwestern), 2-1
Quarterfinals: W, decision No. 1 Anthony Zanetta (Unattached - Pitt), 2-0
Semifinals: L, fall Jesse Delgado (Illinois), 3:28
Consolation Semifinals: W, decision Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma), 4-0
Third-Place Match: W, decision Cory Clark (Iowa), 8-4 TB1
125 Pounds: No. 10 Joe Roth - 7th Place
First Round: Bye
Second Round: W, decision Derrick Nelson (Pitt), 8-2
Third Round: W, maj. dec. Patrick Hunter (Binghamton), 14-4
Quarterfinals: L, decision No. 2 Jarrod Garnett (Va. Tech), 5-2
Consolation Round Five: W, decision Dom Malone (Northwestern), 5-3
Consolation Quarterfinals: L, decision Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma), 5-4 TB1
Seventh-Place Match: W, decision No. 1 Anthony Zanetta, 3-2
133 Pounds: No. 1 Scotti Sentes - 8th Place
First Round: Bye
Second Round: W, decision Danny Sabatello (Purdue), 6-0
Third Round: L, decision Jesse Theilke (Unattached - Wisconsin), 10-9
Consolation Round Three: W, maj. dec. Joey Gosinski (Hofstra), 10-1
Consolation Round Four: W, maj. dec. Jimmy Morris (Rider), 9-0
Consolation Round Five: W, decision Cody Brewer (Oklahoma), 7-4
Consolation Quarterfinals: L, decision No. 6 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 5-3
Seventh-Place Match: L, maj. dec. Randy Cruz (Lehigh), 10-0
174 Pounds: Craig Kelliher - 8th Place
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, fall No. 1 Jordan Blanton (Illinois), 6:25
Consolation Round One: W, decision Ryan Darch (Clarion), 8-1
Consolation Round Two: W, fall Ian Korb (Penn), 5:33
Consolation Round Three: W, maj. dec. Kyle Kwiat (Ohio Northern), 9-0
Consolation Round Four: W, decision No. 8 Cody Caldwell (Northern Iowa), 9-2
Consolation Round Five: W, decision No. 5 Stephen West (Columbia), 6-2
Consolation Quarterfinals: L, tech. fall No. 1 Jordan Blanton (Illinois), 23-8; 7:00
Seventh-Place Match: L, forfeit No. 7 Bryce Hammond (CSU Bakersfield)
184 Pounds: No. 2 Ben Bennett - Champion
First Round: Bye
Second Round: W, maj. dec. Greg Wilson (Oklahoma), 8-0
Third Round: W, tech. fall Clint Morrison (Rider), 15-0; 3:23
Quarterfinals: W, tech. fall Sammy Brooks (Iowa), 15-0; 7:00
Semifinals: W, decision No. 3 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland), 1-0
Championship: W, decision No. 1 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), 2-1
Heavyweight: No. 1 Jarod Trice* - Tied 5th Place
First Round: Bye
Second Round: W, maj. dec. Nick Gajdzik (Harvard), 11-2
Third Round: W, dec. Khodar Hoballah (Eastern Michigan), 4-0
Quarterfinals: W, decision Eric Thompson (Grand View), 2-1 TB1
Semifinals: L, decision Chris Hanke (Ore. State), 3-2 TB1
Consolation Semifinals: L, medical forfeit Connor Medbery (Wisconsin)
Fifth-Place Match: CO vs. No. 2 Michael McMullen (Northwestern)
