Central Michigan University
Iowa State
CMU Wrestling Drops Home Opener
11/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Zach Horan was the lone Central Michigan winner Thursday as the Chippewa wrestling team fell to 16th-ranked Iowa State, 30-3, in a non-league dual at McGuirk Arena.
It was the home opener for the Chippewas (1-3), who entertain 15th-ranked Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Four of the first five opponents on CMU's dual schedule are ranked in the top 25.
"We're wrestling some good teams," said CMU coach Tom Borrelli, whose team faced a pair of ranked teams, Edinboro and Northwestern, last weekend at the Eastern Michigan Duals. "Next Tuesday we wrestle Michigan, which is probably going to be an even better team than Iowa State.
"Our guys have to learn how to compete harder. We're young and that's why we're doing this. We could wrestle some teams that we could have a lot of success against. I don't know if that teaches you as much. We're trying to improve, we're trying to put our guys in the right situations so we can be a top-15, top-10 team and we're just not ready to compete at that level yet."
Horan took a 6-1 decision from John Meeks at 141 pounds. Horan, a junior and a two-time qualifier for the NCAA Championships, controlled the match throughout in improving to 2-2 on the season.
The Chippewas started six underclassmen, including freshman Colin Heffernan who lost a highly competitive match at 149 to Gabe Moreno, a sophomore who improved to 8-0.
Moreno took a 7-6 decision, the winning point coming on riding time.
CMU freshman Brent Fleetwood dropped a 3-1 decision at 125, and senior Tyler Keselring fell, 6-4, at 133. Keselring lost to 10th-ranked Earl Hall, a 7-0 junior who earned All-America honors last season; Fleetwood fell to sophomore Kyle Larson, who is 6-1.
Fleetwood is 5-3 on the year, Keselring is 5-4, and Heffernan is 1-3.
"In the lower weights we competed a little better," Borrelli said. "Fleetwood was in on a shot; if he finishes that shot he might win the match. He doesn't finish.
"Keselring's was a real competitive match with a returning All-American. Heffernan was in a real tight match. We finish some of those takedowns and it's a different dual meet. But that's the same way it was against Edinboro, the same way it was against Northwestern. We're wrestling top-15, top-20 teams.
"We had one guy get in on shots and finish his shots and that was Horan. The rest of our guys got a guy's leg but they couldn't finish. Some of that's strength, some of that's technique, and some of it's that we're just young. We're outmanned a little bit, a little younger than those guys."
Iowa State dominated the upper weights, taking major decisions in three of the final five matches. The closest of those was the final match of the night, in which Quean Smith defeated Newton Smerchek, 3-2, at 285.
"That's where we've got a lot of growing to do, the upper weights," Borrelli said. "We don't have a whole lot of experience there and that's where their better kids are. Those guys are real good.
"We've got to be more competitive. This is all part of a process."
Iowa State 30, Central Michigan 3
125: Kyle Larson (ISU) dec. Brent Fleetwood (CMU), 3-1
133: Earl Hall (ISU) dec. Tyler Keselring (CMU), 6-4
141: Zach Horan (CMU) dec. John Meeks (ISU), 6-1
149: Gabe Moreno (ISU) dec. Colin Heffernan (CMU), 7-6
157: Luke Goettl (ISU) dec. Malcolm Martin (CMU), 5-2
165: Michael Moreno (ISU) major dec. Jordan Wohlfert (CMU), 12-3
174: Tanner Weatherman (ISU) major dec. Jordan Ellingwood (CMU), 17-5
184: Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU) dec. Jackson Lewis (CMU), 9-2
197: Kyven Gadson (ISU) major dec. Austin Severn (CMU), 12-4
285: Quean Smith (ISU) dec. Newton Smerchek (CMU), 3-2
Players Mentioned
