Wrestlers Open On Saturday At Michigan State

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Tom Borrelli has been at this coaching thing for awhile now.

Nearly three decades in charge of the Central Michigan wrestling program and almost 40 in the coaching business gives a man perspective. You name it, Borrelli has been there, done that.

In that light, Borrelli takes the long-term view when assessing his 2018-19 Chippewas, who feature four returning starters and just two upperclassmen.

Heavy graduation losses and two transfers have left the Chippewas with a dearth of veterans. Still, Borrelli is looking at the glass as half-full as his team opens the season on Saturday at the Michigan State Open.

"We're really happy with the culture on our team, the direction we're moving," said Borrelli, whose team was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference in the preseason poll of league coaches. "We know we have a lot of work to do to get to where we want to be. These guys are willing to listen, willing to buy in.

"it remains to be seen how much we can improve this year. We'll be a different team by the end of the year than we are now on paper."

The Chippewas return five fulltime starters in Matt Stencel (285 pounds), Jordan Atienza (184), Logan Parks (157), Dresden Simon (133) and Drew Hildebrandt (125). Simon, Hildebrandt and Stencel are sophomores, Parks is a junior, and Atienza is the program's lone senior.

Stencel made a major splash as a freshman, winning the Mid-American Conference title at 285 and earning an NCAA Championships berth. He heads into the season ranked 17^th nationally and first in the MAC.

"He has unlimited potential," Borrelli said of Stencel, who led the Chippewas with 15 pins among 28 victories (against 17 losses) last season. "He's got to improve. He won the conference, but he was the fifth seed going in. That just tells you how much ability he has, but he also had an up and down inconsistent season last year.

"Even though he's the No. 1 ranked guy in the MAC that really doesn't mean anything. I think he'd like to improve upon his performance nationally."

Atienza suffered a late-season shoulder injury last March, yet still managed to qualify for the NCAA Championships at 197. He has dropped to 184 this season, which is better suited to his frame, Borrelli said. Atienza is ranked second in the MAC.

"Now he's at a more comfortable weight for him," he said. "He's got a lot of work to do. He had surgery right after the NCAAs and he's only six, seven months out from that. His conditioning now isn't here it should be, but he'll get there."

Parks has also dropped a weight class, moving down from 165. The junior has been a mainstay in the lineup for the past two years. He finished 20-12 a year ago after going 12-21 in 2016-17. He placed third in the MAC Championships a year ago and is ranked third this season.

"Parks is the guy who has steadily improved and our younger guys should try to emulate," Borrelli said. "I see him growing into that role of quiet leader. He's a really hard worker. He doesn't draw attention to himself, he just works.

"I think he's at the right weight class. If he keeps improving the way he's improved the last two years, who knows what that kid will accomplish."

Simon, who went 15-20 a year ago, did not wrestle because of a lingering injury in the Chippewas' intrasquad scrimmage. He is expected to wrestle at Michigan State and will work his way into shape as the season progresses, Borrelli said.

Hildebrandt finished 18-18 a year ago, including a 3-2 mark in the MAC Championships.

After that experienced quintet, the Chippewas are very green. The roster includes 18 freshmen/redshirt freshmen and seven sophomores. That makes for good competition for mat time, Borrelli said, and that should help expedite program-wide development.

"You don't have that competition between guys, you don't improve," he said. "When there's that competition amongst different guys at different weights, the improvement stays consistent throughout the year because guys are battling. They all want to be the guy."

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jordan Atienza

Drew Hildebrandt

Logan Parks

Dresden Simon

Matt Stencel

Central Michigan University Athletics