Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewa Wrestlers Win 4 In Opening Session
3/15/2018 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
CLEVELAND - Central Michigan wrestlers went 4-3 on Thursday during Session I of the NCAA Championships at Quicken Loans Arena.
Session II is scheduled for Thursday night. Two Chippewas - CJ Brucki (174) and Jordan Ellingwood (184) - will wrestle the No. 1 seed in their respective weight classes. Both Brucki and Ellingwood opened the tournament with wins on Thursday afternoon, as did teammates Mason Smith (141) and Justin Oliver (149).
A win on Thursday night by any of those four lands them in the Friday-morning quarterfinals.
CMU's Colin Heffernan (157), Jordan Atienza (197) and Matt Stencel (285) lost their respective opening matches on Thursday to drop into the wrestlebacks. Each is scheduled to wrestle an elimination bout on Thursday night.
• Oliver, a junior who is the highest-seeded Chippewa (sixth at 149), will wrestle 11th-seeded Matthew Kolodzik of Princeton on Thursday night. Oliver opened with a 3-1 win over Sam Krivus of Virginia. Oliver scored a takedown late in the third period to break a 1-1 tie. Oliver is 26-5 on the season, Kolodzik is 25-5.
• Smith, the 10th seed, took a methodical 3-0 win from Thomas Thorn on Thursday afternoon and is slated to wrestle Brock Zacherl of Clarion on Thursday night. Smith is 32-5; Zacherl is 28-1.
• Brucki took control early in his opening bout and eventually scored a 10-2 major-decision win over Seldon Wright of Old Dominion. It was his third victory, and second major, of the season over Wright. Brucki (24-11), the 16th seed, will wrestle top-seeded Zahid Valencia of Arizona State on Thursday night. Valencia (28-0), a sophomore, finished third last year in the NCAA Championships.
• Ellingwood, the 16th seed, will tonight face top-seeded Bo Nickal of Penn State, the defending national champion. Ellingwood posted a 12-5 win over Eastern Michigan's Kayne MacCallum on Thursday afternoon. Ellingwood (26-10) avenged a 3-1 loss to MacCallum in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Championships two weeks ago. Nickal is 27-1.
• Heffernan fell on a 22-7 technical fall to defending champion Jason Nolf of Penn State. Heffernan (19-7) is slated to wrestle Larry Early (28-11) of Old Dominion in a consolation-bracket match on Thursday night. Heffernan defeated Early, 5-4, in the third-place match at the MAC Championships two weeks ago.
• Atienza was pinned in the first period by Matt Williams of Call State Bakersfield and is scheduled to wrestle Jacob Smith (13-8) of West Virginia on Thursday night. Atienza (19-11) wrestled with his shoulder heavily wrapped after suffering an injury at the MAC Championships.
• Stencel, a redshirt freshman who was seeded 16th, lost 8-3 to Campbell's Jere Heino on Thursday afternoon and is scheduled to wrestle Ryan Solomon (20-10). of Pitt on Thursday night. Stencel is 28-14.
