Central Michigan University Athletics
Sunday, November 17
West Point, N.Y.
10 a.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
Black Knight Invite
CMU junior 197-pounder Landon Pelham (left) has moved into the national rankings.
Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Rugged Field Awaits Chippewa Wrestlers In West Point
11/16/2019 3:00:00 PM | Wrestling
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan wrestling team will step on to the mat with some of the best in the nation on Sunday at the Black Knight Invitational, hosted by Army, in West Point, N.Y.
The seven-team field includes No. 1-ranked Penn State, the four-time defending national champion.
Also in the field are the host Black Knights along with Hofstra, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland and Bloomsburg. Michigan is ranked 19th and Army is ranked 24th.
The tournament shapes up as the best in which the Chippewas will compete in 2019-20, outside of perhaps the Dec. 29-30 Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
"These events are good for us," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. "We travel for 12-13 hours, we spend the night, we wrestle all day, then get on the bus and we come back, so it gets us used to that, gets us used to the grind and the season of having to maintain your weight, make weight … you learn a lot doing those things."
Rankings
Four Chippewas are ranked nationally by flowrestling.com in their respective weight classes. Junior Matt Stencel is seventh at heavyweight, junior Drew Hildebrandt (125) is 11th, senior Logan Parks (157) is 22nd, and junior Landon Pelham (197) is 24th.
Last Time Out
The Chippewas performed well last weekend at the Appalkachian State Invitational. Four CMU wrestlers placed first and four others placed second.
"I felt like we wrestled well, for most of the day," Borrelli said. "We didn't finish the way we wanted to. We had eight in the finals, and we had 4 champions; we had four in the consolation final for third and fourth and we didn't have any winners, so we weren't real happy the way we finished. But leading up to finals and the consolation finals, we wrestled well.
"I think we are maturing a little bit; we are learning how to manage the matches a little bit better, but in certain matches we need to have more energy."
Next
The Chippewas go to Michigan on Sunday, Nov. 24 (2 p.m.) for their first dual of the season.
The seven-team field includes No. 1-ranked Penn State, the four-time defending national champion.
Also in the field are the host Black Knights along with Hofstra, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland and Bloomsburg. Michigan is ranked 19th and Army is ranked 24th.
The tournament shapes up as the best in which the Chippewas will compete in 2019-20, outside of perhaps the Dec. 29-30 Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
"These events are good for us," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. "We travel for 12-13 hours, we spend the night, we wrestle all day, then get on the bus and we come back, so it gets us used to that, gets us used to the grind and the season of having to maintain your weight, make weight … you learn a lot doing those things."
Rankings
Four Chippewas are ranked nationally by flowrestling.com in their respective weight classes. Junior Matt Stencel is seventh at heavyweight, junior Drew Hildebrandt (125) is 11th, senior Logan Parks (157) is 22nd, and junior Landon Pelham (197) is 24th.
Last Time Out
The Chippewas performed well last weekend at the Appalkachian State Invitational. Four CMU wrestlers placed first and four others placed second.
"I felt like we wrestled well, for most of the day," Borrelli said. "We didn't finish the way we wanted to. We had eight in the finals, and we had 4 champions; we had four in the consolation final for third and fourth and we didn't have any winners, so we weren't real happy the way we finished. But leading up to finals and the consolation finals, we wrestled well.
"I think we are maturing a little bit; we are learning how to manage the matches a little bit better, but in certain matches we need to have more energy."
Next
The Chippewas go to Michigan on Sunday, Nov. 24 (2 p.m.) for their first dual of the season.
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