Sunday, February 13
Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
2 p.m.
Central Michigan University
28
vs
10
Buffalo
Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22
Wrestlers Nail Down MAC West Title With 11th Straight Victory
2/13/2022 5:38:00 PM | Wrestling
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – As is almost always the case with coach Tom Borrelli's Central Michigan wrestlers, their best is coming when it matters the most.
The Chippewas got pins from Dresden Simon (141 pounds) and Matt Stencel (285) and a major-decision victory from Aaron Bolo (197) on Sunday in capping a perfect run through Mid-American Conference duals with a 28-10 victory over Buffalo at McGuirk Arena.
It was CMU's 11th consecutive victory as it finished 7-0 in the league to claim the MAC West title and head into the conference tournament as the favorite. It is the first league dual-meet crown for CMU since 2012.
"If you'd have told me at the beginning of the year that we were going to go undefeated in league duals – and most of our league dual meets were pretty decisive – I wouldn't have believed you," said Borrelli, whose team is 21st in the InterMat top 25 dual-meet rankings and third in the National Wrestling Coaches Association mid-major poll.
The Chippewas' two dual losses came before Christmas to Lehigh and Iowa at the Journeyman Collegiate Duals. Iowa was ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time and Lehigh was 17th. Since then, CMU topped two teams, Campbell and South Dakota State, that were ranked in the top 25 nationally and were ahead of the Chippewas in the mid-major poll.
CMU's smallest margin of victory in a MAC dual was a 14-point win over Ohio on Jan. 30.
"We've got a lot of guys who have been in the program four, five years," Borrelli said in explaining his team's success. "I think it's pretty important to them. I think they really care. They do a lot of the right things. They work hard, they like each other, they stay really focused, they don't get distracted by things going on outside. Even the difficulties we've had with COVID have never really fazed them.
"These guys are all pulling for each other, they all care about each other, and it makes them wrestle harder for each other."
Brock Bergelin, as he has done for most of the season, got the Chippewas off to a good start with a decision victory at 125 for a 3-0 lead.
After Buffalo won with a major decision at 133 to take a 4-3 lead, Simon pinned Ben Freeman late in the first period to give the Chippewas a 9-4 lead.
It was Simon's first pin of the season and he has scored bonus points in his last three victories.
"That's a huge win for Dresden," Borrelli said. "Ben Freeman was an undefeated four-time state (high school) champion in Michigan. He never lost a match in high school. A lot of people were recruiting (Freeman) and he went to the University of Michigan originally. No one but us was recruiting Dresden."
The Bulls won by decision at 149 to draw to 9-7, but then the Chippewas got consecutive wins from Johnny Lovett (157), Tracy Hubbard (165) and Bret Fedewa (174) to up their lead to 18-7. All three of those wins came by two points and Lovett's came in overtime.
Bolo clinched the dual with a major decision, his first of the season, and then Stencel recorded a first-period pin to put the exclamation point on it. It was Stencel's 10th pin of the year.
Buffalo is 11-6 and finished 6-2 in MAC duals. The Bulls came into Sunday's dual needing a win to force a tie with the Chippewas atop the West.
Stencel, Hubbard and Lovett each finished the season 7-0 in MAC duals and Bolo went 5-0. Simon and Bergelin each went 6-1.
Lovett, Stencel and Bergelin extended their win streaks to 11, 10 and seven matches, respectively, while Hubbard won for the 10th time in last 11 matches. Bolo has won seven of his last eight, and Fedewa has won six of his last seven.
The Chippewas close the dual meet portion of their schedule next weekend against in-state Big Ten foes Michigan State and Michigan. CMU goes to East Lansing on Friday, Feb. 18 (6 p.m.), and then entertains Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 20 (2 p.m.). The Spartans are ranked 15th, the Wolverines are third.
Central Michigan 28, Buffalo 10
125: Brock Bergelin (C) dec. Tristan Daugherty, 3-0
133: Derek Spann (B) major dec. Vince Perez, 9-0
141: Dresden Simon (C) pinned Ben Freeman, 2:51
149: John Arceri (B) dec. Corbyn Munson, 8-7
157: Johnny Lovett (C) dec. Michael Petite, 3-1, SV-1
165: Tracy Hubbard (C) dec. Noah Grover, 4-2
174: Bret Fedewa (C) dec. Jay Nivison, 2-0
184: Pete Acciardi (B) dec. Ben Cushman, 4-2
197: Aaron Bolo (C) major dec. Sam Mitchell, 9-0
285: Matt Stencel (C) pinned Toby Cahill, 2:33
The Chippewas got pins from Dresden Simon (141 pounds) and Matt Stencel (285) and a major-decision victory from Aaron Bolo (197) on Sunday in capping a perfect run through Mid-American Conference duals with a 28-10 victory over Buffalo at McGuirk Arena.
It was CMU's 11th consecutive victory as it finished 7-0 in the league to claim the MAC West title and head into the conference tournament as the favorite. It is the first league dual-meet crown for CMU since 2012.
"If you'd have told me at the beginning of the year that we were going to go undefeated in league duals – and most of our league dual meets were pretty decisive – I wouldn't have believed you," said Borrelli, whose team is 21st in the InterMat top 25 dual-meet rankings and third in the National Wrestling Coaches Association mid-major poll.
The Chippewas' two dual losses came before Christmas to Lehigh and Iowa at the Journeyman Collegiate Duals. Iowa was ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time and Lehigh was 17th. Since then, CMU topped two teams, Campbell and South Dakota State, that were ranked in the top 25 nationally and were ahead of the Chippewas in the mid-major poll.
CMU's smallest margin of victory in a MAC dual was a 14-point win over Ohio on Jan. 30.
"We've got a lot of guys who have been in the program four, five years," Borrelli said in explaining his team's success. "I think it's pretty important to them. I think they really care. They do a lot of the right things. They work hard, they like each other, they stay really focused, they don't get distracted by things going on outside. Even the difficulties we've had with COVID have never really fazed them.
"These guys are all pulling for each other, they all care about each other, and it makes them wrestle harder for each other."
Brock Bergelin, as he has done for most of the season, got the Chippewas off to a good start with a decision victory at 125 for a 3-0 lead.
After Buffalo won with a major decision at 133 to take a 4-3 lead, Simon pinned Ben Freeman late in the first period to give the Chippewas a 9-4 lead.
It was Simon's first pin of the season and he has scored bonus points in his last three victories.
"That's a huge win for Dresden," Borrelli said. "Ben Freeman was an undefeated four-time state (high school) champion in Michigan. He never lost a match in high school. A lot of people were recruiting (Freeman) and he went to the University of Michigan originally. No one but us was recruiting Dresden."
The Bulls won by decision at 149 to draw to 9-7, but then the Chippewas got consecutive wins from Johnny Lovett (157), Tracy Hubbard (165) and Bret Fedewa (174) to up their lead to 18-7. All three of those wins came by two points and Lovett's came in overtime.
Bolo clinched the dual with a major decision, his first of the season, and then Stencel recorded a first-period pin to put the exclamation point on it. It was Stencel's 10th pin of the year.
Buffalo is 11-6 and finished 6-2 in MAC duals. The Bulls came into Sunday's dual needing a win to force a tie with the Chippewas atop the West.
Stencel, Hubbard and Lovett each finished the season 7-0 in MAC duals and Bolo went 5-0. Simon and Bergelin each went 6-1.
Lovett, Stencel and Bergelin extended their win streaks to 11, 10 and seven matches, respectively, while Hubbard won for the 10th time in last 11 matches. Bolo has won seven of his last eight, and Fedewa has won six of his last seven.
The Chippewas close the dual meet portion of their schedule next weekend against in-state Big Ten foes Michigan State and Michigan. CMU goes to East Lansing on Friday, Feb. 18 (6 p.m.), and then entertains Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 20 (2 p.m.). The Spartans are ranked 15th, the Wolverines are third.
Central Michigan 28, Buffalo 10
125: Brock Bergelin (C) dec. Tristan Daugherty, 3-0
133: Derek Spann (B) major dec. Vince Perez, 9-0
141: Dresden Simon (C) pinned Ben Freeman, 2:51
149: John Arceri (B) dec. Corbyn Munson, 8-7
157: Johnny Lovett (C) dec. Michael Petite, 3-1, SV-1
165: Tracy Hubbard (C) dec. Noah Grover, 4-2
174: Bret Fedewa (C) dec. Jay Nivison, 2-0
184: Pete Acciardi (B) dec. Ben Cushman, 4-2
197: Aaron Bolo (C) major dec. Sam Mitchell, 9-0
285: Matt Stencel (C) pinned Toby Cahill, 2:33
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