Sunday, February 20
Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
2 p.m.
Central Michigan University
12
vs
28
Michigan
CMU senior Dresden Simon battles Michigan's Stevan Micic on Sunday at McGuirk Arena.
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Wrestlers Close Dual-Meet Season With Loss To No. 3 Michigan
2/20/2022 7:38:00 PM | Wrestling
Simon, Munson, Lovett post thrilling victories
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan wrestling team closed its dual-meet season on Sunday with a 28-12 nonconference loss to Michigan at McGuirk Arena.
The Chippewas finished 12-4 and now look to the March 4-5 Mid-American Conference Championships and beyond, to the NCAA Championships March 17-19.
The Chippewas entered the weekend ranked 19th in the InterMat dual-meet national team rankings. Michigan is third, while Michigan State is 21st. CMU fell to the Spartans, 19-17, on Friday in East Lansing.
"If we use this weekend the right way it can really be a positive," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. "I know we didn't get the team success that we wanted to have (this weekend), but we had some individuals who won big matches.
"If you're going to do well at the national tournament, you're going to have to wrestle these types of guys all the time. Those are the matches you're going to have to win. I think it gives us things to work on and some motivation for the MAC tournament and the NCAA tournament."
The Chippewas won three matches against the Wolverines (12-1) and they were, as Borrelli said, big.
CMU's Dresden Simon rallied from a 6-0 deficit to defeat Stevan Micic, 7-6, at 141 pounds; Corbyn Munson (149) pinned Kanen Storr; and Johnny Lovett (157) outlasted Will Lewan in overtime, winning by the slimmest of margins.
• Simon, a senior who is ranked 12th and was wrestling for the final time on his home mat, found himself on his back in the first period, but managed to avoid the pin. The takedown and ensuing four-point near fall left Simon staring at a 6-0 deficit.
Simon turned the tide in the second period, powering his way to a takedown and then a four-point near fall to even the match. He started the third period in the down position, escaped to seize a 7-6 lead, and then held off Micic the rest of the way.
It was an incredible home finale for Simon, who won for the 13th time in his last 14 matches and completed a 2-0 weekend.
Micic's resumé includes an Olympic appearance with Serbia and he is a three-time NCAA All-American, finishing second, third and fourth in his career.
Micic, who is ranked 15th, won his two previous meetings with Simon, once on a tech fall, the other on a major decision.
"Dresden's improved tremendously," Borrelli said. "I think he's learned to keep wrestling and his composure's gotten a lot better. He didn't feel like he was out of the match (down 6-0). When he was younger, he would have probably gotten frustrated and felt like he couldn't win. He didn't do that (today).
"That's a pretty big win."
• Munson, who dropped out of the InterMat rankings this week, held a 1-0 lead on the 25th-ranked Storr when he took the Wolverine down to his back and pinned him midway through the second period.
Munson, a junior, won for the 10th time in his last 11 matches. The win was his team-best 22nd against just six losses and the pin was his second of the season.
Storr is a three-time NCAA qualifier and in 2020 was a Second Team All-American.
• Lovett, a redshirt sophomore who is ranked 16th, hooked up with the ninth-ranked Lewan – a two-time NCAA qualifier and a 2020 Second Team All-American -- in one of the most exciting matches of the dual.
The pair went to overtime tied 1-1 and battled through a scoreless two-minute sudden-victory period. Each recorded an escape in the two 30-second tie-breakers and Lovett was awarded the match based on riding time criteria – just 1 second.
The Chippewas won two of the three matches in which both wrestlers were ranked.
CMU's lone loss in such a match came at 285 where eighth-ranked Matt Stencel fell, 7-4, to No. 3 Mason Parris, the defending national runner-up.
The loss ended Stencel's win streak at 11 matches as he slipped 15-4 on the season.
Stencel was one of five Chippewas wrestling for the final time in McGuirk Arena on Sunday. Brock Bergelin (125), Simon, Bret Fedewa (174) and Aaron Bolo (197) were the others. Those five, along with fellow seniors Mitchel Christensen and Drew Marten, were honored in a pre-match ceremony.
"You build such a relationship with those guys," said an emotional Borrelli. "Pretty special. It's like your kid going off to start his job and you don't know when you're going to see him again."
Michigan 28, Central Michigan 12
125: Jack Medley (M) dec. Brock Bergelin, 5-2
133: Dylan Ragusin (M) tech. fall Vince Perez, 24-9
141: Dresden Simon (C) dec. Stevan Micic, 7-6
149: Corbyn Munson (C) pinned Kanen Storr, 4:06
157: Johnny Lovett (C) dec. Will Lewan, 3-2 TB-2
165: Cameron Amine (M) dec. Tracy Hubbard, 4-2
174: Logan Massa (M) major dec. Bret Fedewa, 13-2
184: Myles Amine (M) major dec. Ben Cushman, 20-7
197: Patrick Brucki (M) pinned Aaron Bolo, 4:15
285: Mason Parris (M) dec. Matt Stencel, 7-4
The Chippewas finished 12-4 and now look to the March 4-5 Mid-American Conference Championships and beyond, to the NCAA Championships March 17-19.
The Chippewas entered the weekend ranked 19th in the InterMat dual-meet national team rankings. Michigan is third, while Michigan State is 21st. CMU fell to the Spartans, 19-17, on Friday in East Lansing.
"If we use this weekend the right way it can really be a positive," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. "I know we didn't get the team success that we wanted to have (this weekend), but we had some individuals who won big matches.
"If you're going to do well at the national tournament, you're going to have to wrestle these types of guys all the time. Those are the matches you're going to have to win. I think it gives us things to work on and some motivation for the MAC tournament and the NCAA tournament."
The Chippewas won three matches against the Wolverines (12-1) and they were, as Borrelli said, big.
CMU's Dresden Simon rallied from a 6-0 deficit to defeat Stevan Micic, 7-6, at 141 pounds; Corbyn Munson (149) pinned Kanen Storr; and Johnny Lovett (157) outlasted Will Lewan in overtime, winning by the slimmest of margins.
• Simon, a senior who is ranked 12th and was wrestling for the final time on his home mat, found himself on his back in the first period, but managed to avoid the pin. The takedown and ensuing four-point near fall left Simon staring at a 6-0 deficit.
Simon turned the tide in the second period, powering his way to a takedown and then a four-point near fall to even the match. He started the third period in the down position, escaped to seize a 7-6 lead, and then held off Micic the rest of the way.
It was an incredible home finale for Simon, who won for the 13th time in his last 14 matches and completed a 2-0 weekend.
Micic's resumé includes an Olympic appearance with Serbia and he is a three-time NCAA All-American, finishing second, third and fourth in his career.
Micic, who is ranked 15th, won his two previous meetings with Simon, once on a tech fall, the other on a major decision.
"Dresden's improved tremendously," Borrelli said. "I think he's learned to keep wrestling and his composure's gotten a lot better. He didn't feel like he was out of the match (down 6-0). When he was younger, he would have probably gotten frustrated and felt like he couldn't win. He didn't do that (today).
"That's a pretty big win."
• Munson, who dropped out of the InterMat rankings this week, held a 1-0 lead on the 25th-ranked Storr when he took the Wolverine down to his back and pinned him midway through the second period.
Munson, a junior, won for the 10th time in his last 11 matches. The win was his team-best 22nd against just six losses and the pin was his second of the season.
Storr is a three-time NCAA qualifier and in 2020 was a Second Team All-American.
• Lovett, a redshirt sophomore who is ranked 16th, hooked up with the ninth-ranked Lewan – a two-time NCAA qualifier and a 2020 Second Team All-American -- in one of the most exciting matches of the dual.
The pair went to overtime tied 1-1 and battled through a scoreless two-minute sudden-victory period. Each recorded an escape in the two 30-second tie-breakers and Lovett was awarded the match based on riding time criteria – just 1 second.
The Chippewas won two of the three matches in which both wrestlers were ranked.
CMU's lone loss in such a match came at 285 where eighth-ranked Matt Stencel fell, 7-4, to No. 3 Mason Parris, the defending national runner-up.
The loss ended Stencel's win streak at 11 matches as he slipped 15-4 on the season.
Stencel was one of five Chippewas wrestling for the final time in McGuirk Arena on Sunday. Brock Bergelin (125), Simon, Bret Fedewa (174) and Aaron Bolo (197) were the others. Those five, along with fellow seniors Mitchel Christensen and Drew Marten, were honored in a pre-match ceremony.
"You build such a relationship with those guys," said an emotional Borrelli. "Pretty special. It's like your kid going off to start his job and you don't know when you're going to see him again."
Michigan 28, Central Michigan 12
125: Jack Medley (M) dec. Brock Bergelin, 5-2
133: Dylan Ragusin (M) tech. fall Vince Perez, 24-9
141: Dresden Simon (C) dec. Stevan Micic, 7-6
149: Corbyn Munson (C) pinned Kanen Storr, 4:06
157: Johnny Lovett (C) dec. Will Lewan, 3-2 TB-2
165: Cameron Amine (M) dec. Tracy Hubbard, 4-2
174: Logan Massa (M) major dec. Bret Fedewa, 13-2
184: Myles Amine (M) major dec. Ben Cushman, 20-7
197: Patrick Brucki (M) pinned Aaron Bolo, 4:15
285: Mason Parris (M) dec. Matt Stencel, 7-4
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