Chippewas Rally for 2 Wins, Take Chippewa Challenge

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Big-time return, big-time debut, big-time performances from the upper weights.

The Central Michigan wrestling team won six of the final seven matches against Cal State Bakersfield and the final seven against American to capture the 5^th Annual Chippewa Challenge on Sunday at McGuirk Arena.

The Chippewas opened with a 30-12 win over the Roadrunners and followed with a dramatic 24-15 victory over the Eagles to win the event for the first time since it claimed the crown in the inaugural Challenge in January, 2022.

CMU ran its dual meet win streak to three, improving to 3-1 on the season. The Chippewas go to the Midlands Championships, an individual tournament hosted by Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. on Dec. 29-30.

The unique event pits three teams coached by former Chippewa wrestlers, Ben Bennett (CMU), Luke Smith (Bakersfield) and Jason Borrelli (American). All three wrestled for legendary CMU coach Tom Borrelli (Jason's father), who was honored during an on-mat ceremony as the Chippewas celebrated Alumni Day.

Bennett, in his second season in charge of the Chippewas, saw his team overcame early deficits in both duals as 125-pounder Colton Camacho, wrestling for the first time in a CMU uniform, was injured and unable to continue in his match with Bakersfield's Richard Castro-Sandoval.

Because the Chippewas did not weigh in a backup for Camacho, they were forced to forfeit at 125 against American.

That led to a 9-3 deficit after three matches against Bakersfield, and a 15-0 hole after three matches against American (4-5), which on Thursday won at Michigan State, 20-17, and opened the Challenge with 24-12 win over the Roadrunners.

"Both times, at the halfway mark, I told (our) big guys, 'You've got some work to do,'" Bennett said. "You try to get those guys to not think about it too much because you don't want to put that extra pressure on them. They understand what's going on; they understand the situation and how important every match is.

"Those guys came through for us. They wrestled their tails off and picked up the slack for us. They really came through."

Jimmy Nugent got it started for the Chippewas against American with a decision victory at 149 to get CMU on the board at 15-3, and then Mason Shrader (157) followed with a major decision win, and Chandler Amaker (165) won on a close decision to make it 15-10.

With momentum building, the Chippewas got a huge 7-2 victory from Tyler Swiderski at 174 and then Wyatt Ferguson gave CMU the lead with a first-period pin at 184 over 26^th-ranked Caleb Campos.

Those two results swung momentum completely to the Chippewas.

It was Swiderski's first match in some 11 months after a serios injury ended his 2024-25 season in January, and it was Ferguson's CMU dual meet debut. His pin put the Chippewas on top, 18-15, after a team point was deducted from CMU when the exuberant Ferguson tossed his headgear during the celebration.

"First, it's just good to see him back," Bennett said of Swiderski. "It's been a long time, and he didn't even start wrestling, didn't back on the mat again, until mid-October and he couldn't wrestle live until November.

"Just for him to get back out there and figure out how to win a match and start to get back into the groove of things a little bit, it's good to see.

"He's working really hard. He's done a really good job all summer and all fall with his rehab and he's put himself in a position to be able to work back into it and get back on the mat. Really, it's just a testament to Ty for doing all the things it takes to get back to this position. He's done everything we've asked him to do."

Ferguson is a junior who transferred to CMU from Davidson before the 2024-25 season. He wrestled exclusively in open events a year ago, finishing 9-7, and has pushed veteran Adrien Cramer for the starting spot at 184 this season.

Bennett elected to go with Ferguson over Cramer against American after Cramer recorded a pin against Bakersfield.

"I don't know if there was a specific reason," Bennett said.
Regardless, it paid off. Ferguson got in tight on Campos and took him to the mat with a suplex.

"He just kind of crunched the kid, and the kid tried to bail, and he couldn't get off his back," Bennett said. "(Ferguson is) good in that position. He's a really strong kid; he has the power to be able to kind of suck you in, suck your hips in, and crunch you over.

"Everyone kind of has positions they're a little more comfortable in, and for Ferguson, he feels good in that position. And if he can get in there and kind of make guys panic, he's going to be able to score in there a lot."

Luke Cochran and Bryan Caves closed it out with decision victories; Caves scored a takedown 12 seconds in to sudden victory.

Nugent also got the Chippewa comeback started against Bakersfield with a decision victory to pull CMU within 9-6, and then Shrader followed with a first-period pin to put the Chippewas in front for good, 12-9.

Amaker followed with a decision victory and, after a loss at 174, the Chippewa lead was a precarious 15-12 with three matches remaining.

Cramer, Cochran and Caves answered the call as each posted a dominant victory. Cramer won on a pin, Cochran on a technical fall, and Caves on a major decision.

Central Michigan 24, American 15
Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025
At McGuirk Arena, Mount Pleasant, Mich.
125: JJ Peace (A) won by forfeit. AU 6, CMU 0
133: No. 16/25 Raymond Lopez (A) major dec. Andrew Austin, 11-3, AU 10, CMU 0
141: Jack Maida (A) tech. fall Nick Blackburn, 18-0, AU 15, CMU 0
149: No. 33/UR Jimmy Nugent (C) dec. Leo Maestas, 6-5, AU 15, CMU 3
157: No. 25/25 Mason Shrader (C) major dec. Cameron Milheim, 14-2, AU 15, CMU 7
165: Chandler Amaker (C) dec. Austin Craft, 4-2, AU 15, CMU 10
174: Tyler Swiderski (C) dec. Hunter Hohman, 7-2, AU 15, CMU 13
184: Wyatt Ferguson (C) pin No. 26/29 Caleb Campos, 2:33, CMU 18, AU 15*
197: Luke Cochran (C) dec. Caleb Close, 5-1, CMU 21, AU 15
285: No. 33/32 Bryan Caves (C) dec. Emmanuel Ulrich, 4-1, SV, CMU 24, AU 15
*CMU one team point deduction for unsportsmanlike conduct
*Rankings by InterMat/FloWrestling

Central Michigan 30, CSU Bakersfield 12
Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025
At McGuirk Arena, Mount Pleasant, Mich.
125: No. UR/30 Richard Castro-Sandoval (B) def. Colton Camacho, MFF, CSUB 6, CMU 0
133: Andrew Austin (C) dec. RJ Jones, 7-6, CSUB 6, CMU 3
141: Santino Sanchez (B) dec. Nick Blackburn, 5-2, CSUB 9, CMU 3
149: No. 33/UR Jimmy Nugent (C) dec. Hayden Zinkin, 5-3, CSUB 9, CMU 6
157: No. 25/25 Mason Shrader (C) pin Devyn Flores-Che, 1:38, CMU 12, CSUB 9
165: Chandler Amaker (C) dec. Evan Manzo, 5-3, CMU 15, CSUB 9
174: Guillermo Escobedo (B) dec. Brayden Gautreau, 4-2, CMU 15, CSUB 12
184: Adrien Cramer (C) pin Chris Neal, 5:12, CMU 21, CSUB 12
197: Luke Cochran (C) tech. fall Angel Cervantes, 20-4, CMU 26, CSUB 12
285: No. 33/32 Byran Caves (C) major dec. Mason Cover, 12-0, CMU 30, CSUB 12
*Rankings by InterMat/FloWrestling