Wrestlers Top Edinboro to Get Back on Winning Track

EDINBORO, Pa. – Central Michigan won seven matches, one by technical fall, in topping Edinboro, 23-10, on Friday in a Mid-American Conference dual at the Fighting Scots' McComb Fieldhouse.

The win snapped a four-meet losing streak as the Chippewas improved to 5-9, 3-1 MAC. They go to Buffalo on Sunday (noon) for a MAC dual. Edinboro is 8-4, 2-3.

"it's always good to have success, especially when you're on the road," CMU coach Ben Bennett said. "Usually on the road you face a little more adversity and it's always good when these guys figure out how to execute and get the results they want. We're happy for them."

CMU got a 19-4 technical fall from redshirt junior Mason Shrader at 149 pounds as he returned to the lineup for the first time since leaving the Chippewa Challenge two weeks ago with an injury. Shrader has scored bonus points in four of his last five victories.

"It was good to have Mason back in there," Bennett said. "I know he was really excited to get back out there and compete again. He got right after it like he always does and pushed the pace. He wrestles hard. He doesn't leave anything behind. When he comes off the mat he's exhausted every time because he's going to wrestle hard."

The Chippewas got decision victories from Sean Spidle (125), Andrew Austin (141), Johnny Lovett (157), Alex Cramer (174), Luke Cochran (197) and Bryan Caves (285).

Both Cochran and Caves won in sudden victory, and the wins by Spidle, Lovett and Cramer came by two or three points each as all three built early leads and then held off hard-charging opponents in the third period.

Spidle, who is ranked 25^th nationally by FloWrestling, posted a 2-0 win over 30^th-ranked Colton Camacho, the only wrestler in Edinboro's lineup who is ranked; Lovett ran his win streak to 10 and has won 15 of his last 16 matches. Spidle has won seven straight and nine of his last 10.

The win for Cramer was the 100^th of his career. He is the 28^th member of CMU's 100-Win Club.

"We were in some competitive matches and (Edinboro) made it competitive," Bennett said. "They didn't make it easy on us and our guys fought; I was proud of the effort they had, proud of the fight they had. They just kept fighting and figured out how to win some close matches."

It was evident that the Chippewas' conditioning paid off as it always does as the calendar flips to February.

"They work really hard, and we push them every week in practice," Bennett said. "The pressure's on, the match gets tight and it's late, they should have a lot of confidence that their conditioning will help get them through those situations.

"And I think some of our guys saw that tonight. They're in good shape and because of that they were able to go out and execute the way they needed to and figure out a way to win the match in the end, especially (Cochran) and (Caves)."

The Chippewas led, 17-10, when Cochran took the mat for the penultimate match at 197, which turned into the match of the night as he and senior Nick Lodato staged a wild one.

Cochran, a redshirt freshman, held an 8-7 lead in the third period when Lodato scored a takedown to go in front, 10-8, with 1:04 left. Cochran tied it at 10 with a reversal with 10 seconds left, and then Lodato escaped with 2 seconds remaining to go up, 11-10.

Cochran had a riding-time point in his back pocket, which sent the match to sudden victory tied at 11-11, but only after a lengthy video review.

Cochran then scored a takedown with 49 seconds remaining in the sudden victory period.

"It's a learning experience," Bennett said. "Things start getting away from you and you can kind of give in and give up and (Cochran) kept wrestling, figured out how to get a reversal which in turn gave him riding time.

"During the review he came over and I said, 'Listen Luke, you're going to get to your double-leg (takedown) and take this guy down and he went out there and got to his double-leg and took him down. He had that composure, and he listened, and he went out and executed."

Caves led 1-0 in the third period when he was called for stalling, sending his match to sudden victory tied 1-1. He then scored a takedown with 31 seconds remaining in the extra session to put the exclamation point on the victory.

Central Michigan 23, Edinboro 10
125: Chris Vargo (E) dec. Grant Stahl, 4-1, SV, Edinboro 3, CMU 0
133: No. 25 Sean Spidle (C) dec. No. 30 Colton Camacho, 2-0, CMU 3, Edinboro 3
141: Andrew Austin (C) dec. Anthony Ferraro, 10-3, CMU 6, Edinboro 3
149: No. 31 Mason Shrader (C) tech. fall Colin Roberts, 19-4, CMU 11, Edinboro 3
157: No. 17 Johnny Lovett (C) dec. Ryan Burgos, 13-10, CMU 14, Edinboro 3
165: Max Kirby (E) dec. Chandler Amaker, 4-2, CMU 14, Edinboro 6
174: No. 8 Alex Cramer (C) dec. Brody Evans, 5-3, CMU 17, Edinboro 6
184: Jared McGill (E) major dec. Cody Brenner, 10-2, CMU 17, Edinboro 10
197: Luke Cochran (C) dec. Nick Lodato, 14-11 SV, CMU 20, Edinboro 10
285: Bryan Caves (C) vs. Kade Sottolano, 4-1 SV, CMU 23, Edinboro 10
*Rankings by FloWrestling

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Players Mentioned

Chandler Amaker

Andrew Austin

Cody Brenner

Bryan Caves

Luke Cochran

Alex Cramer

Johnny Lovett

Mason Shrader

Sean Spidle

Grant Stahl