Wrestling team faces Virginia Tech, Old Dominion over weekend
Virginia Tech came to Mount Pleasant on Jan. 25, 2009, and ended the CMU wrestling team’s 15-match home unbeaten streak last season.
Tonight, No. 7 CMU looks to end the No. 15 Hokies’ seven-match home unbeaten streak at Cassell Coliseum.
Although the two teams wrestled last year, the only rematch will be from this year’s Midlands Championships, where No. 9 Matt Steintrager defeated No. 14 Jarrod Garnett 4-2.
Both have one loss in duals this year and, with both wrestlers ranked in the top 15, Steintrager said he is looking at the match to prove his ranking.
“Nothing really matters until Nationals,” he said. “So it’s important to move my ranking up or keeping it where it is so that I can get a good seed at Nationals, so I don’t have to wrestle the good guys until later in the tournament.”
Steintrager said it will be important for him to stay aggressive this weekend during the entire match without letting his opponent take control.
“I got to get to my shots a lot easier and pressure forward,” he said. “A lot of times, I don’t keep pressure on my opponent for long enough, and I just need to keep to a single leg and get to my takedowns.”
Garnett is one of four ranked wrestlers for Virginia Tech.
New opportunity
Conor Beebe, who Steintrager beat for the spot at 125, will have an opportunity at 141 pounds.
Beebe will wrestle No. 10 Chris Diaz, who leads Virginia Tech with 23 total wins, along with 16 wins in duals.
Beebe scored the only win for the Chippewas in the first six bouts last year against the Hokies before Central took three of the last four.
Redshirt freshman Donnie Corby has moved up to 157 pounds, while Steve Brown continues to deal with an injury. Corby will likely face No. 4 Jesse Dong, second on Virginia Tech with 22 wins.
While Corby has had some success since moving into the starting lineup, he said he needs to improve on his takedowns if he wants to get wins against better opponents.
“I’m getting in on my attempts, but I’m not finishing them,” he said. “I’m leaving points out there.”
In the heavyweight class, CMU’s Jarod Trice’s 15 wins are just one more than Virginia Tech wrestler Tim Miller’s losses (14).
Old Dominion
Sunday, the Chippewas will wrestle No. 25 Old Dominion, which has a five-match unbeaten streak.
Virginia Tech comes in at 14-3, but two of the three losses have come against Mid-American Conference member Kent State.
Central defeated Old Dominion twice last year but, like against Virginia Tech, rematches will not be likely.
Steintrager will get his second chance against a ranked opponent as he takes on junior No. 7 James Nicholson, whose lone loss this year came against Wyoming’s Michael Martinez. He is second on the Monarchs with 24 wins.
At 197 pounds, senior Eric Simaz will get tested against No. 13 Jesses Strawn, as he already has 10 pins on the season in 31 matches.
No. 14 Chris Brown is the only other ranked wrestler for Old Dominion. He will most likely take on No. 17 Tyler Grayson, who is 9-1 in duals this season.
