CM Life coach of the year: Tom Borrelli
Coach of the Year: Tom Borrelli
In his 20th season as head coach, Tom Borrelli led the Central Michigan wrestling team to its tenth consecutive Mid-American Conference Championship, winning CM Life’s Coach of the Year award.
Coming into the season, wrestling fans were skeptical of the six first-time starters and minimal senior leadership. Borrelli worked with the young group, making adjustments to the lineup throughout the season to work around injuries, eventually sending four wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament.
The team finished with an 8-8 record, including 4-1 in conference play, winning five of the final six dual-meets. Six of the team’s eight losses were against top 20 teams, including a 10-24 loss to No. 1 Cornell to open the dual-meet season.
Borrelli added three athletes to his list of All-American wrestlers this season – Scotti Sentes, Ben Bennett and Jarod Trice – increasing his total to 35 since taking over in 1991.
- Justin Hicks
Honorable Mention: gymnastics coach Jerry Reighard
In 26 years as the head of the CMU gymnastics program, Jerry Reighard has transformed a MAC program, into a regional and national contender.
Reighard his milestone 400th career victory in 2011. He led a squad that won its second consecutive MAC Championship. With a total of 11 MAC titles, Reighard sits in second place in MAC titles within the University. Reighard also ranks No. 1 in the MAC conference in terms of wins, with 184.
Under Reighard the squad has reached seven Regional Championships, and posted winning seasons in 14 out of the last 15. With 58 individual champions, 20 first-team Academic All-MAC picks, three NCAA Regional champions, and six NCAA championships qualifiers. Reighard has also coached six MAC Senior Gymnasts of the Year, three MAC Gymnasts of the Year and six conference freshmen of the Year.
Academics have also flourished under Reighard's term as his teams have been ranked in the top 20 in the nation for team grade point average seven times. The Chippewas were ranked sixth in 1997, seventh in 1998 and sixth in 1999.
- Nick Conklin
Homorable Mention: women's basketball coach Sue Guevara
Central Michigan women’s basketball coach Sue Guevara found ways to win basketball games. Her second half adjustments were crucial in improving a team that she guided to eight more wins in 2010-2011, than last season.
Her run-and-gun offense caused multiple problems for defenses in route to the nation’s third-best scoring offense. After allowing 92 points to Buffalo on Jan. 26, she got her team to buy into a more defensive approach — a defense that ranked near the bottom in the nation.
CMU finished the season with a 7-2 record, after the Buffalo collapse. Guevara got CMU to the MAC Tournament and won its first round game against Buffalo.
The Chippewas were one of two teams to defeat the Toledo during the season. The Rockets eventually won the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
- John Manzo
