Wrestling moves beyond reliance on lower weights
Wrestling showed signs of having a more well-rounded line-up, walking away with a 2-1 record at the Northeast Duals on Saturday.
Earlier in the week against Stanford, head coach Tom Borrelli acknowledged his team had a problem wrestling consistently through all 10 weight classes. But, after a collaborative team effort over the weekend, it seems that the Chippewas' performance in Albany, N.Y. was a step in the right direction.
Central Michigan scored two decisive victories against North Carolina, 18-16, and Sacred Heart, 33-6.
The Chippewas (4-3) opened with a 24-9 loss to Lehigh, managing just three victories from redshirt freshman Corey Keener, sophomore Zach Horan and sophomore Jackson Lewis. Keener and Horan have been major contributors for the team this season, as have the other wrestlers from 125 pounds to 140 pounds.
As of Nov. 30, Keener and Horan had a combined dual meet record of 10-1. While this strength is apparent in the lower weight classes, Central Michigan has been struggling with the upper half of its lineup.
"I thought they both wrestled well," Borrelli said of Keener and Horan. "Corey was able to secure a win against UNC. Zach, I think, let a match slip away. His opponent from UNC is ranked really high. I think they both wrestled well, but if you ask them, I'm sure they'd say they could have done better."
Keener sparked a comeback against North Carolina at 125 pounds, winning his second match of the season. Keener's win came against a higher ranked opponent in Anthony Kraisser, who is ranked seventh. Keener held a 6-3 lead going into the third period, where he held off Kraisser to earn an 8-7 decision.
CMU victories came throughout the upper weights with redshirt freshman Nick Becker in the 165 pound weight class, Lewis at 197 and sophomore Adam Robinson at heavyweight.
"I hope those guys gained some confidence in themselves," Borrelli said of Becker, Robinson and Lewis.
This continued against Sacred Heart, where the Chippewas came out to win the first four matches. Senior Chad Deno earned a 17-2 technical fall at 125 and Horan posted a major decision for bonus team points and a 15-0 lead.
Junior Mike Ottinger pinned his opponent at 174 pounds and senior Mike Murray won by decision 7-2 in the heavyweight match. Central Michigan won eight of the 10 matches against the Pioneers.
