Wrestling enters heart of conference competition
Wrestling transitions into the second phase of its season, with Mid-American Conference play remaining on Central Michigan's schedule for national competition.
The Chippewas earned easy victories against Buffalo and Northern Illinois in December, only giving up six team points to each opponent. They also enjoyed success at the Southern Scuffle tournament during winter break, placing three wrestlers.
Central Michigan lost to Northern Iowa 25-14 on Saturday, while the toughest MAC teams lay ahead, including defending MAC champion Missouri, which took fifth place at the Southern Scuffle tournament.
"Our conference is really strong," said head coach Tom Borrelli. "In a lot of other sports, our conference is considered to be a mid-major. In wrestling, our conference is a national power, probably the second or third best conference in wrestling."
CMU (6-4, 2-1 MAC) is ranked fifth in the MAC. The team will round out the month against Ohio, Missouri and Kent State.
Ohio was the preseason favorite to win the conference and has maintained a strong 5-1 dual meet record.
Meanwhile, Missouri has established itself as a powerhouse in the conference, winning the MAC Championship last season with a commanding 16-3 regular season record. The Tigers have not had much dual meet competition thus far, but had six champions in the South Dakota State Open and three champions in the Joe Parisi Open.
The Golden Flashes are 2-0 in conference play, with dominating victories over Buffalo and Old Dominion. CMU will see them on Jan. 26 in Kent, Ohio.
"I think our guys know what's in front of them. They know this whole month is going to be a challenge," Borrelli said. "All of the teams we wrestle this month are very good teams. We're going to have to pull out some matches and win some where we are not favored. It should be a good test for us."
Borrelli has spoken several times over the season about building the confidence level of his wrestlers so they are comfortable being aggressive in their matches. The first half of the season was important for determining what techniques would work on the mat, providing grounds for the Chippewas to work out the kinks in their wrestling strategy.
"We work on the right stuff in practice and focus on using those tools in a match," said senior 133-pounder Joe Roth. "We've been working on the things that will win matches against some of the best guys in the country. It's just a matter of translating that to the mat."
Senior 174-pounder Mike Ottinger said he believes the work put in this far in the season has prepared his teammates for the upcoming challenges.
"We've been training hard," Ottinger said. "We've done the hard part in the room, now we just have to go out and have fun. I'm excited, the conference is a lot stronger (so) we'll get to see some good competition"
