CMU has 18 Wrestlers finish in top eight at MSU Open


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Senior Zach Horan won his first-round match but fell in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships a year ago. 

The No. 24 ranked Central Michigan wrestling team entered Sunday’s Michigan State Open hot off their first two wins of the season and the Chippewas kept on rolling.

Four CMU wrestlers took the top spot in their weight classes.

Eighteen of the nearly 30 CMU wrestlers who saw action, Sunday, finished in the top eight of their respective weight class.

Despite the impressive showing, Head Coach Tom Borrelli remained focused on how his team can improve. 

Other Notable Finishes

Brent Fleetwood (125) — Third place

Corey Keener (133) — Second place

Zach Horan (141) — Second place

Jordan Ellingwood (184) — Third place

Newton Smerchek (Heavyweight) — Third place

Jackson Lewis (197) — Sixth place

Jorden Atienza (165) — Seventh place

Adam Robinson (Heavyweight) — Seventh Place

Kaleb Rahoi (157) — Second place in freshman/sophomore division

Mason Smith (149) — Eighth place in freshman/sophomore division

"I think we still need to work on the things we emphasize in practice," Borrelli said. "We've had success the last couple years, but not the success we're use to in this program. I think these guys are really motivated to break that and move the program forward."  

Thirteenth-ranked Colin Heffernan finished fifth at the MAC Championships a year ago. The Cleveland native redshirt sophomore claimed first in the 149-pound class.

Heffernan defeated teammate redshirt freshman Justin Oliver in a second tiebreaker, 6-5.

Senior Luke Smith and junior Austin Severn both won first in their respective classes.

Smith, competing at 157 pounds, defeated Joseph Lavallee of conference foe Missouri, 3-0. In the 184-pound class, Severn defeated Navy’s Matthew Miller, 3-1.

Senior Mike Ottinger and teammate redshirt sophomore C.J. Brucki duked it out for the 174 class championship. It was Ottinger who came out on top, 5-2.

Borrelli said it was encouraging to see multiple Chippewa against Chippewa in the finals match. 

"It's a good thing for us to have competition in our (wrestling) room," he said. "I think that makes everyone better. It's also a good thing when those guys make the finals at tournaments when there's first rate competition there. It shows you the quality of competition in our room."  

Central Michigan begins conference play Thursday, Dec. 3 at Northern Illinois.

Fans will get their first chances to see the Chippewas compete at home Dec. 6. The team will host Michigan State.  

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Central Michigan Life Editor in Chief (Summer 2016)

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