Wrestling beats Eastern Michigan, 29-3 to push win streak to five
Five in a row.
That's where the Central Michigan wrestling's team win streak is at after a 29-3 win against Eastern Michigan Friday night in Ypsilanti, winning nine of ten matches.
The Chippewas improved to 8-2 overall, and 5-2 in the Mid-American Conference,
Junior Newton Smerchek faced off with Gage Hutchinson, the No. 2 ranked heavyweight in the MAC at 285 pounds. The two juniors were tied 2-2 before entering sudden victory. Smerchek got the win 4-3 in the second tie breaker and is now 21-7 on the season.
“Newton lost two close matches to him last season,” said head coach Tom Borrelli. “Newton was very good at the position’s he was in today.”
Smerchek gave credit to Borrelli for the victory.
“It was a good match,” he said. “I focused on my riding (time). Coach (Borrelli) had the right game plan for me.”
Junior Brent Fleetwood earned a 7-0 win over Blake Caudill at 125 pounds, scoring a four-point near fall in the third period, putting him at 20-6 on the year.
Senior Corey Keener improved his record to 16-10 with a 12-4 major decision at 133 over Sophomore Armando Torres, while freshman Mason Smith’s escape in the third period led to a 1-0 win at 141 against Kyle Springer, putting him at 18-10.
Sophomore Justin Oliver earned a 10-1 major decision against EMU senior Nick Barber at 149, while Junior Colin Heffernan earned a 3-1 decision in sudden victory against Zac Carson at 157.
Oliver is now 24-5 on the season, Heffernan is 24-6.
The lone loss of the day came at 165 pounds. Freshman Logan Parks fell 7-6 against senior Devan Marry. Parks has now lost two straight matches by one point, sitting at 9-17 and is still looking for his first win in MAC play in seven tries.
“I think he’s struggling with confidence a little bit,” says Borrelli. “(Parks) has been in there for every MAC match other than (Daniel Lewis) from Missouri, who’s ranked fourth in the country. If (Parks) can improve a little bit he can have some success in the MAC Tournament.”
Junior 174 CJ Brucki got CMU back on track with a 12-6 victory with two near falls against senior Jacob Davis, improving to 24-6 on the year.
Junior Jordan Ellingwood improved to 22-7 with a 7-4 against Sophomore Kayne MacCallum at 184. Senior Austin Severn improved to 20-7 with a 6-5 after defeating sophomore Dan Hillman.
CMU will take on Kent State on senior day Sunday at 2 p.m. at McGuirk Arena.
“I’m looking to go out on a high note,” Severn said. “Wrestling at McGuirk Arena has always been really fun.”
