Wrestling takes comeback win over Old Dominion


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Clio sophomore Mason Smith wrestles Buffalo's senior Jason Estevez during the match against Buffalo on Jan. 21 in McGuirk Arena.

Despite the slow start, No. 16 Central Michigan wrestling picked up its fourth win in the Mid-American Conference at Old Dominion on Feb. 4. 

The Chippewas went into intermission under a 13-6 deficit after losing four of five individual matches, but won the next five straight matches to win, 23-13.

CMU defeated Buffalo in similar fashion two weeks ago — coming back from a deficit at the midway point of the dual meet. 

With the MAC Championships a month away, senior Colin Heffernan, ranked No. 14 in the 157-pound weight class, sat out on Sunday. 

He competed in an earlier over Buffalo on Jan. 21 after sitting out over a month with a shoulder injury. 

Head coach Tom Borrelli has said that he likes where his team is in the rankings, so no one dual meet is critical. He just wants to prepare for the conference championships. 

In Heffernan's place was redshirt freshman Blake Montrie, who lost 10-2 to redshirt sophomore Larry Early. 

CMU’s final home meet before the MAC Championships will be at 7 p.m. on Feb. 9 in McGuirk Arena. They’ll be hosting Eastern Michigan (2-3 MAC), ranked fourth in the MAC. 

Results

Redshirt freshmen Drew Hildebrandt (125) and Dresden Simon (133) dropped the first two matches of the night, 3-2 and 5-2, respectively. The young duo also began with two losses against Buffalo two weeks ago against Buffalo. 

Sophomore Mason Smith (No. 9, 141) managed Central’s first points, pinning freshman Mason Wohltman in 2:53, tying the score at 6.

Subbing in for the injured Justin Oliver (No. 4, 149) was Nolan Saxton, who lost a close 1-0 decision to Alex Madrigal. Madrigal is ranked No. 17, but in the 141 weight class. 

After Montrie’s major decision put CMU down 13-6, Logan Parks won the first of five consecutive matches. His 8-1 win over Dean Drugac cut Old Dominion’s lead to 13-9.

Seniors C.J. Brucki (174) and Jordan Ellingwood (184), both ranked 15th, gave CMU its first lead of the afternoon. 

Brucki won 3-1 over Seldon Wright, while Ellingwood’s 12-4 major decision gave the Chips a four-point boost, giving them a 16-13 edge. 

Junior Jordan Atienza matched Ellingwood with another 12-4 win over Bushman, putting Old Dominion back seven points with one match to go – an insurmountable lead for CMU. 

Redshirt freshman Matt Stencel, who recently fell out of the heavyweight rankings, capped off the night with a 7-2 win. 

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