Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 2/13/08 Section: Sports

Senior 125-pounder Luke Smith is two wins away from his 100th career win. [Click to enlarge]

The dominance of the wrestling team's senior class can be summed up with one number - 100.

Two wrestlers have reached 100 career wins, while three others are closing in on the milestone.

Senior 197-pounder Wynn Michalak and senior 174-pounder Brandon Sinnott already have reached the mark with 119 and 103 wins, respectively.

The three other Chippewas closing in on that record include 125-pounder Luke Smith (98 wins), heavyweight Bubba Gritter (96) and 184-pounder Christian Sinnott (92).

Coach Tom Borrelli said reaching this milestone is a sign of how hard the wrestlers have been pushing themselves their entire careers.

"These guys have continued to work hard to maintain a certain level," he said. "With the schedule we've been wrestling, that says a lot."

Brandon Sinnott, who earned his 100th win Jan. 26 at Eastern Michigan, said the coaching staff is a big part of why he has come so far.

"It shows my dedication to coach Borrelli and coach (Casey) Cunningham," he said. "They took me under their wing and pushed me hard."

Borrelli said his program is part of what has made his wrestlers successful, but a lot of it falls on their shoulders.

"Most of it is the individual," he said. "You have to have individuals that are driven and are competitive."

Smith said having the opportunity to wrestle enough to reach 100 wins is not something many people can do.

"There's a lot of things you have to go through," he said. "Being able to start all four years is a challenge in itself."

The nature of the sport also brings about health issues. Christian Sinnott said consistent good health is hard to achieve.

"It's very rare you'll find someone at 100 percent going out there competing," he said. "It gets hard, but you have to go out there and try to win."

Trying not to overdo things in practice and taking care of himself off the mat are a few things Brandon Sinnott does to maintain his durability.

"Doing the right things in practice is important," he said. "I've also been focused on getting plenty of rest a keeping a good diet."

Borrelli said having this many wrestlers reaching 100 wins is a unique situation that depends entirely on how many wrestlers are willing to stick out the program for the full four years.

"If all these guys got to 100 wins it would be great," Brandon Sinnott said. "I'm proud of all these guys."


sports@cm-life.com

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