CMU fell behind early 4-0, but responded with seven straight points.  Freshman Zach Horan earned a 12-4 major decision at 133-pounds, and sophomore Scott Mattingly won his match 6-2 at 141-pounds.

“He wrestled good from a front headlock,” head coach Tom Borrelli said of Horan’s performance.  “He was very good on top and very good defensively, and on his feet.”

CMU redshirt freshman Anthony Bill later broke a 10-10 tie with a 7-4 decision.

Junior Ben Bennett followed Bill’s performance with a pin at the 1:05 minute mark, stretching the Chippewas lead to 19-10.

Senior Peter Sturgeon sealed the win for CMU with a 17-5 major decision at 285-pounds.

“Sturgeon wrestled real well,” Borrelli said.  “He probably had around six or seven takedowns, and was a lot more offensive than he has been.”

CMU will have a quick turnaround as its back in action tomorrow when it travels to Norfolk, Va. to face Old Dominion.

“I know making weight with a little bit of time between matches is going to be tough on these guys,” Borrelli said.  “We just felt like we needed to rest some of our guys because it’s tough to make weight back-to-back.”

Although things looked grim for the Chippewas when they were down 13-0 and Donnie Corby was losing 2-0 in his match, they battled back.

Corby tallied five unanswered points to win a 5-2 decision to gave CMU a spark at Kent, Ohio.

Fast forward to Chad Friend’s match against KSU’s Keith Witt and the Chippewas losing 16-13 with the score 1-1 with less than two minutes left in the third period.

But the CMU comeback attempt was foiled when Witt snagged a takedown with seconds remaining.

“I knew the (last) two were both going to be pretty close” CMU wrestler Ben Bennett said. “I felt like we had a pretty good chance.”

No. 12 Chippewas wrestler Peter Sturgeon closed out the dual against No. 20 Brendan Barlow and lost in riding time after four overtimes.

Bennett put the Chippewas within striking distance by earning a pin to narrow the deficit to three.

‘(Bennett) wrestled really good today,” Chippewas Coach Tom Borrelli said “He was dominant.  He really controlled the match (and) hand fighting.”

The Golden Flashes wanted no part in being second fiddle any longer.

Their five MAC losses since 2005 have all been dealt by the Chippewas.  It was the first KSU win against CMU at home since 1996.

The two programs have finished in the top two every season since 2005-06. KSU only has two first place finishes in the MAC to show for it, because of the Chippewas.

CMU has won at least a share of the MAC regular season championship for two straight years and 12 of the past 13 seasons.

For the Chippewas to finish tied in first this season the Golden Flashes will have to lose to Buffalo or Eastern Michigan.

CMU is done with the MAC regular season. The Chippewas face George Mason and Old Dominion next week.

Wrestling coach Tom Borrelli won his 300th career win over Christmas break.

The Central Michigan wrestling team lost to No. 14 Lehigh by a deceiving score of 23-11 at McGuirk Arena Friday night.

“Obviously Lehigh has a good team, but I think we made them look good in certain situations too,” head coach Tom Borrelli said.

Borrelli pointed to missed opportunities such as Ben Bennett and Zach Horan’s losses in overtime.

“If we convert just those situations the dual meet is a lot closer, and we feel a lot better about ourselves,” he said.

No. 5 Bennett lost to No. 4 Robert Hamlin in a rematch from the Midlands Championships.

Hamlin defeated Bennett 3-1 on a takedown as the clock went to zero Friday.  It involved a maddening tussle.

“He kept attacking and kept coming after me,” Bennett said. “I felt like I wrestled pretty well for the most part, just didn’t do the little things right.”

CMU and LU felt the wrath of a wrestler shunning their school to go elsewhere in this matchup.

Mike Ottinger lived in the Mountain Hawks backyard, but chose the Chippewas.  He has no regrets about the decision.

“Honestly, the team here and the coaches, I can’t ask for anything more,” Ottinger said. “It’s a great family here. I couldn’t be happier anywhere else.”

He defeated Sean Bilodeau 3-2 in a heated match that involved the Lehigh bench clearing at the end as a result of not being awarded any more points.

LU senior Kyle Rosser returned to his home state and defeated Joey Kielbasa 5-2 with a boisterous contingent in the stands.

The Chippewas won three of 10 matches, and was 0-4 against ranked Mountain Hawks.

When the dual concluded, Borrelli was recognized for winning his 300^th career game in December, and the team was awarded their Mid-American Conference Championship rings from last year.

Ben Bennett and the rest of the Chippewas can capture another MAC title on Sunday. (Andrew Kuhn/Staff Photographer)

The Central Michigan wrestling team faces two ranked opponents this weekend with Sunday’s meet having the Mid-American Conference regular season title on the line.

CMU will host No. 14 Lehigh at 7:30 p.m. Friday before traveling to No. 16 Kent State in a pivotal MAC matchup at 2:05 p.m. Sunday.

The Chippewas can earn the outright MAC regular season title with a win at Kent State.  It would be their 13^th MAC title in 14 seasons.

Head coach Tom Borrelli knows Kent State will not be an easy environment to play in.

“I know the crowd will be hostile,” Borelli said.  “But I think our guys are used to that.”

Borrelli said he wants his team to maintain focus on what it has been working on all season.

“Really, we’re just working on the same things, kind of adding on to some of the things we’ve been trying to build on all season long,” he said.  “We’re not really focused on outcomes as much as we are improving our technique, our conditioning and just improving our match strategy.  You win and lose based on how good those things are.”

Despite having a young team, Borrelli said his wrestlers shouldn’t have a difficult time adjusting to the pressure.

“I think we put our guys in those situations enough times,” Borrelli said. “This past weekend was one of those situations.  You try and put each individual in those high profile situations so that when they get to the national tournament or get to the finals of the conference, then it’s just another match to them.”

The Kent State lineup will feature fifth-year senior Nic Bedelyon at 125-pounds and freshman Ian Miller at 149-pounds.  Bedelyon is 23-2 overall and Miller is 23-3.  Both are 2-0 in the MAC.

“There are a number of matchups that are going to be interesting to see in both the Lehigh match and the Kent State match,” Borrelli said.  “The difference is you’ll see the Kent State matchups again in the conference tournament, probably.”

Friday’s dual will feature a bout between a pair of top-five ranked opponents at 184-pounds.  No. 5 Ben Bennett will look to avenge his 5-2 loss at the Midlands Championships Dec. 30 against No. 4 Robert Hamlin of Lehigh.

“I’m not going to change a whole lot,” Bennett said.  “I’ve got to keep getting to my attacks and finish solid.”

Lehigh has another top-five ranked wrestler, senior Zach Rey. He is 15-1 overall and ranked third at 285-pounds.

The Chippewas are 24-19 all-time against Kent State, and have won 13 of the past 14 meetings.

They are 2-2 all-time against Lehigh.

Sophomore Joe Roth wrestles Northern Illinois University's Nick Smith in the 125 pound weight class Friday night at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant. Roth beat Smith by a decision of 17-8, and the Chippewas beat the Huskies 24-9. (Andrew Kuhn/Staff Photographer)

Sophomore Joe Roth did what he has done for most of the season.

He was the catalyst for another Central Michigan wrestling victory by earning the squad a 4-0 lead early over Northern Illinois the Chippewas won 24-9 in Mount Pleasant Friday night.

Roth posted eight takedowns en route to a 17-8 major decision against sophomore Nick Smith.

Redshirt freshman Tyler Keselring followed with 12-1 major decision of his own extending the Chippewas lead to 8-0.

“I really just executed on my feet really well and was able to get to my shots and take him down,” Keselring said.

The Chippewas improved to 12-2 overall and 4-0 in the Mid-American Conference.

“I thought we were real competitive in every match,” said head coach Tom Borrelli.  “Even the three matches we lost, they were competitive matches.  It takes a lot to beat us.”

CMU junior Ben Bennett also had a 14-4 major decision over sophomore Shane Rosenberry which improved his record to 20-2 on the season.  He is ranked fifth in the country at 184 pounds.

Senior Peter Sturgeon capped the victory for CMU with a 2-1 decision in overtime against sophomore Jared Torrence.

“He’s had a lot of real big wins for us,” Borrelli said.  “The last couple of matches, Peter hasn’t really been himself.  But with what we have going on with Jarod Trice, he has been a kind of a Godsend almost.”

The Chippewas will travel to Ann Arbor on Sunday to face the University of Michigan at 2 p.m.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for our guys,” Chippewas coach Tom Borrelli said. “Move up in the rankings, make a name for themselves and get a victory against a quality opponent.”

No. 19 CMU will host the Huskies Friday at 7:30 p.m. before traveling to Ann Arbor to wrestle the Wolverines 2 p.m. Sunday.

InterMat has seven Michigan wrestlers placed in the top-20 in their respective weight division. Undefeated NIU wrestler Brad Dieckhaus dropped out of the rankings because he did not participate in the Huskies last duel.

In the next 3-of-4 CMU matches the opponents are ranked in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Team Poll.  The Chippewas believe they are up for the challenge.

“Just take it one match at a time, battle, keep it close, and beat them at the end,” CMU wrestler Joey Kielbasa said. “That’s what you got to do against those really good guys.”

CMU No. 1 Ben Bennett and No. 2 Dieckhaus 184-pound matchup is in jeopardy as a result of Diekhaus having a foot injury.

“(Diekhaus) is close to 100 percent, but the coaches may decide to hold him back until after this weekend,” Huskies media relations member, Michael Benson said via email.

It would be the first meeting between the wrestlers as a result of Bennett moving up a weight class this season.

CMU Freshman Joey Kielbasa will wrestle Matt Smith of NIU who’s third in the MAC and No. 9 Eric Grajales of Michigan.

Kielbasa emerged from the shadows of fellow freshman Mike Ottinger in CMU last duel against Eastern Michigan.  He clinched an 11-3 decision that resulted in the last lead change of the duel.

“Very few true freshman start, so for him to be starting as a true freshman, both, him and Mike Ottinger is pretty unique,” Borrelli said. “For them to be competing on the level they’re competing on as a true freshman is really good.”

Kielbasa is becoming more acclimated to the college game.

“(The season) started off really slow. I’m starting to get into it a little bit. Starting to believe in myself a little bit,” Kielbasa said. “Hopefully my season starts going off like my last match.”

Two Chippewas were nearly Wolverines

Kielbasa and Bennett had thoughts of donning the maize and blue uniform before choosing the Chippewas.

But they both felt more comfortable with the coaches at CMU.

Kielbasa was closer to choosing Michigan.  He got acquainted with the Wolverines coaching staff.

“I decided (Central Michigan) was a better place for me.  Better coaches here,” he said. “I’m exited to wrestle Michigan.”

Sophomore 175-pounder Ben Bennett went 8-1 over break. (Andrew Kuhn/Staff Photographer)

The Central Michigan wrestling team’s record suffered no blemishes over the break.

The Chippewas young wrestlers showed promise of what could be during the latter half of this season and next season.

CMU freshman Mike Ottinger defeated Buffalo’s only ranked wrestler, No. 20 Mark Lewandowski on a 6-3 decision.

“When Mike beat him that kind of broke them,” said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. “He wrestled a very good match, and he stayed out of the situations that the guy was good at and wrestled for the situations we’re good at.”

Sophomore Joe Roth beat the only other ranked opponent the Chippewas played in duels against No. 20 Princeton wrestler Garrett Frey in an 8-2 decision.

His success extended past the duels with wins over two top 10 opponents to finish sixth in the Midland Championships.

Most Valuable Player: Ben Bennett

Bennett went 8-1 over break with his only loss coming against No. 1 seed Robert Hamlin of Lehigh in the championship match at the Midlands Championships.  He posted technical falls against each of his first three opponents before defeating No. 2 seed Ryan Loder of Northern Iowa in the semi-finals.  Bennett also claimed pins in all three of his matches at the Bison Duals.

“Last year I think I only had three pins the whole season, so it’s nice to go out and get pins and it helps the team too in duel meets,” Bennett said. “Whether someone’s ranked or not, I just try to get in every match with the same mentality.”

Biggest Surprise: Mike Ottinger

The true freshman defeated No. 20 Mark Lewandowski at Buffalo on Dec. 10 and continued his success throughout the break.  Ottinger went 2-1 at the Bison Duals with a pin and a major decision.  After losing his first match at the Midlands, he responded with two victories including a 5-3 decision over No.7 seed Luke Manuel.

“I got to give all the credit to God,” Ottinger said. “(At the begging of the season), I didn’t really know what to expect, but I’m just going to keep working hard and hopefully good things will happen.”

Best Game: 30-6 win over Buffalo 

CMU improved to 2-0 in Mid-American Conference action with a decisive 30-6 victory over the Bulls on Dec. 10 at Buffalo.  With the score tied 6-6 after the first four matches, the Chippewas won the last six.  Redshirt-freshman Jared Porter started the CMU rally with his first collegiate victory, 3-2 over Dominic Montesanti.

Biggest Disappointment: Midlands Championships

 The Chippewas were one of the 10 teams ranked nationally in the top-25 entering the tournament, but failed to finish in the top 10.  CMU finished tied for 11^th and only had two wrestlers finish in the top-eight.  No. 7 Donnie Corby dropped two straight matches after winning his first two, while No. 12 Zach Horan lost his opening match.

He didn’t compete for the Chippewas, but heavyweight Jarod Trice did win a championship competing unattached to the event.

Looking forward

CMU enters the midseason 10-2 with a young squad.  The stage is set on Jan. 27 in Mount Pleasant for a rematch of the Midland 184-pound championship match, which Bennett lost to No. 1 ranked Lehigh wrestler Robert Hamlin on a 5-2 decision. The Chippewas can also continue their dominance over inter-state rival Michigan State in their last home meet on Feb. 16.

Wrestling coach Tom Borrelli won his 300th career win over Christmas break. (Photo courtesy of CMU Athletics)

A young Tom Borrelli took the helm at Lake Superior State seven years out of college in 1986.

Now, 25 years later, the Central Michigan wrestling coach clinched his 300^th career win on Dec. 17.

“It just means I’m old and been doing this a long time,” Borrelli said.

Borrelli, 55, now sits at 302 victories and 256 with the Chippewas.

“300 wins is very, very good,” CMU wrestler Joe Roth said. “I’m wrestling for one of the best in the country in my eyes and I still got a lot to learn from him.”

CMU wrestler Ben Bennett thinks the program has been so successful because Borrelli has the Chippewas best interest in mind at all times.

“I think over the years people just bought into what he’s done as a coach and they believe in him,” Bennett said. “I know he wants what’s best for me and the guys on the team, so I just try to follow him.”

Only 46 of the 300 victories weren’t with the maroon and gold. In his five seasons at Lake Superior State he went 46-25-1. Ever since 1991 Borrelli has been racking up his wins for the Chippewas. His best stretch was 2006-2010 when he won at least 16 games a season.

During his 20 years at CMU he’s won 12 MAC titles and 13 MAC Championship titles. Borrelli has been named MAC coach of the year a record 11 times while dominating the conference.

CMU started 10-2 after only reaching eight wins with a difficult schedule last season. This is with standout Jarod Trice away from the program to try out for the Olympics.

Borrelli and the Chippewas are trying to reach their 11th straight MAC title.

Bennett appears to be on path for a third-consecutive year of All-American honors.

But the addition of freshman Mike Ottinger and transfer Peter Sturgeon, along with an improved Joe Roth have led to the early success in duels.

Borrelli is not completely satisfied despite the milestone he reached and his team’s undefeated Bison Duel record (the event CMU competed in where he reached 300).

“We had a lot of ups and a lot of downs,” Borrelli said. “We weren’t really sharp, especially against Bucknell.  We lost a match against Princeton that we didn’t think we should lose.”

The Chippewas were one of 10 teams ranked in the top 25 for the event. They finished in 11^th of 43 teams in the two-day tournament.

It was Bennett’s third consecutive runner-up finish at Midlands.

“I know Ben is a little bit disappointed by not winning the championship,” said head coach Tom Borrelli.  “But I thought he wrestled well.  I saw some improvements in his technique and the things he’s doing.”

The No. 3 seed Bennett stormed through the championship bracket by posting technical falls against each of his first three opponents, defeating them by a combined score of 50-1.  He then beat No. 2 seed Ryan Loder from Northern Iowa 6-3.

“In my first three matches, I really just tried to get to my attacks and score a bunch of points,” Bennett said.  “In the semi-finals, I kind of knew what to expect so I just changed a few things up.”

The bout against Loder was the second meeting between the two this season with Loder earning a close 3-1 decision in the first matchup.

Sophomore Joe Roth finished sixth at 125-pounds, falling to Oklahoma’s Jarrod Patterson in the fifth-place match 6-2.  Patterson also defeated Roth 5-1 in the quarterfinals.

“He is definitely getting better technically,” Borrelli said.  “He is also wrestling with a lot more confidence.”

Former CMU star Jarod Trice, who is taking an Olympic redshirt for the 2011-12 season, competed unattached in the event as the No. 1 seed.  He was an All-American at CMU the past two seasons.

Trice won the championship at the heavyweight division, defeating Iowa’s Bobby Telford 3-2.

“He won a lot of long, grueling matches and figured out how to win every one of those matches,” Borrelli said.

CMU Heavyweight Peter Sturgeons was the No. 2 seed and won his first two bouts before falling 8-6 to Mike McMullan from Northwestern.  Sturgeon’s loss depleted any chance of him facing Trice in the finals.

“We talked about it all week and I was hoping I would face him in the finals,” Trice said.

Trice and Sturgeon were the top seeds after the one and two seeds dropped out of the tournament.

Sturgeon and freshman Mike Ottinger finished one victory shy of competing for a placement match.

“I thought Ottinger wrestled well,” Borrelli said.  “His win against the No. 7 seed was really impressive for a true freshman.”

CMU is back in action Friday, Jan. 13 when it visits Eastern Michigan for a Mid-American Conference dual meet.

Here’s the complete results:

2011 Midlands Complete Results

125 Pounds: No. 6 Joe Roth – Sixth Place
First Round: W, maj. dec. Thomas Williams (American), 10-1
Second Round: W, maj. dec. No. 10 Tyler Iwamura (Bakersfield), 18-6
Quarterfinals: L, dec. No. 3 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma), 5-1
Consolation Fifth Round: W, maj. dec. Aaron Pickrel (South Dakota State), 8-0
Consolation Quarterfinals: W, dec. No. 7 Jared Germaine (Eastern Michigan), 7-2
Consolation Semifinals: L, dec. No. 4 Levi Mele (Northwestern), 2-0
Fifth-Place Match: L, dec. No. 3 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma), 6-2

133 Pounds: No. 12 Zach Horan*
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, dec. Joe Colon (Northern Iowa), 13-8
Consolation Third Round: W, maj. dec. Jake Tanenbaum (Cal Poly), 15-5
Consolation Fourth Round: L, dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 3-2

133 Pounds: Tyler Keselring
First Round: L, dec. Ryan Fillingame (Adams State), 10-6
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. Christian Cullinan (Central Michigan), 9-4
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Ryan Jauch (Northern Iowa), 8-2
Consolation Fourth Round: L, No. 5 Bryan Ortenzio (Penn), 6-4

133 Pounds: Christian Cullinan
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 4-3
Consolation Second Round: L, dec. Tyler Keselring (Central Michigan), 9-4

141 Pounds: Scott Mattingly
First Round: L, dec. Kevin Fanta (Northern Illinois), 8-2
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. Lou Mascola (Maryland), 6-2
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Andrew Zobac (North Central), 5-0
Consolation Fourth Round: L, dec. No. 4 Steve Dutton (Lehigh), 10-4

149 Pounds: Joey Kielbasa
First Round: L, tech. fall Jake Patacsil (Notre Dame Wrestling Club), 15-0 at 4:13
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. Chase Gordon (Oklahoma), 3-1
Consolation Third Round: W, maj. dec. Aaron Heidersheid (UW-Parkside), 11-2
Consolation Fourth Round: W, medical forfeit, No. 11 Zac Cibula (Rider)
Consolation Fifth Round: L, dec. No. 9 Kaleb Friedley (Northwestern), 6-2

157 Pounds: No. 7 Donnie Corby
First Round: W, dec. Troy Hernandez (Penn), 6-1
Second Round: W, dec. Napoleon Aniciete (Utah Valley), 5-3
Third Round: L, dec. No. 10 John Greisheimer (unattached), 13-7
Consolation Fourth Round: L, dec. Tommy Churchard (Purdue), 8-7

165 Pounds: Mike Ottinger
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, dec. No. 2 Scott Winston (Rutgers), 11-6
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Adam Fierro (Bakersfield), 3-2
Consolation Fourth Round: W, dec. No. 7 Luke Manuel (DCAC), 5-3
Consolation Fifth Round: L, dec. No. 5 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion), 10-4

165 Pounds: Zack Cline*
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, fall No. 1 Steve Fittery (DCAC) at 0:37
Consolation Third Round: W, maj. dec. Lenny Kuspa (Triton), 13-5
Consolation Fourth Round: L, dec. No. 9 Ben Jordan (Wisconsin), 4-0

174 Pounds: Anthony Bill*
First Round: W, maj. dec. Rich Tado (unattached), 12-2
Second Round: W, forfeit No. 10 Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State)
Third Round: L, maj. dec. No. 7 John-Martin Cannon (unattached), 18-7
Consolation Fourth Round: L, fall Brandon Lintner (Rider) at 2:47

184 Pounds: No. 3 Ben Bennett – Runner-Up
First Round: W, tech. fall Arber Bebo (Northern Illinois), 17-0 at 6:02
Second Round: W, tech. fall Clint Morrison (Rider), 18-1 at 4:12
Quarterfinals: W, tech. fall Erich Smith (Penn), 15-0 at 7:00
Semifinals: W, dec. No. 2 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa), 6-3
Finals: L, dec. No. 1 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), 5-2

197 Pounds: Chad Friend
First Round: Bye
Second Round: L, dec. Joe McMullan (Bucknell), 6-5
Consolation Third Round: W, dec. Josh Wood (SIU-Edwardsville), 9-7
Consolation Fourth Round: L, maj. dec. Keldrick Hall (Oklahoma), 12-3

285 Pounds: No. 2 Peter Sturgeon
First Round: Bye
Second Round: W, dec. James Malacek (UW-Parkside), 5-3
Third Round: W, dec. Kelan Bragg (Cal Poly), 6-3
Quarterfinals: L, dec. No. 10 Mike McMullan (Northwestern), 8-6 SV1
Consolation Fifth Round: L, dec. Matt Gibson (Iowa State), 7-2

Zach Horan, Zack Cline and Anthony Bill do not count toward the Chippewas’ team score.

The Central Michigan wrestling team showed they are not the best yet.

The No. 19 Chippewas lost 24-9 to No. 4 Minnesota at McGuirk Arena Friday night.

“They’re a good team, we need that.  We need to wrestle the people that are going to show us what it takes to be good,” said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli.

CMU gradually began to turn the tide when the score was 14-0, but it was not without more losses.

Freshman Jared Porter came out with enough aggression for the Chippewas during his first start to leave the first period scoreless and the second period down 2-1.  He lost by a 5-2 decision.

“I thought he wrestled a pretty good first period.  Then I felt like he faded a little bit,” Borrelli said. “He weighed in at (149) and he’s wrestling (157), so he’s a little small for that weight class.”

Fellow freshman Mike Ottinger appeared he would continue his impressive start against No. 8 Cody Yohn.  The score after the third period ended 1-1, but Yohn was awarded one point for riding time.

“He’s has a lot of improvements to make,” Borrelli said. “He’s actually a very, very good freshman and I think he’s going to improve as the year goes on.”

With momentum gradually going in CMU’s direction and the crowd stirring, redshirt freshman Anthony Bill stepped up, he was 2-7 entering the match.

He had a 2-0 lead from a takedown and did not give it back to Minnesota’s Steven Avalos.  The Chippewas crowd rose and gave Bill a standing ovation as a result of tallying the first points of the meet for CMU. The score still favored Minnesota 20-3.

The Chippewas followed by winning two of their last three matches to create a more aesthetic loss by 15.

Furthermore, momentum helped but talent was what clinched victories for No. 9 ranked Ben Bennett and Peter Sturgeon.

CMU wrestler’s Ben Bennett won 2-1 decision against No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus and Peter Sturgeon broke No. 2 Tony Nelson’s unblemished record by winning a 6-4 decision.

“That was a heck of a win for (Sturgeon),” Borrelli said. “He’s a heavyweight that trains really hard.  Wants to do everything everyone else does.  When you have that, everyone rallies around it.”

While the team was feeding off Sturgeon, he was feeding off the crowd.

“I really like the atmosphere here.” Sturgeon said.  “It’s definitely (excites) you when you’re out there on the mat.”