The Chippewas go into their first dual meet of the season ranked fifth nationally on InterMat’s team ranking and ninth on the NWCA/USA Today Coaches’ Poll.

Although CMU has competed three times this season, this will be the first scoring match and the first time the Chippewas will feature most of their primary starters.

Head coach Tom Borrelli, now in his 20th season, said he is excited to see what his team can do this weekend.

“It should be a good way to start the season,” he said. “Our goal is to go in there and compete really hard and see how good they are, and how good we are.”

Last weekend, Cornell competed in the Binghamton Open, and Borrelli said because the Big Red wrestled most of their starters, they will have a slight advantage.

“Most of our starters haven’t competed yet,” he said. “We still have some things we’re trying to figure out in a few weight classes.”

CMU boasts the No. 2 ranked heavyweight in the nation in Jarod Trice. Trice was an All-American selection a year ago and will make his season debut Friday.

Although the Chippewas feature veterans like Trice, Borelli said he is looking forward to the performances of three inexperienced wrestlers.

“I’m looking for big things out of Chad Friend, Donnie Corby and Adam Miller,” he said. “I think those guys are in some pretty important matches.”

Friend is a junior who can wrestle in either the 184- or 197-pound weight class. Corby is a sophomore in the 149-pound class, and Miller is a redshirt freshman seeing his first true action in the 157-pound class.

Another wrestler that will see his first real action this weekend is redshirt freshman Craig Kelliher. Kelliher will compete this season in the 197-weight class after competing unattached twice last year in the 184-pound class. He said he is looking forward to facing Cornell.

“(There will be) a big crowd and anytime you get a lot of people in an event it’s nice,” he said. “With wrestling, anytime you get a lot of people to come to an event, you can feel the energy.”

Body Bar Invite

After the meet against Cornell, CMU will stay in Ithaca to compete in the Body Bar Invitational. Among the 11 teams competing in the invitational, CMU will face MAC opponents Buffalo and No. 18 ranked Kent State.

Borrelli said the invitational will be a good way for CMU to see a lot of other teams early in the season.

“I think our guys will get some good quality competition, even the guys who don’t wrestle in the dual meet,” he said. “We’ll have some extra guys that will get some matches in and we’ll be able to evaluate them. We’re trying to take those evaluations and decide who our starters will be.”

Borrelli said he doesn’t think anyone on his team will be intimidated by facing the No. 1 team in the country.

“I don’t think we have anything to lose. There’s no pressure on us,” he said. “We’re underdogs in the match and we should just go out there and make it happen.” Kelliher agreed, saying that there isn’t a whole lot of pressure on the team.

“(Their ranking) doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “It’s a number. If you look back, how many times does the guy ranked first end up winning at the end of the season? Things are going to change.”