Craig Kelliher's wins vacated, Borrelli wasn't aware of weight-class rule
Central Michigan wrestler Craig Kelliher was ruled ineligible to wrestle at 174-pounds for the remainder of the season.
Although he has remained in compliance with the NCAA Wrestling Weight Loss Certification Plan guidelines, Kelliher's competition in four matches at 174 pounds violated NCAA wrestling bylaw 8.3.5.4. It states: "A wrestler weighing in two weight classes above an original certified weight class shall forfeit his or her right to return to the original wrestled weight class."
“It wasn’t brought to my attention until this week,” head coach Tom Borrelli said. “Unfortunately I’m to blame for that because I didn’t give him really good advice. I wasn’t really aware you couldn’t wrestle two weight-classes up even if you were following your weight decent.”
Kelliher initially certified at the 174-pound weight class prior to the 2011-12 season. However, he wrestled unattached to CMU in the 197-pound weight class at the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 5, 2011. He wrestled three matches at 197 pounds at the tournament. Kelliher also competed in four dual meets for CMU at the 174-pound weight class between Dec.10, 2011 and Jan.22, 2012.
“It was an honest mistake,” Borrelli said. “Craig Kelliher had nothing to do with it. He did everything right. It’s just unfortunate.”
Kelliher's results for those matches are vacated, but team scores and all other results for those four dual meets are not changed.
He is still able to compete at any weight class above 174-pounds for the current season.
He will be able to begin wrestling at 174-pounds again next season.
