Losing grip: Wrestling loses to Kent State, hopes for MAC title fading fast
The Central Michigan wrestling team lost to No. 16 Kent State 22-13 and a shot at clinching the outright Mid-American Conference title on Sunday.
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.
