What we missed over break: Wrestling
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 11th 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.
