Wrestling goes 2-0 in first meet of season
Schecksville senior Mike Ottinger (left) faces off against Orland Park sophmore CJ Brucki (right) during an intra-squad scrimmage at Mcguirk Arena on October 25th.
Saturday marked the beginning of another year of Central Michigan wrestling, and the team did not disappoint.
The Chippewas opened the season with the Eastern Michigan Duals/Open and went 2-0 against its opponents.
CMU defeated Purdue University, 18-16, and No. 23 Rider University, 18-15.
Against the Broncs, the Chippewas took the first five matches of the dual.
CMU sophomore Colin Heffernan (149), ranked No. 13, defeated fourth-ranked B.J. Clagon, 8-6 and CMU junior Corey Keener (133 pounds) defeated No. 15 Rob Deutsch, 8-6.
Sophomore Brent Fleetwood won the first match for the Chippewas against Purdue, 2-1, but the team dropped the next five to the Boilermakers.
Junior Austin Severn (184) and senior Mike Ottinger (174) both won by decision, and senior Jackson Lewis (197) earned the pin to bring the team within one point, 16-15, heading into the final match.
It came down to the final match between sophomore Newton Smerchek and Purdue’s Tyler Kral. Smerchek pulled out the win on a 2-1 decision to ultimately give CMU three points and the team victory.
The team also had success in the open tournament, with seven wrestlers placing top-eight in their weight classes.
Freshmen Mason Smith and Richie Screptock placed third and seventh in the 149-pound division, while senior heavyweight Adam Robinson finished in fourth.
The Chippewas will now prepare to hit the mats next Sunday at the Michigan State Open.
