Upperclassmen step up, wrestling ends losing streak


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Casco, Wisconsin sophomore Newton Smerchek heads against his opponent at Central Michigan's wrestling match in McGurick Arena on Sunday, January 17, 2016. 

After losing back-to-back meets for the first time all season, the Central Michigan wrestling team bounced back to get an nonconference road victory at Northern Iowa.

CMU (6-3, 3-1 Mid-American Conference) controlled throughout the meet and defeated Northern Iowa 22-11 to end the two-game losing streak after losses to Missouri and Michigan.

CMU Head Coach Tom Borrelli was not available for comment, Friday.

Junior Justin Oliver (149-pound class) got things started for the Chippewas with a 12-4 major decision over Jake Hodges. Oliver had three straight take downs to start the match and an escape late gave him the victory.

Eighth-ranked junior Luke Smith (157) won the next match 1-0 over Bryce Steiert. The only point came on an early escape. A late scramble almost gave Steiert the victory with what was thought to be a takedown, but the referee did not call it.

No. 9 senior Mike Ottinger (174) won his sixth straight match as he beat Kyle Lux 3-2 and increased CMU’s lead to 10-4 after sophomore Jordan Attienza (165) dropped a 9-1 major decision to Cooper Moore. Ottinger along with Lewis are both the highest ranked MAC wrestler in their respective weight classes.

Jordan Ellingwood (184) extended the Chippewas lead to 13-4 after defeating Drew Foster 10-4. Ellingwood had two takedowns and an escape in the second round to put the match out of reach.

Senior Jackson Lewis (197) won the next match 6-1 over Jared Bartel, putting CMU up 16-4. The match appeared to be out of reach, but the Lions came back with two straight victories. CMU sophomores Newton Smerchek (HWT) and Brent Fleetwood (125) lost 15-5 and 8-3 respectively to shorten the margin to 16-11.

The Lions had the momentum, but Central Michigan responded by winning the final two matches to take the victory. Junior Corey Keener (133) won a wild one as the crowd thought Josh Alber earned the takedown as time expired to send it to overtime. After review, referees decided it was clear that it was after the clock hit zero, giving Keener the 4-2 win.

Senior No. 16 Zach Horan (141) ended the meet with an escape at the buzzer to defeat Trevor Jauch 4-3 and earn his second straight victory against a non-MAC opponent.

The team win was just the confidence boost the Chippewas needed as they head to another top 25 team in Iowa State (7-5) on Sunday to finish off the road trip. The Cyclones are coming off three straight losses and are desperate for a victory. The meet starts at 3 p.m. in Ames, Iowa. 

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