Wrestling earns first dual-meet win of season, 22-10 over Virginia


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Virginia’s sophomore Will Schany pushes junior Jordan Ellingwood in the wrestling match against Virginia on Nov. 13 in McGuirk Arena.

In its first dual meet of the season, the Central Michigan wrestling team defeated the defending ACC Champion, Virginia, 22-10 on Sunday. 

Coming off of a tough dual-meet loss against Michigan on Friday, the Cavaliers were ready for a win to cap off their weekend. Even with standouts George DiCamillo, No. 10 at 141 pounds, and Andrew Atkinson, No. 20 at 157 pounds leading the charge, Virginia came up short against the Chippewas at McGuirk Arena.

The key to CMU's victory was aggressiveness, said head coach Tom Borrelli. Central Michigan won the takedown margin 20-10.

“We’re really emphasizing to score more points this year,” said 157-pound junior Colin Heffernan. “Every match, we’re trying to score more points. If we’re wrestling to score points, then it’s going to pay off.”

Being CMU's first dual meet of the season, Borrelli said he was pleased with his wrestlers' performances.

“We were behind in some matches early," he said. "I was pleased with the way we kept our composure and scored a lot of points in the third period.”

The Chippewas got big wins from Justin Oliver (141), Colin Heffernan (157), Jordan Ellingwood (184), Austin Severn (197) and Nathan Smerchek (285). Both CMU's freshmen wrestlers, Logan Parks (165) and Mason Smith (141), were defeated. 

“Mason is a big move kind of guy and he’s wrestling (someone) who is (in the) top 10 in the country. You beat those guys with fundamentals — not tricks," Borelli said.

CMU is back in action on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 9 a.m. in East Lansing for the Michigan State Open. The next home meet for the Chippewas is Jan. 15 against Northern Iowa.

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