Wrestling bounces back with 26-9 win over Buffalo
After a bitter 29-6 loss to No. 3 Missouri on Jan. 19, No. 17 Central Michigan wrestling bounced back against Buffalo with a 26-9 win on Jan. 21.
The Chippewas three of their first four matches, but won the final six to ensure a clear victory.
Borelli said last meet definitely had an effect on their attitude going into Sunday’s matches, saying “Missouri is a good team. You can’t take anything away from them, but we’re better than that.”
“I’m glad to see the way our guys responded, especially after losing our first two matches.”
After injuring his right knee in Friday’s match, junior Justin Oliver sat out Sunday afternoon’s match. He’s currently ranked No. 3 in the 149.
Nolan Saxton will replace Oliver in the lineup for the time being. On Sunday, he lost 6-3 to fellow freshman Nick Palumbo.
Senior Colin Heffernan, ranked No. 14 in the 157, made his first appearance since early December. He defeated Kobe Garrehy, 11-4.
“There was a little rust,” Heffernan said. “Any time you take as much time off the mat as I did, you’ve got to get back in the swing of things.”
“It was hard to watch those (December) duals and not be part of the team.”
Borelli said that the team was “kind of limping along” in Heffernan’s absence, and having Oliver go down right as Heffernan returns was unfortunate.
“It’s a six, seven, eight point swing in a dual meet,” Borelli said. “That’s huge. But it is what it is, and (Saxton) will grow and do better the next time.”
The Chippewas don’t compete again until Feb. 4, when they head to Norfolk, Va. to face Old Dominion.
Results
Kicking off the afternoon, redshirt freshman Drew Hildebrandt (125) lost by decision to Kyle Akins 4-0.
After a scoreless first period, redshirt freshman Dresden Simon (133) lost to No. 16 Bryan Landry 2-1 when Landry was awarded one point for riding time.
No. 9 sophomore Mason Smith (141) defeated Jason Estevez 7-0, giving CMU their first team points.
Sophomore Logan Parks (165) gave CMU a 10-9 lead with a 10-2 major decision over Noah Grover.
No. 15 senior C.J. Brucki (174) gave CMU its second major decision of the night, bringing the team score up to 14-9 after an 11-1 victory over Ryan Kromer.
Narrowly missing out on a third consecutive major decision, No. 13 senior Jordan Ellingwood defeated Brett Perry 8-1.
Junior Jordan Atienza (197) fought a tight match with senior Joe Ariola, leading 6-4 going into the third. Atienza dominated the final stanza, winning 10-4.
Ranked 20, redshirt freshman Matt Stencel closed the night with a pin over Ian James.
