Wrestling falls to MSU 19-17
Flushing sophomore Ben Cushman wrestles his Northern Illinois opponent on Jan. 17, 2021 in the McGuirk Arena.
Central Michigan wrestling's magical win streak came to an end Friday with a close loss to Michigan State.
The streak ends at 11 in a row for the Chippewas and coach Tom Borelli, spanning nearly two months. Before Friday's loss, CMU had been unbeaten since Dec. 20.
The Spartans, ranked No. 16 in the most recent coaches poll, knocked off CMU 19-17 at Jenison Fieldhouse.
The Chippewas got off to a slow start, dropping the first two matchups. Back-to-back wins from Dresden Simon and Corbyn Munson cut the lead to 7-6 in favor of MSU, but Johnny Lovett was beaten 4-3 in the 157 lb. weight class to make it 10-6. CMU also lost a point, making the deficit 10-5.
Wrestling in at 165 pounds junior Tracy Hubbard would bring hope back to the Chippewas with a 6-4 win over Spartan sophomore Caleb Fish. Hubbard’s win would bring the score to a close 10-8 with the Spartans still leading.
Senior Bret Fedwa would give the Chippewas their first lead of the game with a victory over Nathan Jimenez wrestling in at 174 pounds. Fedwa’s 7-1 win would bring the team score to 11 for the Chippewas and 10 for the Spartans.
The Spartans would quickly bounce back and regain their lead with a pin from junior Layne Malczewski over Chippewas junior Ben Cushman. Malczewski’s win would give the Spartans an 16-11 lead.
Closing out the match, graduate student Matt Stencel and senior Bard Wilton would take the mat wrestling in at 285 pounds. Stencel would add onto his pin total with eleven and make the final score 19-17.
CMU returns to action at 2 p.m. Sunday for its season finale against No. 3 Michigan at McGuirk Arena.
