MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
MAC Wrestler of the Week
Dustin Kilgore, Kent State—Senior, Berea, Ohio
Kent State senior Dustin Kilgore went 5-0 at the Virginia Duals with four pins and a forfeit. None of Kilgore's opponents even made it to the third period, including No. 8 Jake Meredith of Arizona State. Kilgore helped the Golden Flashes to dual wins over Arizona State, VMI and No. 25 Old Dominion. The Flashes' career-victory leader extended his NCAA winning streak to 46 matches and ran his season pin total to 11.
Additional Nominees:
Ben Bennett, Central Michigan—Senior, Rockford, Mich. (Rockford High School)
Central Michigan senior Ben Bennett, the second ranked 184-pounder in the country, helped the Chippewas take third place at the 33rd Virginia Duals last weekend by going 3-0 with bonus points in each of his victories. Bennett opened the tournament with tech fall victory over Frank Crocco of Rider, 17-0, before receiving a victory by forfeit in a quarterfinal matchup versus North Dakota State. On Saturday, he defeated Zach Nye of Virginia by major decision to keep the Chippewas within striking distance and helped secure the third-place finish by pinning Vincent Pickett of Edinboro at the 2:50 mark.
Alexander Calandrino, Eastern Michigan—Freshman, Howell, Mich. (Howell High School)
Eastern Michigan freshman Alexander Calandrino posted a 3-1 record including a pin over the weekend. He got the Eagles started in their 40-11 win over Seton Hill Saturday, Jan. 12, with a fall against Trey Constable at the 2:00 mark. Then at the Pitt Duals, Jan. 13, he won a hard-fought 3-2 decision over Sean Boylan from No. 24 Bloomsburg. His other win came by way of forfeit. Calandrino leads the team in wins (18-7) as he has 15 in tournament competition to go along with a trio of top-eight finishes in those events.
Nick Smith, Northern Illinois—Junior, Ida, Mich. (Ida High School)
Northern Illinois junior Nick Smith kept his strong season going Friday night against Ohio with a 9-1 major decision over Garret Garness. The win was Smith's fifth on the year and his first bonus point triumph in 2012-13.
Joey Lazor, Northern Iowa—Junior, McDonough, Ga. (Union Grove High School)
Northern Iowa junior Joey Lazor continues to get stronger this season after rehabbing an injury last year. He wrestled aggressive matches to beat Carter McElhany (Air Force) by major decision Sunday and pin Michael Luca (Northern Colorado) in 2:39 Friday. Lazor opened his season by winning the 141-pound weight class at the Finn Grinaker Cobber Open in Moorhead, Minn. Lazor redshirted last year with his injury. His overall record is 21-6, with three of those wins being by major decision. He has five tech falls, and three pins this year. His career record to 34-22, and he is 4-1 in duals.
Andrew Romanchik, Ohio—Sophomore, Independence, Ohio (Padua High School)
Ohio sophomore Andrew Romanchik got Ohio on the board this past Friday as he pinned Northern Illinois Robert Jillard at 149 to give the Bobcats a lead they would not relinquish. With the pin, Romanchik improved to 10-7 on the year and logged his fourth-consecutive victory. Romanchik’s pin was the first of three registered by the Bobcats on the night as they improved to 2-1 in conference action. The Bobcats also defeated Northern Illinois for the fifth-straight season.