MAC Wrestling Notebook:
Notes from around the Mid-American Conference prior to wrestling action this weekend, courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments.
Central Michigan:
No. 22 Central Michigan hits the road for a pair of dual meets this weekend, visiting George Mason on Saturday and No. 25 Old Dominion on Sunday. The short turnaround will force the Chippewas to make weight twice in less than 24 hours. Saturday's dual at George Mason begins at 7:30 p.m., while Sunday's meet at ODU begins at 3 p.m.
"When you go on the road and have to make weight back-to-back days and wrestle two straight days, it's similar to the NCAA Tournament," said Central Michigan head coach Tom Borrelli. "This weekend is good practice for what we will have to do in that three-day tournament."
Central Michigan enters the weekend having dropped three straight dual meets, all to top-20 opponents, after having posted wins in seven straight duals.
Follow the Action:
Saturday's dual will be streamed live through George Mason's official site, gomason.com. Subscription rates will apply. Old Dominion will provide a live blog of Sunday's dual at odusports.com, as well as updates via Twitter @ODUWrestling. Sunday's dual also will be streamed via a subscription service at odusports.com.
Scouting George Mason:
The Patriots are 5-13 overall and have dropped five straight duals. George Mason's top individuals are senior 197-pounder Mendbagana Tovuujav and senior 174-pounder Frankie McLaughlin. Tovuujav is 12-3 overall, while McLaughlin leads the team in victories with an 18-5 overall mark.
Central Michigan vs. George Mason:
Saturday's dual will mark the first meeting between Central Michigan and George Mason.
Scouting Old Dominion:
The Monarchs, ranked 25th nationally in this week's NWCA/USA Today coaches' poll, are 11-8 overall and have won four of their last six duals. Senior 174-pounder Te Edwards is ranked 15th in the country with an overall record of 17-3.
Central Michigan vs. Old Dominion:
The Chippewas are 4-0 all-time against Old Dominion, including an 18-16 victory at McGuirk Arena last season.
Coming Up:
The Chippewas will travel to Cornell next weekend to compete in the regional round of the NWCA National Duals. Central Michigan and Cornell will be joined by American, Oklahoma, Illinois and Purdue at the six-team regional.
Eastern Michigan:
Eagles Square Off with No. 14 Kent State Sunday
The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team enters the home stretch of the 2011-12 season Sunday, Feb. 5, with a Mid-American Conference tilt against conference powerhouse Kent State University. Action is slated to begin at 2 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio. The Eagles (13-5; 2-1 MAC) are off to their best start to a season since the 2007-08 squad finished 15-8-1 and 2-3 in conference tussles. Kent State (10-4; 3-0 MAC) comes into the weekend ranked 14th nationally and is fresh off a 22-13 victory over No. 22 Central Michigan University, Jan. 29.
Everyone Likes An Underdog:
The Eagles will enter Sunday's match with the Golden Flashes as decided underdogs. Kent State, this season's prohibitive favorite to win the MAC Championship, has won eight straight bouts over No. 13 University of Missouri, No. 22 CMU and No. 25 Old Dominion University.
Sunday's meeting with Kent State provides no break from tough opponents for 125-pounder redshirt sophomore Jared Germaine, who will face defending national champion No. 4 Nic Bedelyon after dropping a 15-4 major decision to No. 3 Alan Walters of Missouri last weekend.
At 133 lbs. redshirt senior Andrew Novak will try to improve to 4-0 in MAC competition against Stevie Mitcheff, while redshirt senior Corey Phillips (141 lbs.) and Jaylyn Bohl (149 lbs.) will have their hands full against a pair of wrestlers ranked ninth nationally in Tyler Small and Ian Miller. Eastern Michigan's heavyweight wrestler will have the task of upsetting No. 16 Brendan Barlow.
“Conference duals are always challenging because the athletes usually elevate to a higher level due to the significance of the dual,” said Head Coach Derek DelPorto. “Even though I think Kent is favored on paper to win 6 matches, we match up pretty well against them and as usual, if we win the close matches and have a swing match or two go our way, we could win.”
Learning To Beat The Best:
Redshirt sophomore Jared Germaine has faced his fair share of stiff competition throughout the 2011-12 season wrestling out of the 125 lbs. slot. Sunday's matchup with Nic Bedelyon will mark the eighth time this year that Germaine will be pressed into action against a ranked opponent.
The Saginaw, Mich. native is 20-7 overall this season, but has yet to defeat a top-25 wrestler. That statistic does not bother the Eastern Michigan coaching staff, which realizes the potential in their second-year starter. “We constantly remind him of how good he is and that he needs to stay focused on his goals of getting to the NCAA Championships and becoming an All-American,” said Coach Derek DelPorto. “His seven losses on the season are to the No. 1, No. 3, No. 4, No. 14, No. 15 (twice) and No. 20 kids in the country, so it's tough to say he is struggling.”
One of Germaine's seven losses this season was to Bedelyon, who won by a narrow 7-4 margin at the Eastern Michigan Duals, Nov. 5. we will study film and come up with a game plan to try and beat him,” DelPorto added.
Night And Day:
One of the goals of the Eastern Michigan wrestling program over the past six years has been to build a culture of consistent improvement and relentless competitiveness. Redshirt senior Corey Phillips (141 lbs.) and Nick Whitenburg (197 lbs.) have embodied those virtues this season and, in the mind of Head Coach Derek DelPorto, have made the most improvement on the wrestling mat this season.
“Corey has always been very good,” said DelPorto. “He simply struggles with match management and giving up points at the end of the periods. He has improved in this area tremendously and has become a force on top.”
Phillips has made the jump from a 10-15 record last season to a 14-9 mark with two matches left this year. The Canton, Mich. native has proven his ability to surrender fewer points in his bouts as he currently leads the team in major decisions with five.
“Nick has confidence and health working in his favor,” DelPorto added. “He was banged up a little at the beginning of the season and stayed away from positions that could possibly hurt him. He is over that phobia and is much more offensive.”
Whitenburg is 13-7 on the year and is one of only two Eagles (Andrew Novak) to still be undefeated in MAC bouts with a perfect 3-0 record. He has four pins, one technical fall, two major decisions and six decisions to his credit in 2011-12.
Recognize:
Freshman Vincent Pizzuto captured his third tournament title of the season Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Simonson Open at Ashland University. Pizzuto (24-3) has now won seven straight matches in unattached competition including a first place finish Saturday as well as last weekend, Jan. 22, at the Alma Open. The North Jackson, Ohio native breezed through his four matches, claiming his final two bouts by fall.
For his accomplishments, theopenmat.com has ranked Pizzuto seventh nationally at 125 lbs. among non-starters and redshirts competing strictly in open competition.
“Vinny has been impressive all year,” said Head Coach Derek DelPorto. “I knew he was a competitor when we recruited him. I'm very excited to see Vinny somewhere in our line-up next season. He has taken full advantage of his redshirt season and he should be very eager about the future.”
Back In A Flash:
Eastern Michigan returns home following the battle against Kent State to take on the University at Buffalo in the regular season finale Wednesday, Feb. 8. The match begins at 7 p.m. inside Bowen Field House.
“Buffalo is going to be a close dual,” said Head Coach Derek DelPorto. “They are wrestling better now than they have all season, so we will be watching film and sticking to our plan. We really want to beat Buffalo because it is our last home meet of the season and we will be honoring our six seniors. It will be a special night if we can honor these guys with a MAC victory.”
Postseason Just Around The Corner:
There's still lots of work to be done in the regular season, but the postseason is inching closer by the day. This year's Mid-American Conference Championships will be held Sunday, March 4, on the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. This will be the first season in which the event will take place over just one day of competition instead of two. Eastern Michigan will be looking for its first team championship since 1996 and the first individual champion since 197-pounder John McClure captured the crown in 2009.
The NCAA Championships will run March 15-17 in St. Louis, Mo., where they were last held in 2009. The Eagles sent a pair of grapplers, Aaron Sulzer and former heavyweight David Wade, to the national tournament last season and have had 38 representatives in the competition since the 1972-73 campaign.
Kent State:
Now tied for the No. 14 spot in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll, Kent State looks to wrap up a Mid-American Conference regular season title this weekend, hosting a pair of duals at the M.A.C. Center. A win Friday night (7 p.m.) over Buffalo would give the Golden Flashes (10-4, 3-0) a share of the MAC regular season championship for the third time in four years. A subsequent victory over Eastern Michigan Sunday (2 p.m.) on Senior Day, would give Kent State the outright conference crown for the second time in four years.
Sunday’s dual will be streamed live on www.mac-sports.com.Live stats can be followed on www.trackwrestling.com.
Dual Dominance
Since the 2005-06 season, Kent State has gone 95-30-1 in duals meets. The Golden Flashes have not lost a MAC dual to a team other than Central Michigan since 2005, going 25-0-1 against the combination of Northern Illinois, Buffalo, Ohio and Eastern Michigan. Kent State has won their last eight dual meets, six of which were by nine or more points, including a 22-13 victory over Central Michigan last Sunday.
Kent State holds a 20-7 all-times series lead against Buffalo and has won seven straight against the Bulls. Buffalo has not won in Kent since 2003. The two teams met just three weeks ago in the quarterfinal round of the Virginia Duals. The Golden Flashes won 6-of-10 matches in a 22-12 victory with two starters out of the lineup.
The Flashes hold a 38-1-1 all-time series lead against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles only victory came in 1974. Last season, Kent State took 9-of-10 matches from the Eagles on the way to a 30-3 road victory.
The Opponents
The Bulls went 3-2 at the Virginia Duals with victories over Bucknell (19-13), Rider (27-14) and The Citadel (24-15). Buffalo has three wrestlers ranked in Wrestling Report’s Top 33 and four Bulls are in the latest MAC rankings, including 2011 conference champion Mark Lewandowski.
The Eagles (13-5, 2-1 MAC) have seven wrestlers ranked in the MAC’s top four spots and five grapplers ranked in Wrestling Report’s Top 33. Sunday will be EMU’s only competition of the week. Eastern Michigan has won six of its last seven duals with its only setback coming against Missouri during that span. EMU is currently ranked No. 15 in the latest National Wrestling Media Association’s Mid-Major Poll.
Quick Notes
• Five Golden Flashes are ranked in the Top 18 spots according to The Open Mat. Three Kent State grapplers are ranked in the Top 10 according to the Jan. 19 Division I Coaches Poll.
• The Golden Flashes have won seven or more matches in all three of their conference duals, winning 22-of-30 total matches.
• The Golden Flashes are No. 3 in the latest National Wrestling Media Association’s Mid-Major Poll. Cornell and Wyoming are in the top two spots.
• Kent State is represented in the Top 4 of all 10 weight classes in the Jan. 27 MAC rankings, including four (Nic Bedelyon, Tyler Small, Ian Miller, Keith Witt) at the No. 1 spot.
Northern Illinois:
The Northern Illinois wrestling team hits the road for the final time in the 2011-12 regular season Friday, as they will make the short drive to Evanston, Ill., to face the Northwestern Wildcats. The Huskies will enter the match looking to break a three-match losing streak, having dropped matches at Ohio, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. However, Northern Illinois should have the services of nationally-ranked 184-pounder Brad Dieckhaus back after missing the past month with an injury. In addition, Kevin Fanta enters the dual with a four-match winning streak.
The No. 19 Wildcats are 7-4 on the season after splitting a pair of matches over the weekend at No. 8 Illinois and Purdue. Interestingly, all four of Northwestern’s losses this year have come against top 10 opponents (No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Iowa, No. 7 Michigan and No. 8 Illinois) and have yet to lose to an opponent not in the NWCA/USA Today Poll. Statistically, Northwestern is led by 125-pounder Levi Mele, who sports a 22-4 record on the year, and undefeated Jason Welch at 157.
Huskies Against the Wildcats
Northern Illinois and Northwestern have met on the mat 33 times, with the Wildcats holding a 22-10-1 advantage in the series since 1969. Northwestern won last year’s meeting between the two, a 38-0 against the Huskies. However, Northern Illinois has beaten their Chicagoland rivals twice in the past four meetings, including an upset of then-No. 5 Northwestern, 22-19, on Nov. 30, 2007, in DeKalb. Friday night’s dual will mark the 14th-straight season the two teams have faced off.
Recapping Central Michigan
The Northern Illinois wrestling team fell to No. 19 Central Michigan, 24-9, Friday night in McGuirk Arena. Despite the return of Nick Smith at 125 pounds and Matt Mougin at 165, the Huskies fell to 6-6 overall and 0-3 in the Mid-American Conference, while the Chippewas improved to 12-2 and 4-0 on the year. The defeat was also Northern Illinois' fifth to a team in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Recapping Eastern Michigan
The Northern Illinois wrestling team got out to a quick start Sunday, but couldn’t keep the momentum going as they fell to Eastern Michigan, 22-9. The loss dropped the Huskies to 6-7 on the year and 0-4 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Eagles improved to 11-4 and 2-1 in the MAC. The loss was also the first time that Northern Illinois had lost in Ypsilanti since they moved to the major college ranks in 1969.
Searching for 500
Despite dropping both duals over the weekend, the Huskies can still reach the 500-win mark this season. However, they will need to win each of their final four duals. However, three of those four will take place in DeKalb, where the Huskies have recorded four of their six wins on the year.
Huskies Traveling to Harper Open
Several freshmen wrestlers will likely get their last competition of the season Saturday, Feb. 4, when they compete at the Harper Open in Palatine, Ill. The meet, which is hosted by Harper College, will feature several local programs, including Elmhurst, Illinois State, Triton College, Calumet College and Milwaukee School of Engineering. Last season, three Huskies won their respective weight classes at the tournament.
NIU vs. In-State Foes
Friday’s dual will mark the third of four times this season and the 177th time since 1969 that the Huskies will face off with an in-state foe. All-time, Northern Illinois holds a decisive 105-66-5 record in those matches and has won nine of the last 11 against opponents from the Land of Lincoln since the start of the 2007-08 season. Against the three other Division I wrestling programs in Illinois (Northwestern, Illinois, SIU-Edwardsville) the Huskies are 22-2-1 versus SIUE and 9-17 against Illinois.
Fanta-stic Season for Kevin Fanta
With his two MAC wins over the previous weekend, sophomore Kevin Fanta improved his record in dual meets to 8-1 and 9-3 overall on the year. Of those eight wins, seven have come by minor decision and one by pin. Interestingly, in each of those seven wins by minor decision, Fanta’s opponents have scored more than three points on only one occasion, while the Lake Zurich, Ill., native averaged eight points per match. For his efforts, WrestlingReport.com has Fanta ranked 33rd in the 141-pound weight class.
‘Haus Watch
Senior Brad Dieckhaus has been a constant in the national rankings this season at 184. In addition to his 7-0 record in 2011-12, the St. Charles, Mo., native also has not lost a regular season match since Jan. 28, 2011, when he dropped a 7-1 decision to Northern Iowa’s Ryan Loder, currently the No. 6 wrestler at 184 in InterMat’s rankings. Below is a breakdown of where Dieckhaus stands in each of the major polls: InterMat: No. 18; WrestlingReport.com: No. 16; WIN Magazine: No. 19; and D1CollegeWrestling.net: No. 17.
Sophomore Sensation Nick Smith’s Solid Season
Sophomore Nick Smith has seen quite a bit of success during the 2011-12 season. Despite missing three meets due to injury midway through the season, the Ida, Mich., native boasts a 11-3 record and a 8-2 mark in dual matches. Here is a breakdown of where he stands in the national polls at 125 pounds: InterMat: No. 20; WrestlingReport.com: No. 19; WIN Magazine: No. 20; D1CollegeWrestling.net: No. 25.
Next Up
Northern Illinois returns home Sunday, Feb. 12, when they host SIU-Edwardsville and Tiffin in Victor E. Court in the team’s second-to-last regular season date of the year. The Huskies will take on SIUE at noon and Tiffin at 4 p.m.