MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
MAC Wrestler of the Week
Dustin Kilgore, Kent State—Senior, Berea, Ohio (Berea High School)
Kent State senior Dustin Kilgore won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, going 5-0 at the two-day tournament with a pin and two major decisions. The No. 1 ranked 197-pounder in all national polls, Kilgore topped No. 3 Alfonso Hernandez of Wyoming in the finals 5-4. He defeated No. 12 Andrew Campolattano from Ohio State 6-3 in the semifinals. Kilgore is 15-0 on the season, winning all four tournaments he’s competed in.
Additional Nominees:
Ben Bennett, Central Michigan—Senior, Rockford, Mich. (Rockford High School)
Central Michigan senior Ben Bennett opened the conference regular season in a similar fashion in which he has dominated the two previous seasons, pinning Ohio's Ryan Garringer at the 6:01 match Saturday afternoon. After a scoreless first period, Bennett earned an escape, a takedown and a two-point near fall in the second before earning another takedown and a three-point near fall in the third period to build a 10-0 lead. The No. 5 ranked 184-pounder in the country then pinned Garringer 24 seconds later to earn his second fall of the season. Bennett is now 15-1 all-time in MAC duals and is just six wins of 100 for his career.
Jared Germaine, Eastern Michigan—Junior, Saginaw, Mich. (Saginaw High School)
Eastern Michigan junior Jared Germaine wrestled his way to a 2-0 weekend with wins against Cleveland State and Ohio. Ranked 16th in the country, Germaine recorded an 8-2 decision over Cleveland State's Ben Willeford as the Eagles rallied to beat the Vikings. He then took care of Ohio's KeVon Powell, 13-8, in a narrow 17-16 loss to the Bobcats.
Alan Waters, Missouri—Junior, Kansas City, Mo.
Missouri junior Alan Waters is a perfect 14-0 on the year after winning the 125-pound 1st place title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this past weekend. The junior defeated the then No. 10-ranked Nahshon Garrett of Cornell by decision 6-4 to claim the title. Waters, ranked as high as No. 2 in the national polls following his weekend's performance, also defeated No. 11 Nikko Triggas of Ohio State 4-3 to advance to the championship round. In the five wins, Waters had two wins by major decision, one by fall, and two decisions. The 2012 NCAA Qualifier is also a perfect 4-0 in dual meets this year.
Rob Jillard, Northern Illinois—Junior, Franklinville, N.J.
Northern Illinois junior Rob Jillard went a perfect 4-0 to capture first place at 149 pounds in the Kaufman-Brand Open Saturday in suburban St. Louis. The junior from Franklinville, N.J., began the day with an 11-4 win over Iowa's Joe DuCharme to advance into the quarterfinals. From there, Jillard moved on to the finals with a pair of one-point wins. First, he narrowly defeated Keenan Hagerty of Maryville, 5-4, then edged Missouri's Brandon Rice to move into the finals. Jillard would cap the day with a 14-3 major decision against Lavion Mayes of Missouri.
Ryan Loder, Northern Iowa—Junior, Granite Bay, Calif. (Granite Bay High School)
Northern Iowa junior Ryan Loder placed third at the Cliff Keen in his season debut. In his first day of competition in the 184-pound weight class, he recorded a major decision, technical fall and a pin in 2:35. He returned the second day with two decisions over 12th-ranked Casey Newburg of Kent State and 11th-ranked Jacob Swartz of Boise State. Loder is 5-1 for the season. He already has outscored his opponents 21-3. Loder qualified for the NCAA tournament last year. He currently is ranked seventh by Amateur Wrestling News and ninth by InterMat Wrestling.