MAC Names Wrestler of the Week

 

Missouri senior Dom Bradley took first in the heavyweight class at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga in a thrilling championship bout against Minnesota's Tony Nelson.  Bradley earned a 2-1 decision in a tiebreaker over the defending national champion. Bradley's bout with Nelson is a possible matchup later in March at the NCAA Championships as Bradley, the nation's No. 2 heavyweight, earned the win Tuesday. The senior-captain also defeated the No. 3-ranked Alan Gelogaev in the semifinals by decision, 2-1. Bradley is now a team-best 22-0 on the season after defeating Nelson for the title, snapping Nelson's streak of 40 straight wins dating back to last season. Nelson was the No. 1 heavyweight in the country heading into the Southern Scuffle and was the 2012 National Champion. Bradley is now ranked No. 1 in the nation at heavyweight. He was honored as the MAC Wrestler of the Week already once this year, back on Nov. 21.

 

 

Central Michigan sophomore Mike Ottinger showed complete dominance at 165 pounds last Sunday evening, earning a 21-6 tech fall victory over Robert Schlitt of Bucknell. Ottinger recorded eight takedowns in the bout and nearly pinned Schlitt in the second period before earning a three-point near fall. Four of Schlitt's five escapes were earned due to optional starts by Ottinger, who continued to push the pace through the third period and record four of his eight takedowns in the final frame to earn the tech fall.

 

 

Eastern Michigan junior Jared Germaine was the lone Eagles wrestler out of 12 to make it to the final day of the 50th-annual Midlands Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 29-30. The Saginaw, Mich. native lost his opening-round bout Saturday, but fought his way back into the running with four consecutive wins with three decisions and a major decision. Germaine made it all the way to the quarterfinal of the consolation bracket and finished the tournament with a 4-2 record at 125 lbs.

 

 

Kent State senior Stevie Mitcheff won a 125-pound championship at the Brute Invitational Dec. 29, at Lock Haven.   Mitcheff went 4-0 on the day, beginning with a first period pin of Sacred Heart's Joe Harris.  Mitcheff closed the night with a 2-1 victory over Lock Haven's Robert Ream.  He also had a convincing 10-3 win over George Mason’s Eric Lavorato and a 5-2 victory over Bloomsburg’s Sean Boylan.  Mitcheff is 16-7 on the year and 1-0 in Mac duals.

 

 

Northern Illinois junior Kevin Fanta recorded a pair of huge wins for Northern Illinois on Sunday in Edwardsville, Ill., as the Huskies defeated Southern Conference foes Appalachian State and SIU Edwardsville. Against the Mountaineers, the redshirt junior broke a 3-3 deadlock with a 15-5 major decision over Appalachian State's Chris Johnson to give Northern Illinois a lead it would not relinquish. In the SIUE dual, Fanta put Northern up 15-0 with a pin of Brandon Brindley at 4:35.

 

 

Northern Iowa junior Ryan Loder took fourth place at the Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30. Loder’s only two losses came as decisions to Travis Rutt of Oklahoma (3-2 and 7-5). En route to his fourth-place finish, he recorded two major decisions and outscored his opponents 17-6. He has given up only nine points all season (71-9 points overall). In last week's dual against Iowa Western, he pinned Devin Peterson in 5:44. He is among the best in Northern Iowa history. He has the fifth highest winning percentage among Northern Iowa Panthers who have had at least 50 wins and competed at least two seasons. His career record is 82-20. His overall record for the season is 17-3. He hasn't wrestled in a MAC dual yet this year.