MAC Friday Wrestling Scoreboard:
Buffalo 19, Eastern Michigan 14
Central Michigan 23, Northern Illinois 12
Kent State 26, Ohio 11
Northern Iowa 18, Oklahoma 15
Buffalo 19, Eastern Michigan 14
Bulls Hold Off Eagles for Season's First Win
BUFFALO, NY - Last weekend was a frustrating one for the Buffalo wrestling team, with two of the three matches wrestled at the Virginia Duals being lost in the final bout of the match - heavyweight - to fall to 0-7 on the season. On Friday night, though, both monkeys were taken off UB's back and thrown to the mat, as the Bulls (1-7, 1-1 MAC) beat the Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-10, 0-2 MAC) 19-14 at Alumni Arena.
It was not just the team's first win of an injury-riddled season, but the dual fittingly came down to heavyweight Justin Heiserman. The sophomore won 3-1 over Khodor Hobollah to seal the win. After going up 1-0 with a quick escape in the second period, Heiserman then came out on top of a scramble to finish the second period up 3-0 and held off his opponent for the final two minutes.
"We have had a lot on his (Heiserman's) shoulders this year, and it's nice to see him come up on the good end of it," head coach Jim Beichner said. "As the heavyweight, a lot of times it comes down to you, and he handled it well tonight."
The dual started on a similar note the team has seen for the past month, with the two teams trading decisions in the lower weights. Max Soria controlled the pace in a 10-5 win over Alexander Calandrino to open the dual, and after a UB loss at 133, Erik Galloway and Blake Roulo won close matches at 141 and 149, respectively. Eastern cut into the 9-3 lead with a win at 157, but the senior leaders for UB would help extend the lead back out.
Mark Lewandowski had little trouble winning his 165-pound match, just missing his attempted major decision with a 10-3 win. Then it was time for John-Martin Cannon to show that he was not only healthy, but motivated to lead the way. After missing last weekend's action because of his third major injury within the course of the season, the senior 174 pounder was flat-out explosive in his 17-5 major decision over Jacob Davis. He recorded seven takedowns to give him 133 for his career, moving him into fifth place in the program record book.
"It would've been easy to just give up and quit because nothing was going his way," Beichner said about his senior leader, Cannon. "He's had as many significant injuries as I've ever seen an athlete suffer in a single year, but he's going out there and battling and looks great. He dominated his opponent like I've never seen him dominate anybody. He inspires me as a coach."
Cannon was happy with his result, and was encouraged by his effectiveness after the recent injury.
"The one thing that I've learned is to not feel sorry for yourself. Guys know that I'm hurt and they're going to come after me, and I think that's helped my mindset," Cannon said. "My mindset now is that I can hang with any guy in the country and everything that has happened to me this season is now a motivation for me."
The major decision gave the Bulls a 16-6 lead overall, and after the Eagles won major decisions at 184 and 197 pounds, it cut the lead to two and put the must-win pressure back on Heiserman, who came through. Coach Beichner hopes the dual's result will lead to bigger and better things for the team as a whole.
"I'm proud of our guys, they battled tonight," he said. "Eastern Michigan and Buffalo have been fighting through the same things this season - injuries - so we know what they're going through because we're going through the same thing. We weren't thinking we would be getting our first win at this point in the season, but hopefully this is a turning point for the guys."
The Bulls will head back on the road as Mid-American Conference action continues. Next will be a trip to Athens next Saturday for a 7 pm dual against the Ohio Bobcats.
Buffalo 19, Eastern Michigan 14 :: Match Summary
125: Max Soria (Buffalo) won by decision over Alexander Calandrino (Eastern Michigan) 10-5.
133: Jacob Byers (Eastern Michigan) won in sudden victory 1 over Justin Farmer (Buffalo) 3-1.
141: Erik Galloway (Buffalo) won by decision over Seth Schaner (Eastern Michigan) 3-0.
149: Blake Roulo (Buffalo) won by decision over Michael Shaw (Eastern Michigan) 2-1.
157: Aaron Sulzer (Eastern Michigan) won by decision over Wally Maziarz (Buffalo) 6-3.
165: Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo) won by decision over Jaylyn Bohl (Eastern Michigan) 10-3.
174: John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo) won by major decision over Jacob Davis (Eastern Michigan) 17-5.
184: Phillip Joseph (Eastern Michigan) won by major decision over Jarred Lux (Buffalo) 20-7.
197: Nick Whitenburg (Eastern Michigan) won by major decision over Jeff Palmeri (Buffalo) 16-5.
285: Justin Heisermen (Buffalo) won by decision over Khodar Hoballah (Eastern Michigan) 3-1.
Central Michigan 23, Northern Illinois 12
No. 12 Central Michigan Stays Unbeaten in MAC with 23-12 Win atNorthern Illinois
DeKALB, Ill. - Central Michigan kept its Mid-American Conference record unblemished Friday with a 23-12 road victory over Northern Illinois.
The No. 12 Chippewas' (9-3, 3-0) victory was the 17th in the last 18 meetings versus the Huskies (7-5, 0-3 MAC) and set up a battle of unbeatens with Kent State next Sunday, January 27 inside McGuirk Arena.
The Huskies claimed three of the first five matches of the night to grab an early 9-7 lead before sophomore Mike Ottinger put the Chippewas in front with a key 13-5 major decision victory at 165 pounds.
Ottinger used a pair of takedowns and a pair of escapes to grab a 6-2 lead through the first two periods before recording three more takedowns in the final period for the bonus-point win.
Junior No. 20 Craig Kelliher followed it up with a 5-1 decision over Matt Mougin at 174 before senior Ben Bennett secured the dual with his third fall of the season.
Bennett, ranked No. 2 in the country at 184 pounds, took down Bryan Loughlin with 50 seconds to go in the first period and scored a pair of three-point near falls to grab a 8-0 lead through one. After choosing bottom to start the second, Bennett escaped and took down Loughlin again before putting him to his back at the 3:42 mark.
Junior Joe Roth opened the dual with a 10-1 major decision at 125 pounds and senior No. 6 Jarod Trice closed the night with a 4-0 decision at the heavyweight division. Senior Donnie Corby also claimed a 7-4 decision at 149 pounds.
The Chippewas will be back in action Saturday when they take on No. 7 Missouri in Columbia. The Tigers are undefeated on the year with a 7-0-1 record.
No. 12 Central Michigan 23, Northern Illinois 12
125: Joe Roth (CMU) dec. Derek Elmore (NIU), 10-1; CMU 4-0
133: Nick Smith (NIU) dec. Tyler Keselring (CMU), 5-3; CMU 4-3
141: Kevin Fanta (NIU) dec. Scott Mattingly (CMU) 8-2; NIU 6-4
149: Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Robert Jillard (NIU), 7-4; CMU 7-6
157: Andrew Morse (NIU) dec. Lucas Smith (CMU), 5-1; NIU 9-7
165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) maj. dec. Dan Burk (NIU), 13-5; CMU 11-9
174: No. 20 Craig Kelliher (CMU) dec. Matt Mougin (NIU), 5-1; CMU 14-9
184: No. 2 Ben Bennett (CMU) pin Bryan Loughlin (NIU), 3:42; CMU 20-9
197: Parker Settecase (NIU) dec. Jackson Lewis (CMU), 2-1; CMU 20-12
Hwt: No. 6 Jarod Trice (CMU) dec. Jared Torrence (NIU), 4-0; CMU 23-12
Kent State 26, Ohio 11
Golden Flashes Roll to 26-11 win over rival Ohio
KENT, Ohio – Kent State continued to roll through Mid-American Conference competition Friday night with a 26-11 victory over rival Ohio at the M.A.C. Center. A second period pin by fifth-year senior Dustin Kilgore (Berea, Ohio) gave the Golden Flashes their first lead (9-3), which they kept throughout the dual..
“I thought our guys wrestled hard and were the more aggressive team,” Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. “Our young guys are learning to win and our older guys are doing what we expect them to do.”
Kilgore’s win came on the heels of a 6-0 shutout by senior Casey Newburg (Union, Ohio). Newburg used a third period takedown and tilt to secure his victory, while Kilgore (28-0) gradually wore down Ohio’s Phil Wellington. Kilgore now has 12 pins on the year including one in each of his last six dual meets. He ran his winning streak to 47 and dual meet winning streak to 57.
Senior Stevie Mitcheff (Lortain, Ohio) turned Tyler Heminger twice in each period, cruising to a 21-3 tech fall.
Freshman Mack McGuire (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) appeared to be in control of his 133-pound bout, before giving up a four-point move in the third period. McGuire stayed aggressive late in the third and into overtime as he finished off a shot for a 9-7 victory.
Two matches later, the Flashes found themselves in another nail-biter at 149. Redshirt freshman Nick Carr (South Fayette, Pa.) trailed 6-2 after the first period and 7-5 late in the third before a takedown with under 10 seconds to go also helped secure 1:06 of riding time and an 8-7 win.
“I just had to focus on scoring points,” Carr said. “I felt like I should have never been in that position, but I’ve got learn from my mistakes.”
Senior Tommy Sasfy (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) countered a Sparty Chino shot for a key takedown in the first period and hung on for a 5-2 victory. Sasfy had escapes in the second and third periods and 1:20 of riding time.
“I thought Tommy was more physical and controlled his match the whole time,” Andrassy said. “Overall he did a really good job tonight.”
Sophomore Caleb Marsh (Marysville, Ohio) closed the night out with a 2-1 victory over Harrison Hightower. Marsh, Mitcheff, Carr, Kilgore and Newburg all improved to 2-0 in MAC duals as did Kent State as team, winning its seventh straight conference dual.
The Golden Flashes (5-3, 2-0 MAC) look to continue their home success Sunday, hosting Clarion at 2 p.m.
Individual Results
125 Steve Mitcheff (KSU) won by tech fall over Tyler Heminger (Ohio) 6:43 21-3
133 Mackenzie McGuire (KSU) won in sudden victory 1 over Joseph Munos (Ohio) 9-7
141 Kagan Squire (Ohio) won by tech fall over Lukas Kern (KSU) 15-0
149 Nicholas Carr (KSU) won by decision over Andrew Romanchik (Ohio) 8-7
157 Tommy Sasfy (KSU) won by decision over Spartak Chino (Ohio) 5-2
165 Caleb Marsh (KSU) won by decision over Harrison Hightower (Ohio) 2-1
174 Cody Walters (Ohio) won by decision over Sam Wheeler (KSU) 8-2
184 Casey Newburg (KSU) won by decision over Ryan Garringer (Ohio) 6-0
197 Dustin Kilgore (KSU) won by pin over Phillip Wellington (Ohio) 4:42
285 Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) won by decision over Keith Witt (KSU) 2-0
Northern Iowa 18, Oklahoma 15
UNI Wrestling Knocks Off #13 Oklahoma
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team knocked off #13 Oklahoma 18-15 with some inspiration from the only Olympic champion in UNI’s history.
UNI remains undefeated at home for the season and against Oklahoma. The Sooners hadn’t been to the West Gym since 1950. In 1988, the Panthers took its final win in the series from the Sooners, who won the next three matchups on the road. That streak ended with tonight’s win.
“We keep preaching to our guys about effort,” said head coach Doug Schwab. “If you keep working hard and hustling, good things will happen. It was definitely a team effort tonight.”
For the second time in as many weeks, the dual’s fate came down to the final match, and UNI prevailed when heavyweight Blayne Beale got a last-second takedown to beat the Sooners’ Keldrick Hall and secure a team victory.
After a scoreless first period, Hall led the match 1-0 heading into the second period. Beale got an escape early in the third period and finished it with a takedown with just two seconds left on the clock.
The Panthers started the meet by dedicating the competition mat to Bill Smith, a former UNI wrestler. Smith is the United States' oldest Olympic wrestling gold medalist, capturing the gold medal in the 160.5-pound weight class at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland.
The Panthers got off to a slow start, but once David Bonin got a win at 157 pounds, the team was nearly unstoppable. Bonin took his match into double overtime to get the Panthers on the board, 3-12.
“We got behind, and guys responded,” said Schwab.
Jarrett Jensen lost to #4 Patrick “Bubby” Graham by decision in the 165-pound weight class, but momentum quickly returned to UNI’s favor. The Panthers refused to give up any bonus points and got a couple of its own in the 174-pound match.
After earning stalling points, Cody Caldwell was awarded a medical forfeit over Matt Reed to pull the Panthers within six points of Oklahoma.
“He kept making that guy work, and he got him to the point that he couldn’t even return to the match,” said Schwab.
From there, UNI took every match away from Oklahoma. Ryan Loder, who has given up just nine points all season to opponents added another decision to career wins at 184 pounds.
“I know he’s not happy that he got any bonus points,” said Schwab. “He sets out to get bonus points every time.”
Loder has now outscored his opponents 81-9.
Blaize Cabell just entered the dual lineup for the Panthers last weekend and got his first win in that spot against Brad Johnson. Cabell was down heading into the third period but earned enough points to get the one-point decision over Johnson, who had accumulated riding time.
“That was a huge comeback for him,” said Schwab. “I haven’t seen a match like that for him in the last two years. So that is a huge confidence booster.”
Oklahoma entered the dual with four guys ranked by Amateur Wrestling News. Joey Lazor, ranked 14th, faced the top wrestler in the nation at 141 pounds. Kendric Maple was the eventual winner, but Lazor kept it close, only losing by three points.
“It’s hard to come back when you get down as far as he did,” said Schwab. “But that should have built some confidence for Lazor that he is not that far from the top guy in the nation.”
At one point, Lazor was down four points.
“I like how he competed. I don’t think he conceded anything to that guy. I think he got stronger as the match went on, and he realized he could ride him,” said Schwab.
The win came in front of UNI’s largest crowd this season.
“The atmosphere was awesome. The crowd was incredible. It makes a difference for our guys,” said Schwab. “You could see the other team was uncomfortable with the crowd on top of them.”
UNI hits the road to take on Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Northwestern Sunday at noon and 2 p.m. The Panthers will return home Jan. 27 to close out their home season.
FINAL RESULTS: UNI 18, OU 15 UNI OU
124 – Kyle Garcia (OU) dec. Ryan Jauch (UNI), 3-2 0 3
133 – #10 Cody Brewer (OU) dec. #9 Levi Wolfensperger (UNI), 13-9 0 6
141 - #1 Kendric Maple (OU) dec. #14 Joey Lazor (UNI), 6-3 0 9
149 – #10 Nick Lester (OU) dec. Bart Reiter (UNI), 6-0 0 12
157 - David Bonin (UNI) dec. #15 Matt Lester, 5-3 SV2 3 12
165 – #4 Patrick “Bubby” Graham (OU) dec. Jarrett Jensen (UNI), 9-4 3 15
174 – Cody Caldwell (UNI) Matt Reed (OU) MFF 9 15
184 - #9 Ryan Loder (UNI) dec. Nolan McBryde (OU), 9-2 12 15
197 – Blaize Cabell (UNI) dec. Brad Johnson (OU), 10-9 15 15
285 – Blayne Beale (UNI) dec. (OU) Keldrick Hall (OU), 3-1 18 15