MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
MAC Wrestler of the Week
Drake Houdashelt, Missouri—Sophomore, O’Fallon, Mo.
Missouri sophomore Drake Houdashelt won two matches last weekend both by major decision against Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa. In his match against Northern Illinois, Houdashelt was a scoring machine in his 18-6 major over Rob Jillard. Houdashelt tallied eight takedowns with six in the third period alone. Houdashelt leads the squad with nine major decisions on the season after his 12-3 win over Bart Reiter of Northern Iowa.
Additional Nominees:
Nick Whitenburg, Eastern Michigan—Junior, Temperance, Mich. (Bedford High School)
Eastern Michigan junior Nick Whitenburg moved to 2-0 in MAC action this season and clinched a 22-17 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday with a pin over Parker Settecase at 5:54 of the 197 lbs. match. With Eastern Michigan ahead by just two points, 16-14, with two matches to decide, Whitenburg notched his first pin of the season, his third straight victory, and sixth win of the year in an injury-shortened season. The Eagles rolled past the Huskies for a second consecutive season to improve to 7-10 and 1-2 in the MAC.
Kevin Fanta, Northern Illinois—Junior, Lake Zurich, Ill. (Lake Zurich High School)
Northern Illinois junior Kevin Fanta continued to improve his NCAA resume over the weekend with two wins Saturday against MAC foes Missouri and Eastern Michigan. The redshirt junior began his day with a 7-3 win against Eastern Michigan's Seth Schaner, then followed that up with a convincing 6-1 decision against 2012 NCAA qualifier Nicholas Hucke of No. 7 Missouri. The two wins pushes Fanta's winning streak to six, while capping off an undefeated January. In the past two seasons, the Lake Zurich, Ill., native has gone an impressive 10-0 in the first month of the calendar year.
Ryan Loder, Northern Iowa—Junior, Granite Bay, Calif. (Granite Bay High School)
Northern Iowa junior Ryan Loder upset Missouri’s Mike Larson at the Panthers’ first MAC dual of the year. Loder got near fall points just as time was expiring in the second period and his third-period escape secured the win. Loder remains undefeated in duals and is ranked sixth in the NCAA Coaches Rankings. He has six pins, two technical falls and five major decision wins so far this season. Loder was fourth at Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30 and has the fifth-highest winning percentage among Northern Iowa Panthers who have had at least 50 wins and competed at least two seasons. Loder has a career record of 88-20 and his overall record for the season is 23-3.
Ryan Garringer, Ohio—Junior, Downers Grove, Ill. (Hinsdale South High School)
Ohio junior Ryan Garringer helped lead the Ohio University wrestling team to a pair of wins this weekend at home as he posted a perfect 2-0 record at 184 pounds. In 2012-13, Garringer has a 15-13 mark. His first victory came in the form of a major decision against Buffalo’s Dominic Montesanti, which helped secure a 26-13 team victory over the Bulls. His second win was a pin of No. 18-ranked John-Martin Cannon from Michigan State, which helped propelled the Bobcats to their first win over the Spartans since the 1929-30 campaign.