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    Central Michigan wins eighth consecutive MAC title

    YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Central Michigan claimed four individual titles on its way to its eighth consecutive Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships team title Sunday afternoon.

    CMU finished with 111.5 team points. Kent State was the runner-up with 82.5 points, while Northern Illinois was third with 47.5.

    Winning individual titles for CMU were Scotti Sentes (125 pounds), Steve Brown (149), Trevor Stewart (165) and Mike Miller (174).

    All 10 Chippewas finished in the top three of their weight class. Finishing runner-up were Conor Beebe (133), Tony D'Alie (141), Tyler Grayson (157), Vince DiDona (184) and Jarod Trice (285). Eric Simaz placed third at 197 pounds.

    Eight Chippewas—Sentes, Beebe, D'Alie, Brown, Stewart, Miller, DiDona and Trice—have earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.

    CMU's eight-year winning streak at the conference tournament is the longest in MAC history. The 111.5 team points the Chippewas scored marks the fourth-highest total in MAC Championships history.

    CMU has won 13 conference tournament titles overall.

    CMU began Sunday's session with eight individuals in the finals of their respective weight classes.

    In the 125-pound final, Sentes led Kent State's Nic Bedelyon 4-0 after a takedown and two back points in the first period. Bedelyon drew within 5-2 with a third-period takedown, but a late takedown by Sentes provided the final margin.

    Brown, the conference's 157-pound champion in 2008, won the 149-pound title with a 6-1 decision over Buffalo's Desmond Green. Takedowns in both of the first two periods gave Brown a 4-1 advantage, and he added a third-period escape and riding time.

    Stewart won his second consecutive conference title at 165 pounds, pinning Kent State's Obie Simpson. Stewart took down and cradled Simpson midway through the first period and scored the fall at the 2:23 mark.

    Miller, the 2007 MAC champion at 165 pounds, won his first MAC title at 174 by pinning Buffalo's Nate Rock in the first period. The fall came at the 2:47 mark.

    Four other Chippewas were defeated in championship bouts.

    Beebe finished runner-up at 133 after placing third each of the last two seasons. He and Kent State's Danny Mitcheff were tied 2-2 entering the third period, but Mitcheff pulled away with an escape, takedown and riding time.

    D'Alie was the runner-up at 141 pounds in his first conference tournament appearance. Kent State's Drew Lashaway tallied two takedowns and three back points in the first period of the championship bout.

    DiDona also finished runner-up in his first conference tournament, falling to Kent State's Dustin Kilgore, 12-1, in the 184-pound final. DiDona rebounded to secure second place with a 5-2 decision over Buffalo's Mickey Moran in a true-second match.

    True freshman Jarod Trice finished second at heavyweight. He dropped a 6-2 decision to Kent State's Jermail Porter, who won his first individual MAC title.

    CMU's Tyler Grayson (157) and Eric Simaz (197) entered Sunday's action still alive in the consolation bracket. Grayson defeated Kent State's Ross Tice, 8-3, in the consolation final, then posted a 5-2 decision over Ohio's Clay Tucker in a true-second match.

    At 197, Eric Simaz clinched third place by pinning Kent State's Eric Chine at the 4:59 mark in the consolation finals.

    The 2008-09 wrestling season concludes with the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. The three-day tournament begins March 17.

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