On Sunday, that crucial factor hit home for the Chippewas.
CMU's Newton Smerchek defeated Jesse Webb, 2-1, in the heavyweight match to lift the Chippewas to a 16-15 victory over Ohio in a Mid-American Conference dual at McGuirk Arena.
CMU, which is ranked 16th, improved to 5-1 overall, 2-0 MAC. No. 21 Ohio is 5-2, 1-2.
Smerchek and Webb were tied, 1-1, when the final buzzer sounded. Smerchek earned the riding-time point as he held the advantage for 1 minute, 41 seconds of the match.
Both teams won five matches and the score stood 15-15 after Smerchek's win. The Chippewas won the meet based on the third tie-breaker, total points, which ended 39-36 in their favor.
"I think we found out (Saturday) how important riding is," Borrelli said. "Oregon State wore us out on top and we tried to do that today."
The meet was about as even as one can get and, after 15th-ranked Phil Wellington defeated CMU's Jackson Lewis, 4-1, at 197, the Bobcats led, 15-12.
Smerchek stepped on the mat knowing he needed a victory to pull the Chippewas even and give them a chance to win the tie-breaker.
"I just told him to be himself," Borrelli said. "Newton knows what he has to do to win. He's got to be good on top, which is what he did today. He's just got to be himself, he's got to wrestle from the positions he's good at. He really did a good job on top today."
Equally as important as riding time for the Chippewas were aggressiveness and striving to score as many points as possible. Eight of the 10 matches were decided by two points or less, and another, Lewis' loss to Wellington, was decided by just three points.
CMU's Brent Fleetwood defeated Shakur Laney, 9-2, in the day's opening bout, 125 pounds. Fleetwood's margin of victory eventually proved critical.
"I would say that was the difference in the dual meet," Borrelli said. "When I say that I mean him scoring nine points in that match. That was huge.
"(Fleetwood) was good on top today. He turned the guy and got a four-point near-fall. He was real good on top and that's his best position."
Another key came at 174, where CMU's Mike Ottinger defeated Cody Walters, 3-2. Ottinger got a reversal with 45 seconds remaining. Ottinger is ranked 12th in the weight class, Walters is ninth and placed first a week ago at the prestigious Midlands Championships.
It was Ottinger's fourth victory in five career meetings with Walters.
"Just keeping my composure (was key)," said Ottinger, a senior. "I've wrestled so many good guys in the last month. I think he got kind of amped up for it, and I just went out like it was just another match."
Which, he added, was the Chippewas' philosophy coming into the Ohio meet despite the 26-9 loss on Saturday to Oregon State.
"I think we were motivated by the loss a little bit, but we were just trying to get ready for the next one," Ottinger said. "Coach keeps pressing about don't let it bother you, don't get too high or low.
"You just kind of put your head down and keep going. We've got to wrestle Missouri next week. There's no time to be happy or sad."
The Chippewas' other victories came from Zach Horan (141), 4-3 over Noah Forrider; and freshman Justin Oliver (149), 5-3 over Cullen Cummings.
It was CMU's fifth consecutive dual meet victory over the Bobcats. Ohio has beaten the Chippewas just once since 1998.
"I know Ohio really, really wants us bad," Borrelli said. "They haven't beat us in a long time. They thought they were going to get us today and our guys responded pretty well.
"I didn't tell them too much. I just said, 'Are you ready to compete?' (Ottinger) had a really huge win. (Smerchek) came through for us. There were some other matches where we kind of left them out there. But you've got to give (Ohio) credit too.
"Anytime you win you feel a lot better about yourself. I think when you have some success, especially as a team, I think you can be harder on the guys in practice because they understand, 'Hey, we can get better.'
"They feel good about themselves. When you keep getting knocked down and you try to be hard on guys, it's tough."
Results:
125 pounds: Brent Fleetwood (CMU) decisioned Shakur Laney, 9-2.
133: Cameron Kelly (OU) def. Corey Keener, 3-2.
141: Zach Horan (CMU) def. Noah Forrider, 4-3.
149: Justin Oliver (CMU) def. Cullen Cummings, 5-3.
157: Spartak Chino (OU) def. Luke Smith, 4-3.
165: Austin Reese (OU) def. Jordan Atienza, 9-7 SV-1.
174: Mike Ottinger (CMU) def. Cody Walters, 3-2.
184: Andrew Romanchik (OU) def. Jordan Ellingwood (CMU), 5-3.
197: Phil Wellington (OU) def. Jackson Lewis, 4-1.
HWT: Newton Smerchek (CMU) def. Jesse Webb, 2-1.
CMU wins on tie-breaker, most match points, 39-36.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now