Central Michigan 174 lber Alex Cramer (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)Happy Tuesday, and Happy Valentine's Day! Welcome back to Week #4 of the Top 5 Memorable MAC Moments, nominated by YOU!
Last week, I stated that the MAC was NOT messing around, and we're coming for the big dogs. Obviously, they didn't want to let me down. . . and to no surprise, the MAC showed up big! I rest my case.
Without further ado, here are this week's Top 5 Memorable MAC Moments.
#5: Northern Illinois' West defeats Northwesterns' #8 DeAugustino in OT
In this MAC-Big 10 Conference matchup at 125lbs, Blake West of Northern Illinois defeated #8 Michael DeAugustino of Northwestern 7-2 in OT. West improves his season record to 18-7.
West has a five-match win-streak, previously defeating Eli Griffin from Cal Baptist by a decision of 6-5, Sean Spidle of Central Michigan 4-3, Ohio's Oscar Sanchez 3-2, and Mason Bush of Buffalo by an 8-4 decision.
West and his teammates will next face at SIU Edwardsville on Sunday, February 19th. Wrestling will begin at 1:00pm.
#4: Kent State Dominated Bloomsburg on Senior Night
This weekend, Kent State dominated Bloomsburg on Senior Night. Four seniors topped their opponents, helping the Flashes to a 32-9 victory. Jake Ferri (125) triumphed over Bronson Garber by a 14-6 major decision; earning bonus points. Kody Komara (149) downed Cade Balestrini by a 3-2 decision. Mason Karpinski (174) defeated Anthony DeRosa by a decision of 4-1. Lastly, Tyler Bates (184) shutout Bruno Stolfi 6-0.
Four additional Flashes won their matches. Louis Newell (133) won by a 7-3 decision over Cole Rhone. Keegan Knapp (157) majored John Noah Reho 18-7, earning a bonus point. Enrique Munguia (165) won by fall over Trenton Harder in 1:20, and Blake Schaffer (197) won by forfeit.
Kent State will be back in action at the MAC Championships on Friday, March 3rd and Saturday, March 4th in Fairfax, Virginia.
#3: SIU Edwardsville Defeats Ohio and Little Rock at First Community Arena
On Sunday, SIU Edwardsville secured two dual victories, defeating both Ohio (21-15) and Little Rock (22-14) at First Community Arena. This improved the Cougars overall season record to 6-7.
In the clean sweep, five Cougars went 2-0 on the day. Aaron Schulist (133) defeated Nolan Frye of Ohio by fall in 1:54 and Josh Sarpy of Little Rock by a 14-6 major decision. Saul Ervin (141) topped Kyran Hagan from Ohio by a 3-0 decision and Brennan Van Hoecke from Little Rock by fall in 7:25. Caleb Tyus (149) won by a 3-0 decision over Alec Hagan of Ohio and 6-2 decision over Joey Bianchi of Little Rock. Ryan Yarnell (197) triumphed over Carson Brewer from Ohio by a 2-0 decision and Matthew Weinert from Little Rock by a 6-0 decision. Colton McKiernan (HWT) topped Jacob Padilla of Ohio by fall in 2:12 and Josiah Hill of Little Rock by a 3-0 decision.
One additional Cougar had a close victory over their opponent. Sergio Villalobos (184) won by a 3-2 decision over Mason Diel from Little Rock.
The Cougars will look to defeat their in-state rivals from Northern Illinois on Sunday, February 19th at 1:00pm.
#2: Rider Sweeps Weekend Duals over Edinboro and Clarion
The Broncs swept both of their duals this past weekend, downing Edinboro (28-6) and Clarion (25-12). This improved the Broncs overall season record to 6-5.
On Friday, eight Broncs were victorious over their opponents from Edinboro. Tyler Klinsky (125) defeated Eamonn Jimenez by a 23-8 major decision. Richie Koehler (133) won by a 4-1 decision over Cam Soda. McKenzie Bell (141) topped Zach Soda by a 10-0 major decision. Hunter Mays (165) downed Alex Garee by a decision of 8-6.
Michael Wilson (174) defeated Joey Arnold by a close 2-0 decision. Isaac Dean (184) won by a decision of 3-1 in sudden victory over Jack Kilner. Ethan Laird (197) topped Cody Mulligan by a decision of 5-3. David Szuba (HWT) came up big with a win over Nick Lodato by a 13-1 major decision.
On Sunday, seven Broncs won their matches over their opponents from Clarion. Richie Koehler (133) won by a 3-1 decision over Mason Prinkey. McKenzie Bell (141) defeated Seth Koleno by a 9-0 major decision. Quinn Kinner (149) topped Kyle Schickel by a 16-0 tech fall. Colton Washleski (157) downed Trevor Elfvin by a close 4-3 decision. Michael Wilson (174) won by a 7-3 decision over John Worthing. Ethan Laird (197) won by a 13-5 major decision over Tyler Bagoly. David Szuba (HWT) won by a 3-1 decision over Austin Chapman.
The next conference battle will take place on Friday, February 17th, where Rider will face George Mason at home. Wrestling is slated to begin at 2:00pm.
#1: Central Michigan Crowned MAC West Champs
With their 27-6 win over Buffalo on Sunday, Central Michigan was once again crowned the MAC West Champions. The win over Buffalo improved their overall season record to 6-8; 5-1 in the MAC.
Eight Chippewas helped to secure the MAC West title. Sean Spidle (125) won by a 5-2 decision over Mason Bush. Vince Perez (133) defeated Tommy Maddox by fall in 6:03. Jimmy Nugent (141) topped Jack Marlow by a close 7-5 decision. Johnny Lovett (149) downed Kaleb Burgess 8-3. Corbyn Munson (157) edged Michael Petite 7-5. Tracy Hubbard (165) defeated Marcus Petite by a tight 3-2 decision. Alex Cramer (174) topped Jay Nivison 7-3. Bryan Caves (HWT) downed Eli Sheeran by a decision of 6-3.
The Chippewas will be back in action on Friday, February 17th against Michigan State. Wrestling will begin at 7:00pm.
Before I close out this week's Top 5 Memorable MAC Moments, Cleveland State University will have their Giving Day on Thursday, February 16th. Giving Day is a one-day fundraising campaign held each year at Cleveland State. All donations will go directly to the selected program of choice (wrestling).
This Thursday, please help to support a small Division I wrestling program and its student-athletes. In addition to the overall fundraiser, there is a competition amongst programs on campus at Cleveland State to see who can get the most unique donors. Remember, no donation is too small. ALL donations count. To find out more information and to support Cleveland State on Giving Day (Thursday, February 16th), please visit the following link: GivingDay2023.
MAC Match-Ups (January 7 - January 13)
Clarion vs. Buffalo (23-9 Buffalo)
Rider vs. Edinboro (28-6 Rider)
Northwestern vs. Northern Illinois (30-6 Northwestern)
Cleveland State vs. Bloomsburg (30-9 Cleveland State)
Lock Haven vs. George Mason (24-15 Lock Haven)
Lock Haven vs. American (24-9 Lock Haven)
SIU Edwardsville vs. Ohio (21-15 SIU Edwardsville)
Little Rock vs. Ohio (28-12 Little Rock)
SIU Edwardsville vs. Little Rock (22-14 SIU Edwardsville)
Rider vs. Clarion (25-12 Rider)
Kent State vs. Bloomsburg (32-9 Kent State)
Central Michigan vs. Buffalo (27-6 Central Michigan)
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