KENT, Ohio – For the eighth straight year, the Central Michigan University wrestling program can call itself a champion.The Chippewas, ranked fourth nationally, defeated Kent State, 23-15, in the regular season finale on Sunday to earn their eighth Mid-American Conference regular season title in a row.
The Chippewas received key wins from Jason Borrelli at 133, Andy Keller at 157, Brandon Sinnott at 174 and Wynn Michalak at 197.
“This was a tough week for us, “said 15th-year head coach Tom Borrelli. “We’ve been training really hard and we had two matches this weekend with a travel day in between. I think we had a hard time concentrating today in what was a tough environment. I was happy that we won, but I wasn’t necessarily happy with how we won.”
Kent State opened an early 3-0 lead with Chad Sportelli posted a 4-1 decision over Luke Smith. Borrelli immediately answered, however, with a 10-2 major over Drew Opfer.
Brandon Carter and Mark DiSalvo stretched the CMU lead to 10-3 with decisions at 141 and 149, respectively, and Keller followed with a 13-4 major at 157.
Kent State jumped right back into the match when Jason McGee pinned Trevor Stewart at 165. The fall cut CMU’s lead to 14-9 with four bouts remaining. Brandon Sinnott stalled the Kent State rally with a 4-3 decision over Aaron Miller at 174, but Alex Camargo kept the Flashes within striking distance with a 2-1 decision over Christian Sinnott at 184.
CMU led 17-12 entering the 197-pound bout, when top-ranked Wynn Michalak took the mat against Ardian Ramadani. Ramadani took Michalak down early in the opening period and the CMU sophomore spent the majority of the first period on his back. After escaping, Michalak scored a takedown and eventually earned the fall at the 2:25 mark.
The pin was Michalak’s 13th this season and 24th of his career, moving him into a tie for eighth on CMU’s single-season pins list and sole possession of ninth on the career list. The top-ranked 197-pounder in the country, Michalak is now 27-1 this season.
Jermail Porter closed the dual with a 5-2 decision over Bubba Gritter at heavyweight.
The victory extends CMU’s conference winning streak to 19. The Chippewas have 43 of their last 44 conference duals dating back to the 1997-98 season.
“A lot of people thought this was going to be a rebuilding year for us, ” Borrelli said. “I think some of the other schools in the conference thought this would be a down year and that they would be able to get us. I am really happy with how we came together as a dual meet team, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. This is our second season now.”
The Chippewas now have 12 days to prepare for the 2006 MAC Championships. Northern Illinois will host the event on March 3-4. CMU has won seven of the past eight MAC Championships titles, including four in a row.
No. 4 Central Michigan 23, Kent State 15
125: No. 15 Chad Sportelli (KSU) dec. No. 12 Luke Smith (CMU), 4-1
133: No. 12 Jason Borrelli (CMU) maj. dec. Drew Opfer (KSU), 10-2
141: Brandon Carter (CMU) dec. Drew Lashaway (KSU), 8-6
149: No. 5 Mark DiSalvo (CMU) dec. Jason Bake (KSU), 3-2
157: Andy Keller (CMU) maj. dec. Kurt Gross (KSU), 13-4
165: Jason McGee (KSU) pin Trevor Stewart (CMU), 4:58
174: No. 19 Brandon Sinnott (CMU) dec. Aaron Miller (KSU), 4-3
184: No. 16 Alex Camargo dec. No. 19 Christian Sinnott, 2-1
197: No. 1 Wynn Michalak (CMU) pin Ardian Ramadani (KSU), 2:25
285: Jermail Porter (KSU) dec. No. 13 Bubba Gritter, 5-2
Wrestling Gear
