Chippewa grapplers earn preseason ranking
Chris McCarty
The preseason ranking comes from Internet.
“The message that this ranking sends is that our program has gained a lot of respect at the national level,” said Head Coach Tom Borrelli.
The ranking may come as a surprise to some as the Chippewas continue to lull in preseason conference rankings from Mid-American Conference coaches.
“In the MAC we’re seen as a target for other teams. So I feel we really don’t get the respect that we deserve,” Borrelli said.
“That’s one thing our guys take a lot of pride in. We look at it as a privilege and not a pressure.”
CMU was the only MAC team to receive an Intermat ranking.
Leading the charge for the Chippewas is 141-pounder Jason Mester. Mester comes off a freshman season that ended with an appearance at the NCAA championship as a No. 10 seed.
“We expected Jason to be ranked this high considering he was ranked tenth going into nationals even though he didn’t do as well as he expected he could have,” Borrelli said.
Also bringing home a ranking for the Chippewas is redshirt freshman David Bolyard. Bolyard is the preseason No. 19 157-pounder.
“I believe this is a first for our program. To have a wrestler that has never wrestled a NCAA Division I match come into a season ranked 19 is a big compliment to our program,” Borrelli said.
Bolyard, from Akron, OH, takes over at 157 for the Chippewas. Last year at 157 Russell Clark and Brad Anderson saw action.
Junior Brett Faustman brings in the No. 20 ranking at 197 pounds.
Receiving the rank of “special mention” for CMU was 149-pound Tyler Morgan and heavyweight Jack Leffler.
“We expected to see some guys like Tyler and Jordan (Webster) ranked in the top 20 this year,” Borrelli said.
Getting “honorable mentions” were Jason Borrelli at 125 pounds and Webster at 133.
Jason Borrelli is the son of Head Coach Tom Borrelli and is slated to wrestle at 125 pounds for the Chippewas.
The Mount Pleasant High School product is replacing Chippewa wrestling fixture Ahmad Sanders at 125.
“Right now we’re waiting to see if Jason (Borrelli) can qualify at 125. He has to get down to that weight and prove that he can stay healthy at that weight,” Tom Borrelli said.
CMU’s in-state rivals University of Michigan and Michigan State were both ranked ahead of the Chippewas.
U of M comes into 2001-02 ranked No. 4 in the nation and returns five All-Americans from last year’s squad.
“Michigan is ranked fourth, but I think they’re much better than that. They return more All-Americans than anyone besides Minnesota who has eight coming back. In my mind they’re No. 2 in the nation,” Borrelli said.
The Chippewas will face Michigan Dec. 8 in Ann Arbor.
The Spartans come to the season ranked No. 17 and will square off against CMU on Nov. 28 in Rose Arena.
CMU wrestling will open its season at the Michigan State Open in East Lansing on Nov. 17. Chippewa wrestlers will wrestle unattached at the event.
Wrestling Notes:
The 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships are scheduled to take place at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
“The bad thing about that is most of the young guys we have will be graduated by then and hopefully we’ll have won our title at that point. Hopefully they’ll help build our program up so we can maintain a championship level till then,” Borrelli said.
