Wrestling team eliminated from National Duals
Injuries halted the undefeated dual-match streak for the wrestling team at the National Duals tournament this weekend.
CMU opened the tournament with a 28-12 victory over Northwestern before falling to Minnesota 25-9. Central then fell to No. 22 Wisconsin in the consolation bracket and was eliminated from competition.
“We need to get healthy,” said coach Tom Borrelli. “That’s the story of our team right now. You can’t go into a competition like that with the injuries we have and expect to be successful.”
After beating Northwestern in the first round, the Chippewas faced an early deficit against Minnesota. They were down 16 points before No. 19 165-pounder Tyler Grayson won the team’s first match.
CMU then lost the next two matches as No. 5 174-pounder Ben Bennett lost a one-point bout to No. 13 Scott Glasser and No. 12 184-pounder Mike Miller could not finish his match with an injury.
Injuries had already altered the CMU roster and, with Miller out, the team had to fill another hole against Wisconsin. The match started out well for Central with a win by No. 10 125-pounder Matt Steintrager. However, the Badgers rallied and won the next seven matches, closing the door on CMU’s tournament.
“A lot of our wrestlers went through a little baptism by fire this weekend,” Borrelli said. “But they preformed at what I expected and I believe that they can still improve.”
Trice continues success
No. 4 heavyweight Jarod Trice continued to find success for the Chippewas as he went 3-0 in the tournament. The sophomore improved his record to 11-1 on the season.
“I have been trusting my coaches more when I am on the mat,” Trice said. “I have been working on my conditioning and being tougher on the mat.”
Steintrager finished with a 2-1 record, losing only to No. 6 Zach Sanders of Minnesota. “Its hard to say when the injured guys are going to be back,” Borrelli said. “Hopefully, the latest will be a month, but it is too soon to tell.”
Central now has a dual record of 8-2 and returns home for its next dual match on Jan. 17 against Stanford. “When those guys get back, we are going to be a great team again,” Trice said. “We are still going to have a good run at nationals.”
