Preview: CMU Wrestling looks to build on last season
Coming off a season with many accolades, Central Michigan wrestling looks to continue its success into the 2023-2024 season.
Last season the Chippewas finished second in the Mid-American Conference, going 5-1 in the MAC to make them MAC West Division Champions for the second year in a row. The Chippewas also sent three wrestlers to the NCAA stage. Head coach Tom Borelli received MAC Wrestling Coach of the Year for the 15th time in his 32-year career.
This season, the Chippewas look to secure the MAC title after falling into second place the last four years.
“We’ve taken second in the last five years I’ve been in school,” graduate student Corbyn Munson said. “It sucks and I think right now we’re definitely capable of winning it. It is whether or not the young guys who are now older on the team step (up) and start doing their part, me included.”
CMU starts its season at home, hosting No. 21 Big 12 opponent Oklahoma on Thursday at 7 p.m.
“It really builds a lot of confidence,” Borelli said. “When you wrestle good competition, you find what your flaws are and what your strengths are, and you build on your strengths, and you improve your flaws."
Last season, the Chippewas saw five new wrestlers in their lineup. However, this year CMU will have a majority of the same lineup while welcoming some new faces and returners in new weight classes whom Borelli will lean on this season.
“Our seniors are doing a good job this year,” Borelli said. “Alex Cramer is working to be a leader, Johnny Lovett, Corbyn Munson, Tracy Hubbard and Vince Perez they’re all trying to help the young guys transition into college.”
Redshirt senior Alex Cramer stepped into the 174-pound starter position last season, finishing 31-10 overall and 6-0 in MAC duals. He placed first at the MAC tournament, had an 18-match win streak and finished the season 1-2 at the NCAA tournament.
Munson, who wrestled in the 157-pound weight class last year, has dropped weight and is returning to the 149-pound weight class where he has wrestled at since his freshman year.
Last season Munson finished the season with a 26-14 record and 5-0 in MAC duals. He placed fifth at the MAC Championship and qualified for the NCAA tournament for his second-consecutive season.
Filling Munson’s spot in the 157-pound weight class is redshirt senior Johnny Lovett who wrestled in the 149-weight class last season. Lovett finished the year 20-11, placed first at the MAC Championship and finished the season 1-2 at the NCAA tournament.
Aside from the returning seniors that Borelli will rely on, the Chippewas welcome in a few new faces who are looking to make their way into the lineup.
“I saw some good things from our young guys,” Borelli said. “Some real good things from some of our freshmen that we just recruited. They’ve only been here a couple of months, but we saw some really good things from them. Those kinds of things make you think about your lineup.”
Among those freshmen is Kaden Chinavare who took on redshirt sophomore Sean Spidle in the 125-pound intermural match, Bryaden Gautreau who battled against Cramer in the 174-pound intermural dual, and Andrew Austin who took on Perez in the 133-pound weight class.
Aside from new faces to the program, redshirt sophomore Adrien Cramer and redshirt sophomore Cody Brenner look to fill the spot in the 184-weight class, following the graduation of Ben Cushman. The two grappled with each other in the intermural matchup, with Brenner coming out victorious with the 4-1 win.
Following Oklahoma, CMU has a tough schedule ahead traveling to East Lansing to compete in the Michigan State Open, followed by North Carolina, Illinois, and Indiana.
“Personally, I like it because I get to wrestle the top 10 kids in the country,” Munson said. “And I think I’m right there with them and so being able to get a chance to see where we are compared to a top kid in the Big 10 and others around the country is great.”
