MAC Names Wrestler of the Week
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
MAC Wrestler of the Week
Cody Walters, Ohio—Junior, Macedonia, Ohio
Ohio junior Cody Walters earned his third tournament title of the season on Sunday, Dec. 21 when he claimed first place in the 174 weight class at the 2014 Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev. The redshirt junior opened the day with a 6-0 decision over Sohrab Movahedi of Cal Poly, continuing on to earn a 10-6 decision over Oklahoma’s Matt Reed in the semifinals. He solidified his championship by defeating Wyoming’s Andy McCulley in a 3-1 decision. Walters currently holds a 18-1 overall record and is 3-1 in duel competition.
Additional Nominees:
Newton Smerchek, Central Michigan—Redshirt Freshman, Casco, Wis. (Luxemburg-Casco High School)
Central Michigan redshirt freshman heavyweight Newton Smerchek stepped into the spotlight and stole it last Saturday afternoon, helping Central Michigan improve to 2-0 in MAC competition. Holding a tenuous 15-12 lead heading into the final match of a dual meet with Northern Illinois, Central Michigan needed a decision to secure a win over the Huskies. It got just that and in dramatic fashion from Smerchek. The Casco, Wis. native thrilled the partisan crowd by pinning NIU's Arthur Bunce just 1:06 into the match, lifting the Chippewas to the 21-12 win. The fall was Smerchek's third of the season and provided him with his seventh win in his last eight matches.
Ty Buckwalter, Kent State—Junior, Mill Hall, Pa.
Kent State junior Tyler Buckwalter went 3-0 at the Missouri Duals, helping Kent State to victories over SIU Edwardsville and South Dakota State. He earned a 9-7 victory over Missouri’s Cody Johnston for his first dual win of the year. Buckwalter then recorded back-to-back pins against SIU Edwardsville’s Casey Bartree on the second period and South Dakota State’s John Nething in the first period. Buckwalter is now 12-9 on the season with three pins and four major decisions.
Mikey England, Missouri—Senior, Centerville, Iowa
Missouri senior Mikey England posted two dominating wins this past week for Mizzou wrestling, helping the team improve to 12-0 this season. As a part of three home duals last Friday, Dec. 19 at Mizzou Arena, England recorded a key pin at 3:51 against No. 13 Caleb Marsh (Kent State) and followed that up with a 12-2 major decision over David Kocer (South Dakota State). Against Marsh and Kent State, the MAC dual was close heading into England’s 174 pound matchup with Mizzou holding onto a 13-9 lead. The fall and six team points by the redshirt senior would catapult the Tigers to a 26-14 dual win over the Golden Flashes. The two wins this past weekend improved England’s 2014-15 record to 13-3 overall.
Blaize Cabell, Northern Iowa—Junior, Independence, Iowa
Northern Iowa junior Blaize Cabell earned three more wins at the Grapple at the Garden last Sunday to stay perfect in dual competition. He earned two major decisions and a decision win. The first major decision came against Brendan Walsh of Duke. Cabell was up 10-4 and had 1:05 in riding time after the first period. He went on to take the match 20-8 with 2:17 in riding time. Cabell beat Drexel’s Joey Goodhart 8-4 and earned 1:16 in riding time before topping of the day with a second major decision over Cornell’s Jacob Aiken-Phillips, 15-5. He was the only Panther to win all three duals at the Grapple at the Garden. Cabell improves to 14-4 overall and 6-0 in duals. He has not wrestled a MAC dual yet. He is ranked 15th in the nation by Intermat.
