Mid-American Conference

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLER OF THE WEEK

MAC Wrestler of the Week
Zach Horan, Central Michigan—Junior, Nazareth, Pa. (Nazareth High School)

Central Michigan junior Zach Horan, the MAC's No. 1 wrestler at 141 lbs., posted another win against a nationally-ranked competitor in Central Michigan's home setback to Old Dominion last weekend. Ranked No. 8 in the nation, Horan defeated No. 12 Chris Mecate of ODU in a hard-fought match, 3-1, in overtime to secure the Chippewas their second victory of the day. With the win, Horan remained undefeated on the season in the MAC, upping his unblemished record to 7-0, and raised his overall season mark to 15-4.

Additional Nominees:
Brandon Zeerip, Eastern Michigan—Senior, Freemont, Mich. (Hesperia High School)

Eastern Michigan senior Brandon Zeerip surpassed the 20-win mark with a 2-0 record in the Green and White's weekend duals. Zeerip first earned a 5-3 decision over T.C. Warner of Old Dominion with two takedowns and the riding time point to give EMU its second bout victory of the night. Following the Fremont, Mich. win against Old Dominion, the 157 lb. grappler helped to propel the Eagles to their first Mid-American Conference victory of the season, defeating Buffalo, 22-10. Zeerip got out to a quick lead over Ryan Kromer en route to a 14-4 major decision. This season, Zeerip boasts a 21-10 overall record and a 5-2 record in conference action.

Alan Waters, Missouri—Senior, O’Fallon, Mo. 

Missouri senior Alan Waters improved to 24-0 this season after defeating American’s No. 17 David Terao by 5-0 decision on Sunday, Feb. 15. The win marked his eighth triumph over a ranked opponent this season, and helped solidify his No. 1 ranking in the country at 125 pounds. Going more in-depth on his ranked wins this season, five of those have come against top-10 foes. Waters’ victory also helped Mizzou cruise to a 34-3 dual win over American, as the Tigers advanced to this weekend’s 2015 National Duals Finals in Iowa City, Iowa.

Derek Elmore, Northern Illinois—Senior, Loves Park, Ill. (Harlem High School)

Northern Illinois senior Derek Elmore picked up his 20th win of the season Friday with a 5-3 decision against Kent State's Del Vinas. Following a scoreless first period, the NIU senior broke the scoreless tie with an escape, then nailed a takedown and got two nearfall points before the period was over to build an insurmountable 5-0 advantage. Elmore leads the Huskies with 81 dual meet points and is tied for the team lead with a 20-9 record.

Dylan Peters, Northern Iowa—Sophomore, Denver, Iowa

Northern Iowa sophomore Dylan Peters grabbed a first-period fall against Iowa State's Kyle Larson to crack Northern Iowa’s top 10 for career falls.  Peters worked on the fall for nearly a minute when he finally got the call with three seconds left in the first period. Peters’ fall in 2 minutes, 57 seconds gets Peters in the school record books for a second time. With 28 career falls, Peters cracked the top 10 for most falls in a career among all Panthers. He earned 18 last season to tie for fourth among Panthers with most falls in a single season. Out of his 10 falls so far this season, six have come in the first period. He leads the Panthers in dual scoring with 64 points in 15 duals. He has earned bonus points in nine of 15 duals.  Peters improves to 19-4 overall, 12-3 in duals. He is 6-1 in MAC duals.

Cody Walters, Ohio—Junior, Macedonia, Ohio

Ohio junior Cody Walters recorded a 10-1 major decision on Sunday afternoon in a duel against West Virginia’s Weston ‘Parker’ VonEgidy, marking his 20th consecutive triumph. The redshirt junior fought through Mid-American regular season competition undefeated, and holds a team-high record of 26-1 at the 174-class.

Tristan Warner, Old Dominion—Senior, Mechanicsburg, Pa. (Cumberland Valley HS)

Old Dominion senior Tristan Warner led the Monarchs to a 2-0 weekend with two more dual wins to bring his season total to 15-0 on the season and 6-0 in the MAC. In the 25-13 win over Eastern Michigan, Warner recorded his third tech fall of the season with a 17-1 margin over Austin Geerlings. He notched three takedowns, one reversal, two three-point nearfalls and two penalty points during his match. He followed with a 6-1 decision over No. 31 Jordan Wohlfert, which marked his fifth decision of the year. He currently leads the team with 56 dual points earned and is the only ODU wrestler with an unblemished dual and MAC record.