MAC Announces Wrestler of the Week
MAC Announces Wrestler of the Week
Kyle Conel, Kent State
RS-Freshman, Ashtabula, Ohio (Lakeside)
Conel was the only Kent State wrestler to go 4-0 at the Virginia Duals, helping the Golden Flashes go 3-1 with a Silver Bracket title. Conel gave the Flashes bonus points in their 32-6 win over George Mason with a 17-2 tech fall over Cameron Houston. He earned a 3-2 victory over Iowa State’s Marcus Harrington. Conel’s 4-2 triumph over Rory Bonner clinched Kent State’s win over Bucknell. The next day, another clutch win by Conel secured a Flashes’ victory. His 6-2 decision over Austin Coburn helped Kent State to a 23-13 win over Old Dominion. Conel is on an eight-match winning streak and is 10-0 in dual meets this year, helping the Flashes to an 8-3 mark.
Other Nominees:
Mike Ottinger, Central Michigan
Senior, Schnecksville, Pa. (Parkland)
Senior 174-lber. Mike Ottinger posted a 2-0 record for the weekend, helping Central Michigan to a split of dual meets. Versus Oregon State on Saturday, the Schnecksville, Pa. native beat Tyler Chay, 7-5, to earn three of CMU’s nine team points. On Sunday, Ottinger was the centerpiece of a big 16-15 win over No. 21 Ohio, keeping the Chippewas undefeated in MAC duals (2-0). Ottinger upset the Bobcats’ Cody Walters, 3-2, using a reversal with 45 seconds remaining to secure the victory. Ottinger is ranked 12th in the weight class, Walters is ninth and placed first a week ago at the prestigious Midlands Championships. Ottinger is 19-4 on the season, with a 6-0 dual meet record.
Dakota Juarez, Eastern Michigan
R-Freshman, Grand Haven, Mich. (Gran Haven)
Juarez paced the Eagles in their two duals this past week, posting a 2-0 record to put his dual record at 5-1 this season, and a perfect 3-0 in the MAC. In a milestone victory over Northern Iowa, Jan. 6, Juarez defeated his opponent in an 8-3 decision. His victory sparked the Eagles to four straight wins in the dual to complete a 14-7 comeback, and capture the first win over UNI in program history by a score of 22-14. Juarez followed that performance up with a hard fought 3-1 decision over No. 4 MAC ranked Austin Reese of Ohio, notching the win with an escape and a takedown.
J’den Cox, Missouri,
Jr., Columbia, Mo., (Hickman)
Junior 197-pounder J’den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) registered two technical falls over the weekend, the first for a milestone victory, and the second, a thrilling completion to No. 4 Mizzou’s 18-17 comeback victory over No. 14 Cornell. On Friday, Cox defeated James Benjamin (Buffalo) by way of technical fall, 19-4. The win was Cox’s 90th career victory and helped the Tigers defeat the Bulls, 32-6. On Sunday, Mizzou trailed 17-13 when Cox stepped onto the mat for the heavyweight match (Cox moved up a weight class from 197 pounds) against Jeramy Sweany (Cornell). The Tigers needed a five-point technical fall from Cox to secure the victory and keep their dual win streak alive. Cox executed 10 takedowns in the match and held onto Sweany’s leg in the closing seconds of the match, preventing an escape which preserved the technical fall and the win for Mizzou, its 35th consecutive dual win. The Tiger junior is ranked No. 2 in the Intermat 197-pound national rankings and owns a 16-1 record this season.
Gabe Morse, Northern Illinois
Junior, Alto, Mich. (Lowell)
Gabe Morse had a perfect dual weekend for NIIU wrestling as the Huskies face two ranked opponents in duals: No. 25 Northern Iowa and No. 10 Illinois. Morse opened his weekend with his first MAC dual win of the season, getting the better of UNI’s Jake Hodges by 5-3 decision to score NIU’s first points. Then Morse recorded his biggest win of the season, knocking off Illinois’ 149-pounder Kyle Langenderfer, a 2015 NCAA Championships qualifier, with a late takedown to come away with the 3-1 decision win.
Jake Koethe, Northern Iowa
RS-Freshman; West Des Moines, Iowa (Valley)
Koethe knocked off his second top-20 opponent of the year in his first career MAC dual. The spark at the beginning of the dual helped UNI grab its first MAC win of the season. His decision over No. 15 Steve Bleise put the Panthers up 3-0 over Northern Illinois. Koethe led the entire match and put Bleise on his back just as the whistle blew, but he had to settle for the 8-4 decision. Koethe beat No. 17 Anthony Abidin of Nebraska at the Midlands Championships in late December. He is now 23-7 overall and 1-0 in the MAC.
Phil Wellington, Ohio
RS-Senior, Euclid, Ohio (VASJ)
Ohio RS senior 197-pounder Phil Wellington had an outstanding weekend on the mat going 2-0 in two dual meets over conference opponents. Wellington got a little revenge in his first match against No. 14 ranked Anthony Abro by downing him 7-3 on Friday. Abro ended Wellington’s 2014 season by knocking him out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Wellington landed three big takedowns in the match against Abro to continue his dual record undefeated improving to 5-0. Wellington then beat Central Michigan’s Jackson Lewis 4-1 to close out the weekend undefeated. Wellington, who is ranked No. 11 at 197-pounds by Intermat, is 17-3 overall this season with a 6-0 dual record.
