MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK
MAC East Division: Wrestler of the Week
Dean Sherry, Rider—Senior, Brick, N.J. (Brick Township High School)
Rider senior Dean Sherry at 74 lbs., pinned nationally-ranked No. 6 Devin Skatzka in the Broncs' stunning 21-17 victory at No. 6 Minnesota last Friday, Nov. 15. Sherry went on to earn a 7-2 decision over Kenny Moore of Northern Illinois on Sunday, Nov. 17. The two matches were Sherry's first of the season after winning his second-straight EWL Championship and advancing to NCAA's for the second-straight season last year.
Additional Nominees:
Tye Varndell, Edinboro—Freshman, Cambridge Springs, Pa. (Cambridge Springs High School)
Edinboro freshman Tye Varndell at 133 lbs., improved to 5-1 with pair of wins last Saturday at the Boro Duals. In the win over Ohio, Varndell posted his second upset of a nationally-ranked wrestler this season as he defeated No. 17-ranked (InterMat) Mario Guillen 6-4 in sudden victory. Varndell registered a late takedown, with the match going into overtime tied at 4-4 since Guillen owned riding time, and he made the winning takedown with just under 30 seconds remaining. He also won a 10-6 decision over Michael Blando of Long Island in his second match.
Josh Jones, George Mason—Freshman, Hellertown, Pa. (Saucon Valley High School)
George Mason freshman Josh Jones at 133 lbs., picked up a win by fall (6:09) against Clarion’s Seth Koleno with 51 seconds left to help the Patriots edge Clarion, 19-18, last Sunday. The Eagles had won the last three dual matches with Mason last winning on January 18, 2015 at Clarion. A solid win for Mason, the Golden Eagles were ranked fifth in the preseason MAC coaches' poll, while the Patriots were sitting at 13th.
Shane Jones, Old Dominion—Senior, Stroudsburg, Pa. (Stroudsburg High School)
Old Dominion senior Shane Jones at 174 lbs., was a bright spot in Old Dominion's 22-11 loss to No. 9 ranked North Carolina State on November 15. In the team's first dual meet of the season, Jones took down the No. 10 wrestler in the nation, Thomas Bullard, at 165 pounds and won by decision, 3-2. The lone takedown of the bout came in the first period, as Jones took Bullard to the ground midway through the frame and collected 1:32 of riding time before Bullard earned an escape point. The top-10 wrestler evened the score in the third period with another escape, but the riding time was on Jones' side, earning an extra point because of it to give him a 3-2 win by decision. The win also propelled Jones to WIN Magazine's updated rankings, as he sits at No. 19 in the periodical's top-20 list at 165 pounds.
MAC West Division: Wrestlers of the Week
Drew Hildebrandt, Central Michigan—Junior, Granger, Ind. (Penn High School)
Central Michigan junior Drew Hildebrandt at 125 lbs., went 3-0 to win the 125-pound weight class last Sunday in the Black Knight Invitational, hosted by Army in West Point, N.Y. Hildebrandt, who is 10-1 on the season and ranked 11th nationally, did not allow a point in his first two victories, an 8-0 major decision over Brandon Meredith of Penn State and a 6-0 decision over Brody Teske, also of Penn State. Hildebrandt then defeated Trey Chalifoux of Army, 7-5, in the final.
Additional Nominees:
McCoy Kent, Northern Illinois—Senior, Modesto, Calif. (Enochs High School)
Northern Illinois senior McCoy Kent at 149 lbs., improved to 5-2 on the season with a perfect 2-0 weekend in two bouts last weekend. The Huskie senior opened his perfect weekend with a 9-7 triumph over Bucknell’s Matt Kolonia. His victory was part of a 24-10 win over the Bison in the Huskies’ home opener. Kent followed up that victory with an impressive 7-6 win over Rider’s Gino Fluri in a hard-fought match. With the match tied 6-6 headed into the third period, Kent was able to earn his escape and hold off Fluri for the win.
Alec Hagan, Ohio—Sophomore, Eureka, Mo. (Eureka High School)
Ohio sophomore Alec Hagan at 149 lbs., helped the Bobcats (1-2, 0-1 MAC) earn a split at the Boro Duals last Saturday, Nov. 16 in Edinboro, Pa. Hagan won both of his bouts at 149 pounds as the Bobcats bounced back from a 25-7 setback to MAC foe Edinboro by rolling to a 46-0 shutout of Long Island. Hagan got Ohio go on the board against the Fighting Scots with a 10-2 win by decision over Edinboro senior Tyler Vath. In the shutout of the Sharks, he made quick work of sophomore Jacob Zuller, producing a pin in just 35 seconds.
