MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK
MAC East Division: Wrestler of the Week
Jacob Oliver, Edinboro—Sophomore, Huntingdon, Pa. (Huntingdon Area High School)
Edinboro sophomore Jacob Oliver at 174 lbs., finished first at the Navy Classic and went 5-0 on the day. As the No. 3 seed, he won by medical forfeit over top seed Spencer Carey of Navy in the title bout. But the real story came in his semifinal match with second-seeded Jared Siegrist of Lock Haven. The two met three times last year, with Oliver prevailing in close decisions each time. The redshirt sophomore claimed a 10-4 decision on Saturday thanks to a big third period. He pulled away with an escape, takedown, and two near-fall points in the period. Oliver is now 9-1 this season.
Additional Nominees:
Kyle Shoop, Lock Haven—Senior, Boiling Springs, Pa. (Boiling Springs High School)
Lock Haven senior Kyle Shoop at 141 lbs., a returning All-American, made his highly anticipated season debut on Nov. 23 at the Navy Classic and he finished second overall at 141 pounds after dropping a thriller in the finals. Shoop’s strong outing helped Lock Haven finish fourth in the team standings, Lock Haven was the top MAC finisher out of seven total teams that competed at the Navy Classic. Overall, Shoop was 4-1 with two majors. In the semifinals, he rolled by Ohio’s Shakur Laney, 8-4. In the finals, Shoop, ranked sixth nationally, was edged out 2-1 by Campbell’s Joshua Heil. Despite dominant rides in the second and third, Shoop was edged by his top-20 foe for the 141-pound title.
Killian Cardinale, Old Dominion—Sophomore, Bristow, Va. (Brentsville District High School)
Old Dominion sophomore Killian Cardinale at 125 lbs., who is ranked 13th in the nation in his weight class, placed third at 125 pounds at the Navy Classic last weekend. In the Classic, he went 4-1, including a 7-2 win by decision against No. 20 Joey Prata of Virginia Tech. So far this season, Cardinale has a 10-2 record with three wins against ranked opponents.
MAC West Division: Wrestlers of the Week
Gage Braun, Northern Illinois—Redshirt Freshman, Springfield, Ohio (Graham High School)
Northern Illinois redshirt freshman Gage Braun at 197 lbs., improved to 7-5 on the season after going 2-1 at the Purdue Duals on Sunday, Nov. 24. Braun opened his day with an impressive 11-4 victory over 19th-ranked Greg Bulsak of Clarion helping NIU to a 19-17 victory over its new MAC foe. He then earned a 22-5 tech fall victory over Griffin Stine of Indianapolis in a 36-9 win over the Greyhounds.
Additional Nominees:
Landon Pelham, Central Michigan—Junior, Tecumseh, Mich. (Tecumseh High School)
Central Michigan junior Landon Pelham at 197 lbs., posted an exciting 12-9 victory over Joseph Correll of Michigan in the Chippewas 22-12 nonconference dual-meet loss to the 19th-ranked Wolverines on Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich. Pelham improved to 7-5 on the season with the victory over Correll.
