MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK
MAC East Division: Wrestler of the Week
Sa’Derian Perry, Old Dominion—Senior, Lakeland, Fla. (Lake Gibson High School)
Old Dominion senior Sa’Derian Perry at 141 lbs., went 3-1 in the four bouts he wrestled in at the South Beach Duals. Perry's biggest win came in the first dual of the event, as he earned a 7-3 win by decision victory over 2018 All-American and MAC Champion, No. 8 Grant Leeth of Missouri. In his three wins in two days, Perry outscored his opponents 22-8. The only loss Perry endured in the South Beach Duals was a tight 4-2 decision against No. 2 Mitch McKee of Minnesota. Perry's performance in the South Beach Duals increases his record to 10-3 this season. Perry is a top-15 wrestler in four national polls (Intermat, FloWrestling, WIN Magazine and TrackWrestling).
MAC West Division: Wrestlers of the Week
Matt Stencel, Central Michigan—Junior, Toledo, Ohio (Clay High School)
Central Michigan junior Matt Stencel at 285 lbs., finished runner-up at the 57th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Stencel, who is 17-4 on the season, went 4-1 in the tournament, posting three victories by pin to bring his season total to 11. He defeated fifth-ranked Trent Hillger of Wisconsin, the No. 2 seed, 6-1, in the semifinals. Stencel, who is ranked eighth nationally and was seeded third in the tournament, opened with a pin in 1:12 of Mark Chaid of North Carolina, then pinned Max Ihry of Northern Illinois in 35 seconds, and then pinned Yaraslau Slavikouski of Harvard in 5:17. He fell in the final on a 5-1 decision to Iowa’s Anthony Cassioppi, who is ranked fourth nationally and was the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Stencel helped lead 24th-ranked Central Michigan to a very respectable sixth-place finish in the field that included 12 ranked teams.
Additional Nominees:
Shakur Laney, Ohio—Senior, Canal Winchester, Ohio (Pickerington North High School)
Ohio senior Shakur Laney at 141 lbs., finished in fifth place at the 57th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Laney came away victorious in all three of his bouts on Sunday, Dec. 29, beginning with an 11-4 win by decision over Princeton senior Pat D'Arcy that was followed by a 14-6 major decision victory over Franklin & Marshall junior Wil Gill. He then punched his ticket to the Semifinals courtesy of a last-second takedown that secured a 3-1 win by decision over Northern Iowa redshirt freshman Michael Blockhus. Laney finished the opening day of the tournament with 12 takedowns while permitting just one. In the semifinal bout on Monday, Dec. 31, Laney fell to Iowa sophomore Max Murin by a 4-0 decision. He then dropped a 6-4 decision to North Carolina redshirt sophomore Zach Sherman by a 6-4 decision. Laney took fifth place courtesy of a victory by medical forfeit over Wisconsin redshirt senior Tristan Moran.
Justin Ruffin, SIUE—Sophomore, McDonough, Ga. (Union Grove High School)
SIUE sophomore Justin Ruffin at 157 lbs., placed seventh at Midlands. Ruffin posted a 18-2 technical fall over Wisconsin's Drew Scharenbrock at 157 pounds. He made it to the final eight before being stopped by Central Michigan's Logan Parks in a consolation match. Ruffin earned seventh with a medical forfeit over South Dakota State's Cade Devos.
