Mid-American Conference

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
 
MAC Wrestler of the Week
Daniel Lewis, Missouri—Senior, Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs High School)
 
Missouri senior Daniel Lewis at 174 lbs. pinned No. 2 ranked and defending national champion Zahid Valencia of Arizona State, on the road, to help Mizzou win its 35th consecutive dual.  Lewis trailed in the second period, 6-4, but chose down and wrapped Valencia in a cradle for the pin at 4:15, his 11th pin of the season and 47th in his career.  Now ranked second in program history in career pins at Mizzou with 47, Lewis trails only two-time Hodge Trophy winner Ben Askren, who had 91 in his career. Valencia was 21-1 before being pinned by Lewis, who is now 19-1 on the year. Mizzou led 15-9 in the dual headed into 174, and Lewis’ pin all but wrapped up the dual as the upset led to a 30-12 dual win on the road.

Additional Nominees:
Troy Keller, Buffalo—Junior, North Tonawanda, N.Y. (North Tonawanda High School)
 
Buffalo junior Troy Keller at 165 lbs. had a technical fall over Central Michigan’s Blake Montrie in the final match of the dual gave the Bulls an 18-17 win over the Chippewas on Friday night. Trailing by four points heading into the final match of the dual and needing a tech fall or better to win, Keller wasted little time. The junior 165-pounder used a reversal, two four-point near falls and a two-point near fall to jump out to a 12-2 lead after the first period. An escape and takedown in the second period upped his lead to 15-2. He was awarded a penalty point for stalling and his riding-time point secured the 17-2 tech fall, giving him the five-point win and the Bulls the 18-17 victory. It was the Buffalo’s first-ever win over Central Michigan, after dropping the previous 23 meetings. 
 
Cameron Kelly, Ohio—Senior, Bellbrook, Ohio (Eureka High School) 
 
Ohio senior Cameron Kelly at 141 lbs. helped the Bobcats (6-5, 4-2 MAC) split its final two MAC home matches of the regular season. Kelly forced a tiebreaker against Old Dominion on Friday, Feb. 8, after coming away with a 6-5 win by decision at 141 pounds over redshirt junior Sa'Derian Perry, who was an All-American last season, and tying the match at 15-all. The Monarchs ultimately defeated the Bobcats, 16-15, based on having a 13-9 advantage in takedowns in the match. The following day, Kelly set the tone for a 22-15 Senior Day victory over SIUE with the match opening at 141, giving the Bobcats a 5-0 lead with a 19-1 win by technical fall over redshirt junior Lucas Bernal. Kelly is now 13-2 on the year -- including a perfect 7-0 in dual meets and 6-0 in conference meets.
 
Michael McGee, Old Dominion—Sophomore, Bolingbrook, Ill. (Eureka High School) 
 
Old Dominion sophomore Michael McGee at 125 lbs. posted a perfect 2-0 week in duals. On Friday, McGee defeated MAC top-ranked Shakur Laney 3-1 in the Monarchs 16-15 win over Ohio. At the time, Laney was ranked No. 21 at 125 pounds. The Friday night win avenged a November loss to Laney at the Navy Classic. After a quick turnaround, McGee earned a 10-3 win over Jacob Allen of Navy on Monday night. The sophomore is now 13-0 in duals and ranks as high as 14th according to Intermat.
 
Christian Dulaney, SIU-Edwardsville—Senior, Shakopee, Minn. (Benilde-St. Margaret’s School)
 
SIU-Edwardsville senior Christian Dulaney at 197 lbs. defeated Aaron Naples of Ohio, fall, 4:20 (14-12).