MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK
MAC East Division: Wrestler of the Week
Alex Klucker, Lock Haven—Senior, Summerdale, Pa. (East Pennsboro High School)
Lock Haven senior Alex Klucker at 157 lbs. was one of eight seniors honored before the match with No. 16 Cornell Saturday, Feb. 22 and he was one of the four Bald Eagle winners as he earned an important major decision. Ranked No. 31 at 157 in the latest NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings, Klucker majored Adam Santoro, 14-1 and had Lock Haven leading 10-7 at halftime. The senior brought the packed home crowd to its feet with an electrifying first period. He scored a quick takedown, racked up eight near fall points and led 10-1 after one period. A late third-period takedown helped Klucker secure the major decision, which was a highlight of the LHU loss in The Haven’s 2019-20 dual finale.
Additional Nominees:
Brock Zacherl, Clarion—Senior, Mayport, Pa. (Brookville High School)
Clarion senior Brock Zacherl at 149 lbs. concluded his stellar dual match career with a victory on Sunday, defeating Edinboro’s Tyler Vath by 3-1 decision to aid a team victory for the Golden Eagles over the Fighting Scots. With the bout tied at 1-1 late in the third period, Zacherl worked his way behind Vath for a takedown and the victory. It was part of a 17-16 win for Clarion over Edinboro, clinching a 10-6 overall record and a 7-4 MAC East record in the Golden Eagles’ first season in the conference. On an individual level, it marked the 112th win of Zacherl’s career, moving him into sole possession of 16th place on Clarion’s all-time wins list. Zacherl also concludes his career with an incredible 59-2 record in dual matches.
Will Hilliard, Old Dominion—Junior, Phoenix, Ill.
Old Dominion junior Will Hilliard at 285 lbs. earned his first pin of the season in the final bout of the regular season against Bloomsburg. The Phoenix, N.Y. native pinned Michael Porreca after just two minutes and 18 seconds of action, giving his team six additional points.
MAC West Division: Wrestler of the Week
Derek Spann, Buffalo—Junior, Boonville, N.Y.
Buffalo junior Derek Spann at 133 lbs. went 3-0 in wrestling action last week. Spann started the weekend by upsetting eighth-ranked Zack Trampe of Binghamton, 9-8, on Friday night. He used a takedown, two-point nearfall and a reversal in the second period to build an 8-3 lead. On Sunday, Spann earned a 14-4 major decision over Ohio’s Giovanni DiSabato. He used six takedowns to dominate the match. He earned his third win of the weekend by forfeit against Gardner-Webb. Spann finished the dual season with a record of 17-2. The 17 dual wins are tied for sixth in school history for a single season.
Additional Nominees:
Drew Hildebrandt, Central Michigan—Junior, Granger, Ind. (Penn High School)
Central Michigan junior Drew Hildebrandt at 125 lbs. closed the regular season with a pin at the 5:30 mark in the night’s opening bout, sparking the Chippewas to a 21-15 dual victory at home over Michigan State. It was Central Michigan’s sixth-consecutive dual meet victory as it finished 8-4 (7-2 MAC). The pin was the eighth of the season for Hildebrandt (28-3), who is ranked first in the MAC and eighth nationally by flowrestling. Hildebrandt has won nine consecutive matches and has pinned five of his last seven opponents.
Kenny Moore, Northern Illinois—Senior, San Diego, Calif. (Hoover High School)
Northern Illinois senior Kenny Moore at 174 lbs. improved to 12-8 on the season and 10-4 in dual matches when he scored a 4-3 overtime win over Drexel’s Michael O’Malley at 174. Moore defeated O’Malley, who was riding a five-match winning streak heading into the bout, in the first tiebreaker to give the Huskies a dominating 35-3 victory over the Dragons in NIU’s final home match of the season. The win was the Huskies’ 13th of the season, the most wins for an NIU wrestling team since 2004-05.
Alec Hagan, Ohio—Sophomore, Eureka, Mo. (Eureka High School)
Ohio sophomore Alec Hagan at 149 lbs. helped the Bobcats (9-8, 5-4 MAC) close out the regular season with three home victories at the Convocation Center last weekend, earning three wins individually at 149 pounds. Hagan’s 3-0 weekend began with an 8-2 win by decision over freshman Cameron Hunsaker as the Bobcats edged Utah Valley, 18-17, last Friday, Feb. 21. On Sunday, Feb. 23, Hagan picked up a pair of victories on the final day of the regular season, picking up a 2-0 win by decision over senior John Arceri to help Ohio earn a decisive 27-10 win over MAC foe Buffalo, then pinning sophomore Anthony Schiess in 2:06 to provide the Bobcats with six points in a dominant 40-6 victory over Gardner-Webb.
