MAC Co-Wrestlers of the Week
Dresden Simon, Central Michigan, Graduate student
Dansville, Mich. (Dansville) -- 141 lbs.
Central Michigan's Dresden Simon posted a dramatic 10-8 come-from-behind victory over Rider's Quinn Kinner in the final bout of the night in a 24-12 CMU home dual-meet victory. Simon, a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier and a 2020 All-American who is ranked eighth nationally by Intermat, fell behind, 6-0, in the first period and still trailed, 7-2, entering the third. He recorded two takedowns and a four-point near fall in the final two minutes in posting the win over the 22nd-ranked Kinner. Simon improved to 5-0 on the season.
Gable Strickland, Lock Haven, Freshman
Benton, PA (Benton) – 133 lbs.
Strickland picked up a huge comeback-victory over Lehigh's No. 22 Malyke Hines on Saturday. After the first period, Strickland found himself in a 6-1 hole while Hines racked up 2:45 in riding time. In the second period, a pair of penalty points were awarded to Strickland for locked hands as the Benton, Pa. native started to carve away at the deficit. Strickland picked up a third-period escape to bridge the gap to 6-4. Strickland picked up an escape and a takedown before Hines clawed back and escaped to bring the match back to neutral late in the matchup. From there, Strickland used a quick takedown and put Hines on his back to score the six-point move and take the lead at a 13-10 margin. Hines added a late escape and riding time bonus, but it wasn't enough as Strickland turned in the biggest victory of his young Bald Eagles career with a 13-12 win. Strickland also competed on Thursday against Michigan State #10 Rayvon Foley and fell in a hotly-contested decision.
Other Nominees
Will Feldkamp, Clarion, Redshirt Junior
Pinckney, Mich. (Dexter) – 197 lbs
Feldkamp was a large part of the Golden Eagles' sweeping a pair of MAC duals last week, winning by fall over opponents from Bloomsburg and Ohio to help Clarion improve to 4-1 in duals. The redshirt junior started his week with a first period pin of Bloomsburg's David Tuttle as Clarion rolled to a 33-6 win over the Huskies. The more dramatic win of the week came on Friday, as Feldkamp recorded the clinching bout victory in the Golden Eagles' 25-12 win over the Bobcats. With the score just 16-12 entering the 197-pound bout, Feldkamp back-tripped Jordan Greer and pinned him 31 seconds into the second period, officially locking up the team win for Clarion. Feldkamp improved to 11-2 on the season.
Jake Ferri, Kent State, 5th
Billerica, Mass – 125 lbs.
Ferri led the Golden Flashes with a 7th-place finish at the prestigious Cliff Keen Invite out in Vegas. Ferri closed the tournament with a 5-2 record highlighted by a victory by fall over Devin Garcia of Cal Baptist. Ferri secured the 7th place title in the tournament with a 11-8 win over Jacob Allen of Navy.
Mason Kauffman, Northern Illinois, Redshirt-Senior
Stratford, Wis. (Stratford) – 174 lbs.
Redshirt-senior Mason Kauffman took home the title at 174 following a 2-0 performance at the Cougar clash, hosted by SIUE. Kauffman, who helped lead NIU to a second-place finish behind Wisconsin, opened his day with an 8-5 decision over Kevin Gschwendtner of SIUE. He took first place when he scored a 3-2 victory over Little Rock's Triston Wills. Kauffman has won each of his last three matches.
Sal Perrine, Ohio, Freshman
Northfield, Ohio (Nordonia) – 174 lbs.
Sal Perrine won both his duals last week, defeating Clarion's John Worthing 12-5 by decision and West Virginia's Dennis Robin 11-6 by decision. He's dominant on the mat and has only lost once this season (to Ohio State's Ethan Smith).
