Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments

Bloomsburg
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Seniors Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa./Benton Area) and Bruno Stolfi (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) each earned a hard-fought decision but the Bloomsburg wrestling team fell to Rider University, 31-6, in Mid-American Conference action Friday night.
 
Rhone evened the match at 3-3 with an 8-2 decision over Richie Koehler at 133 pounds. Rhone opened the match with a quick takedown in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. After deferring the choice at the beginning of the second period, Rhone got an escape to take a 3-0 lead before another take down gave the senior a 5-0 advantage heading into the final period. Koehler took bottom to open the third period and got an escape to get on the board, 5-1. Rhone quickly got another takedown and built up his riding time for the extra point and the 8-2 win.
 
Stolfi and Ray Weed battled through a scoreless first period before Stolfi chose bottom to start the second. He quickly got an escape and a take down to take a 3-0 lead at 184 pounds. Weed escaped to cut the lead to 3-1 to end the second and chose bottom to start the third. Another escape by Weed cut Stolfi's advantage to 3-2. Stolfi got a takedown to push his lead to 5-2 and continue to build his riding time. After Weed got an escape, Stolfi held off Weed to get the riding time point and the 6-3 win.
 
Redshirt senior Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) had battled #31 McKenszie Ball at 141 pounds but fell in overtime 14-12. Mason struck first with a takedown early in the first but an escape by Bell cut the lead to 2-1. Mason got another takedown and a four-point near fall to push his lead to 8-1 but Bell ended the period with a reversal to trim Mason's lead to 8-3. Bell chose bottom to start the second period and scored another reversal to cut Mason's lead to 8-5. Mason worked out of Bell's hold for an escape and a 9-5 lead at the end of the second period. After picking bottom to start the third, he quickly escaped for the 10-5 lead. Bell got a takedown before Mason escaped for the 11-7 lead. Another Bell takedown and stall cut Mason's lead to 11-10 but Mason got the escape for the 12-10 lead. Bell tied the match with a takedown as time wound down to send the match to overtime and got a takedown less than a minute into the extra period for the 14-12 SV win.

Buffalo
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo wrestling team dropped a home dual to Hofstra, 23-9, on Sunday at Alumni Arena. After winning three straight duals, it was the Bulls' second straight loss.

Hofstra jumped out to an early lead and did so by winning some close matches. After the Pride won the first three bouts, both Matt Ryan and Kaleb Burgess battled but dropped their matches in overtime at 149 and 157, respectively.

Jay Nivison got the Bulls on the board with an OT win of his own, defeating Ross McFarland, 2-1.

Giuseppe Hoose had a tough test at 184, facing #24 Jacob Ferreira. Hoose's escape in the third period was the difference as he was able to pull out the 4-3 decision over Ferreira.

Sam Mitchell won the third straight match for the Bulls by earning a 4-0 decision over Nickolas Miller.

"Congratulations to Jay and Hoose on beating really good kids today," head coach John Stutzman said. "Hoose beating another nationally ranked wrestler speaks volumes about his development and his buy in to the process. Sam Mitchell is also doing very well."

Central Michigan
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan wrestling team scored bonus points in five of its six match victories on Sunday in posting a 26-11 Mid-American Conference dual meet victory over SIU Edwardsville at McGuirk Arena.
 
It was the Chippewas' second MAC dual victory of the weekend after their 23-18 win over Northern Illinois on Friday.
 
"This helps us a lot," said CMU coach Tom Borrelli, whose team improved to 2-5, 2-1 MAC. "If we hadn't have been successful this weekend it would have been hard to turn the season around. I think we can do that now."
 
The two victories are further evidence that Borrelli's Chippewas have turned the corner as they look ahead to the second half of the season, the MAC Championships, and the NCAA Championships.
 
Three of the Chippewas' five losses came to ranked teams: No. 1 Penn State, No. 9 North Carolina State, and No. 21 North Carolina.
 
"I think it prepared us for MAC competition," Borrelli said. "At the time I didn't think so, at the time I thought, 'Oh my gosh, we might be in over our head a little bit.'
 
"But now looking at things this weekend, I think it helped us. I'm excited with the improvements that our guys are making and they're gaining confidence."
 
Unlike on Friday against NIU when CMU dropped the first three matches, the Chippewas started fast against SIUE (2-5, 0-4).
 
Sean Spidle (125 pounds) posted a technical fall victory to open the dual, and then Vince Perez (133) followed with a major-decision win to stake the Chippewas to a 9-0 lead.
 
"That kind of lets everybody settle down and be themselves a little bit instead of being anxious," Borrelli said. "I was really impressed with Vince today; he shot and shot and shot and finished a lot of nice takedowns and Sean was real good on top today."
 
After close decision losses at 141 and 149, the Chippewas got a right-the-ship 11-6 victory from veteran Corbyn Munson at 157 to up their lead to 12-6.
 
Munson trailed, 4-0, early in the bout and then scored eight second-period points, getting a two-point near fall and then a four-point near fall plus a reversal, to take command.
 
"Any time your guy is behind and wins it motivates everyone," Borrelli said. "I think that got everyone going."
 
Tracy Hubbard (165) and Alex Cramer (174) followed with major-decision wins, and then senior Ben Cushman (184) provided the biggest highlight of the dual, a first-period pin that gave CMU an insurmountable 26-6 lead.
 
The Chippewas take a break from MAC competition when they go to Duke (3-4) for a nonconference dual on Thursday, Jan. 19, and then head to Campbell for the Chippewa Challenge, where they will face the host Camels along with CSU Bakersfield and American.
 
All three of CMU's Chippewa Challenge opponents are coached by former CMU wrestlers – Jason Borrelli (American), Tom Borrelli's son; Scotti Sentes (Campbell), and Luke Smith (Bakersfield).

Clarion
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. --- The Golden Eagle wrestling team closed out a long run of road matches to start the 2022-23 dual season, picking up two more wins on Saturday afternoon. Clarion routed VMI (34-4) and Long Island (33-6) to improve to 6-3 in dual matches this year, including three straight wins.
 
The wins cap a stretch where the squad grew quite accustomed to long bus rides, though now the tables will turn in that respect. Five of the next six Clarion dual matches will be held in Tippin Gym, starting with a Mid-American Conference (MAC) dual against George Mason on Friday, January 20, followed two days later with a home match against Lock Haven.

Cleveland State
EDINBORO, Pa. – The Vikings (3-4, 2-1) picked up their third straight victory after defeating Edinboro (1-7, 0-2) 25-12 on the road Saturday evening.

Edinboro claimed their only lead of the match after Ben Aranda fell in the opening match, 8-1.

Jake Manley gave Cleveland State their first lead, 4-3, behind a 10-0 major decision at 133-pounds. Dylan Layton then recorded a fall in 4:27 at 141-pounds, growing the advantage to 10-3.

A 9-2 decision for the Scots at 149-pounds trimmed the margin to six, but a quick fall by Marcus Robinson (157 Pounds) in 1:06 made it 16-6 in favor of the Green and White.

Daniel Patten extended the lead to 19-6 after recording a 4-1 decision at 165-pounds. Edinboro took the next match via a 7-3 decision to trail 19-9 with three matches remaining.

A 4-1 decision at 184-pounds by DeAndre Nassar followed by a 3-2 victory for Anthony Perrine at 197-pounds put the score at 25-9.
Edinboro won the final match of the evening 6-5, but it wasn't enough as Cleveland State claimed their third straight victory, 25-12.

Edinboro
Edinboro, Pa. – The Edinboro wrestling team dropped a 25-12 decision to visiting Cleveland State in MAC action on Saturday night in McComb Fieldhouse.
 
The match opened at 125 where Aiden Lewis earned an 8-1 decision over Ben Aranda. Lewis scored the matches first and only takedown early in the first. Aranda scored the escape make the score 2-1 after one. Leiws rode out the second period picking up four near-fall points along the way to extend the lead to 6-1. In the third Lewis picked up an escape in the third and the riding bonus to set the final.
 
The Vikings picked up a major decision from Jake Manley with a 10-0 victory over Cam Soda. Cleveland State pushed their dual advantage to 10-3 when Dylan Layton scored the fall over Amonn Ohl at 141.
 
Ryan Burgos stopped the Viking run at 149 earning a 9-2 decision over Doug Terry. Burgos came out on fire scoring a takedown and nearly earning the fall picking up four near-fall points before Terry scored an escape. Burgos would score a second takedown before the end of the first to make it 8-1 after one. Each wrestler would score an escape to set the final.
 
Marcus Robinson extended the Cleveland State advantage scoring a fall over Luke Kemerer and Daniel Patten tallied a 4-1 decision over Alex Garee at 165 to make it 19-6.
 
Jared McGill got the Scots back on the board with a 7-3 decision over JR Reed. McGill scored a takedown in the first and rode out the rest of the period. McGill escaped to start the second and scored another takedown to make it 5-0 after two. Reed scored an escape and a takedown to start the third before McGill scored an escape and the riding time bonus to set the final.
 
The Vikings picked up decisions from DeAndre Nassar and Anthony Perrine to take a 25-9 lead. Nick Lodato used a 6-point takedown and near fall in the first to hold off Daniel Bucknavich 6-5 in the final bout of the night.

Kent State
HAMPTON, VA- Jake Ferri and Jacob Cover won both their matches on day two at the Virginia Duals, leading the Flashes against Virginia and the Naval Academy.

Ferri knocked off Patrick McCormick of Virginia to start the day, handing the Cavalier his seventh loss of the season in a 5-3 victory by decision. He backed that up with a first period fall against Matt Ricci of the Naval Academy. Ferri earned the six points at the 2:12 mark of the first and improved to 11-4 on the season after a 3-1 weekend. Cover closed the dual with the Cavaliers with a 9-4 victory over Ethan Weatherspoon. He kept the momentum going with a 7-4 win over Ryan Catka of Navy to sweep his pair of matches.

Kody Komara picked up a pinfall victory in the nightcap, pinning Kaemen Smith midway through the second period. Ethan Barr kept the pinfall party going, pinning Devon Deem two minutes into the first period. It is Barr's fifth win by pinfall this season.

The Flashes would drop a 33-6 decision to Virginia and 27-21 decision against Navy. Kent State returns to traditional duals next weekend with a trip to Buffalo to take on the Bulls. The first MAC dual of the 2023 calendar year is set for next Sunday at 2 p.m. in Buffalo.

Northern Illinois
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Northern Illinois University wrestling team (5-4, 2-1 MAC) lost its first Mid-American Conference dual of the season Friday night after falling 23-18 to Central Michigan (1-5, 1-1 MAC). After NIU won the opening three bouts, CMU won the final four to secure a comeback win over the Huskies.  

"The guys wrestled hard, we just have to be able to close out some of those tough situations and turn the tide in the dual meet score," said head NIU coach Ryan Ludwig.

At 125, Blake West kicked off the dual with a 4-3 win over Sean Spidle. West and Spidle were locked at 0-0 after the first period and remained knotted at 2-2 after the second. West secured the winning two points in the third period, earning the Huskies' first points of the match.

In the ensuing bout at 133, Lucian Brink took a quick 2-0 lead over Vince Perez in the first frame before building to an 8-1 advantage in the second. Brink earned one more point in the third to cement his 9-2 victory over Perez, the 15^th triumph of his career.

At 141, Jacob Brya amassed an 8-1 lead against Jimmy Nugent before, in the third period, earning the third fall and fifth bonus-point win of his freshman campaign. With Brya's pin, NIU had a commanding 12-0 lead heading into the ensuing bout.

Kavan Troy earned the first dual start of his career as he faced Johnny Lovett at 149. Troy came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and took a quick 4-0 lead, but Lovett fought back and eventually built up a 15-7 lead as the bout ended. With the major decision win, Lovett gave CMU its first points of the dual.

Anthony Gibson was pinned in the first period by Corbyn Munson at 157, marking back-to-back bonus-point wins for Central Michigan.   

With the Chippewas threatening and within two points (12-10), three-time NCAA qualifier and No. 13 Izzak Olejnik took the mat at 165. Olejnik helped NIU answer CMU, pinning his foe Chandler Amaker in the first period. The fall marked Olejnik's sixth of the season.

Alex Cramer sparked the CMU comeback and four-straight wins with a 16-8 major decision win over Hayden Pummel, shrinking the Chippewas deficit to 18-14.

Ben Cushman made it a one point match (18-17) with a 6-2 win over Matthew Zuber at 184, making it anyone's match heading into the upper-weights.

At 197, Jacob Christensen secured a 2-0 lead over Cameron Wood with a takedown late in the first period. Later in the third and with up 3-1, Christensen suffered a takedown with under a minute left, tying the bout 3-3 and forcing overtime. The pair were scrambling in overtime, but it was Wood who was able to get on top first, giving CMU its first lead of the day.

For the second-straight match, it all came down to the 285 weight class with the score in the Chippewas favor 20-18. Terrese Aaron took the mat for the Huskies and Bryan Caves for CMU. With the match on the line, Caves propelled CMU to victory with a 6-2 win over Aaron.

"Our guys are working and progressing. They're doing what we ask them to do and they're trying to make their way so we can be where we want to be in March."

Ohio
HAMPTON, Va.— The Ohio wrestling team completed day two of the Virginia Duals today. They fell to Oklahoma, 33-6, and South Dakota State, 42-3. 

Against Oklahoma, sophomore Zayne Lehman (Akron, Ohio) secured Ohio's first victory of the day with a 4-0 decision at 184 pounds. Lehman's opponent, Keegan Moore, is currently ranked 31^st at 197 pounds on InterMat. Next, freshman Austin Starr (Indian Creek, Ohio) defeated his opponent with a 5-2 decision at 197 pounds. 
 
Against South Dakota State, graduate student Alec Hagan (Eureka, Mo.) won his 149-pound dual with a 5-1 decision. 

Rider
SIUE
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Colton McKiernan won his team-leading 17th match of the season Sunday but it was enough as SIUE dropped a road dual match at Central Michigan 26-11.

McKiernan, who hails from nearby Richmond, Michigan, bested Bryan Caves 4-0 in the final match of the day. McKiernan, the top-ranked wrestler in the Mid-American Conference at heavyweight, improved his season record to 17-3.

"It was nice to have Colton back in the lineup,' said SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates. "He's from right down the street here so he had some family in attendance."

SIUE, now 2-5 overall in dual meets and 0-4 in the MAC, picked up victories from Saul Ervin at 141 pounds, Caleb Tyus at 149 pounds and Ryan Yarnell at 197 pounds.

"Saul, Caleb and Ryan have been performing for us," said Spates. "We just have to get better at some of the other weights."

Spates and the Cougars now look forward to next Sunday when Lindenwood comes to First Community Arena. The matchup features two St. Louis area Division I programs.