2010-11 MAC Wrestling Preview

Well the season is just around the corner and we have already posted our preseason rankings. We now start our conference by conference preview. We are hoping to get them all out prior to the dual season starting. This is part of our expanded coverage we are hoping to provide all of you this year. Also, look for more live blogs from TOM from some of the best duals this year. As the season looms closer check out the calendar on TOM s news page for a complete schedule of the live blogs that will be offered.

Now we move on to the MAC. The MAC in recent years has continued to improve and make some noise come March. This year the MAC is getting a fair number of new starters. One thing you may find interesting is that the MAC returns more All-Americans then the Big 12 and have fewer weights that have zero AA.

Although we do not see any one team with enough firepower to make any kind of run at a top 5 spot this year, they will do very well as a conference come march with a lot of AA hopefuls. The conference is pretty well balanced and picking the winner is a tough one.

Let’s get started; first we will look at the numbers, then the individuals and wrap it up with the team overviews.

The Numbers

• Returning National Champs: 0
• Returning All-Americans: 7
• Number of weights with zero All-Americans: 3
• Number of freshman starters: 8

Returning MAC Champions (2010) *weight listed is the weight the won

• 149 – Desi Green (BU)
• 174 – Ben Bennett (CMU)
• 184 – Dustin Kilgore (KSU)
• 197 – Erik Schuth (OU)
• Hwt – Brendan Barlow (KSU)

125

1	Nic Bedelyon	Kent State
2	Gabe Ramos	Ohio
3	Izzy Montemayor	N. Illinois
4	Kyle Waldo	C. Michigan
5	Taylor Golba	Buffalo
6	Jared Germaine	E. Michigan

We have a clear favorite here in Bedelyon who is coming off a layoff due to an injury early last year. He is a returning AA and should be able to handle the rest of this field. Ramos will be looking to make us wrong. Ramos placed 3^rd last year and is looking to improve that in his second year. Montemayor is more of a seasoned veteran who should be in the mix. The battle to watch here will be for #2 in our opinion with several guys capable. If Bedelyon is healthy he should be very tough to beat. Waldo transfers in from Nebraska where he red-shirted last year. He was a 4 x State Champ from MI and could really be a surprise in his inaugural campaign.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Nic Bedelyon, KSU
2. Gabe Ramos, OU
3. Kyle Waldo, CMU
4. Izzy Montemayor, NIU

133

1	Scotti Sentes	C. Michigan
2	Kevin Smith	Buffalo
3	Tristen DeShazer	N. Illinois
4	Jacob Wojcik	Ohio
5	Andrew Novak	E. Michigan
6	Sean Collins	Kent State

Scotti Sentes will look to get back up on the podium come March ad leads the way here. In his second year up at 133 we expect to see him step it up. Look for Smith to be in the mix. Smith owns a win over Sentes and knocked off some tough guys last year. Look for a battle come the finals between these two. DeShazer looks to bounce back to his 2009 form and put himself in the mix here.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Scotti Sentes, CMU
2. Kevin Smith, BU
3. Tristen DeShazer, NIU
4. Jacob Wojcik, OU

141

1	Germane Lindsey	Ohio
2	Patrick McLemore	N. Illinois
3	Chase Skonieczny	Kent State
4	Andrew Schutt	Buffalo
5	Scott Mattingly	C. Michigan
6	Corey Phillips	E. Michigan

All-American Lindsey leads the way here. Lindsey had a great year last year and looks to take another step forward this year. He will be tough to knock off the top spot here. If anyone can do it, it will be McLemore who beat him last year at the Conference Tournament. Look for these two to lock horns in the finals. Skonieczny was 4^th last year and with the top guy gone he moves into the 3^rd spot for now. Another year under his belt should help. Should be a pretty solid weight this year for the MAC.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Germane Lindsey, OU
2. Patrick McLemore, NIU
3. Andrew Schutt, BU
4. Chase Skonieczny, KSU

149

1	Desi Green	Buffalo
2	Matt Cathell	Kent State
3	Donnie Corby	C. Michigan
4	Jared Porter	E. Michigan
5	Vince Castillo	N. Ilinois
6	Casey Gordon	Ohio

Look for a battle between Green and Cathell in this weight. Green is a 2 x qualifier and owned some big wins last year. Green will be looking to make the podium this March. Cathell was also a 2 x qualifier for Delaware State before coming to Kent State. He saw limited action last year but will look to help KSU make a run at the MAC title and earn All-American honors this season. Look for the rest of the guys to battle it out for the third spot.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Desi Green, BU
2. Matt Cathell, KSU
3. Donnie Corby, CMU
4. Jared Porter, EMU

157

1	Bryan Deutsch	N. Illinois
2	Aaron Sulzer	E. Michigan
3	Eric Cubberly	C. Michigan
4	Mallie Shuster	Kent State
5	Chris Kline	Ohio
6	Mark Lewandowski	Buffalo

Deutsch is a former MAC Champion and has some big wins in his career and gets the pre-season nod by us at 157. He was a runner up last year and looks to regain the title again this year. On paper his main challenge will come from Sulzer who had a solid year last season. Cubberly steps into the line-up this year and his some big shoes to fill. He posted a 15-7 record last year in limited action.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Bryan Deutsch, NIU
2. Aaron Sulzer, EMU
3. Eric Cubberly, CMU
4. Mark Lewandowski, BU

165

1	Mike Miller	C. Michigan
2	John-Martin Cannon	Buffalo
3	Ross Tice	Kent State
4	Kyle Lang	Ohio
5	Alex Ortman	E. Michigan
6	Matt Mougin	N. Illinois

This looks to be a two horse race with the favorite being returning AA Miller. Miller is a 2 x AA and past National Finalist. He is now down at 165 which could really help him make a run at a National Title. Cannon had some real nice wins last year and qualified for nationals. If he improves in his junior season we could see him pressing Miller some. Tice was a National qualifier last year and had a runner-up finish at the MAC tournament. The wildcard here may be Lang a freshman. Lang has some pretty solid credentials and may pose some problems for one of the top 3 listed here.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Mike Miller, CMU
2. John-Martin Cannon, BU
3. Ross Tice, KSU
4. Kyle Lang, OU

174

1	Ben Bennett	C. Michigan
2	Nick Purdue	Ohio
3	Chris Estep	Kent State
4	Phillip Joseph	E. Michigan
5	Brian Sheehan	Buffalo
6	Zach Benzio	N/ Illimois

Returning AA Bennett is the favorite here. He is only a sophomore and showed last year why CMU has high hopes for him. He cruised through the MAC last year with a Major, Technical Fall and a Fall in route to his title. Last years runner-up at 184 Purdue drops down a weight this year and will look to challenge Bennett. He is coming off a very solid season and with some improvement could make a statement.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Ben Bennett, CMU
2. Nick Purdue, OU
3. Chris Estep, KSU
4. Phillip Joseph, EMU

184

1	Jimmy Hamel	Buffalo
2	Keith Witt	Kent State
3	Chad Friend	C. Michigan
4	Nick Whitenburg	E. Michigan
5	Ryan Garringer	Ohio
6	Brad Diekhaus	N. Illinois

Hamel was the runner-up last year at 197and is a 2 x NCAA qualifier. He will be the man to beat this year in the MAC. Last year’s runner-up at 174 comes up a weight here with KSU’s Witt. This is a fairly wide open weight this year. Friend comes of a red-shirt year. He is a former 2 x NJCAA AA and could make some noise here as well. Ohio looks to a freshman in Garringer who brings in some solid credentials.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Jimmy Hamel, BU
2. Keith Witt, KSU
3. Chad Friend, CMU
4. Ryan Garringer, OU

197

1	Dustin Kilgore	Kent State
2	Erik Schuth	Ohio
3	Josh Peters	Buffalo
4	Craig Kelliher	C. Michigan
5	Mike Lukowski	N. Illinois
6	Travis Stanback	E. Michigan

Returning AA Kilgore is standing at the head of the class here. Kilgore makes the move up to 197 and looks to continue his success. Kilgore will be pushed by Schuth who was last years MAC champion at this weight. This should be a good battle of Kilgore stays up all season. The rest of the weight seems to be pretty wide open. Keep an eye on Keliher of CMU.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Dustin Kilgore, KSU
2. Erik Schuth, OU
3. Craig Keliher, CMU
4. Josh Peters, BU

285

1	Jarod Trice	C. Michigan
2	Brendan Barlow	Kent State
3	David Wade	E. Michigan
4	Brett Correll	Buffalo
5	Dakota Greenhaw	N. Illinois
6	Andy Hartshorn	Ohio

Looks like we will have a battle between our top 2 guys for the second straight year. Barlow knocked Trice off last year in the finals of the MAC, but Trice was able to earn AA honors come March. This will be a battle of big men and one of the more anticipated matches at the MAC tournament. Look for Wade to also insert himself into the mix. He was the MAC runner-up last year. Greenshaw as a win over Wade and will be looking to move forward as well.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Jarod Trice, CMU
2. Brandan Barlow, KSU
3. David Wade, EMU
4. Brett Correll, BU

Teams

C. Michigan

Kent State

Buffalo

Ohio

N. Illinois

E. Michigan

Key Duals and Dates in the MAC

• 11/19/10 – Central Michigan @ Cornell
• 11/20/11 – Body Bar
• 11/27/10 – Central Michigan @ Minnesota
• 12/3/ -12/4/10 – Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite
• 12/12/10 – Kent State @ Pittsburgh
• 12/12/10 – Central Michigan @ Lehigh
• 12/29-12/30/10 – Southern Scuffle
• 12/29 – 12/30/10 – Midlands
• 1/7 -1/8/11 – Virginia Duals
• 1/8/ – 1/9/11 – National Duals
• 2/4/2011 – Central Michigan @ Ohio
• 2/6/11 – Kent State @ Buffalo
• 2/20/11 – Kent State @ Central Michigan
• 3/5-3/6 – MAC Championships @ Northern Illinois
• 3/17 – 3/19/11 – NCAA Championships @ Philadelphia

Team Overviews

Central Michigan Chippewa’s

17-2 (Overall) and 5-0 (MAC)

New Faces:

Sven Alm	157	Ada, Mich. (Forest Hills Central HS)
Anthony Bill	174	Indianapolis, Ind. (Bishop Chatard HS)
Dave Cheatham	133	Zeeland, Mich. (Allendale HS)
Dakota Cooley	149	Chelsea, Mich. (Chelsea HS)
Doug Eldridge	157	Livonia, Mich. (Detroit Catholic Central HS)
Tyler Keselring	133	Cedar Springs, Mich. (Greenville HS)
Malcolm Martin	149	White Cloud, Mich. (Hesperia HS)
Ben Matthiesen	141	Holt, Mich. (Holt HS)
Anthony Pace	157	Lake Zurich, Ill. (Lake Zurich HS)
Jared Porter	149	Oklahoma City, Okla. (Carl Albert HS)
Ryan Quinn	174	Cincinnati, Ohio (Oak Hills HS)
Taylor Schuck	174	Elgin, Ill. (Burlington Central HS)
Ty Wells	197	Fenton, Mich. (Fenton HS)

Off Redshirt:

Zach Aylor	165/174	Oklahoma City, Okla. (Carl Albert HS)
Jeff Beebe	197	Allendale, Mich. (Allendale HS)
Zack Cline	157	Hartville, Ohio (Lake HS)
Chad Deno	125	Gladstone, Mich. (Gladstone HS)
Craig Kelliher	197	Burnsville, Minn. (Apple Valley HS)
Scott Mattingly	141	Uniontown, Ohio (Lake HS)
Adam Miller	157	Sparta, Mich. (Sparta HS)
Mike Murray	HWT	Enniskillen, Ont. (Eastdale CVI)
Joe Roth	125	Dixon, Ill. (Dixon HS)
Kyle Waldo	125	Rockford, Mich. (Nebraska)

Projected Lineup for Central Michigan

125	Kyle Waldo	rFr
133	Scotti Sentes	Jr
141	Scott Mattingly	rFr
149	Donnie Corby	So
157	Eric Cubberly	Jr
165	Mike Miller	Sr
174	Ben Bennett	So
184	Chad Friend/Kern	Jr
197	Craig Kelliher	rFr
285	Jarod Trice	Jr

CMU has some new faces and some seasoned vets which should serve them well. They will be led by 4 former All-Americans. Sentes, Miller, Bennett and Trice have all earned AA honors. They will lead the way should help CMU win another MAC title. Those four also will allow for some firepower at the big show this spring. We could see 2-3 of them in the NCAA finals if things go their way.

They will need some of the new faces to step up as well. They will have three red-shirt freshmen in the line-up most likely. They also have some upper classman that will get their chance to be the everyday starter.

TOM’s Outlook: Well we see CMU capturing 4 titles and that makes them pretty tough to beat. They will need some of their new faces to make some statements to solidify their position on top of the MAC. They could get 6-7 guys through to Nationals this year. It all really comes down to the young guys. In just 4 weeks the will square off against #1 Cornell and that will tell us more about where CMU is at. There should be some great match-ups in that dual.

Kent State Flashes

15-4 (Overall) and 4-1 (MAC)

New Faces:

Andrew Candiello	149	Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny
Andrew Hollern	141/149	Baltiomore, Md./Parkville
Jake McCombs	133	Marysville, Ohio/Marysville
Jacob Mellinger	141	Homeworth, Ohio/West Branch
Tyler Obringer	285	Spencerville, Ohio/Spencerville
Tyler Small	133/141	Littlestown, Pa./Delone Catholic

Projected Lineup for Kent State

125	Nic Bedelyon	rJr
133	Sean Collins	rSo
141	Chase Skonieczny	rSo
149	Matt Cathell	Sr
157	Mallie Shuster	rSo
165	Ross Tice	rJr
174	Chris Estep/Johnson/Witt	rSo
184	Keith Witt/Newburg	rJr
197	Dustin Kilgore/Tymoszczuk	rSo
285	Brendan Barlow	rJr

The Flashes will be led by a trio of very tough wrestlers. Bedelyon is coming off a year off and looks to make some noise on the national level. Kilgore will start the year out up at 197 and looks to put himself in position for a National Title. We think this may be a very good move for him. Barlow will hold down the fort at the top of the line-up and look to improve upon a successful campaign last season.

For KSU to make a run at CMU they will need another trio of wrestlers to take another step forward. They will need Skonieczny, Cathell and Tice to step up and put themselves in contention for conference titles. If they three can make the right strides they Flashes will be on the right track.

TOM’s Outlook: We see two champs for the Flashes and five finalists. Like we said above if some of their guys make the right steps they could push CMU for the title. Barlow would have to repeat his performance from last year as well. There will be numerous head to head bouts that will decide the champions.

Buffalo Bulls

9-7-1 (Overall) and 2-3 (MAC)

New Faces:

Rickey Bronson	Fr	149	Port Crane, NY/Chenango Forks
Frank Day	Fr	157	Bliss, NY/Letchworth
Matt Dehney	Fr	157	Dracut, MA/Dracut
James Donner	Fr	285	North Tonawanda, NY/Niagara Wheatfield
Kris Duge	Fr	157	Clarence, NY/Clarence
James Loomis	Fr	141	Mexico, NY/Mexico
Wally Maziarz	Fr	149	North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda
Max Soria	Fr	125	Kings Park, NY/Kings Park
Mike Soria	Fr	125	Kings Park, NY/Kings Park
Zach Ward	Fr	174	Williamsville, NY/Clarence

Off Redshirt:

Mitzunobu Aiono	rFr	197	Brighton, NY/Brighton
Josh Micek	rFr	149	Bemus Point, NY/Maple Grove
Sean Walton	rFr	125	Palmyra, NY/Palmyra-Macedon

Projected Lineup for Buffalo

125	Taylor Golba/Walton	So
133	Kevin Smith	Jr
141	Andrew Schutt	So
149	Desi Green	Jr
157	Mark Lewandowski	rSo
165	John-Martin Cannon	Jr
174	Brian Sheehan	Sr
184	Jimmy Hamel	Sr
197	Josh Peters	So
285	Brett Correll	rSo

Buffalo will also be led by a trio of guys. Green, Cannon and Hamel should be the anchors of this years team. All three are coming off successful years last season and should improve.

The Bulls will also look towards guys like Smith, Lewandowski and Peters to help them become a player in the conference. If these guys show improvement they could make things pretty interesting.

TOM’s Outlook: Look for two champs from Buffalo and four finalist this year. We are not sure they have enough fire power this season to make a run to the top, but they do have enough talent to make things interesting.

Ohio Bobcats

12-5 (Overall) and 3-2 (MAC)

New Faces:

Dennis, Joe	141	FR	Bethel, OH (Archbishop McNicholas)
Dilley, Kyle	165	FR	Lancaster, OH (Lancaster)
Garringer, Ryan	184	FR	Downers Grove, IL (Hinsdale South)
Gregor, Tucker	165	FR	Litchfield, OH (Buckeye)
Johnson, Jeremy	HWT	FR	Broadview Heights, OH
Jones, Chandler	133	FR	Pataskala, OH (Licking Heights)
Lang, Kyle	165	FR	North Royalton, OH (Brecksville-Broadview Heights)
Minnard, Alex	125	FR	Lancaster, OH (Lancaster Fairfield Union)
Moore, Gavin	133	FR	Beavercreek, OH (Beavercreek)
Sanders, Kyle	197	FR	Columbus, OH (St. Charles Preparatory)
Wojcik, Jake	125	FR	Homer Glen, IL (Providence Catholic)

Off Redshirt:

Ciccarello, Kyle	125	RS FR	South Euclid, Ohio (Brush)
Gordon, Casey	149	RS FR	Dublin, Ohio (Dublin Scioto)
Nelson, Zach	141	RS FR	Mt. Sterling, Ohio (Madison Plains)
Prichard, Matt	HWT	RS FR	Dayton, Ohio (Northmont)
Ramos, Gabe	125	RS FR	Hopatcong, N.J. (Hopatcong)
Speelman, Josh	149	RS FR	Mansfield, Ohio (Madison)

Projected Lineup for Ohio

125	Gabe Ramos
133	Jacob Wojcik
141	Germane Lindsey
149	Casey Gordon/Nelson/Squire
157	Chris Kline
165	Kyle Lang
174	Nick Purdue
184	Ryan Garringer
197	Erik Schuth
285	Andy Hartshorn/Johnson

Look for Lindsey, Purdue and Schuth to lead the Bobcats this year. The Bobcats made some noise last year and that was due to the success of the three we mentioned. We anticipate these guys improving and be in contention come March for a place on the podium. After that OU is loaded with some new and young faces. We would not be surprised to one of them to become a contender in the conference.

TOM’s Outlook: We see the Bobcats capturing one title and getting four into the finals. They could get more champs if guys step up. We see them as a solid third in the conference for sure. Not sure if they can make any kind of run this year, but one never knows.

Northern Illinois

9-10 (Overall) and 1-4 (MAC)

New Faces:

Charles Argue	174	FR	Matteson, Ill./Mt. Carmel
Sam Bennett	157	FR	Anderson, Ind./Anderson Highland
Caleb Busson	184	FR	Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth
Shawn Fayette	141	FR	Dayton, Ohio/Miamisburg
Cody Flynn	197	FR	Dewey, Ill./Gibson City
Jason Montemayor	133	FR	Round Lake Heights, IL/Grant Community HS
Ryan Olep	165	FR	Lowell, Mich./Lowell
Parker Settecase	285	FR	Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East
Donny Simpson	149	FR	Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville
Matt Smith	149	FR	Paw Paw, Mich./Allegan
Nick Smith	125	FR	Ida, Mich./Ida

Off Redshirt:

Dan Burk	165	RS FR	Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley
Kevin Fanta	133	RS FR	Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich
Matt Mougin	165	RS FR	Columbus Junction, Iowa/Columbus Community
Shane Rosenberry	197	RS FR	Lancaster, Pa./Elizabethtown Area
Jared Torrence	285	RS FR	Norwalk, Ohio/Norwalk

Projected Lineup for Northern Illinois

125	Izzy Montemayor/Taylor	Jr
133	Tristen DeShazer/Fanta	rSr
141	Patrick McLemore/DeShazer	rSr
149	Vince Castillo	rSr
157	Bryan Deutsch	rSr
165	Matt Mougin	rJr
174	Zach Benzio	So
184	Brad Diekhaus	rJr
197	Mike Lukowski/Rosenberry	Sr
285	Dakota Greenhaw	rSr

The Huskies will look towards McLemore and Deutsch to lead them this season. If Deutsch gets on track he can be a handful for anyone and McLemore looks to continue to build off a nice year last year. They are also expecting some thing out of DeShazer this year as well.

TOM’s Outlook: We see two finalists and one champ for the Huskies this year.  They are a veteran team and could do better then where we have them currently.

Eastern Michigan

10-12-1 (Overall) and 0-5 (MAC)

New Faces:

Jaylyn Bohl	149	Fr.	Plainwell, Mich. / Allegan
Jacob Byers	133	Fr.	Cedar Springs, Mich. / Rockford
Filiberto Colon	133	Fr.	Belleville, N.J. / Belleville Senior (Rider University)
Alan Constable	141	Fr.	Sand Creek, Mich. / Sand Creek
Michael Curby	174	Fr.	Osseo, Mich. / Hillsdale
Shane Dutton	133	Fr.	Madison Heights, Mich. / Lamphere
Derrik Marry	141	Fr.	Hudson, Mich. / Hudson Area
Hans Rasmusson	157	Fr.	Hazel Park, Mich. / Jupiter (Fla.)
Aaron Risch	157	Fr.	Webberville, Mich. / Williamston
Brenton Winekoff	157	Fr.	Plymouth, Mich. / Canton

Off Redshirt:

Jared Germaine	125	Rf.
Khodor Hoballah	174	Rf.
Mike LeHolm	141	Rf.
J.T. Rice	157	Rf.
Seth Schaner	141	Rf.
Nick Whitenburg	184	Rf.

Projected Lineup for Eastern Michigan

125	Jared Germaine	rFr
133	Andrew Novak	rJr
141	Corey Phillips	Jr
149	Jared Porter	rJr
157	Aaron Sulzer	rSo
165	Alex Ortman	So
174	Phillip Joseph	So
184	Nick Whitenburg	rFr
197	Travis Stanback	rSo
285	David Wade	rSr

EMU should be led by Sulzer and Porter this season. Both will be looking to improve off of last season and make a run at the conference tournament. Wade could also make a move if he has improved as well.

TOM’s Outlook: We see EMU getting one into the finals this year. We would not be surprised to see some of the EMU exceed our current expectations.