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Nationally-Ranked Central Michigan Subdues Bulls

Joe Wilson

BUFFALO, NY – Powerhouse Central Michigan, ranked fifth in the latest NWCA poll, was able to subdue the University at Buffalo wrestling team, scoring a 32-3 Mid-American Conference victory over the Bulls on Saturday at Alumni Arena. It was the Chippewas 26th consecutive MAC dual meet victory.

Central Michigan took nine of the ten bouts with a lineup that boasted six wrestlers ranked in the Top 20 nationally, including four in the top ten. The Chippewas began the bout with a hard-fought win at 125 pounds. 19th-ranked Luke Smith scored a 4-0 win over Buffalo's Danny Bishop (Whitehall, NY/Whitehall), by scoring an escape and a takedown in the second period and earning a riding time point.

Buffalo got on the board at 133 pounds, as junior Joe Wilson (Chester, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) scored a 3-2 win over Josh Williams. Wilson scored a first period takedown and got an escape in the second period to build a 3-0 lead and held on for the win.

The Chippewas scored a narrow win at 141 pounds as UB’s Andrew Stella (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) battled 12th-ranked Eric Kruger before falling short, 3-0. Kruger got a reversal to start the second period and finished with one point for riding time. Central took control of the match at 149 pounds when Nathaniel Holt registered a fall and Central would roll from there.

In a highly-anticipated matchup, Central’s Christian Sinnott, ranked third in the nation, ended the winning streak of Buffalo’s Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) at 12 matches. Sinnott notched four takedowns in a 10-4 victory.

UB’s Jimmy Hamel (Natick, MA/Natick) had his hands full with two-time All-American Wynn Michalak, as Michalak, ranked sixth in the nation, recorded six takedowns en route to a 15-3 win. At heavyweight, eighth-ranked Bubba Gritter battled his way to a tough 4-1 win over Buffalo's Jeff Parker (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro). Gritter got an escape in the second period to take a 1-0 lead. Gritter was then able to control Parker on top for most of the third period to gain the riding time point before Parker escaped with :20 remaining to cut the lead to 2-1. However, Gritter got a late takedown on a Parker shot to close the scoring at 4-1.

The Bulls, who had won six of their previous seven dual matches, fell to 8-5-1 with the loss and 1-3 in the MAC, Buffalo will travel to Kent State for their final MAC dual match of the year next Sunday (Feb. 10).

Match-by-match results:

125: Smith (CMU) def. Bishop (UB), 4-0 (3-0)

133: Wilson (UB) def. Williams (CMU), 3-2 (3-3)

141: Eric Kruger (CMU) def. Stella (UB), 3-0 (6-3)

149: Holt (CMU) def. Lloyd (UB) by fall 3:54 (12-3)

157: Grayson (CMU) def. Cummings (UB) 11-4 (15-3)

165: Brown (CMU) def. Rendos (UB) 7-4 (18-3)

174: B. Sinnott (CMU) def. Daddino (UB) 16-6 (22-3)

184: C. Sinnott (CMU)) def. Moran (UB) 10-4 (25-3)

197: Michalak (CMU) def. Hamel (UB) 15-3 (29-3)

285: Gritter (CMU) def. Parker (UB) 4-1 (32-3)