Pienaar is St. Louis Bound

Final Bracket Results (PDF)

KENT, Ohio — The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team wrapped up competition at the Mid-American Conference Championship here Saturday afternoon in Kent, Ohio at the MAC Center. The Eagles had three wrestlers competing on day 2, including two in championship matches. As a team the Eagles finished in sixth place with 25.5 points. Central Michigan won its seventh straight MAC Championship with 110 points.

Following CMU in the standings was Kent State with 75.5 points, Northern Illinois in third with 60.5, and Ohio and Buffalo in fourth with 26.5. Coach of the Year honors went to Tom Borrelli (Central Michigan), while Pat Castillo (Northern Illinois) won Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament. Nic Bedelyon (Kent State) took home Freshman of the Year honors.

The Green and White had two wrestlers competing in championship matches; redshirt senior Charlie Pienaar (Trafford, Pa.-Trafford) in the 184-pound class and true freshman Andrew Novak (New Boston, Mich.-Huron) in the 125-pound class. Redshirt sophomore David Wade was also still alive, competing in the consolation bracket of the heavyweight division.

A day after defeating the No. 1 seeded Luke Smith (Central Michigan) 11-6; Novak faced fellow true freshman Nic Bedelyon (Kent State) in the championship match of the 125-pound class.

A flurry of scoring took place in the first period, starting with a Bedelyon takedown less than 30 seconds into the match. Bedelyon followed the takedown with a three-point near fall, going up 5-0 less then a minute into the opening frame. Novak escaped and scored a takedown of his own, closing the gap to 5-3 with 1:31 remaining in the period. Bedelyon increased his lead to 6-3 with an escape, ending the period out front. Bedelyon extended his lead to 11-4 late in the second before he finished the match with a pin at the 4:36 mark to take first place while Novak finished in second.

In the 184-pound match, Pienaar faced the two-time defending MAC champion Brandon Sinnott (Central Michigan). Sinnott took an early 2-0 lead on a takedown at the 1:30 mark of the first period. Pienaar escaped to end the first period, cutting the score to 2-1 in favor of Sinnott. After choosing the bottom start to the second period, Pienaar again escaped, tying the match at 2-2. The match remained tied heading into the final period where Sinnott opened up with an escape to take a 3-2 lead. With just over a minute remaining, Sinnott scored his second takedown of the match, going up 5-3. He would hold off multiple shots by Pienaar as the period came to a close, earning an automatic birth to the NCAA Championships.

Wade and Jeff Parker (Buffalo) battled through the first period of their consolation match to a 0-0 draw. A stalling call on Wade early in the second gave Parker a 1-0 advantage. Heading into the third period with a 1-0 lead, Parker escape and scored a two-point takedown, increasing his lead to 4-0. Wade earned an escape to cut the deficit to 4-1, but time was not on his side as the match ended with Parker tacking on one more point for riding time accumulated, giving him the 5-1 win.

“It is a bittersweet time of year for coaches,” said first-year assistant and former All-American David Bolyard. “On one hand your able to tell one of your seniors that the hard work has paid off and that he is going to Nationals, but on the other, you have to tell a true freshman who made a lot of sacrifices this season that he wont get the chance to accomplish his goals. Every year there are a few kids that deserve to go that do not get to because we as a conference do not get the proper amount of at-large bids.”

A coach’s meeting following the championship was held to determine the at-large selections to the NCAA Championships. After taking second place in the 184-pound class, Pienaar received an at-large bid. Novak, who finished in second place to Bedelyon, is the first alternate for the NCAA Championships.

“Words cannot express the joy I feel. I thank God I was able to make it one last time,” said the previous two-time qualifier while at Slippery Rock. “Unfortunately I will not be sharing the experience with any of my teammates, but I have no doubt that in the coming years, they will find success themselves and know that the hard work we put in does pay off. I look forward to St. Louis, but between now and then there is a lot of work to do, and I am eager to get started Monday.”

Pienaar will be in action at the NCAA Championships March 20-22, in St. Louis, Mo.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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