Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, January 12
Pittsburgh, Pa.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
North Carolina State
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Three North Carolina Opponents Await Eastern at Pitt Duals
1/11/2014 9:17:00 AM | Wrestling
Eagles will take on Duke, UNC, and N.C. State
Notes
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team returns to action Sunday, Jan. 8 for its first duals of the 2014 calendar year as the matchup against No. 9 Northern Iowa was postponed due to inclement weather. The Eagles travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. to participate in their final tournament of the season as the Green and White takes on Duke, UNC and N.C. State at the Pitt Duals at Fitzgerald Field House. EMU will first wrestle Duke at 10 a.m. before grappling with UNC at noon and closing out the day with a match against N.C. State at 2 p.m.
SCOUTING THE FIELD AT PITT: Eastern's three opponents for the Pitt Duals bring a 10-8 overall record into the duals as N.C. boasts a 7-1 record, falling only to then-No. 7 Illinois.
Duke has faced off with two ranked opponents as it fell 27-7 to then-No. 21 Purdue and then-No. 9 Ohio State, 25-10, in its first home meet of the season. The Blue Devils also fell to Indiana on the road (Nov. 17) before picking up their first win of the season against Cleveland State, Nov. 17. Immanuel Kerr-Brown is the highlight of the Duke roster as he is currently 4-0 on the season at 157 lbs., while Marcus Cain (165 lbs.) and Trey Adamson (125 lbs.) are both 2-2.
Eastern and Duke have squared off one time in program history as the Eagles fell 22-20, Jan. 31, 2009, when the two teams grappled at the Gardner-Webb Duals in Boiling Springs, N.C.
After its first dual with Duke, the Eagles will take on UNC in a noon match up. The Tar Heels are 2-4 on the season, picking up wins over Wisconsin and Binghamton. Eastern and North Carolina have both faced off against Old Dominion and Michigan State as UNC has fallen to both teams and the Eagles are 1-1 against the opponents. In their last two duals, the Tar Heels were defeated in back-to-back matches to MAC opponent Central Michigan (18-16) and Big Ten foe Michigan State (22-19). UNC is led by Evan Henderson (125 lbs.) who posts a 5-1 dual record, falling only to Old Dominion's Tristan Warner, while Nathan Kaiser (133 lbs.) is 4-2 in dual meets.
Eastern's final dual of the day comes when it takes on the Wolfpack of North Carolina State. The Wolfpack are 7-1 on the season after starting a 5-0 win streak with three straight home wins and two road wins before falling to No. 7 Illinois at the Journeyman/Northeast Duals. N.C. State got back on the winning track dominating both Cleveland State (35-3) and Appalachian State (28-6) in Boone, N.C. The Wolfpack are led by sophomore Sam Speno (141 lbs.) who boasts an 8-0 dual record and a 14-3 overall record on the season, while freshman Pere Renda (174 lbs.) has had a breakout year going 7-0 in dual meets and 15-5 overall.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: This year's Pitt Duals will mark the third consecutive season that the Eagles have traveled to Pittsburgh, Pa. to compete in the tournament. The Green and White holds a 4-6 overall record at Fitzgerald Field House after going 0-3 in the 2012-13 campaign.
EMU was unable to muster a win as it fell to Lock Haven (21-14), then-No. 12 Pitt (27-9) and Bloomsburg (24-9) in last season's outing. Jake Byers was the highlight of the day for Eastern as he grabbed two victories at 133 lbs., while Alexander Calandrino received credit for two victories as he earned one by way of forfeit.
Last season's Pitt Duals were crucial matches for Nick Whitenburg as he made his return at 197 lbs. after being sidelined by injury. The then-redshirt junior clinched a technical fall over Lock Haven in his 2012-13 debut to bring the Green and White within four of the Eagles, but Eastern was unable to secure the major decision and suffered its first loss of the afternoon.
DUAL AGAINST NO. 9 NORTHERN IOWA POSTPONED: Eastern Michigan University wrestling squad's Sunday, Jan. 5, dual against Mid-American Conference foe, No. 9 Northern Iowa, was postponed due the the impending inclement weather in the Ypsilanti area.
The two teams will attempt to reschedule the dual for a later date in the season. Please check EMUEagles.com for more information or follow us on Twitter at @EMUAthletics for the latest information on a make-up date.
EMU EARNS PROGRAM-BEST FINISH AT MIDLANDS: The Eagles saw their best finish in program history at the 51st Ken Kraft Midlands Championships as they placed 19th out of 47 teams. The Green and White scored 21 points, which marked the third-highest point total for EMU in its five years at the tournament.
Redshirt-senior Brandon Zeerip had a strong showing in his first Midlands for EMU, going 3-0 with two decisions and one major decision to remain in the championship bracket at the conclusion of the first session. The Fremont, Mich. native was unable to clinch the win he needed in his first bout of the second session, sending him to the wrestleback bracket for day two. The 157 lb. grappler could not get any momentum going on day two for the Eagles as he fell in a major decision to end EMU's run at the tournament.
The Green and White saw some other bright spots on day one of the tournament as both Jacob Davis and Phillip Joseph earned pins over their opponents and Khodor Hoballah grabbed a 3-2 record with one major decision.
THREE EAGLES REMAIN RANKED IN MAC JANUARY POLLS: Three EMU redshirt-seniors are currently ranked in the Mid-American Conference January Polls as Jared Germaine is ranked second behind freshman Dylan Peters of Northern Iowa at 125 lbs. Nick Whitenburg ranks third at 197 lbs., while Phillip Joseph is fourth at 184 lbs.
Germaine boasts a perfect 6-0 record for the Eagles at the 125 lb. weight class and has yet to be beaten in his final season, while Whitenburg holds a 5-2 record, falling only to Drexel's Brandon Palik and Michigan State's Nick McDiarmid.
Joseph has proven to be a steady competitor after moving up to 184 lbs. in his senior season as he holds a 11-4 overall record and a 6-1 dual record. The Lapeer, Mich. native clinched the deciding pin over Stanford to allow the Eagles to beat the then-No. 23 Cardinal 18-16 at the Convocation Center, Nov. 24.
OUTSCORING THE OPPOSITION: The Eagles are currently outscoring their opponents 204-96 on the young season as they have only allowed four teams to score in the double-digits through their first six duals. The Green and White's 204 team points are the best any team since the 2005-06 season has put up through its first eight duals. The 2011-12 team nabbed 202 points through eight duals with a 49-3 win over Sacred Heart, Nov. 26, 2011.
EMU dominated its first four opponents at the EMU Duals as it dropped only seven of its 40 bouts on the day, while averaging two pins per dual with eight total, including five in its first dual against Tiffin. The Green and White suffered its first loss of the season at Michigan State, but kept the Spartans to only one pin and six decisions, keeping the score under 30.
The Eagles came up with close wins over Stanford and Old Dominion, using a Phillip Joseph pin against the Cardinal and a Khodor Hoballah decision against the Monarchs. Eastern continued its dominating ways over Olivet as it defeated the Comets 23-9, which allowed EMU to keep its opponent point total under 100.
TAKING DOWN RANKED OPPONENTS: Eastern will look to pick up its third victory over ranked opponents when it takes on Northern Iowa as the Panthers are ranked No. 9 in the nation, accoring to InterMat rankings and No. 10 in both the NCAA rankings and AWN rankings. UNI is the only Mid-American Conference team ranked in the top-25 as Ohio sits at No. 26 in InterMat rankings and Kent State, Central Michigan and Old Dominion all earned top-50 rankings.
The Green and White has taken down two ranked opponents in two-straight duals as the Eagles defeated No. 23 Stanford, 18-16 in the Convocation Center before traveling to Norfolk, Va. and securing a 21-19 victory over No. 24 Old Dominion, Dec. 6. Since EMU defeated both teams, the Cardinal has moved up as high as No. 18 in the NCAA rankings, while the Monarchs dropped out of Wrestlingreport.com's top-25. The wins mark the first time in Eagle history that Eastern has defeated two ranked teams in a season. Prior to beating Stanford and Old Dominion, EMU last beat a ranked opponent in the 2012-13 campaign when it defeated then-No. 24 North Dakota State, 18-17, Nov. 24, 2012.
DELPORTO CAPTURES 100th CAREER VICTORY: Head Coach Derek DelPorto clinched his 100th career victory as a head coach when the Eagles grabbed a 21-19 victory over Old Dominion. The deciding win over the preseason No. 2 team in the MAC came in the final bout as the Eagles trailed by one heading into the heavyweight division.
The Erie, Pa. native posts a 101-90-2 all-time record since he began coaching at Slippery Rock prior to coming to Eastern Michigan in 2006.
DELPORTO NEARING ALL-TIME EMU COACHING RECORD: Head Coach Derek DelPorto currently holds a 79-69-2 record at EMU, which is one win shy of tying former head coach John Eisley. While at Eastern, Eisley posted an 80-74-4 record in his 12-year tenure. If DelPorto picks up just two more wins this season, he will take the all-time wins record in just eight seasons at the helm.
COVERAGE OF PITT DUALS: Fans can visit PittsburghPanthers.com to check results of the Pitt Duals, Sunday, Jan. 12. Fans are also encouraged to follow EMUWrestling on Twitter for live updates and can join in on coversation using #FlyingHigher.
UP NEXT ON THE MAT?: The Eagles return to Ypsilanti, Friday, Januaryy 17 when they take on Northern Illinois at the Convocation Center. The Mid-American Conference dual is slated to start at 7 p.m.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team returns to action Sunday, Jan. 8 for its first duals of the 2014 calendar year as the matchup against No. 9 Northern Iowa was postponed due to inclement weather. The Eagles travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. to participate in their final tournament of the season as the Green and White takes on Duke, UNC and N.C. State at the Pitt Duals at Fitzgerald Field House. EMU will first wrestle Duke at 10 a.m. before grappling with UNC at noon and closing out the day with a match against N.C. State at 2 p.m.
SCOUTING THE FIELD AT PITT: Eastern's three opponents for the Pitt Duals bring a 10-8 overall record into the duals as N.C. boasts a 7-1 record, falling only to then-No. 7 Illinois.
Duke has faced off with two ranked opponents as it fell 27-7 to then-No. 21 Purdue and then-No. 9 Ohio State, 25-10, in its first home meet of the season. The Blue Devils also fell to Indiana on the road (Nov. 17) before picking up their first win of the season against Cleveland State, Nov. 17. Immanuel Kerr-Brown is the highlight of the Duke roster as he is currently 4-0 on the season at 157 lbs., while Marcus Cain (165 lbs.) and Trey Adamson (125 lbs.) are both 2-2.
Eastern and Duke have squared off one time in program history as the Eagles fell 22-20, Jan. 31, 2009, when the two teams grappled at the Gardner-Webb Duals in Boiling Springs, N.C.
After its first dual with Duke, the Eagles will take on UNC in a noon match up. The Tar Heels are 2-4 on the season, picking up wins over Wisconsin and Binghamton. Eastern and North Carolina have both faced off against Old Dominion and Michigan State as UNC has fallen to both teams and the Eagles are 1-1 against the opponents. In their last two duals, the Tar Heels were defeated in back-to-back matches to MAC opponent Central Michigan (18-16) and Big Ten foe Michigan State (22-19). UNC is led by Evan Henderson (125 lbs.) who posts a 5-1 dual record, falling only to Old Dominion's Tristan Warner, while Nathan Kaiser (133 lbs.) is 4-2 in dual meets.
Eastern's final dual of the day comes when it takes on the Wolfpack of North Carolina State. The Wolfpack are 7-1 on the season after starting a 5-0 win streak with three straight home wins and two road wins before falling to No. 7 Illinois at the Journeyman/Northeast Duals. N.C. State got back on the winning track dominating both Cleveland State (35-3) and Appalachian State (28-6) in Boone, N.C. The Wolfpack are led by sophomore Sam Speno (141 lbs.) who boasts an 8-0 dual record and a 14-3 overall record on the season, while freshman Pere Renda (174 lbs.) has had a breakout year going 7-0 in dual meets and 15-5 overall.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: This year's Pitt Duals will mark the third consecutive season that the Eagles have traveled to Pittsburgh, Pa. to compete in the tournament. The Green and White holds a 4-6 overall record at Fitzgerald Field House after going 0-3 in the 2012-13 campaign.
EMU was unable to muster a win as it fell to Lock Haven (21-14), then-No. 12 Pitt (27-9) and Bloomsburg (24-9) in last season's outing. Jake Byers was the highlight of the day for Eastern as he grabbed two victories at 133 lbs., while Alexander Calandrino received credit for two victories as he earned one by way of forfeit.
Last season's Pitt Duals were crucial matches for Nick Whitenburg as he made his return at 197 lbs. after being sidelined by injury. The then-redshirt junior clinched a technical fall over Lock Haven in his 2012-13 debut to bring the Green and White within four of the Eagles, but Eastern was unable to secure the major decision and suffered its first loss of the afternoon.
DUAL AGAINST NO. 9 NORTHERN IOWA POSTPONED: Eastern Michigan University wrestling squad's Sunday, Jan. 5, dual against Mid-American Conference foe, No. 9 Northern Iowa, was postponed due the the impending inclement weather in the Ypsilanti area.
The two teams will attempt to reschedule the dual for a later date in the season. Please check EMUEagles.com for more information or follow us on Twitter at @EMUAthletics for the latest information on a make-up date.
EMU EARNS PROGRAM-BEST FINISH AT MIDLANDS: The Eagles saw their best finish in program history at the 51st Ken Kraft Midlands Championships as they placed 19th out of 47 teams. The Green and White scored 21 points, which marked the third-highest point total for EMU in its five years at the tournament.
Redshirt-senior Brandon Zeerip had a strong showing in his first Midlands for EMU, going 3-0 with two decisions and one major decision to remain in the championship bracket at the conclusion of the first session. The Fremont, Mich. native was unable to clinch the win he needed in his first bout of the second session, sending him to the wrestleback bracket for day two. The 157 lb. grappler could not get any momentum going on day two for the Eagles as he fell in a major decision to end EMU's run at the tournament.
The Green and White saw some other bright spots on day one of the tournament as both Jacob Davis and Phillip Joseph earned pins over their opponents and Khodor Hoballah grabbed a 3-2 record with one major decision.
THREE EAGLES REMAIN RANKED IN MAC JANUARY POLLS: Three EMU redshirt-seniors are currently ranked in the Mid-American Conference January Polls as Jared Germaine is ranked second behind freshman Dylan Peters of Northern Iowa at 125 lbs. Nick Whitenburg ranks third at 197 lbs., while Phillip Joseph is fourth at 184 lbs.
Germaine boasts a perfect 6-0 record for the Eagles at the 125 lb. weight class and has yet to be beaten in his final season, while Whitenburg holds a 5-2 record, falling only to Drexel's Brandon Palik and Michigan State's Nick McDiarmid.
Joseph has proven to be a steady competitor after moving up to 184 lbs. in his senior season as he holds a 11-4 overall record and a 6-1 dual record. The Lapeer, Mich. native clinched the deciding pin over Stanford to allow the Eagles to beat the then-No. 23 Cardinal 18-16 at the Convocation Center, Nov. 24.
OUTSCORING THE OPPOSITION: The Eagles are currently outscoring their opponents 204-96 on the young season as they have only allowed four teams to score in the double-digits through their first six duals. The Green and White's 204 team points are the best any team since the 2005-06 season has put up through its first eight duals. The 2011-12 team nabbed 202 points through eight duals with a 49-3 win over Sacred Heart, Nov. 26, 2011.
EMU dominated its first four opponents at the EMU Duals as it dropped only seven of its 40 bouts on the day, while averaging two pins per dual with eight total, including five in its first dual against Tiffin. The Green and White suffered its first loss of the season at Michigan State, but kept the Spartans to only one pin and six decisions, keeping the score under 30.
The Eagles came up with close wins over Stanford and Old Dominion, using a Phillip Joseph pin against the Cardinal and a Khodor Hoballah decision against the Monarchs. Eastern continued its dominating ways over Olivet as it defeated the Comets 23-9, which allowed EMU to keep its opponent point total under 100.
TAKING DOWN RANKED OPPONENTS: Eastern will look to pick up its third victory over ranked opponents when it takes on Northern Iowa as the Panthers are ranked No. 9 in the nation, accoring to InterMat rankings and No. 10 in both the NCAA rankings and AWN rankings. UNI is the only Mid-American Conference team ranked in the top-25 as Ohio sits at No. 26 in InterMat rankings and Kent State, Central Michigan and Old Dominion all earned top-50 rankings.
The Green and White has taken down two ranked opponents in two-straight duals as the Eagles defeated No. 23 Stanford, 18-16 in the Convocation Center before traveling to Norfolk, Va. and securing a 21-19 victory over No. 24 Old Dominion, Dec. 6. Since EMU defeated both teams, the Cardinal has moved up as high as No. 18 in the NCAA rankings, while the Monarchs dropped out of Wrestlingreport.com's top-25. The wins mark the first time in Eagle history that Eastern has defeated two ranked teams in a season. Prior to beating Stanford and Old Dominion, EMU last beat a ranked opponent in the 2012-13 campaign when it defeated then-No. 24 North Dakota State, 18-17, Nov. 24, 2012.
DELPORTO CAPTURES 100th CAREER VICTORY: Head Coach Derek DelPorto clinched his 100th career victory as a head coach when the Eagles grabbed a 21-19 victory over Old Dominion. The deciding win over the preseason No. 2 team in the MAC came in the final bout as the Eagles trailed by one heading into the heavyweight division.
The Erie, Pa. native posts a 101-90-2 all-time record since he began coaching at Slippery Rock prior to coming to Eastern Michigan in 2006.
DELPORTO NEARING ALL-TIME EMU COACHING RECORD: Head Coach Derek DelPorto currently holds a 79-69-2 record at EMU, which is one win shy of tying former head coach John Eisley. While at Eastern, Eisley posted an 80-74-4 record in his 12-year tenure. If DelPorto picks up just two more wins this season, he will take the all-time wins record in just eight seasons at the helm.
COVERAGE OF PITT DUALS: Fans can visit PittsburghPanthers.com to check results of the Pitt Duals, Sunday, Jan. 12. Fans are also encouraged to follow EMUWrestling on Twitter for live updates and can join in on coversation using #FlyingHigher.
UP NEXT ON THE MAT?: The Eagles return to Ypsilanti, Friday, Januaryy 17 when they take on Northern Illinois at the Convocation Center. The Mid-American Conference dual is slated to start at 7 p.m.
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