Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, February 6
DeKalb, Ill.
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Northern Illinois
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Chloe Smith
Wrestling Looks to Snap Losing Skid in Weekend Duals
2/4/2015 4:09:00 PM | Wrestling
The Eagles will travel to DeKalb, Ill. to wrestle Northern Illinois before heading back to Ypsilanti to battle with No. 2 Missouri
Complete Notes
The Eastern Michigan University wrestling squad will grapple in two Mid-American Conference duals this coming weekend, first taking on the Huskies of Northern Illinois University Friday, Feb. 6 before returning to Ypsilanti to take on the undefeated Tigers of Missouri University Sunday, Feb. 8.
The Eagles and Huskies will face off at 7 p.m. Friday in a dual that will be aired on ESPN 3, while the Tigers and EMU will wrestle at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
A BRIEF LOOK AT THE HUSKIES: Northern Illinois heads into the Friday night dual with an 8-10 overall record and is still searching for its first conference win with an 0-4 MAC record. Most recently, the Huskies have dropped duals to Ohio and No. 2 Missouri.
NIU is led by Tyler Argue at 149 lbs. and Trace Engelkes at 157 lbs. The two have combined for 31 wins on the season, but Argue is the only one to compete in MAC competition. The Eagles will seen an inexperienced Huskie lineup come Friday night as only three of its 10 potential starters have competed in a conference dual this season.
ALL-TIME VS. NIU: Northern Illinois holds a commanding 26-4-1 record over Eastern in the all-time series between the two squads. However, the Eagles have won two of the last three meetings, falling in the 2013-14 campaign at the Convocation Center.
Last season, the Green and White were only able to secure three victories on the night, two of which came from returners Vincent Pizzuto and Brandon Zeerip. This season, EMU returns four of its 10 starters, including two who earned victories in the 2013-14 season and NIU returns three starters from a season ago.
SCOUTING NO. 2 MISSOURI: The Missouri Tigers enter the Sunday dual as the No. 2 team in the nation with an unblemished 18-0 record. The Tigers return national champion J'Den Cox at 197 lbs. as well as four other national qualifiers. Additionally, eight grapplers are currently ranked in the Intermat poll, while Cox is undefeated on the season and Drake Houdashelt is 25-1 overall.
All-TIME VS. MU: Having faced off only two times on the mat in the past nine seasons, Missouri holds a 2-0 lead in the all-time series over Eastern Michigan. Most recently, the Eagles dropped a 25-6 dual to the Tigers in the 2012 season when the Green and White took on Mizzou at the Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Quad, Jan. 29, 2012.
PIZZUTO REMAINS UNDEFEATED IN CONFERENCE SEASON: Eastern Michigan University wrestler Vincent Pizzuto improved upon his umblemished Mid-American Conference record Friday, Jan. 30, when the Eagles took on the Golden Flashes of Kent State University. Despite the Green and White being unable to pull off a victory over its conference opponent, the redshirt-junior was one of three bright spots in the EMU lineup. The North Jackson, Ohio native fought back to take a 4-2 sudden victory overtime decision over the No. 1 ranked 133 lb. grappler in the conference, Mack McGuire. The win marks the second-straight season that Pizzuto has defeated McGuire in the 133 lbs. weight class. The win also knotted the dual at 3-3 before KSU went on to take the six of the remaining eight bouts of the evening. .
EMU DROPS FIFTH-STRAIGHT DUAL: The Eagles are trying to turn their season around Friday night after dropping their fifth-straight dual to Kent State University, Jan. 30. The Green and White saw only three wins on the night with Vincent Pizzuto grabbing a huge victory at 133 lbs. Pizzuto took down No. 1 ranked wrestler in the MAC Mack McGuire in a 4-2 sudden victory before Nicholas Barber and Anthony Abro each earned wins in their respective weight classes.
TAKING ON RANKED OPPONENTS: Sunday's dual marks the third time this season that the Eagles will go up against a ranked opponent. Missouri is currently ranked at No. 2 in the nation after picking up its 18th dual win of the season.
The Green and White has stuggled with ranked teams this season, falling to then-No. 16 Northwestern in its first dual of the season before dropping a dual to then-No. 22 N.C. State at the Pitt Duals, Jan. 11.
The last time the Eagles defeated a ranked opponent was during the 2013-14 season when EMU took down then-No. 23 Stanford at the Convocation Center, Nov. 24, 2013. A pin from Phillip Joseph in the last bout of the afternoon allowed Eastern to take a 18-16 victory over the Cardinal.
EXTRA-POINT VICTORIES FOR HUTCHISON: In his first season as a full-time starter, redshirt-freshman Gage Hutchison has tallied extra-point victories in seven of his 11 bout wins of the year. The Buchanan, Mich. native has notched a team-best six pins on the season, including one pin in Mid-American Conference action, while also grabbing one win by way of major decision in the heavyweight division.
Furthermore, five of Hutchison's seven pins have been in the first period with his fastest pin of the season coming just 18 seconds into the bout against Pitt's Lucas Chestnut at the Keystone Classic, Nov. 23, en route to a sixth-place finish.
THREE WRESTLERS RANK IN FEBRUARY MAC POLL: Redshirt-junior Vincent Pizzuto moved up to the No. 1 spot in the conference rankings after earning a 4-2 sudden victory over Kent State's Mack McGuire, Jan. 30. The North Jackson, Ohio native improved 3-0 in conference action and 12-9 overall on the season.
In addition to Pizzuto, fellow classmates Michael Shaw and Anthony Abro are ranked fourth in the conference in their respective weight classes. Shaw, who highlights the 141 lb. weight class, is 11-11 overall on the season and 2-1 in conference competition with wins over Northern Iowa and Ohio in conference bouts for the Eagles. Abro has picked up wins for the Green and White in his last two bouts, including a 2-1 decision over Cole Baxter of Kent State at 197 lbs. The Canton, Mich. native holds a 19-8 overall record and a 2-1 record in conference action.
UP NEXT ON THE MATS: Eastern Michigan wrestling willreturn to the Convocation Center Sunday, Feb. 8 to take on No. 2 Missouri in an afternoon dual, starting at 1 p.m.
The Eastern Michigan University wrestling squad will grapple in two Mid-American Conference duals this coming weekend, first taking on the Huskies of Northern Illinois University Friday, Feb. 6 before returning to Ypsilanti to take on the undefeated Tigers of Missouri University Sunday, Feb. 8.
The Eagles and Huskies will face off at 7 p.m. Friday in a dual that will be aired on ESPN 3, while the Tigers and EMU will wrestle at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
A BRIEF LOOK AT THE HUSKIES: Northern Illinois heads into the Friday night dual with an 8-10 overall record and is still searching for its first conference win with an 0-4 MAC record. Most recently, the Huskies have dropped duals to Ohio and No. 2 Missouri.
NIU is led by Tyler Argue at 149 lbs. and Trace Engelkes at 157 lbs. The two have combined for 31 wins on the season, but Argue is the only one to compete in MAC competition. The Eagles will seen an inexperienced Huskie lineup come Friday night as only three of its 10 potential starters have competed in a conference dual this season.
ALL-TIME VS. NIU: Northern Illinois holds a commanding 26-4-1 record over Eastern in the all-time series between the two squads. However, the Eagles have won two of the last three meetings, falling in the 2013-14 campaign at the Convocation Center.
Last season, the Green and White were only able to secure three victories on the night, two of which came from returners Vincent Pizzuto and Brandon Zeerip. This season, EMU returns four of its 10 starters, including two who earned victories in the 2013-14 season and NIU returns three starters from a season ago.
SCOUTING NO. 2 MISSOURI: The Missouri Tigers enter the Sunday dual as the No. 2 team in the nation with an unblemished 18-0 record. The Tigers return national champion J'Den Cox at 197 lbs. as well as four other national qualifiers. Additionally, eight grapplers are currently ranked in the Intermat poll, while Cox is undefeated on the season and Drake Houdashelt is 25-1 overall.
All-TIME VS. MU: Having faced off only two times on the mat in the past nine seasons, Missouri holds a 2-0 lead in the all-time series over Eastern Michigan. Most recently, the Eagles dropped a 25-6 dual to the Tigers in the 2012 season when the Green and White took on Mizzou at the Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Quad, Jan. 29, 2012.
PIZZUTO REMAINS UNDEFEATED IN CONFERENCE SEASON: Eastern Michigan University wrestler Vincent Pizzuto improved upon his umblemished Mid-American Conference record Friday, Jan. 30, when the Eagles took on the Golden Flashes of Kent State University. Despite the Green and White being unable to pull off a victory over its conference opponent, the redshirt-junior was one of three bright spots in the EMU lineup. The North Jackson, Ohio native fought back to take a 4-2 sudden victory overtime decision over the No. 1 ranked 133 lb. grappler in the conference, Mack McGuire. The win marks the second-straight season that Pizzuto has defeated McGuire in the 133 lbs. weight class. The win also knotted the dual at 3-3 before KSU went on to take the six of the remaining eight bouts of the evening. .
EMU DROPS FIFTH-STRAIGHT DUAL: The Eagles are trying to turn their season around Friday night after dropping their fifth-straight dual to Kent State University, Jan. 30. The Green and White saw only three wins on the night with Vincent Pizzuto grabbing a huge victory at 133 lbs. Pizzuto took down No. 1 ranked wrestler in the MAC Mack McGuire in a 4-2 sudden victory before Nicholas Barber and Anthony Abro each earned wins in their respective weight classes.
TAKING ON RANKED OPPONENTS: Sunday's dual marks the third time this season that the Eagles will go up against a ranked opponent. Missouri is currently ranked at No. 2 in the nation after picking up its 18th dual win of the season.
The Green and White has stuggled with ranked teams this season, falling to then-No. 16 Northwestern in its first dual of the season before dropping a dual to then-No. 22 N.C. State at the Pitt Duals, Jan. 11.
The last time the Eagles defeated a ranked opponent was during the 2013-14 season when EMU took down then-No. 23 Stanford at the Convocation Center, Nov. 24, 2013. A pin from Phillip Joseph in the last bout of the afternoon allowed Eastern to take a 18-16 victory over the Cardinal.
EXTRA-POINT VICTORIES FOR HUTCHISON: In his first season as a full-time starter, redshirt-freshman Gage Hutchison has tallied extra-point victories in seven of his 11 bout wins of the year. The Buchanan, Mich. native has notched a team-best six pins on the season, including one pin in Mid-American Conference action, while also grabbing one win by way of major decision in the heavyweight division.
Furthermore, five of Hutchison's seven pins have been in the first period with his fastest pin of the season coming just 18 seconds into the bout against Pitt's Lucas Chestnut at the Keystone Classic, Nov. 23, en route to a sixth-place finish.
THREE WRESTLERS RANK IN FEBRUARY MAC POLL: Redshirt-junior Vincent Pizzuto moved up to the No. 1 spot in the conference rankings after earning a 4-2 sudden victory over Kent State's Mack McGuire, Jan. 30. The North Jackson, Ohio native improved 3-0 in conference action and 12-9 overall on the season.
In addition to Pizzuto, fellow classmates Michael Shaw and Anthony Abro are ranked fourth in the conference in their respective weight classes. Shaw, who highlights the 141 lb. weight class, is 11-11 overall on the season and 2-1 in conference competition with wins over Northern Iowa and Ohio in conference bouts for the Eagles. Abro has picked up wins for the Green and White in his last two bouts, including a 2-1 decision over Cole Baxter of Kent State at 197 lbs. The Canton, Mich. native holds a 19-8 overall record and a 2-1 record in conference action.
UP NEXT ON THE MATS: Eastern Michigan wrestling willreturn to the Convocation Center Sunday, Feb. 8 to take on No. 2 Missouri in an afternoon dual, starting at 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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285
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149
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157
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