Wrestling Renews Series With In-State Rival Central Michigan

Eastern Michigan (7-6, 2-4 MAC) vs Central Michigan (6-4, 3-1 MAC)
Date	Friday, Feb. 5 \| 7 p.m.
Location	Mount Pleasant, Mich \| McGuirk Arena
Game Notes	PDF Notes
Twitter	@EMUWrestling
Live Results	Track Wrestling
Live Stream	N/A

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team finds itself on the road for the final two duals of the season, begining with a trip up the road to Mount Pleasant for a match with Central Michigan University. The two rivals are set to face off at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 5 at McGuirk Arena.

   The dual can be followed live on our Twitter page, @EMUWrestling. Results can also be found at TrackWrestling.com.

ALL-TIME VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Friday marks the 68th all-time meeting between the longtime rivals. CMU holds the edge in the series by a count of 56-10-1.

LAST TIME WE MET: Eastern closed out its 2014-15 regular season with a 24-12 loss to a visiting Central Michigan University squad Friday, Feb. 20, in the Convocation Center. EMU won three bouts on the night, including one via pin and another in overtime. CMU's seven wins came with six decisions and a pin.

HOMECOMING: Friday will mark a homecoming of sorts for three members of EMU's coaching staff. David Bolyard ('05), Luke Smith ('08), and Scott Mattingly ('14) were all former members of the CMU wrestling team. Bolyard was an All-American in 2004 while Smith qualified for nationals all four years for the Chippewas. Meanwhile Mattingly was a four-time MAC placer, earning an appearance in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

SCOUTING THE CHIPS: CMU comes into the matchup ranked No. 23 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll. They hold a 6-4 overall record, and a 3-1 mark in the MAC. Wrestling one of the tougher schedules in the country, they hold wins over Rider, Purdue, Northern Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio and Northern Iowa. Their losses have come against nationally ranked opponents Oregon State, Missouri, Michigan, and Iowa State.

   Individually CMU has eight of their ten starters ranked in the NCAA Coaches Panel. Their highest grappler is seventh-ranked 174 pounder Mike Ottinger

FAMILIAR FACE: Redshirt junior Nicholas Barber might see a familiar face when he steps on the mat Friday night. CMU 149 pounder Colin Heffernan was a high school teammate of Barbers when they both attended St. Edward in Cleveland, Ohio.

   The two have seen each other plenty of times at the collegiate ranks. Barber is currently 0-3 vs Heffernan in college, with losses in last years dual, as well as the MAC Championships. Earlier this season, Barber fell to his counterpart in a 3-2 decision at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

FOUR WRESTLERS RANKED BY COACHES PANEL: In the first of four NCAA Coaches Panel rankings, four EMU grapplers found themselves in the top-33. Nicholas Barber (No. 24, 149 lbs.), Jacob Davis (No. 32, 174 lbs.), Anthony Abro (No. 20, 197 lbs.) and Gage Hutchison (No. 28, 285 lbs.) were all ranked in the poll released Jan. 21. The Coaches Panel is one of three measurements used to determine qualifying spots in the NCAA Tournament in March, along with winning percentage and ratings percentage index (RPI).

EMU DEFEATED ON SENIOR DAY: The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team fell in its final home dual of the season, 21-9, Saturday, Jan. 30 inside the Convocation Center. The loss moved EMU's record to 7-6 on the season, and 2-4 in MAC competition.

EMU won three duals on the day, while NIU took seven of the bouts. As an indicator of how close the dual was, none of the matchups yielded bonus points. The Huskies notched their first MAC dual win of the season, going to 1-3, and improved their overall record to 6-6.

Wrestling Renews Series With In-State Rival Central Michigan

Players Mentioned

Anthony Abro

Nick Barber

Jacob Davis

Gage Hutchison

Eastern Michigan Athletics