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TheMat.com Weekly College Recap
12/14/2004
John Fuller/TheMat.com
MAC Attack:
The Mid-American Conference had a very strong week, especially against
the Big Ten.
Central Michigan won its third consecutive dual meet over Michigan
State in a 25-10 drubbing in East Lansing. The Chippewas won seven
matches and always seemed to be in control of this dual meet. One
bright spot for Michigan State was the emergence of Joe Williams at
184, who posted a big 10-4 win over Russ Vanderheyden.
Ohio also won seven matches in a 21-9 victory over Ohio State at the
All-Ohio Championships in Athens. Jake Percival (157) continued to
dominate, but it was Jon Spires (141) and Jeremiah Beltran (285) that
ultimately sealed the win for the Bobcats by posting victories over two
of the top young wrestlers in the Buckeye lineup.
Northern Illinois downed Purdue 29-9 in DeKalb Illinois. The Huskies,
like Central Michigan and Ohio, won seven matches in the dual. Johnny
Galloway’s pin at 165 sealed the win.
Johnny on the spot:
Speaking of Johnny Galloway, his second-period pin over Dan Bedoy of
Purdue at 165 lbs. gave him an 11-2 record on the season.
Galloway, as many in Iowa remember, was one of the most talented high
school wrestlers in Iowa high school history. The knock on him had
always been work ethic. But if Northern Illinois coach Dave Grant can
push this youngster, expect really things from Galloway this year.
It was Bedlam:
As usual, the Bedlam match between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State was much
closer than expected. As usual, at least of late, Oklahoma State won.
And as usual, there was a major upset in the dual.
E.K. Waldhaus of Oklahoma dropped defending NCAA champion Chris
Pendleton of Oklahoma State 11-10. Not only was this a huge win for
Waldhaus individually, but a big win for the rest of the country.
Pendleton, still possibly the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the
country, was getting to a point where not many believed he could be
beat. Now that this theory has been proven wrong, it will be curious to
see how Pendleton reacts the rest of the way.
However, the Cowboys won all the ‘toss-up’ matches, including at 157,
where Oklahoma State’s Kevin Ward dominated Charles Jones 13-2 in a
very surprising score.
Four and done:
Columbia defeated Rider this past weekend 22-20, but the Lions went the
backwards route, winning only four matches.
The Lions won four consecutive matches from 149-174, two by fall and
two by technical fall, to help the win this match. Surprisingly, there
was really only one close match in this dual, a 12-10 overtime win by
Rider’s Tim Harner at 133 lbs.
Still Going:
Hofstra continued the longest conference dual unbeaten streak in the
country this past weekend, downing CAA rival Boston University 36-9.
The Pride are now undefeated in the last 36 CAA dual meets (35-0-1),
dating back to 1999.
Hofstra then upped its season record to 3-1 the same night with a 39-9
win over Harvard.
The Pride’s schedule really gets tough in January, as it travels to
Penn, the National Duals and West Virginia in a 13-day span. In
February, Hofstra will host Cornell and Oklahoma State.
Shutout City:
In a bid to gain ground in the state recruiting-wise, Virginia Tech,
led by first-year head coach Tom Brands, came away with a 32-0 victory
over Virginia.
It was the first shutout for the Hokies since Nov. 15, 2000 with a 56-0
win over Gardner-Webb.
This win was also significant as it was the first ACC victory in
Virginia Tech history.
This Week:
The Beast of the East, becoming a strong tournament for mid-majors,
takes place on Friday in Newark, Delaware. The favorite to win the team
title may be upstart Northwestern.
On Saturday, The Ohio University will host Missouri in a battle of two
programs battling for respect. While Missouri will be favored in this
dual, don’t be surprised to see the Bobcats come away with a win.
The Reno Tournament of Champions gets underway on Sunday. Not only is
this a solid tournament that includes Oklahoma State and top Western
programs, but it also boasts one of the top high school tournaments in
the nation as well.
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