The match begins at 2 p.m.
The Chippewas will be competing at home for the first time this season after spending the season's first two months on the road. Sunday's dual is the first of five home matches this season.
"It's going to be fun," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We should have a very good crowd, and we have a quality opponent in the University of Michigan. They're wrestling really well right now. It should be a good environment against a good opponent."
CMU enters the dual ranked No. 12 nationally by InterMat, while Michigan is ranked No. 18 in this week's InterMat poll. The Wolverines boast the nation's top-ranked 141-pounder, senior Kellen Russell. He is 20-0 this season and has claimed individual titles at both the Southern Scuffle and the Cliff Keen Invitational.
A pair of top-10 ranked individuals will square off at heavweight, where CMU's Jarod Trice is ranked second nationally and Michigan's Ben Apland is 10th. Apland defeated Trice, 5-3, in the semifinals at the Cliff Keen Invitational; Trice enters Sunday's match 17-3 overall, including 5-4 against opponents ranked in this week's InterMat top 20, while Apland is 10-6 overall.
The Series: Michigan leads the all-time series, 18-5, but the Chippewas have won each of the last three meetings. CMU was a 19-12 winner in the most recent matchup in Ann Arbor during the 2008-09 season. In the teams' last meeting in Mount Pleasant, No. 9 CMU defeated No. 4 Michigan, 21-13, in front of a Rose Center wrestling record crowd of 4,273.
CMU vs. the State of Michigan: CMU has won 12 consecutive duals against opponents in the state of Michigan dating back to 2005. Individually, CMU has won three straight duals against Michigan, nine straight against Michigan State and 19 straight against Eastern Michigan. CMU's last loss to an in-state opponent was a 22-14 decision against No. 2 Michigan in 2005.
In the Rankings: CMU is ranked 12th in the InterMat poll and 20th in the NWCA/USA Today poll this week. Michigan is ranked No. 18 by InterMat and No. 11 by the NWCA/USA Today. The InterMat team rankings are based on InterMat's individual weight class rankings, while the NWCA/USA Today poll is voted on by a nationwide pool of head coaches.
Three Chippewas and three Wolverines are ranked in the top 20 nationally in InterMat's weight class rankings. CMU's ranked individuals are Scotti Sentes (9th, 133 pounds), Ben Bennett (5th, 174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (2nd, 285 pounds). Michigan's ranked individuals are Kellen Russell (1st, 141 pounds), Anthony Biondo (13th, 197 pounds) and Ben Apland (10th, 285 pounds).
Bennett Continues Winning Streak: Sophomore Ben Bennett was 4-0 last week, improving his overall record to 19-4 including 8-1 in dual meets. After posting an 18-2 technical fall over Northern Illinois' Caleb Busson on Thursday, Bennett swept his three matches at National Duals, including two decisions over ranked opponents: No. 10 Luke Manuel (Purdue) and No. 20 Dorian Henderson (Missouri). Bennett leads the team in dual victories and is second in overall victories. He has won nine of his last 10 matches overall and has not surrendered an offensive point in the nine victories.
Bennett Named MAC Wrestler of the Week: Ben Bennett was named MAC Wrestler of the Week for the second time this season for his efforts at NIU and National Duals. He was previously honored after sweeping his three matches at the Northern Quad. This is the second straight week a Chippewa has won the award. Jarod Trice was recognized after finishing runner-up at Midlands.
Top of the Tournament: Scotti Sentes (133 pounds), Ben Bennett (174) and Jarod Trice (heavyweight) combined for seven top-three finishes at the Body Bar Invitational, Cliff Keen Invitational and Midlands Championships. Sentes won the Body Bar and was third at Midlands, Bennett finished runner-up at all three events and Trice was third at the Cliff Keen and runner-up at Midlands.
Pair Earns First MAC Wins: Sophomore Christian Cullinan and redshirt freshman Craig Kelliher both earned their first career MAC dual victories in the Chippewas' 21-13 win over Northern Illinois last week. Cullinan was a 5-4 winner over Nick Smith at 125 pounds, while Kelliher earned a 4-3 decision over Mike Lukowski at 197 pounds.
Trice Travels the World: Junior heavyweight Jarod Trice has competed in a pair of events outside of CMU's schedule this season. In October, Trice placed eighth in Greco-Roman at the University World Championships in Italy. He was the highest placing American in Greco-Roman at the event. In November, Trice represented CMU at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Fresno, Calif. American's Ryan Flores scored a third-period takedown to defeat Trice, 3-1.
Chippewas Open New Practice Facility: CMU celebrated the new year by moving into its new practice facility at the CMU Events Center. Built as part of the Events Center construction project, the new practice room has space for three full mats and fitness equipment. The practice room is just steps away from the competition floor in McGuirk Arena.
"During dual meets our guys will be able to warm up in the wrestling room and then run from the wrestling room, where they're comfortable, right into the arena to wrestle a match," Borrelli said. "That is a perfect situation that not many other programs in the country have."
CMU Adds Four During Early Signing Period: Four high school student-athletes signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Chippewas for the 2011-12 season, including three of the top-60 ranked recruits in the country. Ty Davis (141 pounds), Zach Horan (133), Joey Kielbasa (157) and Devin Pommerenke (285) committed to CMU during the early signing period. Horan (No. 16), Kielbasa (No. 59) and Pommerenke (No. 42) are ranked among the top 60 recruits nationally by InterMat. The group was ranked as the No. 13 recruiting class in the country by W.I.N. Magazine.
Coming Up: The Chippewas are back in action next Friday, Jan. 21, when they visit Michigan State. The match begins at 7 p.m.
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