"Newton has been a pinner all his life," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "He is trying to learn to be more of a tactician or learn how to win a match by points or a close match. But he has always been a pinner."
CMU took six of the 10 matches and its four losses came by only a combined 11 points.
"We are trying to learn how to win," said Borrelli. "It's good to win because we are real young. For a lot of these guys, it's their first experiences at this. That was an important victory."
It's not going to be easy for us this year, but I think we are getting better. I am encouraged by some things I see."
CMU set an aggressive tone by jumping out to early leads in most of the matches, something with which Borrelli was pleased. But holding that edge is an aspect that needs improvement.
"In spots (I liked our aggression). I felt like we were the aggressor most of time. We were on guys legs. We are just not real good at finishing yet. We aren't strong enough. Our kids just aren't well developed enough yet."
Zach Horan, CMU's lone active nationally-ranked wrestler, remained undefeated in MAC competition, downing NIU's Tyler Argue, 8-3, at 141 pounds. He moved to 5-2 overall for the season.
Freshman 133-pounder Carter Ballinger, making his first appearance in a dual meet after building a 6-3 mark in tournament competition, clinched CMU's first win of day, topping Danny Carlson, 10-5.
At 174, Jordan Ellingwood notched a late come-from-behind win. Down 4-3 but with over a minute of riding time accrued, the redshirt freshman escaped with just seconds remaining in the third period to claim the 5-4 victory and three points for CMU.
The team win also secured a 2-0 start to the MAC season for the Chippewas.
"It's where we want to be," said Borrelli. "We are heading into a break on a positive note."
The Chippewas will be back in action after the New Year, taking part in the annual Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2. Hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 12 of the nation's top 25 teams will participate in the prestigious two-day event.
CMU returns to dual meet and MAC competition on January 10 at Ohio.
Results:
125: Derek Elmore (NIU) dec. Brent Fleetwood (CMU), 1-0; NIU, 3-0
133: Carter Ballinger (CMU) dec. Danny Carlson (NIU), 10-5; CMU-NIU, 3-3
141: Zach Horan (CMU) dec. Tyler Argue (NIU), 8-3; CMU, 6-3
149: Colin Heffernan (CMU) dec. Gabe Morse, 5-2; CMU, 9-3
157: Andrew Morse (NIU) dec. Malcolm Martin (CMU), 12-10 (SV); CMU, 9-6
165: Shaun'Quae McMurtry (NIU) dec. Jordan Wohlfert (CMU), 8-4; CMU-NIU, 9-9
174: Jordan Ellingwood (CMU) dec. Trace Engelkes (NIU), 5-4; CMU, 12-9
184: CJ Brucki (CMU) dec. Quinton Rosser (NIU), 9-4; CMU, 15-9
197: Shawn Scott (NIU) dec. Jackson Lewis (CMU), 6-3; CMU, 15-12
285: Newton Smerchek (CMU) fall Arthur Bunce (NIU), 1:06; CMU, 21-12
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