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    Andrew Hipps •

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    The Central Michigan Chippewas are here to stay

    Entering this season, Central Michigan coach Tom Borrelli returned five of nine NCAA qualifiers, including All-Americans Mark DiSalvo (149) and Wynn Michalak (197). The Chippewas graduated three All-Americans in David Bolyard, Mitch Hancock, and Bill Stouffer. On paper, it looked like a solid team, possibly even good enough to match or slightly exceed last year's 12th place finish at the NCAA Championships.

    Wynn Michalak (photo by John Sachs)
    But with the National Duals set to get underway on Saturday in Cedar Falls, Iowa, who could have predicted that we would be talking about Central Michigan, of all teams, as a legitimate threat to reach the finals? No one. The Chippewas, seeded sixth, will face Northern Iowa in the opening round. If they can get by the Panthers, they will face the winner of Oklahoma/Cornell.

    Before the season started, back in mid-September, I vividly recall breaking down each of the top seven or eight team's lineups to determine what each would need to do in order to place in the top five at the NCAA Championships. At the time, Central Michigan wasn't even on my radar. I wasn't alone in my early analysis, either. Below is a look at where other national media outlets ranked Central Michigan in the preseason:

    Amateur Wrestling News: 19th
    Wrestling USA: 18th
    WIN Magazine: 15th
    Wrestling Mall: 15th
    NWCA/InterMat: 13th

    Now, they are on virtually everyone's radar. The Chippewas were runners-up at both the Reno Tournament of Champions and Midlands Championships -- to Oklahoma State and Illinois respectively. They have a dual meet record of 4-2 -- with their only two losses coming to No. 5 Minnesota (19-13) and No. 2 Michigan (22-14).

    Tom Borrelli
    It's about time people give credit where credit is long overdue. And that's to Borrelli. Since taking over head coaching reins in 1991, he has steadily and quietly built Central Michigan into a national wrestling power. His career record during his tenure in Mount Pleasant is a remarkable 162-79-5. He has guided the Chippewas to Mid-American Conference (MAC) championships every year since 1998. He was named National Coach of the Year by two organizations (NWCA and WIN Magazine) in 1998, after guiding the Chippewas to a fifth place finish at the NCAA Championships. In 1999, they finished seventh at the NCAA Championships, with five All-Americans, and an NCAA champion in Cassie Cunningham.

    Borrelli has been successful at Central Michigan because of his ability and desire to recruit student-athletes who are as committed to the classroom as they are to the wrestling mat. His wrestling program has finished in the top 16 academically for the past 13 seasons, including six top-five finishes. Central Michigan has had 24 Academic All-MAC selections under Borrelli, and Cunningham was twice a first-team NWCA Academic All-American.

    His recruiting classes aren't generally comprised of three and four-time state champions who have dominated the national scene. They are comprised of one and two-time state champions who know the value of hard work and are driven to be successful when their wrestling careers are over.

    Now the questions is, can this year's Central Michigan's team place higher than the 1998 team that finished fifth? Below are five things that Central Michigan will likely need to have happen in order to put themselves in a position to accomplish that.

    1. Wynn Michalak must reach the national finals

    Michalak, who is ranked No. 1 in the country at 197, has been dominant this season for the Chippewas. He currently boasts an 18-0 record, and has won Reno and Midlands titles. In the Reno finals, Michalak defeated two-time NCAA champion Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State, 5-1. If he continues to wrestle like he has, there is no reason that he won't be in the national finals, with a real chance to become Central Michigan's second NCAA champion ever.

    2. Mark DiSalvo must place in the top five

    Mark DiSalvo (photo by John Sachs)
    DiSalvo, who placed eighth at the NCAA Championships last season, has a 12-3 overall record this season and is ranked fifth in the country at 149. However, one of those losses came to a post-collegian (and former NCAA champion), Cliff Moore, in the finals of the Midlands. His other two losses have come to All-American Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan and NCAA champion Zack Esposito. He narrowly lost to Esposito, 7-6, in the Reno finals. DiSalvo, who never won a state high school title (third as a junior, runner-up as a senior) is the only wrestler this season to defeat super frosh Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota.

    3. Jason Borrelli must save his best performance for last

    Borrelli, the son of Tom Borrelli, is 14-4 this season at 133 pounds. He came out of Mount Pleasant High School as a highly-touted recruit in 2000 -- after finishing his career with a 209-11 record and a pair of state championships. He posted 28 wins as a freshman, but has not duplicated the feat. He is a very good wrestler, but his career has been marred by injuries and disappointments. Last season, he won the MAC and qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career, but finished a disappointing 1-2. If he can continue to stay health, he should contend for a place on the All-American podium.

    4. Luke Smith must wrestle to his ability

    Luke Smith (photo by John Sachs)
    Smith, a sophomore, is 10-2 this season and ranked 13th in the country at 125. He is an extremely talented wrestler who appears to be on the verge of a breakthrough season. In high school, while wrestling in the state of Wisconsin, Smith posted an astonishing 117-2 record and was runner-up at the High School Senior Nationals. He has already made a name for himself nationally in Greco by placing fourth at the 2004 Olympic Team Trials. But at last year's NCAA Championships, Smith lost his first two matches and bowed out early. Central Michigan needs Smith to at least reach the round of 12 and rack up some points for the Chippewas.

    5. The supporting cast must step-up

    The Chippewas have a stable of lesser-known wrestlers who are capable of scoring points at the NCAA Championships. At 141, two wrestlers have seen action in the line-up, Brandon Carter and Eric Kruger. Both have performed well. Carter, who has a record of 13-6, reached the semifinals of the Midlands, but lost 3-0 to top-ranked Nate Gallick of Iowa State, and eventually placed fifth. Kruger is 12-9 this season, which includes a win over Iowa's Alex Tsirtsis. Eric Neil, a returning NCAA qualifier at 157, is 11-4 this season, and has a win over Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion Steve Luke of Michigan. At 174 and 184, The Sinnott twins, Brandon and Christian, have a combined season record of 28-15. And heavyweight Bubba Gritter is ranked by nearly every wrestling media outlet.
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