Growing up in Michigan, and specifically in Ann Arbor was super fun. I got to experience some of the excitement of being in a big college town, and have the ancillary benefits while growing up and at college age. I ended up going to Central Michigan University and had a great time in Mount Pleasant for the five and a half years that I lived in town. Additionally, I spent plenty of time in East Lansing while visiting friends who were in school at Michigan State. I have had several trips to each campus over the years. There is a general respect between the institutions, and each program has its traditional powers over the years with respect to their athletics. That being said, it’s always fun to have the in-state battles amongst programs. I’ll always remember where I was when CMU football beat MSU football in 2009 (funny enough I was in Ann Arbor at my friend's house who went to MSU). More specific to this site though and wrestling in general, let’s focus on wrestling.
It’s been a hot minute since CMU last beat Michigan or Michigan State, but this year seems to be a solid option for them. This Friday, for Senior Night, they’ll host the Spartans at McGuirk Arena. Two seniors, Johnny Lovett (157) and Alex Cramer (174) are both favored in their respective matches and will look to finish in front of their home crowd with a win over Michigan State. 197 will be an interesting match, with MSU having Remy Cotton, who has shown some flashes of greatness this season. His last match was cut short as he suffered a head injury against Jacob Cardenas, and had to withdraw. Hoping he can be back and we can have a good battle near the end of the dual.
Sunday CMU travels to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines in their last home dual of the season as well. I expect the Crisler Center to be busy for this one, as in-state battles tend to bring out a lot of the local fans. Michigan will also have its Senior Day that night, which will include 10 graduating seniors/grad students. The Wolverines are heavy favorites in this one, but we should still get some fun matches with Johnny Lovett and Chase Saldate at 157. Last year this match was being won by Lovett heading into the third, and Saldate stormed back to win against the usually stingy Lovett. Cramer and Joseph Walker at 174 should also be a fun matchup, as Walker has shown the propensity to slow matches down and pick his spots on offense. Cramer is also comfortable with a slower pace and should be confident against Walker.
My prediction is that the Chippewas win at home Friday night, and put up a solid fight on Sunday, while ultimately dropping the dual with the Wolverines. CMU, fresh off officially winning the MAC West with a win this past weekend against SIUE, is looking to round into postseason form after these duals. Similarly, the Wolverines and Spartans have trips to Evanston, Illinois in their future and are looking to finish strong before heading to Philadelphia for NCAAs.
Growing up in Michigan, and specifically in Ann Arbor was super fun. I got to experience some of the excitement of being in a big college town, and have the ancillary benefits while growing up and at college age. I ended up going to Central Michigan University and had a great time in Mount Pleasant for the five and a half years that I lived in town. Additionally, I spent plenty of time in East Lansing while visiting friends who were in school at Michigan State. I have had several trips to each campus over the years. There is a general respect between the institutions, and each program has its traditional powers over the years with respect to their athletics. That being said, it’s always fun to have the in-state battles amongst programs. I’ll always remember where I was when CMU football beat MSU football in 2009 (funny enough I was in Ann Arbor at my friend's house who went to MSU). More specific to this site though and wrestling in general, let’s focus on wrestling. It’s been a hot minute since CMU last beat Michigan or Michigan State, but this year seems to be a solid option for them. This Friday, for Senior Night, they’ll host the Spartans at McGuirk Arena. Two seniors, Johnny Lovett (157) and Alex Cramer (174) are both favored in their respective matches and will look to finish in front of their home crowd with a win over Michigan State. 197 will be an interesting match, with MSU having Remy Cotton, who has shown some flashes of greatness this season. His last match was cut short as he suffered a head injury against Jacob Cardenas, and had to withdraw. Hoping he can be back and we can have a good battle near the end of the dual. Sunday CMU travels to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines in their last home dual of the season as well. I expect the Crisler Center to be busy for this one, as in-state battles tend to bring out a lot of the local fans. Michigan will also have its Senior Day that night, which will include 10 graduating seniors/grad students. The Wolverines are heavy favorites in this one, but we should still get some fun matches with Johnny Lovett and Chase Saldate at 157. Last year this match was being won by Lovett heading into the third, and Saldate stormed back to win against the usually stingy Lovett. Cramer and Joseph Walker at 174 should also be a fun matchup, as Walker has shown the propensity to slow matches down and pick his spots on offense. Cramer is also comfortable with a slower pace and should be confident against Walker. My prediction is that the Chippewas win at home Friday night, and put up a solid fight on Sunday, while ultimately dropping the dual with the Wolverines. CMU, fresh off officially winning the MAC West with a win this past weekend against SIUE, is looking to round into postseason form after these duals. Similarly, the Wolverines and Spartans have trips to Evanston, Illinois in their future and are looking to finish strong before heading to Philadelphia for NCAAs.
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