WASHINGTON - Plenty of strong competition awaits American University wrestling on the West Coast, as the Eagles head to California for duals on Friday, Jan. 12 and Sunday, Jan. 14. American will compete only against Cal Poly, receiving votes for the top 25 poll, on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. On Sunday, AU will head to the third annual Chippewa Challenge, this year hosted by Cal State Bakersfield.
The Eagles will face Campbell at 4 p.m. (1 p.m. Pacific), take on host CSU Bakersfield at 6 p.m. (3 p.m. Pacific) and finish off Sunday's action against Central Michigan at 8 p.m. (5 p.m. Pacific).
A Family Affair
- The Chippewa Challenge brings together both family and past teammates for a reunion each year at one of the four participating schools.
- Third-year AU head coach Jason Borrelli is the son of Central Michigan head coach Tom Borrelli, a 14-time MAC Coach of the Year. Jason wrestled for his dad and is a 2005 graduate of CMU.
- Jason was a MAC champion for CMU at 133 pounds as a junior.
- Campbell head coach Scotti Sentes is a 2013 graduate of Central Michigan, and CSU Bakersfield head coach Luke Smith is a 2008 CMU graduate.
- Both Sentes and Smith were two-time MAC champions at CMU. Sentes was also a two-time All-American.
- Assistant coaches for both Campbell and Central Michigan are also graduates of Tom Borrelli's CMU teams.
2023 Chippewa Challenge Champions
- The Eagles are the defending champions of the Chippewa Challenge with a trio of one-point victories in 2023 when Campbell served as the host.
- American beat Central Michigan 18-17, Cal State Bakersfield 16-15, and host Campbell 19-18 to go 3-0 for the day.
- Just one year prior, AU had lost to all three teams and the matches weren't close.
- "What a difference a year can make, and what a difference one point can make," said Borrelli, following the team title in 2023.
- While different lineups were used in the three duals last year, then-freshman Caleb Campos competed in all three and was AU's only 3-0 wrestler for the day.
- Connor Bourne was also undefeated last year at 2-0, and Maximilian Leete went 2-1 including a win by fall.
Series Histories
- The Eagles are 1-0 against Cal Poly, with the lone result coming back in 2012 when #10 AU won 25-13 in San Luis Obispo against the 19th-ranked Mustangs.
- AU has faced Central Michigan eight times, but never won until last year's 18-17 victory.
- The Chippewas were ranked in the first three matchups of the series, as high as #9 in 2007.
- The Eagles are 7-1 all-time vs. Campbell (2006 to 2023) and are 2-1 vs. CSU Bakersfield with a win in 2012, a loss in 2022, and a win in 2023.
American Notes
- The Eagles are 4-5 so far and earned back-to-back home wins over George Mason and Davidson on Nov. 21 and Dec. 2. American got six wins against Mason including a pin from junior Jack Maida at 125 pounds, and won eight of 10 bouts against Davidson including four by extra points.
- Maida is 10-0 at 125 this season, down from 133, and ranked 16th by Intermat. He upset #4 Eddie Ventresca of fifth-ranked Virginia Tech as well as #15 Braxton Brown of Maryland.
- Junior Maximilian Leete earned his fourth pin of the season at Michigan State, and his 22 career pins are tied for seventh all-time at American.
- American is coming off a historic turnaround season in which the Eagles finished 8-12 in dual meets in 2022-23 and racked up seven more wins than in a 1-12 finish the year before.
- Maida qualified for the NCAA Championships as a sophomore last season after placing fifth at 133 lbs at the EIWA Championships. He earned a win at the national meet, pinning Jason Shaner of Oregon State in the consolation first round.
- Ranking third in NCAA Division I in total pins last season (12) was Leete at 125 lbs, who has returned for his junior season now at 133 lbs.
- The Eagles have four captains in 2023-24. Graduate student Will Jarrell is serving in the role for third year in a row, graduate student Connor Bourne is a captain for a second straight year, and AU has two new captains in Maida and redshirt junior Jack Nies.
American Probable Starters
Cal Poly Probable Starters
- 125 - #29 Dom Mendez (8-6)
- 133 - #9 Zeth Romney (12-5)
- 141 - Abe Hinrichsen (5-7)
- 149 - #6 Chance Lamer (8-1)
- 157 - #29 Legend Lamer (6-3)
- 165 - Michael Goldfeder (1-7)
- 174 - #14 Adam Kemp (12-3)
- 184 - Kendall La Rosa (4-7)
- 197 - Jarad Priest (2-4)
- 285 - #24 Trevor Tinker (3-2)
Central Michigan Probable Starters
- 125 - Sean Spidle (6-5)
- 133 - Vince Perez (6-7) or Andrew Austin (6-7)
- 141 - Jimmy Nugent (10-6) or Ja'Kerion Merritt (5-8)
- 149 - #16 Corbyn Munson (13-4)
- 157 - #27 Johnny Lovett (15-4) or Mason Shrader (11-3)
- 165 - Tracy Hubbard (8-6) or Tyler Swiderski (9-8)
- 174 - #19 Alex Cramer (11-6)
- 184 - Cody Brenner (7-9) or Adrien Cramer (12-6)
- 197 - Cameron Wood (6-9)
- 285 - Bryan Caves (4-8)
Campbell and Cal State Bakersfield probable starters not yet available.
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