The ‘Cats earned eight top-six finishes in East Lansing.
Evan Bates and Maxx Mayfield started the new season with a vengeance, earning second and third place finishes respectively against a loaded field at the Michigan State Open this Saturday.
Bates and Mayfield both made their first NCAA Tournament appearances last March and will be the cornerstones of a re-tooled Northwestern side that is looking to improve on its 1-9 record from a year ago.
Competing in the 197 pounds open division, Bates had no trouble bullying his way to a finals appearance. He dispatched Bellarmine’s Evan Grazzini and conference rival Kael Wisler from Michigan State by fall in his first two matches, taking just 37 seconds to get past Wisler in the semi-final. Bates did fall to former No. 1 ranked high school recruit Cody Merrill (Oklahoma State) in the final by 4-2 decision, but it was an altogether banner start to the season for one of Northwestern’s bell-cows.
Mayfield, Northwestern’s premier heavy-weight and the No. 17 wrestler in the country at 197 pounds, dominated his first three matches on the way to a clash with No. 27 Bryce Hepner from Ohio State. Mayfield fell to Hepner in a decision (4-0), but took down Central Michigan’s Chandler Amaker by fall in a consolation semi-final to lock in third place.
The kids showed up in full force as well.
Sophomore Massey Odiotti and first-year Eddie Enright both battled their way to runner-up finishes in freshman/sophomore division draws. Odiotti, wrestling at 133 pounds, dominated Michigan’s Teddy Flores in the semis (technical fall 18-3), before falling to JJ McCormas from Oklahoma State in a 4-3 decision.
Enright, a redshirt freshman out of Chicago, also had little trouble making his way to the championship bout. He took just over three minutes to win his first two matches, which also marked his first two wins at the collegiate level. Talk about a debut. He lost to Indiana’s Christopher Crawford in the final by a 6-4 decision, but Northwestern has to be thrilled with Enright’s first showing in purple and white.
Sophomore Dedrick Navarro and first-year Gunnar Myers also earned top-six finishes in underclassmen division draws. Navarro went 4-1 on the day to finish third, with his single loss coming in a 7-6 decision to Camren French from Northern Illinois. Myers’ lone loss also came in the semi, where he fell to Indiana’s Crawford 11-6.
The other top-six finishes came from Ty Wilson, Joseph Martin and Jon Halvorsen. Wilson, a true freshman from Columbus, finished fifth in the freshman/sophomore 157 division. Martin and Halvorsen finished fourth and sixth respectively in open draws.
Northwestern is back in action at home against Northern Illinois this Saturday, Nov. 16. Northwestern lost to the Huskies in a 18-17 heartbreaker last Winter, and the rematch will be an early barometer for this rejuvenated Wildcat side.