The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team will end its road trip in Cleveland, Ohio, where it will face off with Cleveland State University today.
EMU (3-1) is coming off a 22-12 lose to Binghamton University Saturday. CSU (2-2) won its last match 29-9 against John Carrol University at home.
EMU’s most recent visit to Troy, N.Y allowed wrestlers to shine, having Andrew Novak and Jared Germaine go 3-0 on the day. Along with individual performances, EMU performed well, defeating Bucknell University 26-6 and Sacred Heart University 49-3.
The Eagles fell short during their final match against Binghamton. EMU will look to bounce back against CSU and gain momentum again with many of their starters, including redshirt freshmen, Mike Curby (184) and Jaylyn Bohl (149), who also posted wins during the Northeast Regional.
CSU, while winning its most recent game after suffering back-to-back setbacks, will look to starters Josh Palivoda (141) and Corey Carlo (165).
EMU’s last match versus the Vikings saw the Eagles win 38-3. The Vikings only picked up one match victory against the Eagles, with Aaron Sulzer, Wes Schroeder, Nick Whitenburg and a slew of other returning starters pickling up wins for EMU.
While EMU will look to achieve the same results, the Vikings look to be a new team after a 3-13 season during 2010-11. They opened the season with a strong victory against Citadel University during the EMU Open.
CSU struggled from there, dropping two matches to Boston University and Old Dominion University.
EMU will enter this match more experienced, having seven seniors competing this year will provide a leadership advantage. CSU has three seniors, and it lacks depth in leadership positions as incoming freshman fill the majority of CSU’s team players.
While this match will result in a momentum shift for either team, a victory for EMU will spark the team back into a strong position after suffering its first loss of the season. The victory will allow the Eagles to head into their first home match of the season with the confidence needed to improve on previous seasons
While a victory for EMU will display a long-term trend for the Eagles, a win for CSU will show if the Vikings have improved from their previous season. This match could determine a strong difference between the Vikings improvements of last season and this season.
The match will take place at 7 p.m., and the Eagles will return to Bowen Field House Sunday to face Ohio University at 2 p.m.
