Stencel’s legacy will be his record five MAC titles

Dreams of All-America honors one more time came to an end for Central Michigan University senior wrestler Matt Stencel (Clay) on the final day of the NCAA Division I Championships at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Stencel began the day still alive in the three-day tournament but was eliminated, ending his season and collegiate wrestling career. But, what a record-setting career it was.

Stencel, vying to become a three-time All-American, was pinned by Missouri’s Zach Elam in 32 seconds in an elimination match. Stencel would have needed to beat Elam and then win his next match to earn All-America honors and a spot on the podium as a top-eight finisher.

Stencel opened the final day with a 4-2 win over Ben Goldin of Penn. Stencel finished 2-2 in the tournament and went 20-6 on the season. He is one of the winningest wrestlers in program history, won a record five Mid-American Conference titles, was a five-time NCAA qualifier, and twice earned All-American honors.

The Oregon native did well against a stacked weight class.

“I think Matt’s a bad draw for anybody in the tournament,” CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. “Heavyweight, that weight class, is probably as good as it’s been since I’ve been coaching.”

Stencel placed seventh in 2019 to earn All-American honors for the first time, and then was named a First Team All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association when the 2020 tournament was cancelled because of COVID.

Last year, he was seeded third but went a disappointing 1-2 and did not place. The season was cut short because of COVID. He returned in 2022 and won a record fifth Mid-American Conference title one month ago.

“I think last year he wasn’t ready at all with the shortened season and (dealing with) COVID. He just wasn’t ready. This year he’s way more ready,” CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. “That’s why he wanted to come back. He was the first one to say, ‘I’m coming back.’ I think he had a bitter taste in his mouth, and he wants to make amends for it.”

Stencel made MAC wrestling history by winning his record fifth league individual wrestling title at the conference tournament at Ohio’s Convocation Center in Athens.

Stencel defeated Lock Haven’s Isaac Reid, 4-2, in the title match after pinning his first two opponents on Friday. He earned the tourney’s Outstanding Wrestler Award, adding yet another prestigious honor to his ever-growing list.

Stencel went to the NCAA Championships for the fifth time in his career, capping one of the truly remarkable careers in the long and storied history of CMU wrestling.

“He couldn’t have had a better career in the MAC,” Borrelli said. “There’ll never be another guy like that again, I don’t think. It’s amazing what he’s done. He lost two (MAC) matches as a freshman. That’s it.”

Granted an extra year because of COVID, Stencel took advantage and finished 43-2 all-time against MAC foes. He won his final 37 consecutive league matches and has recorded 74 pins as a Chippewa, including a redshirt year in which he wrestled in open tournaments.

“I think I was very immature in my wrestling when I was younger,” said Stencel, who is ranked eighth nationally. “I made a lot of mistakes and I needed to change something because I knew I was as good as the best guys in the country.

“Coach Borrelli and I sat down, and we went over the things that I needed to be more consistent at to be able to beat these guys. I think that (MAC record) speaks volumes to what coach Borrelli’s done for me and what I’ve done to prepare for the end of the year and be consistent.”

Stencel was CMU’s lone MAC champion. The Chippewas finished second in the league’s team standings with 108 points. Lock Haven won the title with 123½.

From Clay to Central Michigan

Stencel was highly touted coming out of Clay, where he amassed a career record of 184-18 and was a three-time OHSAA state placer, winning two state championships and finishing as runner-up once wrestling for coach Ralph Cubberly.

At CMU, Stencel never disappointed and continued to improve, dealing with the pressure of continually defending his MAC title year after year as well as the pressure of being highly ranked.

Unquestionably, he saw the very best out of every opponent with whom he stepped on the mat.

“Coach Borrelli took a risk on me,” Stencel said. “I did not have very good grades in high school, and he took a risk on me and he got me here to school. He was exactly the role model and the mentor that I needed. He stayed hard on me, made sure I never settled.

“I actually ended last semester with a 4.0 (GPA). I’m forever grateful to him for taking that risk on me and getting me here. It was exactly what I needed.”

Stencel leaves an incredible legacy at CMU that goes beyond numbers and championships.

“I hope I made an impact on those guys,” he said with a nod to his teammates. “I’m nobody special; I just worked really hard and listened to the coaches, believed in them and everything they said. I never doubted them, and I put my full faith in them and everything that they’ve ever said to me, and it’s worked out. Hopefully I’m that guy that they look at say, ‘Hey, he did it and this is how he did it.’

“My main goal (was) to win the national title and compete with the best guys in the country and be the best version of myself. I know that when I go out there and I do that I won’t have any issues.”

In this day and age, where college student-athletes are just a computer click away from the transfer portal, Stencel could easily have left for a higher-profile program and perceived greener pastures.

That he stayed at CMU is a testament to his dedication and commitment, Borrelli said.

“Matt, he never doubted that he was at the right place, Central Michigan University,” Borrelli said. “He loved being here. He loved everything about being at Central Michigan University.

“That’s the thing that means the most to me. We’ve had people come and go; they got what they wanted, and they left. He never even thought about that; it never even crossed his mind. When he got the year back from COVID he was the first one to say, ‘I’m coming back.’”

(— by Press Sports Editor J. Patrick Eaken and CMU Assistant Director of Ath-letic Communications Andy Sneddon)