These 'Chips never down, and it shows

CLEVELAND -- Into every college tournament, a Central Michigan must fall.

The Chippewas, following the lead of basketball's Valparaiso, stole the hearts of NCAA wrestling fans at this weekend's Div. I Championships at the Cleveland State Convocation Center.

Originally considered mere decoration for favorites Iowa, Minnesota and Oklahoma State, the 'Chips outlasted their label to finish a surprising fifth -- one spot behind Penn State and only two behind the tournament's aforementioned elite.

Most impressive of all was the manner in which the Chippewas did what they did.

While one wrestler from Oklahoma State could have taught a course in poor taste and countless others presented themselves less than graciously, Central Michigan's representatives came and left the three-day event exhibiting pure class.

Take, for example, Cunningham himself.

Addressing the media after a 10-0 semifinal thumping of Missouri's eighth-seeded Mike Harp, the fourth-seeded Cunningham explained his intricate strategy.

"I just gave it my all," he said with a sheepish half-smile, still breathing hard after the stingy shutout effort. "I just praise the Lord that I've been given the chance to wrestle in the finals."

Praise the Lord for the chance to wrestle in the finals? Somebody should have introduced this kid to O.K. State's Teague Moore.

Moore, who won the 118-pound title with a fall of Michigan State's David Morgan in 4 minutes, 50 seconds, overreacted just a bit after a narrow opening-round win.

Following an uninspired 11-8 decision over Virginia's unseeded Steve Garland, Moore signed his name on the scoresheet, screamed the premier four-letter expletive and kicked a press-row table on his way to the locker room. In doing so, he destroyed a laptop computer belonging to a very friendly reporter from California.

In another demonstration of not-so-great sportsmanship, Edinboro's Jason Robison flashed some unnecessary bravado before actually doing anything.

Robison, the top-seeded 190 pounder, basically guaranteed a finals victory when he spoke to the press after his 10-7 semifinal win over Nebraska's Ryan Tobin, the fourth seed.

"This tournament means so much to me," Robison said. "I've worked for this for 18 years of my life and it's going to pay off tomorrow night. I came here to win."

Robison's predictions were echoed later by other wrestlers who expressed strong confidence in themselves. Robison's, however, were of greater consequence -- he was the one who lost a 6-4 overtime decision to Minnesota's second-seeded Tim Hartung in the championships.

So there.

Back on the Central Michigan side, Chippewa coach Tom Borrelli talked about the breakthrough performance his team enjoyed at NCAAs.

"This was definitely a great year for us," Borrelli said. "We're glad for our kids and we're glad for our fans.

"We've always felt like we've had a good program," Borrelli continued. "We were just never really on the level of Iowa and teams like that. We've been knocking on the door for years -- this year we finally opened it."

Opening the door? After you, Central Michigan.