Carrying The Chippewa Legacy: CMU Wrestling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6VhPI5uNmc

At Central Michigan University, wrestling is more than wins and losses. It is a legacy built over decades.

When Ben Bennett became head coach, he stepped into a program shaped by 33 years under longtime coach Tom Borrelli. But Bennett is not a stranger to that tradition. He wrestled at CMU, returned as an assistant coach and spent 16 seasons learning what the Chippewa standard truly is.

“It was bittersweet,” Bennett said about taking over. “But it was an honor.”

In his first seasons as head coach, Bennett has already led the five qualifying Chippewas the NCAA Championships, continuing the program’s presence on the national stage. For him, those moments, when athletes walk into an arena packed with nearly 20,000 fans, represent both opportunity and growth.

“They’re going to be tough. They’re going to be gritty,” Bennett said.

Carrying the Chippewa legacy is not about reinventing the culture. It is about sustaining it. Bennett emphasizes development beyond the mat, pushing athletes to reach their goals and understand the purpose behind the challenge.

“You hope when they’re done, they understand why you pushed them,” he said.

As a new era begins, the standard remains and the Chippewa legacy continues forward.

Experience

I had a really fun time with this story as I love finding the deeper meaning of how something feels to someone. Wrestling is intense and physical, but what stood out to me most during visiting with the team, attending matches and conducting the interview, it wasn't just about the competition to the team. There was emotion behind everything. When interviewing Ben Bennett, there was no jumping straight to records or such, it was straight to the dedication and family bond of the team. He talked most about his patience and being able to help the athletes under him grow.

As someone who visually tells stories, I found it powerful how much feeling he had in his voice and how he described the feeling of big tournaments like the NCAA. As well as when talking about wanting his athletes to understand why he pushes them. Those were the moments that really stuck out the me.

This project really shaped my understanding and the background of the Central Michigan University Wrestling program and its legacy. A coaching transition could feel like the end, but in this case, it was more of a continued tradition. Bennett represents both the past and the future of CMU wrestling.

Producing this story in post was quite difficult as it was hard to cut clips and find the right audio that I wanted, as well as voiceover and lead one clip into another. But I wanted to be able to get the voice over video done and out of the way lol. I do feel as if I did include too much b-roll but wanted to include a lot of bits and pieces to the team and Ben Bennett as head coach.

Overall this was a super fun and new experience.