Five UOlivet wrestlers earn All-MIAA honors

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Five members of The University of Olivet wrestling team have been named to the 2025 All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Team. The honorees are seniors Tyler Herrema, Benyamin Kamali, Kody Krupp and Dylan Phelps, and sophomore Juwan Vines. All-MIAA honors were based on the student-athlete's performance in the four league dual matches.

This quintet of wrestlers helped the Comets capture the 2025 MIAA Championship, the first since 2022 and 15th overall in school history. Olivet won each of the four dual matches. The Comets won 33 of the 40 matches, outscoring the opponents, 144 to 34. Olivet scored bonus points in 22 of the wins – nine major decisions, three technical falls and 10 pins.

"Every year, we try to put ourselves in a position to win the MIAA title, but that does not guarantee it happens," commented Olivet head wrestling coach Brandon Brissette. "After two years being not being at the top, there was a different mentality this year. Especially, this group of seniors who made some decisions on what they wanted their legacy to be. They kept sticking with it and carried throughout the whole team. It was shown in the actual work and they were rewarded for their efforts."

At 149 pounds, Herrema had a 4-0 record, with two pins. He pinned CJ Briner from Trine (Ind.) University in 3:40 and Aiden Tomberg from Alma College in 4:19, and won 9-2 over Max Honnis from Albion College and 4-1 over Sampson Ross from Adrian College. Herrema is now a three-time All-MIAA selection (2023, 2024, 2025).

"Dash (Tyler) has always been a guy with great potential," said Brissette. "This year, he made a jump to a new level and scored bonus points in many matches. The jump happened because of his confidence and attacking rate."

At 125 pounds, Kamali posted a 3-0 record, with three major decision victories. He won 12-3 over Jushawn Ferrell from Alma, 14-4 over Jeremy Sarter from Albion and 10-2 over Adrian Rosas from Adrian. Kamali is a two-time All-MIAA honoree after earning the award at a different school in 2022.

"Ben has been such an instrumental part of this resurgence back to the top this year," stated Brissette. "He starts every dual match with so much energy for us. Ben has also really established himself as the mental leader on the team. On top of that, he just keeps asking questions on how he can get better."

At 197 pounds, Krupp was 3-0, with two first-period falls. He pinned Doug Morris from Alma in 1:14 and Demond Harrison from Albion in 2:09, and defeated Daxton Looney from Adrian, 10-6.

"Kody has been the heartbeat of the team this year," said Brissette. "He was a developmental guy in the program. Kody put in his time and has really built himself into somebody who really represents us on the highest level. That has really ignited the team to have one of the seniors have such a phenomenal year."

At 141 pounds, Phelps went 4-0, with three bonus-point wins. He defeated Thomas Miller from Trine by major decision, 15-4, Gage Vincent from Alma by technical fall, 18-2, Josh Mars from Albion by minor decision, 8-2, and Mack Baird from Adrina by major decision, 11-2. Phelps ends his career as a three-time All-MIAA honoree (2021, 2024 and 2025).

"Dylan has been a stalwart in our lineup at 141," stated Brissette. "He continues to be just a consistent guy who can pull things out. Even in close matches, Dylan finds a way to always get the win. He is also a great leader for our team."

At 165 pounds, Vines recorded a 3-0 record. He slipped past Rodrick Love from Alma, 8-7, pinned Peyton Brooks from Albion in 3:31, and earned a 12-9 overtime victory over Zachary Platte from Adrian.

"Juwan just never gives up," stated Brissette. "He just can stay in a match long enough and at the same time read the situation he is in. Juwan then takes a calculated risk and uses one thing, which leads him to the victory."

The Comets return to the mats next Friday and Saturday, February 28-March 1 at the 2025 NCAA Division III Region 5 Championships, hosted by Wabash (Ind.) College. The top three wrestlers in the 10 weight classes will advance to the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championships March 14-15 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.