Courtesy: Tim Fitzgerald/CMU Athletics Central Michigan's Tyler Grayson competes against No. 8 seed Shane Onufer (Wyoming) in the 165-pound bracket at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Neb. on Wednesday. Grayson defeated Onufer, 14-4, to advance to the second round.

OMAHA, Neb. - Central Michigan has advanced six individuals in the championship bracket at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

CMU's 10 competitors combined to post a 7-4 record during Thursday's opening session. The Chippewas sit in a three-way tie for third place in the team standings with 15 points entering Thursday night.

Advancing to the second round in the championship bracket were Matt Steintrager (125), Conor Beebe (141), Tony D'Alie (149), Steve Brown (157), Tyler Grayson (165), Ben Bennett (174).

Dropping into the consolation bracket during Thursday's first session were Scotti Sentes (133), Eric Simaz (197) and Jarod Trice (285). Mike Miller (184) won a pigtail match before later dropping into the consolation bracket.

Four of the Chippewas' victories during Thursday's first session came against seeded wrestlers.

Miller kicked off the tournament with a historic win in the 184-pound bracket. In what was believed to be the first preliminary or first-round matchup of former national finalists in NCAA Championships history, Miller scored a takedown on the edge of the mat with 4 seconds remaining to upset No. 10 seed Mike Pucillo (Ohio State), the 2008 national champion and 2009 national runner-up at 184 pounds.

Miller, the 2009 national runner-up at 174 pounds, scored a reversal early in the third period to take a 2-1 lead, but Pucillo escaped midway through the period to tie the score. Miller's decisive takedown came shortly after a restart.

Miller returned to the mat later in the session for a first-round matchup with Chattanooga's Jason McCroskey. Miller and McCroskey combined for three reversals in the match, eventually won 5-2 by McCroskey.

Steintrager posted an overtime win in his first-round match with James Knox (Maryland) at 125 pounds. Tied 1-1 through sudden victory, Steintrager reversed Knox late in the first tiebreaker for the decisive points in his 3-2 tiebreaker victory.

At 141 pounds, Beebe took a quick 2-0 lead over No. 11 Chris Diaz (Virginia Tech), then rode out Diaz in the second period to build a 3:07 riding time advantage. Diaz started the third period in the top position and conceded an escape midway through the period, and Beebe added the riding time point for a 4-0 decision.

D'Alie advanced at 149 pounds with a 5-2 decision over No. 10 Barrett Abel (UC Davis). After a scoreless first period and an Abel escape early in the second, D'Alie went in front for good off a double-leg with 15 seconds left in the period. D'Alie escaped off the whistle to open the third and added another takedown for the final margin.

Brown scored three takedowns and two back points in a 12-1 major decision over The Citadel's Turtogtokh Luvsandorj at 157 pounds. Brown amassed a riding time advantage of 4:14 in the victory.

Grayson was in control from start to finish in a 14-4 major decision over No. 8 Shane Onufer (Wyoming) at 165 pounds. Grayson scored five takedowns and surrendered just four escape points in the victory. Leading 6-3 after two periods, Grayson pulled away with two takedowns and two back points in the final two minutes.

Bennett advanced in the 174-pound bracket with a tightly contested 4-2 overtime decision over Lehigh's Robert Hamlin. Hamlin led 2-1 after scoring a takedown off a scramble in the match's final minute, but Bennett evened the score with an escape off a restart with 15 seconds remaining. The pair was scoreless through sudden victory, and Bennett rode Hamlin out through the first 30 seconds of the tiebreaker. Bennett then reversed Hamlin in the second 30-second period for the victory.

Central Michigan Complete Results

125 Pounds: No. 8 Matt Steintrager
First Round: W, dec. James Knox (Maryland), 3-2 TB1
Second Round: Brad Pataky (Penn State)

133 Pounds: No. 7 Scotti Sentes
Pigtail First Round: L, Matthew Fisk (Lehigh), fall at 3:29
Consolation Pigtail: Brandon Low (UC Davis)

141 Pounds: Conor Beebe
First Round: W, dec. No. 11 Chris Diaz (Virginia Tech), 4-0
Second Round: No. 6 Montell Marion (Iowa)

149 Pounds: Tony D'Alie
First Round: W, dec. No. 10 Barrett Abel (UC Davis), 5-2
Second Round: No. 7 Mitch Mueller (Iowa State)

157 Pounds: No. 12 Steve Brown
First Round: W, maj. dec. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel), 12-1
Second Round: No. 5 Steve Fittery (American)

165 Pounds: Tyler Grayson
First Round: W, maj. dec. No. 8 Shane Onufer (Wyoming), 14-4
Second round: No. 9 Andrew Rendos (Bucknell)

174 Pounds: No. 7 Ben Bennett
First Round: W, dec. Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), 4-2 TB1
Second Round: No. 10 Jordan Blanton (Illinois)

184 Pounds: Mike Miller
Pigtail First Round: W, dec. No. 10 Mike Pucillo (Ohio State), 4-2
First Round: L, dec. Jason McCroskey (Chattanooga), 5-2
Consolation First Round: Josh Ihnen (Nebraska)

197 Pounds: Eric Simaz
First Round: L, dec. Joseph Kennedy (Lehigh), 3-1
Consolation First Round: Daniel Mitchell (American)

285 Pounds: No. 7 Jarod Trice
First Round: L, Brandon Williamson (West Virginia), fall at 6:59
Consolation First Round: Joshua Arnone (Cornell) or Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma)