Wrestlers Prepare for Home Opener
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
January 8, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
MSU (18) vs. Central Michigan (9), Jan. 10, 2 p.m. MSU (18) vs. Findlay, Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Home Opener: After logging many miles on the road, the 18th-ranked Spartans return to East Lansing for their home opener with intrastate foe Central Michigan. Although they will be appearing in front of the home crowd for the first time all season, Michigan State will be in for a battle with the ninth-ranked Chippewas. Central Michigan is led by the Cunningham brothers, Casey and Ryan, who are each ranked in the top 10 in the nation, at 157 and 174 pounds respectively. The Cunninghams are joined by three other CMU wrestlers in the rankings. Last year, MSU defeated CMU, 27-11, and lead the all-time series by a count of 10-2.
Home Meet?: Immediately after squaring off against Central Michigan in the friendly confines of Jenison Field House, the Spartans will hit the road once again to host the University of Findlay at Durand High School in Durand, Mich. Findlay is currently the number one team in the NAIA. They also boast ranked wrestlers in nine of ten weight classes. In their only previous meeting with Findlay, MSU was victorious by a count of 28-7 in 1994. The Spartans are no stranger to hosting matches in area high schools. Last season, they defeated Eastern Michigan 39-0 at Montrose High School.
Early Season Recap- Several members of the Green and White have garnered impressive records with their performances in early season tournaments. Most notable is sophomore All-American Pat McNamara who has posted a record of 18-0 while capturing titles at the Michigan State Open, Ashland Eagle Open, Northern Iowa Open and Midlands Championships. In the Midlands Championships, Will Hill, Nick Muzashvili, Matt Lamb and Jason Nusbaum all joined McNamara to place in the top eight.
Spartans in the Rankings- Three members of the MSU squad are currently ranked among the top wrestlers in their individual weight classes. Pat McNamara is second at 133, Will Hill is ninth at 174, and Nick Muzashvili is seventh at 197.
PROJECTED SPARTAN STARTING LINEUP
125- CHRIS WILLIAMS - Redshirt Freshman - Perry, Mich./Fowlerville - 14-8 Placed third at the Eagle Open at Ashland University and sixth at the Northern Iowa Open ... Williams also placed seventh in the MSU Open ... he posted a 6-5 record during his redshirt year in 1997-98, while competing in open competition.
133- PAT McNAMARA - Sophomore - Jordan, Minn./Jordan - 18-0 #2-Amateur Wrestling News/#2-InterMat Wrestling The 1998 All-American has four tournament titles to his credit this season, winning the MSU Open, Eagle Open, Northern Iowa Open and Midlands Championships ... has defeated Iowa's third-ranked Eric Juergens two times this season ... selected to participate in NWCA All-Star Duals on Feb. 1 ... placed fifth at the 1998 NCAA Championships at 126 pounds ... he posted a 33-9 record in 1997-98, including 12-9 in Big Ten action.
141- ISSAC MILLER - Senior - Flint, Mich./Beecher - 19-5 Miller is the lone senior competing this season for the Spartans ... this fall, he has placed second at the MSU Open and the Ashland Eagle Open and sixth at the Northern Iowa Open ... as a junior, he qualified for the NCAA Championships after placing sixth at the Big Ten Championships ... had a 1997-98 record of 21-19, 7-15 in the Big Ten.
149- MIKE CASTILLO - Sophomore - Ada, Mich./Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central - 15-6 Earns the starting nod this season after serving primarily as Issac Miller's backup in 1997-98 ... this fall, he captured his first tournament title at the Eagle Open ... he also placed third at the MSU Open ... last season he compiled a record of 17-12, including 3-8 in the Big Ten ... placed eighth in the Big Ten Championships at 142 pounds.
157- CORY POSEY - Sophomore - Westfield, N.J./Westfield - 12-5 Started the season in strong fashion with a victory at the MSU Open ... placed fifth in the Eagle Open ... posted a record of 12-10 last season while splitting time at 142 and 150.
165- KEVIN SPIESS - Freshman - Ovid, Mich./Ovid - 5-7 A true freshman, who earned his first collegiate tournament title with a victory at the Ben McMullen Open at Muskegon Community College ... a 1998 Michigan state champion, he posted a four-year high school record of 156-20.
174- WILL HILL - Junior - Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central - 18-6 #9-Amateur Wrestling News/#7-InterMat Wrestling A 1998 NCAA qualifier who has had a successful early season run ... placed second at the Eagle Open, third at the MSU Open and Northern Iowa Open and fourth at the Midlands Championships ... defeated Central Michigan's Ryan Cunningham and Northwestern's Mark Bybee at the Midlands, who were ranked fifth and second respectively ... finished 1997-98 with a 27-18 record, including 10-10 in the Big Ten ... qualified for the NCAA Championships by placing fifth at the 1998 Big Ten Championships.
184- NIK FEKETE - Freshman - Cranford, N.J./Cranford - 10-9 A true freshman, placed sixth at the MSU Open in his first collegiate tournament ... won his first tournament at the Ben McMullen Open ... posted a three-year record of 95-5, including 74 pins, at Cranford H.S. ... in 1998, finished first at the Junior Nationals in the freestyle competition.
197- NICK MUZASHVILI - Junior - Unadilla, N.Y./Unatego - 16-5 #7-Amateur Wrestling News/#6-InterMat Wrestling A 1998 NCAA qualifier ... placed first at the Eagle Open, second at the MSU Open, fourth at the Northern Iowa Open and fifth at the Midlands Championships ... defeated third-ranked Sam Neider of Northwestern and 12th-ranked Chris Vike of Central Michigan at the Midlands ... posted a 1997-98 record of 23-20, including 7-11 in the Big Ten ... finished sixth at the 1998 Big Ten Championships ... came to the United States before his senior year of high school after growing up in the Republic of Georgia in the former Soviet Union.
285- MATT LAMB - Sophomore - Pensacola, Fla./Beaufort - 16-7 Joined the MSU program last January after serving a six-year stint in the United States Navy ... finished second at the MSU Open, third in the Eagle Open and seventh at the Midlands Championships ... defeated 13th-ranked Abe Boomer of Wyoming at the Midlands ... finished fifth at the 1998 U.S. National Championships in the Greco-Roman division ... posted a 4-16 record in 1997-98.
National Wrestling Coaches Association Top 25 (Jan. 7) 1. Oklahoma State 2. Minnesota 3. Iowa 4. Penn State 5. Iowa State 6. Oklahoma 7. Illinois 8. Arizona State 9. Central Michigan 10. West Virginia 11. Michigan 12. Nebraska 13. Northwestern 14. Lehigh 15. Cal-Bakersfield 16. Oregon State 17. Purdue 18. Michigan State 19. Pennsylvania 20. Rider 21. Cornell 22. Harvard 23. Brigham Young 24. Pittsburgh 25. Edinboro