Wrestlers Wrap Up Regular Season Against Oklahoma
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
February 26, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#21 MSU vs. #5 Oklahoma, Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Scouting the Sooners- The Spartans will conclude the regular season by hosting the fifth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, Feb. 27 in Jenison Field House at 7:30 p.m. The Sooners, who hail from the Big 12 conference, hold a record of 17-5-1. Nine Sooners are ranked in Amateur Wrestling News' top 20: Shane Valdez (4th, 125), Dane Valdez (20th, 133), Michael Lightner (3rd, 141), Jarad Frayer (13th, 149), David Kjeldgaard (12th, 157), Rod Jones (4th, 165), Tom Grossman (14th, 184), Waymon May (12th, 197) and John Henry Ward (7th, HWT). Oklahoma leads the all-time series 29-7. Last year, the two squads split a pair of duals. MSU was a 19-12 winner at the National Duals, but Oklahoma would score a 28-9 win in Norman.
Senior Night- The Oklahoma dual will be the final home match for Spartan senior Issac Miller. The fifth year senior currently holds 26-12 record and is ranked 20th by InterMat Wrestling.. In 1998, the Flint native qualified for the NCAA Championships after finishing sixth at the Big Ten Championships.
Weekend Recap- The Spartans captured their second Big Ten win and first victory since Jan. 22 with an 18-17 win over Ohio State on Friday night in Jenison Field House. The dual did not have a promising start for the Green and White as the Buckeyes took four of the first five matches. MSU would respond however after intermission with four straight victories. Will Hill scored a 7-5 victory over a ranked opponent at 174 to get things rolling. Nik Fekete responded with his first win since Jan. 10 and Nick Muzashvili added the first pin of his career. The clinching points would come as Matt Lamb was awarded a stalling point in overtime of the heavyweight match.
On Sunday, the Spartans fell to Penn State 25-14. Issac Miller, Nik Fekete, Nick Muzashvili and Matt Lamb all record victories for the Green and White. Michigan State then hit the road and traveled to Ypsilanti, where they scored an easy 46-3 victory over Eastern Michigan
Spartans in the Rankings- Four members of the MSU squad are ranked among the top wrestlers in their individual weight classes according to the Amateur Wrestling News and/or InterMat Wrestling. Pat McNamara is fifth/fifth at 133, Issac Miller is -/20th at 141, Will Hill is 13th/14th at 174 and Nick Muzashvili is sixth/eighth at 197.
Keeping Up with the Spartans- There are now more ways than ever to stay current with Michigan State wrestling. Fans can visit the MSU website at www.msuspartans.com. The wrestling program has also recently launced a new website. For complete results, Spartan wrestling merchandise or any other information on MSU wrestling visit www.msuwrestling.com. Finally, be sure to call the Spartan wrestling hotline for results updated within minutes of every match. Call (517) 355-0289.
PROJECTED SPARTAN STARTING LINEUP
125- CHRIS WILLIAMS - Redshirt Freshman - Fowlerville, Mich./Fowlerville - 21-17
Placed third at the Eagle Open, sixth at the Northern Iowa Open and seventh in the MSU Open ... defeated ninth-ranked Matt Azevedo, 5-2, in a dual meet with Arizona State on Jan. 8.
133- PAT McNAMARA - Sophomore - Jordan, Minn./Jordan - 27-6
#5-Amateur Wrestling News/#5-InterMat Wrestling/#1-Big Ten Wrestling Coaches
Won seven of last ten matches ... 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 second-ranked Eric Juergens two times this season ... wrestled in the NWCA All-Star Duals against two-time national champion Eric Guerrero of Oklahoma State, losing 15-6 ... leads the team with four falls ... 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 - 26-12
#20-InterMat Wrestling
Won six of last nine matches ... Miller is the lone senior competing this season for the Spartans ... defeated Northwestern's eighth-ranked Scott Schatzman ... 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.
149- MIKE CASTILLO - Soph. - Ada, Mich./Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central - 20-17 Earns the starting nod this season after serving primarily as Isaac 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 ... eighth in the Big Ten Championships at 142 pounds.
157- CORY POSEY - Sophomore - Westfield, N.J./Westfield - 18-15 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- MATT KOYL - Freshman - Bellevue, Mich./Bellevue - 6-14 A redshirt freshman, who has been forced into action as Kevin Spiess sits out with a skin infection ... compiled a 70-14 record over his last two years of high school.
174- WILL HILL - Junior - Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central - 27-13
#13-Amateur Wrestling News/#14-InterMat Wrestling/#5-Big Ten Wrestling Coaches
A 1998 NCAA, 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 - 14-18 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 ... 8-7 victory against Ohio State was his first since Jan. 10 ... won his last three matches.
197- NICK MUZASHVILI - Junior - Unadilla, N.Y./Unatego - 27-10
#6-Amateur Wrestling News/#8-InterMat Wrestling/#4-Big Ten Wrestling Coaches
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 ... has four major decisions and one pin in his last seven matches ... defeated third-ranked Sam Neider of Northwestern and 12th-ranked Chris Vike of CMU at the Midlands ... finished sixth at the 1998 Big Ten Championships ... owns a perfect 7-0 record in February ... pin against Ohio State's Brad Todd was first of his career.
285- MATT LAMB - Sophomore - Pensacola, Fla./Beaufort - 26-13
#5-Big Ten Wrestling Coaches
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 ... on a three-match winning streak, including a pin against Eastern Michigan.
NWCA Top 25 (Feb. 24) Team Points 1. Oklahoma State (23-0) 275 2. Minnesota (18-2) 264 3. Iowa (13-4) 244 4. Nebraska (17-4) 240 5. Oklahoma (17-5-1) 228 6. Illinois (13-2) 224 7. Iowa St. (20-5-1) 215 8. Central Mich. (14-5-1) 198 9. Michigan (11-4) 187 10. Penn St. (12-5) 175 11. Cal-Bakersfield (14-5-1) 165 12. Arizona St. (10-8-1) 146 13. Pennsylvania (10-0-2) 137 T14. Purdue (15-6-1) 125 T14. Cornell (13-2-1) 125 16. Oregon State (13-8) 99 17. Lehigh (9-5) 96 18. Northwestern (5-9) 78 19. Rider (12-3) 75 20. West Virginia (7-4) 50 21. Michigan St. (6-10-1) 47 22. Edinboro (10-3-1) 45 23. Pittsburgh (11-2-1) 36 T24. Boise State (10-6) 29 T24. North Carolina (10-5) 29
