MSU Wrestling Announces 2003-04 Schedule
7/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
July 18, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State wrestling team will take on seven of the top 10 teams from last year's NCAA Championships, including the top three teams, during the 2003-04 season, Spartan wrestling head coach Tom Minkel announced today.
Highlighting a tough Spartan schedule are visits from defending NCAA Champion Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 15, and national runner-up Minnesota on Friday, Jan. 23. MSU will also travel to Norman, Okla., on Friday, Feb. 6, to take on Oklahoma, who finished third in the 2003 national championships.
Michigan State will also face Penn State, Michigan, Iowa and Illinois, who finished sixth through ninth, respectively, at the NCAA Championships. All but Illinois will be road matches for the Spartans.
"Our program has been steadily getting stronger as evidenced by dramatic wins last season over Iowa, Michigan, and Oklahoma among others," Minkel previewed the upcoming season. "I anticipate another excellent season against the nation's toughest schedule. It will be exciting right out of the gate, as we open our dual meet season at home against defending NCAA Champion, Oklahoma State on Nov. 15."
The Spartans officially kick off the 2003-04 season at the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 1, before returning to Jenison Field House to host the Michigan State Open on Nov. 8-9. Following the dual-meet opener with the Cowboys on Nov. 15, several Spartans will travel to Muskegon, Mich., for the Muskegon Community College Open.
Michigan State will travel to Central Michigan (Dec. 2) and North Carolina (Dec. 6), before competing at the prestigeous Midlands Championships on Dec. 28-29.
MSU opens 2004 with a home meet against Hofstra on Jan. 3, before traveling to Kent State on Jan. 6. Following the National Duals on Jan. 17-18 in Cleveland, the Spartans host Big Ten Champion Minnesota on Jan. 23 and Illinois (Jan. 25). The Spartans' annual intrastate dual with Michigan is scheduled for Jan. 30 in Ann Arbor.
The Spartans venture to Iowa (Feb. 1) and Oklahoma (Feb. 6), before hosting Purdue on Feb. 8. MSU takes to the road for the final time, with a pair of dual meets at Penn State (Feb. 13) and Ohio State (Feb. 15). MSU closes out the regular season with a home meet against Indiana on Feb. 22.
Ohio State hosts the 2004 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 6-7, while the NCAA Championships are slated to be held at the Savis Center in St. Louis, Mo.
"The team will be led by senior All-American Nik Fekete (Cranford, N.J.) at 197 lbs. and we expect redshirt freshman, Andy Simmons (Williamston, Mich.) to make an impact in his first year in the lineup," Minkel continued. "Our team will also have four other seniors - Ryan L'Amoreaux (Clarkston, Mich.) at 149 lbs., Anton Hall (Ada, Mich.) at 174 lbs., Nate Mesyn at 184 lbs., and Mike Keenan (Columbus, Ohio) at 275 lbs. - so we will have a great deal of veteran experience and leadership.
"All-American freshman, Nik Simmons (Williamston, Mich.) will take an Olympic redshirt year and train in an attempt to make the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team. He will return to our team for the 2004-05 season with three years of eligibility remaining."
Players Mentioned
