No. 17 Spartan Wrestling Clashes With Cleveland State Saturday

Dec. 9, 2005

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A LOOK AT TONIGHT'S MATCH UP- The Spartans wrap up their first semester of dual-meet competition tonight, as they try to rebound from a tough, 25-6 loss to Central Michigan on Wednesday. This is Cleveland State's first dual all-time in Jenison Field House, and the two teams' second-ever meeting.

GREATHOUSE EARNS BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES- Junior Tony Greathouse earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week accolades for his thrilling, come-from-behind upset victory against No. 8 Kevin Ward at the Spartans' dual meet with Oklahoma State Sunday, Nov. 27. The Mason, Mich., native trailed Ward in their 157-pound match 3-0 after two periods, but rallied back in the third, scoring two takedowns and two near-fall points in the final minute to claim the 6-4 decision. Greathouse is the second Spartan to earn the honor this season. Nick Simmons earned the honor on Nov. 9 for his performance at the Eastern Michigan Open.

R.J. Boudro AND Andy Simmons CAPTURE NITTANY LION OPEN TITLES- Both senior R.J. Boudro and junior All-American Andy Simmons posted 5-0 records en route to tournament titles at the Nittany Lion Open Sunday, Dec. 4, at Penn State University. Boudro won his first tournament of the season in impressive fashion, tallying a fall and four major decisions at 174 pounds. The Richmond, Mich., native outscored his opponents 52-13 to improve to 9-1 on the season.

141-pounder Andy Simmons was not to be outdone by his fellow captain, scoring four major decisions in five matches to improve to 14-1 on the year. Simmons gave up a combined 13 points as well, scoring 55 on the day. Eight other Spartans placed, led by freshman Franklin Gomez who was runner-up at 125 pounds. Gomez went 4-1 on the day, losing a thrilling finals match with Penn State's Mark McKnight, 6-4. Gomez is now 12-3 on the season.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS- Cleveland State currently sits 1-0 on the early season, defeating Division III John Carroll 31-6 on Nov. 22. CSU also competed in the Nittany Lion Open this past weekend in State College, Pa., and have also wrestled in the Ashland Open and Oklahoma Classic this season.

The Vikings currently have two wrestlers ranked in the top 20 by Intermat. NCAA Qualifier Ryan Hurley, who finished last season 21-19, is currently eighth at 149 lbs., while 184-pound EWL finalist Joe Dennis is No. 18. CSU's complete projected line up is on page five of this release.

SPARTANS AND VIKINGS TO MEET FOR THE SECOND TIME- MSU won its first-ever dual meet with Cleveland State last year, rallying from an early 12-0 deficit to win 26-15. Joe Williams, Jeff Clemens, Nick and Andy Simmons, Ryan Froese and Darren McKnight all had victories for the Green and White.

NO. 9 CENTRAL MICHIGAN TOO MUCH AFTER LONG WEEKEND- The No. 17 Michigan State wrestling team received victories from junior All-Americans Nick and Andy Simmons, but fell to the ninth-ranked Central Michigan Chippewas, 25-6, Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Rose Arena.

"Coming off a long tournament at Penn State this weekend, I just don't think we had that spark," head coach Tom Minkel said. "But at the same time, Central wrestled quite a dual. They won all the one-point matches."

Nick and Andy Simmons won their matches 7-1 and 6-3, respectively, but the Green and White lost three of the last four matches by one point, all of them 3-2 decisions.

SPARTANS HANG TOUGH WITH NATIONAL CHAMPS- In its first dual meet of the 2005-06 campaign, the Spartans split their ten matches with three-time defending national champions Oklahoma State, but lost the dual, 21-15. Nick Simmons (125 lbs.), Andy Simmons (141 lbs.), R.J. Boudro (174 lbs.) and Joe Williams (184 lbs.) all looked impressive in victories, but the most exciting victory of the day came when junior Tony Greathouse upset No. 8 Kevin Ward at 157 lbs. Greathouse trailed 3-0 midway through the third period, but scored two takedowns and two near-fall points late to claim a 6-4 decision against the 2005 Big 12 Champion.

"To take five matches from the team that is clearly No. 1 in the nation is outstanding for our squad," head coach Tom Minkel said. "I am really proud of our team. This is a great way to start out the season."

Andy Simmons REMEMBERS MARCH 19- On March 19, 2005 at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., Andy Simmons was forced to injury default his final match of the season to Oklahoma State's Daniel Frishkorn after Frishkorn continuously attacked Simmons' already-ailing knee in their consolation semifinal match. That match was surely on Simmons' mind as he defeated Frishkorn at MSU's dual meet with the Cowboys Nov. 27, 7-1. Simmons notched takedowns in the second and third periods, and tacked on two near-fall points to beat the No. 13 wrestler in the nation. He improved his record to 9-1 on the season with the victory.

MOVING UP AMONGST THE LEGENDS- With four falls in his first two tournaments of the season, Nick Simmons has moved into sole possession of fifth place on MSU all-time falls list with 37. Most recently, he past Erich Harvey (1992-97) and sits three behind fourth place Eli Blazeoff (1982-84). Jim Mason (1980-84) is first on the list with 45 career pins. Nick's younger brother Andy is also on the list, currently tied for ninth.

ULTIMATE FIGHTER Rashad Evans JOINS STAFF- Three weeks after claiming the Ultimate Fighter 2 Heavyweight Championship, former Spartan grappler Rashad Evans has been named volunteer assistant coach for the MSU wrestling squad. Evans competed for head coach Tom Minkel from 2000-03, compiling a career record of 48-34. The Niagara Falls, N.Y., native was a two-time NCAA qualifier, claiming fourth place at the Big Ten Championships in 2002, and third in 2003.

"We are excited about Rashad joining our team for the season," head coach Tom Minkel said. "He is a marvelous athlete and we look forward to him bringing the same as an integral part of our coaching staff."

FORMER SPARTAN WECHTER TAKES BRONZE AT DEGLANE CHALLENGE- Former Spartan wrestler John Wechter compiled a 3-1 record competing at the Henri Deglane Challenge in Nice, France Nov. 25, bringing home a bronze medal for Team USA at 184 pounds. The Saginaw, Mich., native defeated wrestlers from Iran, Bulgaria and Spain in the Greco-Roman division. Wechter wrestled at Michigan State from 1998-2003, taking sixth at the 2002 Big Ten Championships.