Monday, December 30
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
11 a.m.
Michigan State University
17
vs
19
South Dakota State
Photo by: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications
Spartan Wrestling Drops Wyoming in Final Day of South Beach Duals to Split Action
12/30/2019 6:14:00 PM | Wrestling
Jake Tucker went 4-0 at the duals and four Spartans finished with 3-1 records.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - After falling to South Dakota State by a narrow 19-17 score to begin the day at the South Beach Duals, Michigan State wrestling answered with an 18-12 win over Wyoming on Monday afternoon inside the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center.
"Our guys battled today up and down the line," said MSU wrestling head coach Roger Chandler. "There is no doubt in my mind that South Dakota State is a top-20 team, but I really believe in order for us to jump into the elite ranks, we need everyone to do their part and that did not happen in that match. We had a nine-point swing in team score at 165 in a match that we were controlling."
The Spartans (4-2) began the day with a match-up with South Dakota State that came down to the wire, with the Jackrabbits coming away on top, 19-17. MSU bounced back to pick up an 18-12 victory over Wyoming in the afternoon dual.
Redshirt junior Jake Tucker continued his stellar wrestling at the South Beach Duals, compiling a 4-0 record. Redshirt senior Garrett Pepple, finished the South Beach Duals with a 2-2 record, but both losses were to top-10 opponents
"Jake Tucker is stepping forward and being the leader on how we want our guys to compete every match. He went 4-0 the last two days against quality opponents," Chandler said. "Garrett Pepple wrestled two top-10 guys the last two days and showed he is right there with them. His trend is going up and he is getting better every match. He needs to continue to battle and great things are going to happen for him at the NCAA Championships in March. I'm excited for him!"
Redshirt junior Alex Hrisopoulos tallied a top-20 win and joined redshirt freshman Layne Malczewski, redshirt junior Christian Rebottaro and redshirt sophomore Cameron Caffey with 3-1 records at the duals.
"Alex Hrisopoulos continues to battle and is a guy we point to as staying the course," said Chandler. "He's battled for three years to get his shot and now you are seeing what he's capable of doing. I'm happy for him and hope he uses this as confidence that he is one of the best in the country."
South Dakota State raced out to an early 7-3 lead behind wins from Daniel Vega over redshirt junior Julian Saldana at 125 pounds (11-3) and a decision for Clay Carlson over redshirt junior Matt Santos, 6-4, at 141 pounds. Pepple put the Spartans on the board first with a 4-3 decision over Zach Price. Michigan State reeled off two straight wins at 149 pounds and 157 pounds to take back the lead over the Jackrabbits, 10-7. Hrisopoulos claimed a 4-2 decision over Peyton Smith and Tucker rolled past Colten Carlson, earning a 12-3 major decision.
The Jackrabbits grabbed momentum back in the 165 pound match. Redshirt junior Drew Hughes led for most of the bout, but Tanner Cook recorded a fall 33 seconds into the third period to put South Dakota State up 13-10. Malczewski earned bonus points for the Spartans at 174 pounds, defeating Cade King by tech fall, 17-1, to give MSU a 15-13 lead with three bouts left.
At 184 pounds, it was a battle between two top-20 wrestlers in Caffey and No. 16 Zach Carlson. Caffey jumped out in front early and stayed the course for most of the match. Carlson grabbed a late takedown and defeated Caffey in a battle until the finish, 7-6. SDSU extended its lead to 19-14 after No. 14 Tanner Sloan won by decision over Nick May, 7-0 at 197 pounds.
Rebottaro, needing a fall to secure a victory for the Spartans, went toe-to-toe with Blake Wolters at 285 pounds. Rebottaro tallied a 6-2 decision, pulling the Spartans within 19-17 in defeat to the Jackrabbits.
"I know that match against South Dakota State is stinging with the guys," Chandler said. 'They let one get away and we will learn from that experience. It showed in the next dual against Wyoming. We used that loss as motivation to beat a top-20 caliber team in Wyoming. I felt that our guys fought up and down in all 10 weight classes and could have very easily won all 10 matches against the Cowboys."
MSU raced out to an early 12-3 advantage over Wyoming, tallying wins in four of the first five matches by decision. Redshirt senior Logan Griffin jumped back into the lineup and came away with a 7-2 decision over Doyle Trout at 125 pounds. Pepple faced off against No. 7 Montorie Bridges and fell in a low scoring match, 2-0. Santos (8-2 decision), Hrisopoulos (6-4 decision) and Tucker (5-4 decision) earned victories at 141 pounds, 149 pounds and 157 pounds, respectively. Cole Moody recorded a last-second takedown in a 5-4 decision over redshirt junior Austin Hiles, cutting MSU's lead to six.
Malczewski earned his second victory of the day at 174 pounds, knocking off Casey Randles, 9-4, and extending the Spartan lead to 15-6 with three matches left. Caffey made it 18-6 Spartans after a 3-1 decision over Tate Samuelson at 184 pounds. Wyoming won the final two matches of the day at 197 pounds and 285 pounds, but it was not enough and MSU sealed the 18-12 win over the Cowboys to end the two days of action.
MSU travels to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in its Big Ten opener on Friday, Jan. 10. Match time is slated for 7 p.m.
South Dakota State 19, Michigan State 17
125 - Daniel Vega (SDSU) maj. dec. Julian Saldana (MSU), 11-3 - SDSU leads 4-0
133 - Garrett Pepple (MSU) dec. Zach Price (MSU), 4-3 - SDSU leads 4-3
141 - Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec. Matt Santos (MSU), 6-4 - SDSU leads 7-3
149 - Alex Hrisopoulos (MSU) dec. Peyton Smith (SDSU), 4-2 - SDSU leads 7-6
157 - Jake Tucker (MSU) maj. dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 12-3 - MSU leads 10-7
165 - Tanner Cook (SDSU) fall over Drew Hughes (MSU), 5:33 - SDSU leads 13-10
174 - Layne Malczewski (MSU) tech fall Cade King (SDSU), 17-1 - MSU leads 15-13
184 - No. 16 Zach Carlson dec. Cameron Caffey (MSU), 7-6 - SDSU leads 16-14*
197 - No. 14 Tanner Sloan dec.. Nick May (MSU), 7-0 - SDSU leads 19-14
285 - Christian Rebottaro (MSU) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 6-2 - SDSU wins 19-17
*one team point deducted in 184 pound match for misconduct
Michigan State 18, Wyoming 12
125 - Logan Griffin (MSU) dec. Doyle Trout (WYO), 7-2 - MSU leads 3-0
133 - No. 7 Montorie Bridges (WYO)dec. Garrett Pepple (MSU), 2-0 - Tied at 3
141 - Matt Santos (MSU) dec. Chase Zollmann (WYO), 8-2 - MSU leads 6-3
149 - Alex Hrisopoulos (MSU) dec. No. 20 Jaron Jensen (WYO), 6-4 - MSU leads 9-3
157 - Jake Tucker (MSU) dec. Dewey Krueger (WYO), 5-4 - MSU leads 12-3
165 - Cole Moody (WYO) dec. Austin Hiles (WYO), 5-4 - MSU leads 12-6
174 - Layne Malczewski (MSU) dec. Casey Randles (WYO), 9-4 - MSU leads 15-6
184 - Cameron Caffey (MSU) dec. Tate Samuelson (WYO), 3-1 - MSU leads 18-6
197 - Stephen Buchanan (WYO) dec. Nick May (MSU), 13-7 - MSU leads 18-9
285 - No. 17 Brian Andrews (WYO) dec. Christian Rebottaro (MSU), 1-0 - MSU wins 18-12
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