Friday, February 8
East Lansing, Mich.
7 PM ET
Michigan State University
vs
Northwestern
#7 Rayvon Foley will wrestle #1 Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern on Friday night
Big Ten Wrestling Returns to Jenison Field House on Friday
2/7/2019 11:01:00 AM | Wrestling
EAST LANSING, Mich. --Â After a two-week hiatus, Big Ten wrestling is back in Jenison Field House this weekend as Michigan State matches up with the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday, February 8 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Northwestern enters Friday's dual with a 3-8 overall record in duals and a 1-5 record in the conference. Despite their dual record, the Wildcats boast a duo of heavy-hitters in the lineup with No. 1-ranked 125 pounder Sebastian Rivera and No. 3-ranked 157 pounder Ryan Deakin. Michigan State wraps up the weekend with a home dual on Sunday, February 10 against Cleveland State at 1:00 p.m. ET. Cleveland State is 4-7 in duals this season with a 1-3 mark in the Eastern Wrestling League.
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PROBABLE LINEUPS
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ABOUT NORTHWESTERN
Despite a 3-8 overall dual record this season, the Northwestern Wildcats have two of the best wrestlers in their respective weight classes in 125-pounder Sebastian Rivera and 157-pounder Ryan Deakin. Rivera is the No. 1-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds while Deakin checks in as the No. 3-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds. With a 12-8 record (6-5 in duals) Conan Jennings is the No. 16-ranked wrestler at heavyweight. Deakin leads the team in wins with 20 followed by Rivera at 19, and Jennings and 133-pounder Colin Valdiviez with 12. Rivera leads the team with seven technical falls while Deakin leads all attached wrestlers with six major decisions and three wins by fall. Wildcat wrestlers are a combined 43-70 in duals this season and 20-42 in Big Ten duals.
ABOUT CLEVELAND STATE
Cleveland State is 4-7 in duals this season with a 1-3 mark in the Eastern Wrestling League. The Vikings have four wrestlers with dual records above .500 this season, led by 133-pounder Armando Torres and 149-pounder Brady Barnett who lead the team in dual wins with eight. Tied for third with six wins apiece are 157-pounder Nico O'Dor and 197-pounder Ben Smith. Torres is the overall team leader in wins with 26, while O'Dor leads the team in wins against Division I opponents with 19. Barnett is the team leader in wins by fall with eight while Torres leads in tech falls with three and major decisions with five.
SPARTANS TO WATCH
• Sophomore Rayvon Foley
Foley was the Spartans lone representative at the NCAA Championships last season, but bowed out after two bouts. In an otherwise stellar freshman campaign, Foley finished with an overall record of 28-11 which included a 13-4 record in duals and a 15-7 record in tournaments. After taking first place at the Eastern Michigan Open a year ago, Foley started 2018-19 strong with back-to-back tournament victories at the MSU Open and at the Navy Classic. Wins over three ranked opponents this season has Foley's stock rising up to as high as No. 7 on InterMat. Early victories over Old Dominion's Michael McGee and Wyoming's Cole Verner are gaining praise as both have entered the InterMat Top 20 since. Foley has earned bonus points in 19 of his 27 total bouts, including 10 of 13 in duals.
• Redshirt freshman Cameron Caffey
A redshirt for the Spartans in 2017-18, Caffey held a 22-6 record in open tournaments with first place finishes a the MSU Open, the Storm Open and the Alma Open. Caffey has continued that trend thus far in 2018-19 with tournament victories at the MSU Open, the Navy Classic and the Reno Tournament of Champions. With a 23-3 record, Caffey finds himself shooting up the rankings to No. 15 on InterMat. After losing three-straight bouts to fall to 18-3, Caffey has won three straight Big Ten duals and five straight bouts overall.
• Redshirt sophomore Drew Hughes
After wrestling to a 29-10 record as a true freshman en route to an NCAA Championships appearance, Hughes was hampered by injuries as a sophomore last season wrestling in just 12 bouts. Hughes is aiming to get back on top in is third season at MSU and has a 20-9 record to show for it thus far, placing third at the MSU Open on Nov. 3 and winning his first dual match of the season with a fall in 0:32 against Buffalo. Hughes currently sits at No. 18 on FloWrestling and has won in two-straight Big Ten duals.
• Redshirt freshman Brad Wilton
Despite not starting the year in the Spartan lineup, redshirt freshman Brad Wilton has had an impressive first season for MSU. Wilton is 4-1 in Big Ten duals this season with wins in duals against Indiana, Illinois, Rutgers, and Maryland. Three of Wilton's four Big Ten wins have been with bonus points, earning two falls and a major decision. His lone loss came against Michigan's Jackson Striggow in a controversial 7-6 decision. Wilton has won four straight and six of his last seven, earning bonus points in four of those wins.
• Redshirt sophomore Jake Tucker
Tucker finished last season with a 20-18 overall record, and is on pace to best his win total from last season at 18-11 so far in 2018-19. At the MSU Open, Tucker started the event with back-to-back victories via fall before losing to eventual champion Will Lewan. Tucker dropped two bouts at the Navy Classic, but rebounded with wins in his final two bouts to secure fourth place. Wrestling well as of late, Tucker has won three straight with wins over Maryland's Jahi Jones, Bloomsburg's Nate Newberry, and Northern Illinois' Mason Kauffman.
SPARTANS IN THE RANKINGS
• Sophomore Rayvon Foley - 125#
No. 7 by InterMat
No. 7 by NCAA Coaches' Panel
No. 7 by FloWrestling
No. 7 by The Open Mat
No. 7 by WIN Wrestling Magazine
No. 7 by Amateur Wrestling News
No. 8 by TrackWrestling
• Redshirt Freshman Cameron Caffey - 184#
No. 14 by WIN Wrestling Magazine
No. 15 by InterMat
No. 15 by Amateur Wrestling News
No. 16 by TrackWrestling
No. 17 by NCAA Coaches' Panel
No. 17 by The Open Mat
No. 18 by FloWrestling
• Redshirt Sophomore Drew Hughes - 174#
No. 18 by FloWrestling
No. 32 by NCAA Coaches' Panel
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| Opponent | Date/Time | Location | Live Video |
| Northwestern (3-8, 1-5 B1G) | February 8, 2019 // 7:00 pm ET | East Lansing, Mich. // Jenison Field House | BTN2Go / FloWrestling |
| Cleveland State (4-7) | February 10, 2019 // 1:00 pm ET | East Lansing, Mich. // Jenison Field House | BTN2Go / FloWrestling |
| Social Media | Â Instagram |
PROBABLE LINEUPS
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| Weight | Michigan State | Record | Northwestern | Record | Cleveland State | Record | ||
| 125 | #7Â Rayvon Foley | (26-1, 13-0) | #1 Sebastian Rivera | (19-0, 9-0) | Cameron Lathem | (9-15, 3-7) | ||
| OR | Logan Griffin | (10-7, 0-1) | ||||||
| 133 | Anthony Tutolo | (15-11, 4-8) | Colin Valdiviez | (12-11, 4-7) | Armando Torres | (26-9, 8-3) | ||
| 141 | Austin Eicher | (11-9, 3-5) | Alec McKenna | (7-8, 1-4) | Sam Matzek | (1-2, 1-2) | ||
| OR | Alex Hrisopoulos | (18-8, 3-1) | ||||||
| 149 | Jaden Enriquez | (11-16, 3-10) | Shayne Oster | (8-9, 4-5) | Brady Barnett | (16-7, 8-2) | ||
| OR | Â Yahya Thomas | 11-8, 3-5) | ||||||
| 157 | Jake Tucker | (18-11, 6-7) | # 3 Ryan Deakin | (20-2, 9-2) | Nico O'Dor | (22-12, 6-5) | ||
| 165 | Logan Ritchie | (11-12, 1-6) | Tyler Morland | (2-5, 2-5) | Ryan Ford | (11-4, 2-2) | ||
| OR | Austin Hiles | (10-12, 1-5) | ||||||
| 174 | #18 Drew Hughes | (20-9, 8-5) | Johnny Sebastian | (5-7, 3-5) | Colton Carroll | (7-8, 2-3) | ||
| OR | Braxton Cody | (0-5, 0-3) | ||||||
| 184 | #18Â Cameron Caffey | (23-3, 10-3) | Brendan Devine | (0-15, 0-11) | Chris Morrow | (6-16, 4-7) | ||
| 197 | Nick May | (10-8, 0-2) | Zack Chakonis | (3-14, 1-10) | Ben Smith | (14-12, 6-5) | ||
| OR | Brad Wilton | (15-9, 7-4) | ||||||
| 285 | Chase Beard | (13-8, 3-3) | #16 Conan Jennings | (12-8, 6-5) | Collin Kelly | (10-16, 3-6) |
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN
Despite a 3-8 overall dual record this season, the Northwestern Wildcats have two of the best wrestlers in their respective weight classes in 125-pounder Sebastian Rivera and 157-pounder Ryan Deakin. Rivera is the No. 1-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds while Deakin checks in as the No. 3-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds. With a 12-8 record (6-5 in duals) Conan Jennings is the No. 16-ranked wrestler at heavyweight. Deakin leads the team in wins with 20 followed by Rivera at 19, and Jennings and 133-pounder Colin Valdiviez with 12. Rivera leads the team with seven technical falls while Deakin leads all attached wrestlers with six major decisions and three wins by fall. Wildcat wrestlers are a combined 43-70 in duals this season and 20-42 in Big Ten duals.
ABOUT CLEVELAND STATE
Cleveland State is 4-7 in duals this season with a 1-3 mark in the Eastern Wrestling League. The Vikings have four wrestlers with dual records above .500 this season, led by 133-pounder Armando Torres and 149-pounder Brady Barnett who lead the team in dual wins with eight. Tied for third with six wins apiece are 157-pounder Nico O'Dor and 197-pounder Ben Smith. Torres is the overall team leader in wins with 26, while O'Dor leads the team in wins against Division I opponents with 19. Barnett is the team leader in wins by fall with eight while Torres leads in tech falls with three and major decisions with five.
SPARTANS TO WATCH
• Sophomore Rayvon Foley
Foley was the Spartans lone representative at the NCAA Championships last season, but bowed out after two bouts. In an otherwise stellar freshman campaign, Foley finished with an overall record of 28-11 which included a 13-4 record in duals and a 15-7 record in tournaments. After taking first place at the Eastern Michigan Open a year ago, Foley started 2018-19 strong with back-to-back tournament victories at the MSU Open and at the Navy Classic. Wins over three ranked opponents this season has Foley's stock rising up to as high as No. 7 on InterMat. Early victories over Old Dominion's Michael McGee and Wyoming's Cole Verner are gaining praise as both have entered the InterMat Top 20 since. Foley has earned bonus points in 19 of his 27 total bouts, including 10 of 13 in duals.
• Redshirt freshman Cameron Caffey
A redshirt for the Spartans in 2017-18, Caffey held a 22-6 record in open tournaments with first place finishes a the MSU Open, the Storm Open and the Alma Open. Caffey has continued that trend thus far in 2018-19 with tournament victories at the MSU Open, the Navy Classic and the Reno Tournament of Champions. With a 23-3 record, Caffey finds himself shooting up the rankings to No. 15 on InterMat. After losing three-straight bouts to fall to 18-3, Caffey has won three straight Big Ten duals and five straight bouts overall.
• Redshirt sophomore Drew Hughes
After wrestling to a 29-10 record as a true freshman en route to an NCAA Championships appearance, Hughes was hampered by injuries as a sophomore last season wrestling in just 12 bouts. Hughes is aiming to get back on top in is third season at MSU and has a 20-9 record to show for it thus far, placing third at the MSU Open on Nov. 3 and winning his first dual match of the season with a fall in 0:32 against Buffalo. Hughes currently sits at No. 18 on FloWrestling and has won in two-straight Big Ten duals.
• Redshirt freshman Brad Wilton
Despite not starting the year in the Spartan lineup, redshirt freshman Brad Wilton has had an impressive first season for MSU. Wilton is 4-1 in Big Ten duals this season with wins in duals against Indiana, Illinois, Rutgers, and Maryland. Three of Wilton's four Big Ten wins have been with bonus points, earning two falls and a major decision. His lone loss came against Michigan's Jackson Striggow in a controversial 7-6 decision. Wilton has won four straight and six of his last seven, earning bonus points in four of those wins.
• Redshirt sophomore Jake Tucker
Tucker finished last season with a 20-18 overall record, and is on pace to best his win total from last season at 18-11 so far in 2018-19. At the MSU Open, Tucker started the event with back-to-back victories via fall before losing to eventual champion Will Lewan. Tucker dropped two bouts at the Navy Classic, but rebounded with wins in his final two bouts to secure fourth place. Wrestling well as of late, Tucker has won three straight with wins over Maryland's Jahi Jones, Bloomsburg's Nate Newberry, and Northern Illinois' Mason Kauffman.
SPARTANS IN THE RANKINGS
• Sophomore Rayvon Foley - 125#
No. 7 by InterMat
No. 7 by NCAA Coaches' Panel
No. 7 by FloWrestling
No. 7 by The Open Mat
No. 7 by WIN Wrestling Magazine
No. 7 by Amateur Wrestling News
No. 8 by TrackWrestling
• Redshirt Freshman Cameron Caffey - 184#
No. 14 by WIN Wrestling Magazine
No. 15 by InterMat
No. 15 by Amateur Wrestling News
No. 16 by TrackWrestling
No. 17 by NCAA Coaches' Panel
No. 17 by The Open Mat
No. 18 by FloWrestling
• Redshirt Sophomore Drew Hughes - 174#
No. 18 by FloWrestling
No. 32 by NCAA Coaches' Panel
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