Friday, January 31
Urbana-Champaign, IL
8 p.m.
Michigan State University
12
at
18
Illinois
Photo by: Sam Janicki
Spartan Wrestling Falls to No. 15 Illinois, 18-12
1/31/2020 11:14:00 PM | Wrestling
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Michigan State wrestling gained an early lead over No. 15 Illinois Friday night in Champaign, but the Fighting Illini claimed wins in four of the final five duals to pull out a hard-fought, thrilling 18-12 win over the Spartans inside Illinois's Huff Hall.
"Our guys continue to compete hard and are figuring things out up and down at every weight class every time they step on the mat," MSU wrestling head coach Roger Chandler said. "We talk about effort as a program and I can say we are giving effort."
Redshirt senior Logan Griffin opened the dual with a 5-0 decision over Justin Cardini at 125 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Griffin tallied two minutes of riding time in the second period after choosing the top position. Griffin took the bottom position in the third period and quickly grabbed an escape to go up 1-0 and followed with a takedown. Griffin was awarded a point for stalling and with over two minutes of riding time claimed the 5-0 decision.
"I was very pleased with Logan Griffin, Jake Tucker and Cameron Caffey tonight," said Chandler. "All three of them have lost to their opponents previously and the flipped the script tonight. It shows that when you continue to evolve as a competitor and make adjustments, good things will happen."
Redshirt senior Garrett Pepple had his hands full early in his match against No. 7 Travis Piotrowski at 133 pounds. Piotrowski went in with an early shot on Pepple and landed a takedown followed by a four-point near-fall to go up 6-0 after period one. Pepple battled in the second frame and was awarded an escape point to go to the third period trailing, 6-1. A Pepple takedown at the end of the third wasn't enough, falling by decision (7-3).
Matt Santos took on No. 12 Dylan Duncan in the 141 pound bout. Santos gave Duncan all he could handle, but came up just short in the end, 3-2. Santos and Duncan went scoreless in the first before Duncan put together three points in the second after an escape and takedown. Santos battled in the third but fell just short, 3-2, to give Illinois the lead back at 6-3. At 149 pounds, Alex Hrisopoulos tied the match at six with a 4-0 shutout over Mousa Jodeh. Hrisopoulos tallied two minutes of riding time after the second period and added three points on a takedown and added a stalling point for the 4-0 win.
"Alex Hrisopoulos continues to compete hard and tonight he committed to be tough on top and it paid dividends for him," said Chandler.
Redshirt junior Jake Tucker registered his fourth-straight victory at 157 pounds with a shutout victory over Eric Barone, 3-0. Tucker produced a takedown with under 15 seconds left in the second period after an earlier escape in the period for the 3-0 lead after two periods. Tucker used his stellar defense in the final frame to secure his 22nd victory of the season. The decision win by Tucker pushed MSU's lead to 9-6 over the Fighting Illini with the win.
In the 165-pound match, redshirt junior Drew Hughes took on No. 15 Danny Braunagel. The Illini wrestler used two takedowns in the first frame to take a 4-1 lead over Hughes and added to his lead with a pair of takedowns in the second period. Hughes managed a ride out in the final frame, but it wasn't enough to knock off Braunagel, as he fell 9-2 to tie the match at 9-all.
Much like the dual as a whole, the 174-pound match-up between Layne Malczewski and No. 22 Joey Gunter was a back-and-forth battle until the end. Gunter jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but Malczewski pulled out some magic with a nifty takedown for a 2-1 lead. Malczewski extended his lead with a reversal in the second period to go up 5-3, but Gunther answered with a takedown of his own in the third frame to tie it at five. Gunther produced a takedown six seconds into overtime for the 7-5 win.
"Layne Malczewski is becoming one of the best guys in the country," said Chandler. "He's evolving and figuring out how to manage a match. Tonight he came up just short, but he will grow from this match and adjust."
Trailing 12-9 with three matches remaining, redshirt junior Cameron Caffey reeled off his fifth win in a row in dual meets and 11th overall with a stellar 7-6 win over No. 13 Zac Braunagel. No. 15-ranked Caffey raced out to an early lead with a takedown, as the two went back-and-forth early and often. Caffey extended his lead to 5-3 after two periods with his second takedown of the night and added another in the third period to go up 7-6. Caffey held off some late shots by Braunagel for the win and tied the dual at 12 points each with two matches remaining.
Redshirt junior Nick May and Matt Wroblewski wrestled a low-scoring match at 197 pounds. May used a 1-0 lead after an escape in the second to go up on Wroblewski and the Fighting Illini wrestler rebounded with an escape of his own. The two went to sudden victory with Wroblewski coming away with a takedown to push the Fighting Illini lead to 15-12 with only the 285-pound dual left.
"Nick May went for the finish in overtime, but got caught in a 50-50 position," said Chandler. "I will take a guy going after it any day."
Illinois clinched the victory over the Spartans with a 5-1 win for Luke Luffman over Christian Rebottaro. Luffman took a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the second and added a takedown in the final seconds of the dual to claim the 5-1 decision and give the Fighting Illini the 18-12 win.
Up Next
Michigan State returns home on Sunday, Feb. 2 to for Senior Day against No. 1 Iowa. The dual will air on BTN+ and will begin at 1 p.m. Five wrestlers will be recognized before the dual: redshirt junior Ethan Curtin, redshirt senior Logan Griffin, redshirt junior Austin Hiles, redshirt junior Danny Kruse and redshirt senior Garrett Pepple.
No. 15 Illinois 18, Michigan State 12
125 - Logan Griffin (MSU) dec. over Justin Cardani (ILL), 5-0 - MSU leads 3-0
133 - No. 7 Travis Piotrowski (ILL) dec. over Garrett Pepple (MSU), 7-3 - Tied 3-3
141 - No. 12 Dylan Duncan (ILL) dec. over. Matt Santos (MSU), 3-2 - ILL leads 6-3
149 - Alex Hrisopoulos (MSU) dec. over Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 4-0 - Tied 6-6
157 - No. 15 Jake Tucker (MSU) dec. over Eric Barone (ILL), 3-0 - MSU leads 9-6
165 - No. 15 Danny Braunagel (ILL) dec. over Drew Hughes (MSU), 9-2 - Tied 9-9
174 - No. 22 Joey Gunther (ILL) dec. over Layne Malczewski (MSU), 7-5 (SV-1) - MSU leads 12-9
184 - No. 15 Cameron Caffey (MSU) dec. over No. 13 Zac Braunagel (ILL), 7-6 - Tied 12-12
197 - Matt Wroblewski (ILL) dec. over Nick May (MSU), 3-1 (SV-1) - ILL leads 15-12
285 - Luke Luffman (ILL) dec. over Christian Rebottaro (MSU), 5-1 - ILL wins 18-12
"Our guys continue to compete hard and are figuring things out up and down at every weight class every time they step on the mat," MSU wrestling head coach Roger Chandler said. "We talk about effort as a program and I can say we are giving effort."
Redshirt senior Logan Griffin opened the dual with a 5-0 decision over Justin Cardini at 125 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Griffin tallied two minutes of riding time in the second period after choosing the top position. Griffin took the bottom position in the third period and quickly grabbed an escape to go up 1-0 and followed with a takedown. Griffin was awarded a point for stalling and with over two minutes of riding time claimed the 5-0 decision.
"I was very pleased with Logan Griffin, Jake Tucker and Cameron Caffey tonight," said Chandler. "All three of them have lost to their opponents previously and the flipped the script tonight. It shows that when you continue to evolve as a competitor and make adjustments, good things will happen."
Redshirt senior Garrett Pepple had his hands full early in his match against No. 7 Travis Piotrowski at 133 pounds. Piotrowski went in with an early shot on Pepple and landed a takedown followed by a four-point near-fall to go up 6-0 after period one. Pepple battled in the second frame and was awarded an escape point to go to the third period trailing, 6-1. A Pepple takedown at the end of the third wasn't enough, falling by decision (7-3).
Matt Santos took on No. 12 Dylan Duncan in the 141 pound bout. Santos gave Duncan all he could handle, but came up just short in the end, 3-2. Santos and Duncan went scoreless in the first before Duncan put together three points in the second after an escape and takedown. Santos battled in the third but fell just short, 3-2, to give Illinois the lead back at 6-3. At 149 pounds, Alex Hrisopoulos tied the match at six with a 4-0 shutout over Mousa Jodeh. Hrisopoulos tallied two minutes of riding time after the second period and added three points on a takedown and added a stalling point for the 4-0 win.
"Alex Hrisopoulos continues to compete hard and tonight he committed to be tough on top and it paid dividends for him," said Chandler.
Redshirt junior Jake Tucker registered his fourth-straight victory at 157 pounds with a shutout victory over Eric Barone, 3-0. Tucker produced a takedown with under 15 seconds left in the second period after an earlier escape in the period for the 3-0 lead after two periods. Tucker used his stellar defense in the final frame to secure his 22nd victory of the season. The decision win by Tucker pushed MSU's lead to 9-6 over the Fighting Illini with the win.
In the 165-pound match, redshirt junior Drew Hughes took on No. 15 Danny Braunagel. The Illini wrestler used two takedowns in the first frame to take a 4-1 lead over Hughes and added to his lead with a pair of takedowns in the second period. Hughes managed a ride out in the final frame, but it wasn't enough to knock off Braunagel, as he fell 9-2 to tie the match at 9-all.
Much like the dual as a whole, the 174-pound match-up between Layne Malczewski and No. 22 Joey Gunter was a back-and-forth battle until the end. Gunter jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but Malczewski pulled out some magic with a nifty takedown for a 2-1 lead. Malczewski extended his lead with a reversal in the second period to go up 5-3, but Gunther answered with a takedown of his own in the third frame to tie it at five. Gunther produced a takedown six seconds into overtime for the 7-5 win.
"Layne Malczewski is becoming one of the best guys in the country," said Chandler. "He's evolving and figuring out how to manage a match. Tonight he came up just short, but he will grow from this match and adjust."
Trailing 12-9 with three matches remaining, redshirt junior Cameron Caffey reeled off his fifth win in a row in dual meets and 11th overall with a stellar 7-6 win over No. 13 Zac Braunagel. No. 15-ranked Caffey raced out to an early lead with a takedown, as the two went back-and-forth early and often. Caffey extended his lead to 5-3 after two periods with his second takedown of the night and added another in the third period to go up 7-6. Caffey held off some late shots by Braunagel for the win and tied the dual at 12 points each with two matches remaining.
Redshirt junior Nick May and Matt Wroblewski wrestled a low-scoring match at 197 pounds. May used a 1-0 lead after an escape in the second to go up on Wroblewski and the Fighting Illini wrestler rebounded with an escape of his own. The two went to sudden victory with Wroblewski coming away with a takedown to push the Fighting Illini lead to 15-12 with only the 285-pound dual left.
"Nick May went for the finish in overtime, but got caught in a 50-50 position," said Chandler. "I will take a guy going after it any day."
Illinois clinched the victory over the Spartans with a 5-1 win for Luke Luffman over Christian Rebottaro. Luffman took a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the second and added a takedown in the final seconds of the dual to claim the 5-1 decision and give the Fighting Illini the 18-12 win.
Up Next
Michigan State returns home on Sunday, Feb. 2 to for Senior Day against No. 1 Iowa. The dual will air on BTN+ and will begin at 1 p.m. Five wrestlers will be recognized before the dual: redshirt junior Ethan Curtin, redshirt senior Logan Griffin, redshirt junior Austin Hiles, redshirt junior Danny Kruse and redshirt senior Garrett Pepple.
No. 15 Illinois 18, Michigan State 12
125 - Logan Griffin (MSU) dec. over Justin Cardani (ILL), 5-0 - MSU leads 3-0
133 - No. 7 Travis Piotrowski (ILL) dec. over Garrett Pepple (MSU), 7-3 - Tied 3-3
141 - No. 12 Dylan Duncan (ILL) dec. over. Matt Santos (MSU), 3-2 - ILL leads 6-3
149 - Alex Hrisopoulos (MSU) dec. over Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 4-0 - Tied 6-6
157 - No. 15 Jake Tucker (MSU) dec. over Eric Barone (ILL), 3-0 - MSU leads 9-6
165 - No. 15 Danny Braunagel (ILL) dec. over Drew Hughes (MSU), 9-2 - Tied 9-9
174 - No. 22 Joey Gunther (ILL) dec. over Layne Malczewski (MSU), 7-5 (SV-1) - MSU leads 12-9
184 - No. 15 Cameron Caffey (MSU) dec. over No. 13 Zac Braunagel (ILL), 7-6 - Tied 12-12
197 - Matt Wroblewski (ILL) dec. over Nick May (MSU), 3-1 (SV-1) - ILL leads 15-12
285 - Luke Luffman (ILL) dec. over Christian Rebottaro (MSU), 5-1 - ILL wins 18-12
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