Michigan State Wrestling Set for Big Ten Championships in Piscataway

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State's wrestling team will head east to Piscataway, N.J., to compete in the 2020 Big Ten Wrestling Championships this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, at Rutgers University. The two-day event will be held at the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC).

The Big Ten Championships are the most prestigious conference championships in the nation, year in and year out. A total of 10 teams from the Big Ten are currently ranked in the top 25 of the NWCA Coaches Poll, including four in the top five (No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Penn State, No. 4 Nebraska and No. 5 Ohio State.

HOW TO FOLLOW
This year's Big Ten Championships will be streamed live on BTN+ and FloWrestling for sessions I, II and III, with the championship matches nationally televised on BTN.

BTN+ Stream
FloWrestling Stream

Click HERE for up-to-date information throughout the tournament, including seeding, brackets, standings and times.

SCHEDULE
Saturday March 7
10:00 a.m. - Session 1
6:30 p.m. - Session 2

Sunday March 8
12:00 p.m. - Session 3
3:30 p.m. - Session 4

BIG TEN ANNOUNCES PRE-SEEDS FOR BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• The Big Ten announced the pre-seeds for the Big Ten Championships on Monday, with five Spartans earning top 10 seeds.

• Cameron Caffey, who ranks No. 7 by FloWrestling, is the highest seeded Spartan, coming in at No. 2 at 184 pounds.

• At 157 pounds, Jake Tucker is the No. 6 seed

• Layne Malczewski (174 pounds) and Drew Hughes (165 pounds) earned eight and nine seeds, respectively.

• Garrett Pepple earned a No. 10 seed at 133 pounds and Christian Rebottaro is the No. 11 seed at 285 pounds.

• Logan Griffin (125), Matt Santos (141), Alex Hrisopoulos (149) and Nick May (197) all earned No. 12 seeds.

BIG TEN DOMINATES NCAA QUALIFIERS
The Big Ten will send a conference-best 79 qualifiers to the NCAA Championships, March 19-21 in Minneapolis, 25 more than any other conference.

SPARTANS TO WATCH

• Redshirt Junior Jake Tucker - 157 pounds - 24-8 overall, 5-4 B1G

After suffering a knee injury a day before the Big Ten Championships in 2018-19 that kept him off the mat for the remainder of the season, Tucker has bounced back in a big way in 2019-20. Tucker, who finished 21-13 and 9-9 in dual play last season, finished the regular season 24-8 overall in 2019-20 and 12-6 in duals. Tucker has been balanced all season, and has secured a title at the Navy Classic and two top-5 finishes at both the Cougar Clash and MSU Open.

Notable Wins: No. 22 Justin Ruffin (SIUE) 5-3, No. 11 Peyton Robb (Nebraska), 7-5

• Redshirt Sophomore Cameron Caffey - 184 pounds - 25-6, 8-1 B1G

One of three NCAA Qualifiers from 2018-19, Caffey ended his freshman season with a stellar 32-9 record and 13-5 mark in the Big Ten. A CoSIDA All-American and computer engineering major, Caffey joined sophomore Rayvon Foley and redshirt sophomore Drew Hughes at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Caffey went 2-2 at NCAA's, with wins over No. 16 Dylan Wisman (Missouri), 7-5, and Will Schany of Virginia, 7-3. Caffey finished the 2019-20 regular season 25-6 (15-2 in duals) and leads the team with nine falls and 67 dual points. Caffey claimed Top 5 finishes at the MSU Open (5th), the Navy Classic (3rd) and the Cougar Clash (2nd). Caffey enters the Big Ten Championships on a 10-match win streak dating back to Jan. 17. During that span, Caffey defeated five ranked opponents and collected three bonus-point wins.

Notable Wins: No. 12 Andrew Morgan (Campbell) MD 12-4, No. 19 Owen Webster (Minnesota) 9-4, No. 6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) 11-6, No. 13 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) 7-6, No. 6 Abe Assad (Iowa) 3-2, No. 24 Johnny Sebastian (Wisconsin) 6-2

• Redshirt Junior Drew Hughes - 165 pounds - 15-9 overall, 4-3 B1G

Hughes looks to become a three-time NCAA Qualifier in 2020 after a 26-15 finish in 2018-19. Hughes qualified for the NCAA Championships as a true freshman, where he compiled a 3-2 record and became the first true freshman to make the NCAA's since 2011. Hughes went 3-3 and placed seventh at Big Tens in 2019. Hughes capped his junior campaign with a 15-9 regular season record at 165 pounds, going 10-5 record duals and 4-3 in B1G action. Four of Hughes' losses are to top-25 opponents. Hughes finished second at the Cougar Clash and sixth at the Navy Classic this season.

• Redshirt Freshman Layne Malczewski - 174 pounds, 22-11, 5-4 B1G

A native of Macomb, Michigan, Malczewski jumped into the Spartan lineup to begin the season and made an immediate impact for the Spartans at 174 pounds. Malczewski finished the regular season on a four-match win streak (two falls) to push his season win total to 22. Malczewski went 5-4 in the B1G and 11-7 in duals. Malczewski claimed third-place finishes at the Navy Classic and Cougar Clash and sixth plac at the MSU Open. Malczewski went 11-2 during his redshirt-freshman campaign for the Green and White in open tournaments.

Notable Wins: No. 19 Joe Grello (Rutgers) 11-10, No. 21 Philip Spadafora (Maryland) 3-0, No. 16 Tyler Morland (Northwestern) Inj., Jared Krattiger (Wisconsin) Fall, 2:43.

• Redshirt Senior Garrett Pepple - 133 pounds - 16-14 overall, 3-6 B1G

A transfer from Indiana, Pepple joined the Spartans for the 2019-20 season where he went 16-14 overall at 133 pounds. Pepple competed four years for the Hoosiers, compiling a 50-53 record. Pepple brings experience and leadership to the program, as he is one of only two seniors on this year's team. Pepple captured two third-place finishes at both the Navy Classic and Cougar Clash and went 7-9 in duals and 3-6 in B1G action. Many of Pepple's matches have come down to the wire, as six of his losses have been decided by two or fewer points. Of his 14 losses, seven are to top-15 opponents.

Notable Wins: Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) at Navy Classic, 6-2

Michigan State Probable Lineup for Big Ten Championships

125 - Logan Griffin (Sr., 17-14, 2-6 B1G)

133 - Garrett Pepple (Sr., 16-14, 3-6 B1G)

141 - Matt Santos (Jr., 13-13, 2-6 B1G)

149 - Alex Hrisopoulos (Jr., 13-13, 2-7 B1G)

157 - No. 20 Jake Tucker (Jr., 24-8, 5-4 B1G)

165 - Drew Hughes (Jr., 15-9, 4-3 B1G)

174 - No. 23 Layne Malczewski (Fr., 22-11, 5-4 B1G)

184 - No. 7 Cameron Caffey (So., 25-6, 8-1 B1G)

197 - Nick May (Jr., 12-18, 3-6 B1G)

285 - Christian Rebottaro (Jr., 16-14. 3-6 B1G)

MICHIGAN STATE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

• Michigan State has won eight Big Ten titles, including seven in a row from 1966-72.

• The Spartans have won 67 Big Ten individual titles in program history

• Michigan State's last Big Ten Champions was Franklin Gomez, who won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009 at 133 pounds.

• MSU's first Big Ten title came in 1966 under Coach Fendely Collins, and the next seven came under Hall of Fame coach Grady Peninger from 1967-72.

• Michigan State placed 13th (29.5 points) at last year's Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• Coach Chandler's highest finish as head coach at the Big Ten Championships was 10th in 2016-17.

NCAA QUALIFIER INFORMATION

• The NCAA announced the qualifier allocations for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Feb. 27. Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on data collected throughout the year. Each wrestler is measured on Division I winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches' rankings.

• After all of the conference tournaments have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 47 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10, while brackets and seeding will be announced on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. on March 11. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers.

• The NCAA Championships will be held on March 19-21 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDING

The NCAA released the final coaches' panel rankings and Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2019-20 season last week. The final rankings and RPI will be two of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota. To be eligible for an RPI ranking, a wrestler muse have a minimum of 17 Division I matches at a given weight class.

Five Spartans were listed in the most recent rankings.

Cameron Caffey (184) - No. 7 Coaches' Rankings/No. 17 RPI

Jake Tucker (157) - No. 12 Coaches' Rankings/No. 14 RPI

Layne Malczewski (174) - No. 23 Coaches' Rankings/No. 23 RPI

Drew Hughes (165) - No. 28 Coaches' Rankings/No 31 RPI

Garrett Pepple (133) - NR/No. 26 RPI

NATIONALLY RANKED SPARTANS

Two Spartans are currently ranked according to InterMat's latest rankings. No. 7 Cameron Caffey (184) stayed in the same spot after beating Ben Cushman of Central Michigan by fall (2:01) on Feb. 21. Caffey ended the regular season on a 10-match win streak with wins over five ranked opponents.

No. 17 Jake Tucker (157) is 24-8 on the season and is coming off a tough 4-2 loss to No. 16 Logan Parks of Central Michigan on Feb. 21. Tucker has two ranked wins on the season, including a 7-5 sudden victory win over No. 11 Peyton Robb of Nebraska on Jan. 26.

Other Spartans in the Rankings: Layne Malczewski (174) ranks No. 23 by FloWrestling, No. 26 by TheOpenMat and No. 20 by TrackWrestling and . Drew Hughes is ranked No. 28 by TrackWrestling and No. 27 by TheOpenMat.

Caffey - No. 7 by InterMat and Flowrestling, No. 8 by TrackWrestling and TheOpenMat

Tucker - No. 17 by InterMat, No. 18 by TheOpenMat, No. 21 by TrackWrestling and No. 20 by Flowrestling

CAM CAFFEY ROLLS INTO BIG TENS ON WIN STREAK

Redshirt sophomore Cameron Caffey enters the Big Ten Championships on a 10-match win streak and earned the No. 2 seed at 184 pounds. After a 3-2 start to the season, Caffey won 23 of his last 27 matches to finish 25-6 finish in the regular season. Caffey ranks in the top 10 in four polls, including a No. 7-ranking by FloWrestling. Caffey, who finished 8-1 in B1G action, has knocked off five top 25 wrestlers during his win streak, including three over top 15 wrestlers. His wins include a decision over No. 6 Taylor Venz of Nebraska (11-6) and No. 6 Abe Assad of Iowa (3-2). The Spartan trailed 5-1 in the third period on his way to the 11-6 win over Venz. Caffey held off Illinois's Zac Braunagel (7-6) on Jan. 31, who ranked No. 14 at the time. Caffey leads the team with 67 dual points, highlighted by seven bonus point wins in duals and a team-best nine wins by fall.

A 2019 NCAA Qualifier and Junior Greco-Roman World Team member, Caffey hopes to return to the NCAA Championships for a second-straight year after a stellar 32-9 freshman campaign.

MSU wrestling head coach Roger Chandler on Cameron Caffey...

""Cameron Caffey is wrestling with the belief that he can win every time he steps on the mat," said Chandler. "He's such a dynamic wrestler and is dangerous in every position. With the confidence he has right now, there is no doubt he is in the hunt to compete for a title. He's a very special kid in so many ways."

Table

MSU KNOCKS OFF NO. 4 WISCONSIN IN THRILLER

Michigan State wrestling pulled off one of the biggest upsets in college wrestling this season, as well as one of the biggest upsets in school history, upsetting No. 4 Wisconsin, 19-17, on Sunday, Feb. 9 inside Wisconsin Field House. The win was the Spartans' first over the Badgers since 2009, and the highest ranked win since MSU knocked off No. 2 Iowa on Feb. 7, 2003.

The Spartans, who came into the dual with a 1-7 record in the B1G, showed fight and resilience throughout the entire dual. MSU claimed two bonus point wins and used a huge win from redshirt junior Nick May at 197 pounds to all but seal the victory. Michigan State got bonus point wins at 141 pounds from redshirt junior Matt Santos, and a fall by redshirt freshman Layne Malczewski at 174 pounds. Redshirt sophomore Cameron Caffey continued his hot streak with his eighth-straight victory for the Green and White at 184 pounds, with a 6-2 decision over No. 24 Johnny Sebastian.

STRONG IN THE MIDDLE

This season, the Spartans have been consistent at the middle of the lineup. Jake Tucker (157), Drew Hughes (165), Layne Malczewski (174) and Cameron Caffey (184) are a combined 86-34. Tucker, Malczewski and Caffey all amassed 20-plus wins, with Tucker and Caffey leading the way with 24 and 25, respectively. The four combined to go 22-12 in B1G action, including an 8-1 record by Caffey.

YOUNG TALENT

Three Spartans in the lineup are competing at the Big Ten Championships for the first time in their careers. Juniors Alex Hrisopoulos and Matt Santos join freshman Layne Malczewski as first time participants in the championships. Hrisopoulos holds a 63-38 overall career record and 10-12 career mark in duals. Hrisopoulos went 18-8 (3-1 duals) in 2018-19 and had nine wins by fall. Santos enters the weekend 27-34 in his career as a Spartan, with six dual wins. Santos has battled with some of the top talent in the country this season at 141 pounds, finishing the regular season 13-14 overall and 6-11 in duals. Malczewski has been a bright spot for Michigan State at 174 pounds. The redshirt freshman went 22-11 during the season and 5-4 in B1G with two wins over ranked foes. Malczewski is riding a four-match win streak into Big Tens.

UP NEXT
This year's NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 19-21 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Michigan State Wrestling Set for Big Ten Championships in Piscataway

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cameron Caffey

Rayvon Foley

Logan Griffin

Alex Hrisopoulos

Drew Hughes

Layne Malczewski

Nick May

Garrett Pepple

Christian Rebottaro

Matt Santos

Jake Tucker

Michigan State Wrestling Set for Big Ten Championships in Piscataway

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cameron Caffey

Rayvon Foley

Logan Griffin

Alex Hrisopoulos

Drew Hughes

Layne Malczewski

Nick May

Garrett Pepple

Christian Rebottaro

Matt Santos

Jake Tucker

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