Saturday, January 16
East Lansing, Mich.
12 PM ET
Michigan State University
vs
Maryland
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
No. 25 Michigan State Wrestling Opens Season Hosting Tri-Meet Saturday
1/14/2021 6:54:00 PM | Wrestling
Spartans will square off with Maryland and No. 14 Minnesota at Jenison Field House.
| No. 25 MICHIGAN STATE (0-0, 0-0 B1G) Tri-Meet with No. 14 Minnesota (0-1, 0-1 B1G) & Maryland (0-1, 0-1 B1G)   | |
| DATE | Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 |
| TIMES | 12 / 2 / 4 p.m. |
| LOCATION | East Lansing, Mich. • Jenison Field House |
| TICKETS | NO TICKETS - No Fans Permitted - only limited number of family members |
| STREAMING | Big Ten Network+ {WATCH LIVE} |
| ROSTERSÂ | Meet Program |
| MATCH NOTES | Michigan State | Minnesota | Maryland |
| SOCIAL MEDIA |   @wrestlingmsu  |   MichiganStateWrestling  |   @wrestlingmsu |
| MEET SCHEDULE | MSU vs. UMD - 12 p.m. UMD vs. MINN - 2 p.m. MSU vs. MINN - 4 p.m. * Note - extra matches will take place on side mat |
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- No. 25 Michigan State wrestling opens the 2021 season on Saturday, Jan. 16 hosting a tri-meet with No. 14 Minnesota and Maryland. The Spartans get action started by taking on Maryland at 12 p.m., followed by the Terrapins tangling with Minnesota at 2 p.m., before MSU and Minnesota wrap up the day at 4 p.m. The tri-meet will be streamed on Big Ten Network+.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no fans in the stands, however, a limited number of family members of the student-athletes will be allowed.
Saturday is the MSU's first two of the Spartans' nine matches on six dates due to the delayed start of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, MSU's schedule features one tri and one quad meet, along with four duals.
SPARTAN WRESTLING IN NWCA RANKINGS
• Michigan State enters Saturday ranked No. 25 in this week's NWCA Coaches Poll... MSU was No. 21 in this season's preseason rankings (1/1/21), sliding out of last week's (1/5/21), but back in this week's at No. 25 ... it is the first time since 2009 that the Spartans are in the NWCA's regular-season rankings, when MSU was No. 21 in the Nov. 11, 2009 poll ... prior to 2009, the Spartans were ranked in most of the 2007 weekly rankings.
RANK 'EM
• Along with the NWCA rankings, MSU is in several different team rankings, as high as No. 10 by Wrestle Stat's Dual Rankings to No. 25 in NWCA Coaches Poll.
• Individually, eight different Spartans are ranked in at least one of the five rankings from Flowrestling (Top 25 individuals in each weight class), Intermat (Top 20 individuals), OnTheMat (Top 33 individuals), Trackwrestling (Top 33 individuals) and Wrestle Stat (Top 33 individuals).Â
• Redshirt-junior 125-pounder Rayvon Foley is the highest-ranked Spartan, coming in at No. 2 in all five rankings, and one of four Spartans to be ranked in all five polls, joined by 197-pounder Cameron Caffey (R-JR), 165-pounder Jake Tucker (R-SR), 174-pounder Drew Hughes (R-SR).
COACH CHANDLER SAYS
"I am excited for the our wrestlers to be able to compete again. It's been over 10 months since some of them wrestled at the Big Ten Championships last March and much longer for many others. They have stayed motivated which has been tough at times not knowing when we would be able to compete again. The time has finally come again and each and every guy will take full advantage of their opportunity to compete. If we have learned anything during these times, it's that nothing is for certain and that we will be thankful for the opportunity and compete at a high level this weekend."
NEW SEASON, NEW RESTRICTIONS DURING THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 season will feature several Michigan State University, Big Ten, local, state and national restrictions and guidelines during these unprecedented times.
• There will be no fans in the stands, however, a limited number of family members of the student-athletes will be allowed.
• Due to the NCAA granting a blanket waiver for 2020-21, all wrestlers will be eligible to compete in varsity action this season without losing the ability to redshirt.
• The Big Ten Conference will be competing in conference-only matches, with each team competing in nine matches on either six or seven dates, with the Big Ten Championships slated for March 6-7 at University Park, Pa., hosted by Penn State and the NCAA Championships, scheduled for March 18-20 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
• Extra Matches: Due to only wrestling within the conference, the Big Ten will permit schools to hold extra matches on competition dates ... Though they will not count towards dual scoring, they will count towards an individual's varsity record for purposes of seeding for the conference and national tournament.
MOVIN' ON UP
Four of the Spartans NCAA Qualifiers from a year ago have moved up a weight class:
• Jake Tucker • R-SR: From 157 to 165
• Drew Hughes • R-SR: From 165 to 174
• Layne Malszewski • R-SO: From 174 to 184
• Cameron Caffey • R-JR: From 184 to 197
TUNE IN
The Big Ten Conference and Big Ten Network announced on Jan. 8 that the Michigan State vs. Michigan match from Jenison Field House in East Lansing will be nationally televised on BTN ... match start time will be announced at a later date.
ABOUT MARYLAND
• The Terrapins are 0-1 on the young season after losing to No. 3 Michigan, 38-3, last Sunday at home.Â
• Redshirt junior Kyle Cochran collected the Terps' lone win on the day at 184. Cochran was at 165 pounds last season, but edged Michigan's Joseph Walker in a 3-2 decision ... Along with Cochran's win, the afternoon's other exciting match was at 174, where No. 2/2 Logan Massa of Michigan posted an 18-10 major decision over NR/No. 24 Philip Spadafora of Maryland.
Maryland Tentative Lineup
125Â Â Â King Sandoval (R-SO | 0-1) -OR- Dainon Kappes (FR | 0-1)
133Â Â Â Jackson Cockrell (FR | 0-1) -OR- Nathan Porter (FR | 0-0)
141Â Â Â Danny Bertoni (R-JR | 0-1)
149Â Â Â Michael North (R-FR | 0-1) -OR- Hunter Baxter (R-JR | 0-1)
157Â Â Â Michael Doetsch (R-SR | 0-0) -OR- Lucas Cordio (R-SO | 0-1)
165Â Â Â Jonathan Spadafora (R-FR | 0-1)
174Â Â Â Philip Spadafora (R-JR | 1-1) -OR- Dominic Solis (FR | 0-0)
184Â Â Â Kyle Cochran (R-JR | 0-1)
197Â Â Â Jaron Smith (R-SR | 0-1) -OR- Kevin Makosy (R-FR | 0-1)
285Â Â Â Connor Bowes (R-FR | 0-1)
ABOUT MINNESOTA
• The 14th-ranked Golden Gophers are 0-1 after falling 22-14 at No. 5 Nebraska last Friday in a back-and-forth dual.Â
• Defending B1G champion and No. 1 heavyweight junior Gable Steveson opened the season with a 23-8 tech fall over Nebraska's Christian Lance, and freshman Andrew Sparks had a successful Gopher debut, upsetting No. 10 Peyton Robb of Nebraska in the 165-pound bout, 7-6.
Minnesota Tentative Lineup
125Â Â Â No. 22 Patrick McKee (SO | 0-1, 0-1)
133Â Â Â No. 24 Boo Dryden (SR | 1-0, 1-0)
141   Marcos Polanco  (R-FR | 0-1, 0-1)
149Â Â Â No. 19 Michael Blockhus (SO | 0-1, 0-1) -OR- Jake Bergeland (JR | 1-0, 1-0)
157Â Â Â No. 6 Brayton Lee (SO | 1-0, 1-0)
165Â Â Â No. 16 Andrew Sparks (FR | 1-0, 1-0) -OR- No. 18* Bailee O'Reilly (JR | 0-0, 0-0) -OR- Baylor Fernandes (R-FR | 0-0, 0-0)
174Â Â Â Jake Allar (JR | 0-1, 0-1)
184Â Â Â Owen Webster (SR | 0-1, 0-1)
197Â Â Â Garrett Joles (SO | 0-1, 0-1)
HWTÂ Â Â No. 1 Gable Steveson (JR | 1-0, 1-0)
Rankings = Flo // * = O'Reilly ranked No. 18 at 174
Â
Extra Matches
133Â Â Â Jake Gliva (SO | 1-0, 0-0)
141Â Â Â Brent Jones (JR | 0-0, 0-0)
157Â Â Â Cael Carlson (R-FR | 1-0, 0-0)
184Â Â Â Isaiah Salazar (FR | 1-0, 0-0)
197 Â Â Â Dylan Anderson (SR | 1-0, 0-0)Â
197Â Â Â Rowan Morgan (SO | 0-0, 0-0
HWTÂ Â Â Keaton Kluever (SO | 0-1, 0-0)
MSU'S RETURNING NCAA QUALIFIERS
• The Spartans have five returning NCAA Qualifiers, featuring four from 2020, before the Championships were cancelled, plus one from 2019 in redshirt-junior Rayvon Foley, who redshirted the 2019-20 season.
• Rayvon Foley • R-JR • 125: Redshirted 2019-20 ... NCAA All-American at 125 in 2019 Championships, finishing seventh.
• Jake Tucker • R-SR • 165: 27-9 in 2019-20 at 157 ... sixth at B1G Championships.
• Drew Hughes • R-SR • 174: 18-11 in 2019-20 at 165 ... MSU's 1st three-time NCAA Qualifier since '15 ... seventh at B1G Championships.
• Cameron Caffey • R-JR • 197: 27-7 in 2019-20 at 184 ... B1G Runner-Up ... 2020 NWCA All-American ... 2020 NWCA Scholar All-American ... Won gold medal at 87 kg at the 2020 U23 Greco-Roman Championships.
• Layne Malszewski • R-SO • 184: 25-13 in 2019-20 at 174 ... seventh at B1G Championships.
Spartan Wrestling Prevalent In Preseason Prognostications
• Michigan State wrestling will open the 2021 season in the top 20 of four different polls and have several wrestlers ranked in their respective weight classes.
• In the team rankings, MSU is ranked as high as No. 13 in Wrestle Stat's team tournament rankings to No. 19 in Intermat's team dual rankings. Along with being No. 13 Wrestle Stat's team tournament rankings, the Spartans are No. 14 in Wrestle Stat's team tournament rankings. The Green & White is also No. 15 in Trackwrestling's team rankings and tied for No. 17 in FloWrestling's rankings, along with No. 16 in Intermat's team tournament rankings and No. 19 in their team dual rankings.
• Individually, a total of eight different Spartans are ranked in at least one of the four rankings from Flowrestling (Top 25 individuals in each weight class), Intermat (Top 20 individuals), Trackwrestling (Top 33 individuals) and Wrestle Stat (Top 33 individuals).
• MSU's highest-ranked wrestler is 125-pounder Rayvon Foley, as the redshirt-junior is No. 2 in all four rankings. Foley redshirted last season after a recovering from an injury, but was an NCAA All-American at 125 pounds in 2019 following a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships, ending with a 36-6 overall record.
• At 133 pounds, redshirt-freshman Jordan Hamdan is ranked No. 23 by Wrestle Stat and No. 25 in the Trackwrestling rankings. While redshirting last season, Hamden competed only in open tournaments, leading all freshmen with 18 wins on way to 18-5 mark.
• Redshirt-freshman Peyton Omania returns to action at 149 pounds and is No. 31 in the Trackwrestling rankings. Omania took an Olympic redshirt last season to train for the originally scheduled 2020 Olympics. He secured a bronze medal at the US Junior World Greco-Roman Championships at 67kg in Tallinn, Estonia in August, 2019, and captured the gold medal at 67 kg in the U23 Greco-Roman championship at the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman National Championships in Omaha, Nebraska this past November.
• In the 157-pound rankings, redshirt-junior Nathan Atienza checks in at No. 21 by Wrestle Stat and No. 31 by Trackwrestling. Atienza went 10-8 last season, competing at 149 and 157 pounds for the Spartans in open tournaments, including three wins by fall on the way to claiming a first-place finish at the Edinboro Open.
• At 165, redshirt-senior Jake Tucker is ranked No. 14 by both Wrestle Stat and Intermat, as well as No. 16 by Trackwrestling and No. 19 by Flowrestling. Tucker was a 2020 NCAA Qualifier at 157 pounds, posting a 27-9 record sharing the team-lead in victories, including two wins over top 25 opponents, while finishing sixth at the Big Ten Championships.
• Fellow redshirt-senior Drew Hughes is in all four rankings at 174, including No. 13 by Trackwrestling, No. 15 by Intermat, No. 17 by Flowrestling and No. 18 by Wrestle Stat. Hughes also was a 2020 NCAA Qualifier at 165 pounds, becoming the first Spartan wrestler to become a three-time NCAA Qualifier since John Rizqallah in 2015. Hughes finished with an 18-11 record, ending sixth at the Big Ten Championships.
• At 184, redshirt-sophomore Layne Malczewski is ranked No. 14 by Trackwrestling, No. 17 by Wrestle Stat and No. 22 by Flowrestling. Also a 2020 NCAA Qualifier, Malczewski finished third on the team with 25 wins, ending with a 25-13 ledger, finishing seventh at the Big Ten Championships at 174 pounds.Â
• Rounding out the eight Spartans in the preseason rankings is redshirt-junior Cameron Caffey, who is MSU's second-highest ranked individual, collecting four top 10 rankings. Caffey will enter the 2021 season ranked No. 3 by Wrestle Stat, along with No. 6 by Trackwrestling, No. 7 by Intermat and No. 8 by Flowrestling. Caffey was a 2020 NCAA Qualifier, as well as 2020 Big Ten finalist at 184 pounds, on the way to finishing with a 27-7 record, sharing the team-lead for wins, finishing as an NWCA All-American. Caffey, who also topped the Spartans in dual wins with 16, finishing with a 16-2 dual mark, also led MSU with nine falls as well as topping the team with 67 dual points.
MSU Wrestling Shines At USA Wrestling National Championships
• Michigan State wrestlers collected nine All-American accolades, including two national champions, at the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman National Championships over the weekend of Nov. 14-15 in Omaha, Nebraska.Â
• Cameron Caffey won the 87 kg U23 Greco-Roman championship, while Peyton Omania captured the 67 kg U23 Greco-Roman championship. Caffey won on a 10-2 technical fall over Guy Patron of Dubuque Wrestling Club, rallying from an early 2-0 deficit by reeling off 10 unanswered points. This is the second national title for Caffey, who won the UWW Junior Nationals in 2019 and competed in the 2019 UWW Junior Worlds.
• Omania won his title bout by forfeit over Benjamin Peak of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. Omania collected his second-straight U23 National crown, and won a bronze medal at the 2019 Junior Worlds in Greco-Roman.
• Other Spartans earning All-American honors in the U23 division were Matt Santos finishing seventh at 60 kg and Jackson Renicker placing fourth at 63 kg. In the UWW Junior division, Andrew Chambal was fourth at 55 kg and Jordan Hamdan was fifth at 60 kg.
• In freestyle in the U23 division, Caffey was third at 86 kg, while Rayvon Foley was fifth at 57 kg. In the UWW Junior division, Layne Malczewski was fourth at 86 kg.
• Caffey and Omania qualified for the 2021 Senior World Team Trials.Â
Greco-Roman
U23:
60kg - Matt Santos - 7th
63kg - Jackson Renicker - 4th
67kg - Peyton Omania - ChampionÂ
87kg - Cameron Caffey - Â Champion
UWW Junior:
55kg - Andrew Chambal - 4th
60kg - Jordan Hamdan - 5th
Freestyle
U23:
57kg - Rayvon Foley - 5th
86kg - Cameron Caffey - 3rd
UWW Junior:
86kg - Layne Malczewski - 4th
UP NEXT
MSU will be on the road for its next three dates, beginning on Sunday, Jan. 24 at Penn State, then Friday, Jan. 29 at Ohio State. The road stretch wraps up with a quad meet hosted by Indiana, taking on the host Hoosiers, along with Nebraska and Rutgers.Â
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