Chase Saldate Feature: Sweet Reward

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State freshman wrestler Chase Saldate had an idea, even as a child, that he would someday be in East Lansing. Saldate, who wrestles at 157 pounds, built a strong and early relationship with Michigan State thanks to people close to him.

"When it's the first college and school you look at, it always holds a special place in your heart no matter what," Saldate, a native of Gilroy, California, said. "You're comparing every other school to that school. So that was a big part and then I'm coming here middle school kid hanging out with my sister. She's telling me how great it is how she loves it."

Saldate's older sister Macie Saldate attended MSU and was a student manager for the wrestling team. Before graduating from Michigan State in May 2020, she introduced her little brother to MSU's campus and its wrestling team, knowing it could have a major impact on him.

"I met some of the guys on the wrestling team like Jake Tucker and Christian Rebottaro and they're in my ear like, 'Yeah, MSU wrestling is great'," Saldate said. "So, when the time for recruiting came, it was always like my sister loved that school, and the rest of the team is awesome so that really did play a big factor in me wanting to come here."

Saldate's older sister Macie Saldate attended MSU and was a student manager for the wrestling team. Before graduating from Michigan State in May 2020, she introduced her little brother to MSU's campus and its wrestling team, knowing it could have a major impact on him. — Saldate's older sister Macie Saldate attended MSU
and was a student manager for
the wrestling team. Before graduating from
Michigan State in May 2020, she introduced
her little brother to MSU's campus and its
wrestling team, knowing it could have a
major impact on him.

When Saldate was 9-years-old, he was introduced to Roger Chandler, who had been with the MSU wrestling program since the 1997-98 season, starting as an assistant coach. Chandler took over as head coach following the 2015-16 season and soon after, began recruiting Saldate to join the team.

"It was kind of like meeting this guy at the time and I didn't think anything of it," Saldate said. "Little did I know I would end up coming to a college where he was the head coach and even just throughout my high school career and stuff, he always showed a little interest in me even when I wasn't as good of a wrestler in high school."

Chandler was the first college coach that Saldate met, and he and his family began building a relationship with Chandler immediately. Saldate and Chandler have a such a close relationship that Saldate can come to his coach's house unannounced. It's like a second home and family at MSU.

"I've always taken the approach that recruiting is about building relationships; it's not about selling or taking a salesman approach," Chandler said. "I think at the end of the day what it came down to is the comfortability of having a relationship with me. Chase, knowing he could confide in me and it's not going to be so foreign and he has somebody that he can go to and someone to lean on."

Saldate also credited teammates Layne Malczewski, Christian Rebottaro and Jake Tucker, who have all taken him under their wing and have helped him mature as a person and a player in different ways.

"They're always right there to help me and I can always go to them because they've been through it and they're always ok with helping a younger freshman out," Saldate said.

Saldate has also grown a very close relationship with assistant coach Willie Miklus who he looks at as a full-time one-on-one coach for him. Chandler has also seen the mentor relationship firsthand between Saldate and Miklus grow and blossom. Miklus also provides fruit snacks and other snacks to Saldate and his teammates.

"He spends a lot of time helping me in the room and outside the room on my mentality aspect," Saldate said. "He also recommends books for me and treats me not just as a wrestler on the team but as somebody who he truly cares about, almost like a sibling."

Saldate's family initially made the choice for him to commit to MSU easy, but the relationship he had formed with Chandler and the MSU wrestling team made the transition from high school to college worth it.

During his senior year in high school, Saldate was ranked as the No. 1 wrestler in the California and in the country. Going from competitive prep wrestling to college hasn't been the easiest challenge for Saldate, but he's adjusting.

"College wrestling is definitely a different experience coming out of high school," Saldate said. "Overall as a whole I think I'm transitioning pretty well and doing pretty good so I'm pretty happy with myself in the sense that the transition hasn't been too hard."

Since the season has started, Saldate not only posted a pin in his first match as a Spartan, but he later won a streak of three matches all by shutout not allowing his opponent to score during the match, including back-to-back 8-0 major decisions. After starting the season unranked in all of the major polls, Saldate has vaulted into the Top 14 of all five rankings, including climbing 16 spots to No. 9 in TrackWrestling's rankings, as well as moving up 16 spots in WrestleStat's to No. 12, as well as climbing 12 spots in TheOpenMat's.

Entering his first NCAA Championships with a an 8-5 record, Saldate is the No. 15 seed. All five of his losses have been to opponents ranked in the Top 10.

Saldate likes being ranked because his team is able to get some interaction with fans and recruits. But he still thinks he has a long way to go and a lot more to prove.

"I like being ranked but I'm not content with it in a sense, because I think I have the potential to be a little higher than that," Saldate said. "Although I like being ranked in the sense that it's cool for my family, my high school, and my team and stuff to see, but I don't really see it as a big deal just because I think I should be higher up there."

Saldate climbing up the ranking this season is no surprise for Chandler who sees him achieving more success even further in his college career.

"To see him climb up the rankings that's no surprise to me, I think he expects it for himself and you know it and we expected as well as his coaches," Chandler said. "I wouldn't be surprised whatsoever if Chase is an All-American at the end of the year as a true freshman."

Saldate and the Spartans will be in action at the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, Thursday-Saturday, March 18-20. The Championships will be televised all weekend on the ESPN Networks, and streamed on WatchESPN. Visit MSUSpartans.com for more information.

Players Mentioned

Layne Malczewski

Christian Rebottaro

Chase Saldate

Jake Tucker

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