Caffey Notches Second Top-10 Win, No. 24 Spartans Drop Narrow Contest to No. 21 Illinois

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Twenty-first-ranked 197-pounder Cameron Caffey secured his second top-10 individual victory of the season, but the No. 24 Michigan State wrestling team fell by a one-point margin to the Illinois Fighting Illini, 17-16, on Sunday afternoon inside Jenison Field House.

Caffey's thrilling victory at 197 pounds over No. 10 Zac Braunagel marked his second-highest ranked win of the 2022-23 season and stands among the best in his storied collegiate career. The Carbondale, Illinois, native was credited with a pair of takedowns less than 10 seconds apart from one another late in the final period, with the latter proving to be the match-clincher in his ultimate 6-4 decision. Caffey improved to 16-3 overall with an 11-3 mark in dual action this year.

Elsewhere in the lineup, junior Caleb Fish notched a bonus-point win for the Green & White at 165 pounds by way of a 12-4 major decision over No. 20 Danny Bruanagel. The Eaton Rapids, Michigan, native maintains the team lead in overall wins with a 22-6 overall record that includes a 9-4 ledger in dual competition. Junior 157-pounder Chase Saldate continued his run of dominance against B1G foes as well, rising to 7-0 in the nation's premier wrestling conference after toppling Anthony Frederico in a 2-0 decision.

Spartan graduate Benny Gomez started the match off, making his Big Ten dual match debut at 125 pounds against Illinois' Maximo Renteria. After a scoreless first period that included a Gomez stall, the Fighting Illini managed to strike first on a reversal in the second. Gomez tallied an escape after surrendering over a minute of riding time, but Renteria notched the match-sealing takedown with less than 30 seconds remaining to close out the 5-1 Illinois decision. The first nationally-ranked contest of the afternoon at 133 saw 10th-ranked Lucas Byrd notch an 8-1 decision over No. 18 Rayvon Foley. Byrd booked a takedown deep in the first period and registered a two-point near fall just before the first frame concluded. The Illinois star built up an extensive riding time advantage en route to an 8-1 decision that extended the Fighting Illini lead to six.

Up next, Peyton Omania took the mat for the Green & White against Jake Harrier at 149 pounds. The Spartan junior tallied the opening takedown and followed it up with an aggressive mat return. Harrier mustered an escape and utilized a late takedown to take a 3-2 edge after the first period. The Fighting Illini redshirt freshman extended his lead to 6-3 after the second, and despite a frenetic rush from Omania late in the final stanza, Illinois took the match by an 8-4 tally.

The Spartans called on junior and 12th-ranked 157-pounder Saldate to put points on the board, and for the seventh time in seven Big Ten dual opportunities, he answered the call. After a scoreless first five minutes, Saldate chose bottom to start the final frame. The Gilroy, California, native got off the mat quickly and gained control over Anthony Frederico for a reversal on the far side of the mat, sealing the ultimate 2-0 decision.

MSU's 27th-ranked 165-pounder, Fish, notched his second ranked victory of the season in bonus point fashion in the ensuing match, recording a 12-4 major over No. 20 Braunagel. After the Illini registered a takedown, Fish got one point back on an escape a mere 14 seconds later. Trailing 2-1 after the first, Fish chose bottom to start the next period and tied the match with a quick escape. He followed that with a double-leg shot for a takedown moments later. Fish managed to turn Bruanagel and register a four count to take an 8-2 lead after two. Although Bruanagel chose neutral and tallied a takedown to start the third, Fish escaped and added two more points of his own in the waning seconds to chalk up four more team points for the Spartans after the riding time point was assessed.

Illinois booked its only win of the second half at 174 pounds, with No. 12 Edmond Ruth downing Spartan freshman Ceasar Garza in a 13-7 result. With the Fighting Illini leading by a 17-7 score in the dual, No. 14 Layne Malczewski squared off against No. 24 Dylan Connell at 184 pounds. Leading 1-0 heading into the final two minutes, Malczewski stayed tough on top and rode Connell out for the 2-0 decision at 184. All eyes then turned to the marquee matchup at 197 between No. 21 Caffey and No. 10 Bruanagel.

The bout opened with an Illini takedown midway through the opening period, but Caffey was able to get up to his feet to register the escape after surrendering 37 seconds of riding time. Starting on bottom in the second period, Caffey once again got to his feet and deadlocked the bout at 2-apiece with an escape. Bruanagel started on bottom in the third and popped up a mere six seconds into the frame, giving him a 3-2 lead in the waning moments of the match. With only 16 seconds left, Caffey scored on a single leg shot towards the left side of the mat but yielded a Bruanagel escape at the 10-second mark. In a blink of an eye, Caffey turned the tides on Braunagel for his second takedown in less than 10 seconds, ultimately capping off a spectacular 6-4 decision for the top-10 nationally-ranked victory. In the final bout of the night, Ryan Vasbinder held on for the gritty 1-0 decision over Matt Wroblewski, but the Illini ultimately came away with the 17-16 win in the dual competition.

In defeat, Michigan State falls to 9-6 overall with a 1-6 ledger against Big Ten Conference opponents in dual action. All six Spartan losses came against opponents that were nationally ranked inside the National Wrestling Coaches Association top 25. Illinois improves to 6-6 overall and concludes their 2022-23 Big Ten slate with a 4-4 record against league foes.

At the intermission of Sunday's matches, Michigan State Athletics and the Spartan wrestling program celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day by welcoming Michigan High School Athletic Association girls' wrestling placewinners from last year's inaugural championships. Over 50 student athletes were welcomed to Jenison Field House for the special occasion. MSU's dual against Illinois was one of four Spartan Athletics events dedicated to the celebration of NGWSD, with wrestling joining the festivities alongside gymnastics, women's basketball and women's tennis.

UP NEXT
No. 24 Michigan State wrestling gears up for its final home dual of the 2022-23 campaign, as the Spartans play host to the Indiana Hoosiers in a 6:30 p.m. contest on Friday, Feb. 10, inside Jenison Field House. MSU's senior day dual will be streamed live via B1G+.

POSTMATCH QUOTES
MICHIGAN STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Roger Chandler
On Cameron Caffey's late-fight turnaround and him being able to win the match…
"I'll tell you the exact same thing I tell him (Cameron Caffey): He can be the best wrestler in the nation at his weight class at times. He needs to learn to open up and compete, which is what you saw in that last 30 seconds. When you see that out of Cam Caffey, nobody can mess with him, that's how good he is. And that's what we keep trying to pull out of him. I don't know what happened to him in the last 30 seconds, but something clicked. For him to pick up two takedowns in, I don't know, 10 to 12 seconds? That's pretty impressive. That's what we see all the time in the wrestling room. So, we're just hoping he puts it together here as we get close to the end of the year and the postseason."

WRESTLING MATCH RESULTS
#24 Michigan State 16, #21 Illinois 17
Jenison Field House – East Lansing, Mich.
125 | Maximo Renteria (ILL) dec. Benny Gomez (MSU) 5-1 | ILL 3-0
133 | #10 Lucas Byrd (ILL) dec. #18 Rayvon Foley (MSU) 8-1 | ILL 6-0
141 | #16 Danny Pucino (ILL) tech. fall over Blake Noonan (MSU) 23-8 | ILL 11-0
149 | Jake Harrier (ILL) dec. Peyton Omania (MSU) 8-4 | ILL 14-0
157 | #12 Chase Saldate (MSU) dec. Anthony Frederico (ILL) 2-0 | ILL 14-3
165 | #27 Caleb Fish (MSU) major dec. #20 Danny Braunagel (ILL) 12-4 | ILL 14-7
174 | #12 Edmond Ruth (ILL) dec. Ceasar Garza (MSU) 13-7 | ILL 17-7
184 | #14 Layne Malczewski (MSU) dec. #24 Dylan Connell (ILL) 2-0 | ILL 17-10
197 | #21 Cameron Caffey (MSU) dec. #10 Zac Braunagel (ILL) 6-4 | ILL 17-13
285 | Ryan Vasbinder (MSU) dec. Matt Wroblewski (ILL) 1-0 | ILL wins 17-16

Attendance: 450

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Caffey Notches Second Top-10 Win, No. 24 Spartans Drop Narrow Contest to No. 21 Illinois

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Players Mentioned

Cameron Caffey

Caleb Fish

Rayvon Foley

Ceasar Garza

Benny Gomez

Layne Malczewski

Blake Noonan

Peyton Omania

Chase Saldate

Ryan Vasbinder