Nick Simmons finishes fifth
at U.S. Olympic Team Trials
RCA Dome
Indianapolis, IN
5/22/04

Nick Simmons won two of three matches in the consolation bracket Saturday to finish fifth at the Olympic Trials at the 55 kg. weight class.  Nick defeated Tim Derlan 5-4 of the Dave Schultz WC before falling to Matt Azevedo of the Sunkist Kids.  In the match for fifth place, Simmons shut down and defeated former Iowa wrestler and current Indiana University assistant coach, Mike Mena, 5-0.  Both Derlan and Mena had defeated Nick at the U.S. Nationals last month in Las Vegas.

In the Greco-Roman competition former Spartan, John Wechter, lost his first match in the consolation bracket to Tim Ciezki of the Wildcat WC,  4-1, and was eliminated from competition.

Freestyle 55 kg.
#7 Nick Simmons (Michigan WC) WBTF #10 Angel Alegre (Unattached) T 12-0; 2:36
#2 Teague Moore (Gator) WBTF #7 Nick Simmons (Michigan WC) T 10-0; 5:26
#7 Nick Simmons (Michigan WC) DEC #9 T.J. Hill (Mineral Area) D 11-7
#7 Nick Simmons (Michigan WC) DEC #6 Tim Dernlan (DSWC) D 5-4
#4 Matt Azevedo (Sunkist Kids) DEC #7 Nick Simmons (Michigan WC) D 6-1
#7 Nick Simmons (Michigan WC) DEC #5 Mike Mena (NYAC) D 5-0
fifth place finish

Freestyle 120 kg.
#6 Kellan Fluckiger (Sunkist Kids) WBTF #11 Max Lossen (Michigan State) T 17-5; 5:40
#4 Brian Keck (NYAC) DEC #11 Max Lossen (Michigan State) D 3-0

Greco-Roman 84 kg.
#9 John Wechter (Michigan WC) DEC #8 James Meyer (Minn. Storm) D 3-1
#1 Jake Clark (Marines) DEC #9 John Wechter (Michigan WC) D 6-0
#4 Tom Ciezki (Wildcat WC) DEC #9 John Wechter (Michigan WC) D 4-1

Nick Simmons leads Spartan
contingent at U.S. Olympic Team Trials
RCA Dome
Indianapolis, IN
5/21/04

Olympic redshirt Nick Simmons won two of three matches at 55 kg. on the first day of competition at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis.  Nick defeated Angel Alegre, 10-0, in his first match before falling to Teague Moore of the Gator WC, 12-0 in the quarterfinals.  He rebounded in the consolation round coming from behind to defeat TJ Hill, 10-7.  Nick will face Tim Dernlan of the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club tomorrow morning.

In his first match sophomore heavyweight Max Lossen got out to a quick 3-0 lead on Kellan Fluckinger of the Sunkist WC but eventually lost the bout, 17-5.  In the consolation round, Lossen fell to veteran Brian Keck of the New York AC by a score of 3-0 and was eliminated from competition.

Former Spartan John Wechter was the MSU heavyweight a year ago.  He is currently attending medical school and training at Michigan State.  Wechter won his first match in the Greco-Roman competition at 84 kg. with a dramatic throw in overtime to defeat James Meyer of the Minnesota Storm WC, 3-1.  John lost his next match in the quarterfinals against the #1 seed John Clark of the Marines, 6-0.  John will face the #4 seed Tom Ciezki of the Wildcat WC in the consolation round tomorrow.

Freestyle 55 kg.
#7 Nick Simmons (Michigan WC) WBTF #10 Angel Alegre (Unattached) T 12-0; 2:36
#2 Teague Moore (Gator) WBTF #7 Nick Simmons (Michigan WC) T 10-0; 5:26
#7 Nick Simmons (Michigan WC) DEC #9 T.J. Hill (Mineral Area) D 11-7

Freestyle 120 kg.
#6 Kellan Fluckiger (Sunkist Kids) WBTF #11 Max Lossen (Michigan State) T 17-5; 5:40
#4 Brian Keck (NYAC) DEC #11 Max Lossen (Michigan State) D 3-0

Greco-Roman 84 kg.
#9 John Wechter (Michigan WC) DEC #8 James Meyer (Minn. Storm) D 3-1
#1 Jake Clark (Marines) DEC #9 John Wechter (Michigan WC) D 6-0

Nick Simmons wins gold medals at the Pan American Championships
5/9/2004
John Fuller/USA Wrestling 

Guatemala City, Guatemala - U.S. wrestlers captured 18 medals overall at the Pan American Championships, which concluded on Friday evening.

Simmons was the only men’s freestyle wrestler to win gold, taking the title at 55 kg/121 lbs.

The 2003 NCAA All-American was dominant throughout the tournament, pinning two opponents in less than one minute, including his 49-second fall over Hector Camacho of Venezuela in the finals.

Winning silver medals in men’s freestyle competition were Tom Clum (Arvada, Colo./Wisconsin WC) at 60 kg/132 lbs., Clint Musser (Akron, Ohio/New York AC) at 66 kg/163 lbs., Kirk White (Tacoma, Wash./Dave Schultz WC) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Tommy Rowlands (Columbus, Ohio/Dave Schultz WC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

Musser lost to 2003 World silver medalist Yandro Quintana of Cuba by technical superiority in the finals.

White lost 6-4 to Ivan Fundora of Cuba in his finals match. It is the second consecutive Pan American Championships gold medal for Fundora.

Clum and Rowlands both lost one match in a round-robin weight class.

Winning bronze medals in men’s freestyle were Andy Hrovat (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC) at 84 kg/185 lbs. and Brian Keck (Cleveland, Ohio/New York AC) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.

Keck only lost one match in a five-man weight class, but based on the total number of classification points, placed behind Yordany Hernandez of Guatemala, a wrestler Keck defeated 3-1 in the tournament.

Results - Nick Simmons - 55 kg/121 lbs.
WIN Luis Vasquez (Guatemala), pin, :32
WIN Fredy Serrano (Colombia), 12-9
WIN Ricardo Castillo (Ecuador), 11-0, 2:10
WIN Hector Camacho (Venezuela), pin, 0:49

Team Scoring
1. United States
2. Cuba
3. Venezuela

U.S. National Freestyle Championships
Las Vegas, NV
April 9-10, 2004

55 kg
Nick Simmons dec. Mike Silengo (Dave Schultz WC), 14-4
Nick Simmons dec. Mark McKnight (Buffalo), 16-6
Stephen Abas (Sunkist WC) dec. Nick Simmons, 12-2
Nick Simmons dec. Grant Nakaramura (Cyclone WC), 13-2
Matt Azevedo (Sunkist WC) dec. Nick Simmons, 11-1
Tim Derlan (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Nick Simmons, 8-5
8th place

66 kg
Jamill Kelly (Gator WC) dec. Darren McKnight, 7-1
Darren McKnight dec. Carter Downing (Wyoming), 12-8
Darren McKnight dec. Gonzalo Meza (Hammerhead WC), 13-3
Jonathan Masa (NYAC) dec. Darren McKnight, 10-6

84 kg
Jeff Clemens dec. Ryan Hagen (Dave Schultz WC), 4-3
Randy Pugh (Gator WC) dec. Jeff Clemens, fall 4:20
Jeff Clemens dec. Burak Pekin, 7-5
Jeff Clemens dec. Travis Frick (LWC), 4-3
Rex Holman (Ohio WC) dec. Jeff Clemens, 10-7

120 kg
Brian Keck (NYAC) dec. Max Lossen, 3-1
Max Lossen dec. Juluis Askew (Dave Schultz WC), 6-0
Mike Faust (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Max Lossen, 3-0 OT

2004 NCAA Wrestling Championship Finals
 

125 Pounds
Jason Powell, Nebraska, tech fall Kyle Ott, Illinois, 17-2.

133 Pounds
Zach Roberson, Iowa State, dec. Josh Moore, Penn State, 7-3.

141 Pounds
Cliff Moore, Iowa, dec. Matt Murray, Nebraska, 5-2.

149 Pounds
Jesse Jantzen, Harvard, dec. Zack Esposito, Oklahoma State, 9-3.

157 Pounds
Matt Gentry, Stanford, dec. Jake Percival, Ohio U, 4-2.

165 Pounds
Troy Letters, Lehigh, dec. Tyrone Lewis, Oklahoma State, 5-2.

174 Pounds
Chris Pendleton, Oklahoma St., dec. Ben Askren, Missouri, 11-4.

184 Pounds
Greg Jones, West Virginia, dec. Ben Heizer, Northern Illinois, 10-5.

197 Pounds
Damion Hahn, Minnesota. dec. Ryan Fulsaas, Iowa, 7-2.

285 Pounds
Tommy Rowlands, Ohio State, dec. Pat Cummins, Penn State, 6-2.

Team Finishes

Nate Mesyn Leads Spartans at the Big Ten Championships

Darren McKnight finishes fifth, Jeff Clemens
is sixth and Andy Simmons seventh at conference finale.

March 7, 2004

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Michigan State wrestling wrapped up action at the 2004 Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio, Sunday (March 7). The Spartans were paced by senior Nate Mesyn's fourth place finish at 184 pounds. Three other wrestlers earned automatic berths to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., March 18-20 as the Big Ten's top seven advance to the national tournament.

Darren McKnight finished fifth at 149 while Jeff Clemens finished sixth at 197. Redshirt freshman Andy Simmons was seventh after the No. 2 seed was upset in the first round by second-place finisher Doug Withstandley of Purdue.

McKnight opened competition for the Spartans Sunday, dropping a 7-3 decision to Iowa's Ty Eustice.

The battle for fifth place at 149 pounds pitted McKnight against Purdue's Dan Jankowski.

McKnight scored two takedowns to Jankowski's one, all of those points coming in the first period. That proved to be the difference as McKnight defeated the Boilermaker, 6-5, to claim fifth place in the conference. McKnight has compiled an overall season record of 24-9.

Mesyn faced Minnesota's Josh McLay in the consolation semi-finals at 184 pounds. The grapplers battled through two scoreless periods before Mesyn earned a point on an escape midway through the final stanza. With a two-point takedown with 18 seconds remaining and the riding time advantage, Mesyn won, 4-0.

Mesyn moved on to the third-place match at 184 where he faced Purdue's Ben Wissel.

Wissel opened with a takedown to stake an early lead. Through the first period, Wissel led, 4-1. Each wrestler scored only one more point before the end of regulation as Mesyn dropped the match, 5-2. Despite the loss, Mesyn finishes the Championships as the Big Ten's fourth-place wrestler at 184 pounds.

In the consolation semi-finals at 197, Jeff Clemens faced Indiana's Pat DeGain. The match was scoreless through three minutes of action. DeGain escaped early in the second to get on the board and notched a takedown to take a 3-0 lead. Clemens put points on the board with an escape to close out the second.

Clemens scored an escape to draw to 3-2 with 1:15 remaining in the match. Neither wrestler would score again as Clemens fell to the battle for fifth-place against Ohio State's J. D. Bergman.

Bergman proved too tough for Clemens, winning the fight for fifth, 12-3.

Fighting for an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., at 141 pounds, Andy Simmons faced Penn State's DeWitt Driscoll.

Simmons got on the board early with two takedown points, but the grapplers fought to the end. Simmons held a two-point advantage with the seconds ticking away in the third period, but Driscoll scored a takedown with two seconds remaining to send the match into sudden-victory overtime.

Simmons registered a takedown to win, 12-10, and automatically advance to the NCAA Championships.

At 165 pounds, Matt McCarty found himself in the same position as Simmons, battling for an automatic trip to the national tournament. He faced the tournament's No. 6 seed, Nick Hayes of Northwestern.

McCarty and Hayes battled through six scoreless minutes until Hayes registered one point on an escape to take the lead. It proved to be the only points needed as McCarty lost the bout, 1-0.

Simmons, McKnight, Mesyn and Clemens next travel to the NCAA Championships March 18-20 in St. Louis, Mo.

Individual Match Results

125
Mark Moos (Michigan) dec. Craig Trombly, 16-1 TF
Bobbe Lowe (Minnesota) dec. Trombly, 11-3 MD

133
Rene Hernandez (Purdue) dec. Tony Greathouse, 11-1 MD
Jesse Leng (Ohio State) dec. Greathouse, 11-5

141
Doug Withstandley (Purdue) dec. Andy Simmons, 4-3
Simmons dec. Clark Forward (Michigan), 3-2
Tyler Laudon (Wisconsin) dec. Simmons, Pin, 4:04
Andy Simmons dec. DeWitt Driscoll (Penn State), 12-10, SV
Simmons places seventh, earns automatic berth to NCAA Championships

149
Ryan Churella dec. Darren McKnight, Pin, 6:44
McKnight dec. Jeremy Anderson (Minnesota), 16-8 MD
McKnight dec. Anton Dietzen (Illinois), 11-8
Ty Eustice (Iowa) dec. Darren McKnight, 7-3
McKnight dec. Dan Jankowski (Purdue), 6-5
McKnight places fifth, earns automatic berth to NCAA Championships

157
Brad Harper (Purdue) dec. Arsen Alexsanyan, 7-5
Tyler Turner (Wisconsin) dec. Alexsanyan,  8-2

165
Pat Owen (Michigan) dec. Matt McCarty, 11-9
McCarty dec. Jarrad Turner, 3-2
Kelly Flaherty (Wisconsin) dec. McCarty, 8-0
Nick Hayes (Northwestern) dec. Matt McCarty, 1-0
McCarty places eighth

174
Tyler Nixt (Iowa) dec. Anton Hall, 14-6 MD
Nick Roy (Michigan) dec. Hall, 5-3

184
Eric Bradley (Penn State) dec. Nate Mesyn, 6-3
Mesyn dec. Brady Reinke (Wisconsin), 9-2
Nate Mesyn dec. Josh McLay (Minnesota), 4-0
Ben Wissel (Purdue) dec. Mesyn, 5-2
Mesyn places fourth, earns automatic berth to NCAA Championships

197
Damion Hahn (Minnesota) dec. Jeff Clemens, 11-3 MD
Clemens dec. Joel Edwards (Penn State), 10-7
Clemens dec. Nathan Moore (Purdue), 5-3
Pat DeGain (Indiana) dec. Jeff Clemens, 3-2
J.D. Bergman (Ohio State) dec. Clemens, 12-3
Clemens places sixth, earns automatic berth to NCAA Championships

HWT
Greg Wagner (Michigan) dec. Mike Keenan, 11-1 MD
Ryan Fuller (Iowa) dec. Keenan, 5-3

Five remain alive at the
Big Ten Championships after first day

March 6, 2004

COLUMBUS, Ohio - After struggling through the first session of the Big Ten Championships, MSU regrouped as five individuals remain in the consolation bracket of the 2004 Big Ten Championships.

Andy Simmons, Darren McKnight, Matt McCarty, Nate Mesyn and Jeff Clemens remain as Craig Trombly, Tony Greathouse, Arsen Alexsanyan, Anton Hall and Mike Keenan were eliminated from competition Saturday.

McKnight, Mesyn and Clemens have earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., March 18-20. The Big Ten's top seven wrestlers at each weight automatically advance to the Championships. McCarty and Simmons battle for the last spot at their respective weight classes, 165 and 141.

At 141, redshirt freshman Simmons looked to rebound after a surprising upset in the first session with a loss to Purdue's Doug Withstandley. Withstandley was not seeded heading into the Championship and battles for the 141-pound championship tomorrow.

Simmons faced Michigan's Clark Forward in the consolation bracket and scored an early takedown to claim the advantage. Forward countered in the second period with two points of his own. Simmons took the win and advanced to the next round of competition with a one-point escape in the third period for the 3-2 victory.

Still reeling from the upset by Withstandley in the opening round of the tournament, Simmons faced fifth-seeded Tyler Laudon of Wisconsin. In one of Michigan State's most shocking defeats of the season, Laudon won with a defensive pin in 4:04. Simmons still has an opportunity to advance to the NCAA Championships as he faces Penn State's DeWitt Driscoll for seventh place. The top seven wrestlers in the conference earn automatic bids to the national championships.

At 149 pounds, Darren McKnight won convincingly, 16-8, against Jeremy Anderson of Minnesota. McKnight earned the major decision after scoring early in the first period and continuing to score on takedowns, allowing Anderson to score only on escapes as he cruised to the major decision victory.

McKnight cruised to his second victory in the consolation bracket with an 11-8 win against Wisconsin's No. 5 seed Anton Dietzen. McKnight opened with five unanswered points before Dietzen scored on a reversal. The Badger scored one point on an escape in the second, the only points scored by either competitor in that period. The final period saw Dietzen pull closer with two takedowns, but it was not enough as McKnight had amassed over 1:30 in riding time for the victory.

McKnight faces Iowa's No. 2 seed, Ty Eustice, in consolation action tomorrow.

At 165, Matt McCarty and Penn State's No. 8 seed Jarrad Turner battled in an evenly matched bout. Neither wrestler put points on the board through the first period and the bout remained scoreless until Turner scored two points on a reversal with under one minute remaining in the second stanza. McCarty evened the score with a takedown to close out the period. He won the match, 3-2, with an escape in the closing minutes.

McCarty continued action against Wisconsin's Kelly Flaherty. Flaherty scored first with a takedown and added another in the second period to take a 4-0 lead. Flaherty scored a three-point nearfall to extend his lead and with the riding time advantage, won the match by major decision, 8-0.

McCarty faces Northwestern's No. 6 seed Nick Hayes in the battle for seventh place tomorrow.

At 184, Nate Mesyn drew a bye in the first round of consolation action but squared off against Wisconsin's No. 3 seed, Brady Reinke. Mesyn scored two points early in the first period and continued to battle through the second as neither wrestler put points on the board.

The third saw Mesyn extend his lead with an escape. Reinke registered a takedown with :42 remaining to bring the match close, 3-2. Reinke would not score again as Mesyn notched two takedown points and two nearfall points as time expired. With the riding time advantage, Mesyn produced a 9-2 victory. He faces Minnesota's No. 8 seed, Josh McLay in the consolation semi-finals tomorrow.

At 197, Jeff Clemens faced Penn State's No. 7 Joel Edwards. Edwards scored first on a takedown but Clemens countered with an escape and takedown of his own to jump to a 3-2 lead. With two nearfall points to close out the first period, Clemens extended his lead as Edwards took a brief injury timeout.

The second period saw Clemens score two takedowns and an escape as Edwards escaped twice to make the score 10-4 heading into the final period.

Edwards scored three points in the final period with three minutes of riding time to his advantage, but it was not enough to overcome the Spartan as he won the decision, 10-7.

Clemens moved on to face Purdue's Nathan Moore. Clemens got on the board first with an escape in the second period before Moore scored a takedown. Clemens got a point on the escape to close out the stanza.

They entered the third with Moore owning the riding time advantage. The Boilermaker escaped to take a 3-2 lead midway through the final stanza. Clemens was awarded a point as Moore performed a potentially dangerous move. As the seconds ticked off the clock, Clemens registered a takedown to grab the 5-3 decision and move on to the consolation semi-finals tomorrow. He faces Indiana's Pat DeGain. DeGain won the regular season meeting, 6-3.

Craig Trombly and Tony Greathouse made their exits from Big Ten Championship competition with losses at 125 and 133, respectively. Trombly lost to Minnesota's No. 6 seed, Bobbe Lowe by major decision, 11-3. Greathouse also faced the No. 6 seed at 133, losing to Ohio State's Jesse Leng, 11-5.

Senior Arsen Alexsanyan looked to continue his career as a Spartan with a win against Wisconsin's No. 3 seed Tyler Turner. Alexsanyan ended his Michigan State career with an 8-2 loss to the Badger. Alexsanyan amassed a record of 30-42 during his tenure as a Spartan with an overall record of 12-15 this season, wrestling at both 157 and 165 pounds throughout the year.

At 174 pounds, senior Anton Hall also looked to keep his Michigan State career alive though Michigan's Nick Roy looked to end Hall's career. Roy scored the first point of the battle on an escape in the second period as the grapplers proved to be evenly matched. Hall tied the score at 1-1 with an escape in the third period. Roy countered with a takedown to take a 3-1 lead as Hall escaped to pull within one of the Wolverine, 3-2. Roy scored another takedown and Hall another escape point to move the score to its final, 5-3.

Hall ends his Michigan State career with a 45-41 record, with a mark of 18-19 this season.

Mike Keenan also looked to keep his MSU career alive as the senior capped his career in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Keenan faced Iowa's Ryan Fuller in the heavyweight match. Fuller scored first on a takedown, recording over a minute of riding time in the first period. Fuller scored another takedown in the waning minutes of the second period to take a 4-0 lead, though he added just three second of riding time to his advantage.

Keenan escaped to open the final period and scored a takedown at the buzzer, but it was not enough to overcome Fuller and his riding time advantage as the Hawkeye won, 5-3.

Keenan ends his MSU career with a record of 45-63, 16-16 record this season.

As a team, Michigan State is 10th after two sessions of competition with 30.5 points. Iowa leads the team standings with 115.5 points.

Action continues tomorrow (March 7) at Noon at Ohio State's St. John Arena.

Spartans defeat Indiana, 19-14
Andy Simmons scores 28th victory of season.

Feb. 22, 2004

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State upended Indiana on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 22) to register their first Big Ten victory of the season. On Senior Day at Jenison Field House, the Spartans were led by seniors Mike Keenan, Arsen Alexsanyan, and Nate Mesyn, who all picked up victories in their last dual meet for the Green and White. Ninth-ranked Andy Simmons also picked up a huge victory by defeating No. 7 Coyte Cooper.

"It's nice to finish our home-stand with a win," said head coach Tom Minkel. "I know we're making progress and it's great to have it finally show up in the win column for this team."

The Spartans started their final dual match of the season with a victory at 184 pounds. Senior Nate Mesyn amassed nearly three minutes of riding time in the first two periods on his way to a 5-3 victory over Andy Rios. The victory was Mesyn's first since Jan. 30 against Michigan and came in his last dual meet as a Spartan.

At 197 pounds, No. 9 Pat DeGain took a 3-0 lead in the second period and defeated State's Jeff Clemens, 6-3, to tie the meet at 3-3.

In an exciting match at heavyweight, senior Mike Keenan fought for a takedown with a mere 30 seconds left to defeat Josh Buuck, 4-3. After trailing for the majority of the match, Keenan persevered to win his final match at Jenison Field House. Keenan's win also marked MSU's first Big Ten heavyweight victory this season.

"Mike Keenan's match was a thriller," said Minkel. "It's wonderful to see him end his career at Jenison Field House with such a great victory."

At 125 pounds, Craig Trombly suffered an 11-3 major decision defeat at the hands of No. 12 Joe Dubuque. At 133, Indiana's Nick Spatola defeated Tony Greathouse in another major decision, 12-3, to give Indiana an 11-6 lead at the halfway point of the dual meet.

In the afternoon's featured match, No. 9 Andy Simmons faced off against No. 7 Coyte Cooper, with Big Ten and NCAA seeding implications on the line. Simmons accumulated two minutes of riding time in the second period, but the match remained scoreless. In the third period, Simmons scored a huge takedown, including two nearfall points, as he downed Cooper, 6-0. The loss was just the second of the year for Cooper while Simmons claimed his fifth straight decision, dating to Feb. 6. It also marks his second straight shutout and his ninth of the season. The win narrowed the Indiana lead to three points, 11-9, with just four matches remaining.

"I was particularly pleased with Andy today," said Minkel. "Coyte Cooper is one of the Big Ten's toughest wrestlers at 141 and Andy just really pulled through. This is worth more than a win, especially with the Big Ten and NCAA seedings on the horizon."

Darren McKnight made it two straight victories for the Green and White with a 5-3 decision over Indiana's Cameron Sakon. McKnight took an early lead with two quick takedowns in the first period, and defeated Sakon to give State a 12-11 lead with three matches remaining in the dual. For McKnight, it was his first appearance on the mat since a victory against Minnesota on Jan. 23.

Arsen Alexsanyan became the third Spartan senior to win on senior day with his victory at 157 pounds. Alexsanyan, with a late takedown, won the match 9-0, giving MSU a major decision and stretching their lead to 16-11. The win was Alexsanyan's first victory since the Midlands Championships in late December.

At 165, Matt McCarty clinched State's first Big Ten team win of the year with a 2-0 defeat of Mike Sabatello. No points were scored until McCarty notched an escape in the opening seconds of the third period, and with riding time included, registered his second straight shutout victory.

In the final match of the afternoon, No. 13 Brady Richardson defeated senior Anton Hall, 10-6 in the 174-pound bout.

Michigan State now enjoys nearly two weeks away from formal competition as the Spartans prepare for the Big Ten Championships March 6-7 in Columbus, Ohio.

Michigan State vs. Indiana:
184 - Nate Mesyn (MSU) def. Andy Rios (IU), 5-3; MSU, 3-0
197 - No. 9 Pat DeGain def. Jeff Clemens (MSU), 6-3; 3-3
HWT - Mike Keenan (MSU) def. Josh Buuck (IU), 4-3; MSU, 6-3
125 - No. 12 Joe Dubuque (IU) def. Craig Trombly (MSU), MD 11-3; IU, 7-6
133 - Nick Spatola (IU) def. Tony Greathouse (MSU), MD 12-3; IU, 11-6
141 - No. 9 Andy Simmons (MSU) def. No. 7 Coyte Cooper (IU), 6-0;  IU, 11-9
149 - Darren McKnight (MSU) def. Cameron Sakon (IU), 5-3; MSU, 12-11
157 - Arsen Alexsanyan (MSU) def. Matt Cooper (IU), MD 9-0; MSU, 16-11
165 - Matt McCarty (MSU) def. Mike Sabatello (IU), 2-0; MSU, 19-11
174 - No. 13 Brady Richardson (IU) def. Anton Hall (MSU), 10-6; MSU, 19-14

Michigan State Wrestling Closes
Road Swing With 30-8 Loss to Ohio State

Andy Simmons shuts out Theo Dotson;
Matt McCarty picks up second Big Ten victory.

Feb. 15, 2004

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Michigan State wrestling faced No. 23 Ohio State Sunday in Columbus, Ohio, the site of the 2004 Big Ten Championships. The Spartans lost to the Buckeyes, 30-8 to fall to 1-12 on the season and 0-7 in Big Ten action. The Spartans won two individual bouts as Andy Simmons claimed his fourth-straight victory at 141 and Matt McCarty earned his first Big Ten victory at 157 and second Big Ten win this season.

The match opened at heavyweight as senior co-captain Mike Keenan was unable to hold off Tommy Rowlands. Keenan dropped the first bout by technical fall, 22-6. At 125 and 133, Craig Trombly and Tony Greathouse dropped decisions as well before redshirt freshman Simmons put the Spartans on the board with his 8-0, major decision shutout win over Theo Dotson. The win marks Simmons' fourth-straight victory and his eighth shutout of the season.

Senior Ryan L'Amoreaux looked to put the Spartans on track with a victory at 149, but dropped a narrow 7-4 decision as MSU fell behind in team scoring, 14-4. Returning to 157 pounds after wrestling the past two matches at 165, Matt McCarty picked up Michigan State's second victory with a 10-0 shutout and major decision win against OSU's Ryan Rhodes. It is just the second shutout win of the season for McCarty.

Senior co-captain Arsen Alexsanyan moved up to 165 after spending the last several matches at 157 pounds. Alexsanyan could not continue to put bouts in the win column for the Spartans, losing a 12-3 major decision to John Clark. At 174, Anton Hall was looking for his second-straight Big Ten win, but did not find it against Anthony Magistrelli as the senior lost, 7-4.

Rounding out competitors, Nate Mesyn and Jeff Clemens could not put together wins at 184 or 197, respectively. Mesyn lost to Blake Kaplan, 5-0 while Clemens was pinned in 1:53 by J.D. Bergman.

Michigan State returns to East Lansing for its final dual meet of the season Feb. 22 at Jenison Field House. The Spartans host Indiana in their last chance at a Big Ten dual meet victory this season.

Michigan State falls to #9 Nittany Lions, 29-6

Anton Hall picks up first Big Ten
dual meet victory of the season in loss to Penn State.

Feb. 13, 2004

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Michigan State wrestling team faced a tough, ninth-ranked Penn State team in State College, Pa., Friday (Feb. 13). ). The Spartans lost to the Nittany Lions, 29-6 to fall to 1-11 on the season and 0-6 in Big Ten action. The Spartans won two individual bouts, including senior Anton Hall's first Big Ten victory of the season at 174 pounds while Andy Simmons picked up his third-straight win at 141.

The Spartans slipped early, with a 7-3 loss at 197 pounds as Jeff Clemens dropped a decision to Joel Edwards. Senior co-captain, heavyweight Mike Keenan also dropped his match, 9-3, to Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Pat Cummins. With a loss at 125 as Craig Trombly succumbed to Adam Smith, the Nittany Lions jumped to a 9-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Tony Greathouse was looking for his second Big Ten dual meet victory at 133 but lost to Josh Moore by technical fall, 20-4.

Red-shirt freshman Andy Simmons continued his successful campaign with a win over Marat Tomaev, 6-1. Simmons put the Spartans on the board with his win at 141 to bring the score to 13-3. Senior Ryan L'Amoreaux appeared to have MSU on a roll at the 149-pound weight class, but dropped the 5-3 decision in sudden victory overtime to Penn State's Matthew Storniolo.

Senior co-captain Arsen Alexsanyan lost to James Woodall as the Nittany Lion pinned Alexsanyan in 3:18 in the 157-pound match. At 165 pounds, Matt McCarty dropped a tough 7-5 decision to Jarrad Turner.

At 174, senior Anton Hall picked up his first Big Ten victory of the season with a 10-5 decision against James Yonushonis. In the final match of the night at 184, Nate Mesyn dropped a 6-2 decision to Eric Bradley.

MSU continues its road swing Sunday (Feb. 15) when the Spartans travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face No. 23 Ohio State.

Michigan State Grapplers Fall To No. 21 Purdue, 19-13
Matt McCarty and Craig Trombly pick up first Big Ten wins.

Feb. 8, 2004

East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State wrestling lost a close match, 19-13, to No. 21 Purdue Sunday (Feb. 8) in East Lansing. Andy Simmons, Ryan L'Amoreaux, Matt McCarty, and Craig Trombly all picked up wins for the Spartans. Trombly's win marked the first dual meet victory of the season at 125 pounds. McCarty's win was his first in Big Ten dual competition this year.

"The team competed hard," said head coach Tom Minkel. "We're getting better. We know we are a good team and it's just a matter of time before we get over that hump and some of the close matches go our way."

Wrestling in his first Big Ten match of the season at 157, senior Arsen Alexsanyan lost a tough match, 4-2, against senior Brad Harper. Harper scored a late takedown and earned an additional riding time point.

Matt McCarty, wrestling for the first time at 165 since a victory against Kent State on Jan. 6, defeated Bryce Markley, 11-2. McCarty dominated the second period, compiling six near-fall points and accumulating two minutes of riding. He also picked up a key takedown late in the match to tally a major decision for the Spartans. With the win, McCarty picks up his first Big Ten dual meet victory of the season. For the Green and White, it was the first victory at 165 pounds since Jan. 24 against Minnesota.

Despite scoring the first two points of the match and leading late in the third period, Anton Hall lost a heartbreaking decision to No. 5 Ryan Lange at 174, 10-6. Lange picked up five points in the final 30 seconds of action to earn the win for the Boilermakers.

At 184 pounds, Nate Mesyn dropped a tight match to Purdue's No. 7 Ben Wissel. With the match deadlocked at 3-3 when regulation time expired, 11 seconds of riding time proved to be the deciding factor in the match. The 197 pound match-up was close match, decided by just two points, 5-3. Purdue's redshirt freshmen Nathan Moore topped Jeff Clemens to give the Boilermakers a 12-4 advantage.

In the heavyweight division, No. 8 Israel Blevins scored a takedown and a total of four near-fall points in the third period to beat State's Mike Keenan, 7-2.

Purdue's No. 19 Rene Hernandez scored a major decision victory at 133 pounds by defeating redshirt freshman Tony Greathouse, 9-1.

In a tremendous match at 125, Craig Trombly picked up his first dual meet win of the season, topping Sean Schmaltz, 7-6. Trailing with under one minute remaining in the match, Trombly scored a takedown to take the one-point victory. The win also narrowed the Purdue's in team scoring to 15-7, giving the Spartans a chance at the victory.

"Craig decided he was not going to lose that match," said Minkel. "He insisted upon winning and he made it happen. This is what I'm talking about - getting over the hump and willing yourself to win."

The Spartans picked up their third victory of the meet with another solid performance by No. 8 Andy Simmons. Simmons scored a takedown and a reversal, as well as amassing over two minutes of riding time en rout to a 5-1 victory. Simmons improves to 4-1 in Big Ten competition and 25-7 overall after two victories this weekend.

The Spartans capped off the meet with a big victory at 149 pounds. In an entertaining match, Senior Ryan L'Amoreaux defeated Dan Jankowski 11-6 for Michigan State's fourth victory of the day. Four individual wins is the most by State since Jan. 23 against Minnesota.

Michigan State returns to competition Feb. 13 when they travel to State College, Pa., to face Penn State before heading to Columbus, Ohio, to face Ohio State on Feb. 15.

Michigan State vs. Purdue
157- Brad Harper def. Arsen Alexsanyan, 4-2
165- Matt McCarty def. Bryce Markley, MD 11-2
174- Ryan Lange def. Anton Hall, 10-6
184- Ben Wissel def. Nate Mesyn, 4-3 
197- Nathan Moore def. Jeff Clemens, 5-3
HWT- Israel Blevins def. Mike Keenan, 7-2
125- Craig Trombly def. Sean Schmaltz, 7-6 
133- Rene Hernandez def. Tony Greathouse, MD 9-1
141- Andy Simmons def. Doug Withstandley, 5-1
149- Ryan L'Amoreaux def. Dan Jankowski, 11-6

Wrestling team endures a tough road loss at #9 Oklahoma
Andy Simmons and Jeff Clemens pick up victories despite team loss.

Feb. 6, 2004

NORMAN, Okla. - The Michigan State wrestling team traveled to Oklahoma Friday, losing a tough decision to the #9 Sooners, 29-6.  Andy Simmons picked up a victory at 141 pounds while Jeff Clemens secured a victory at 197.  The Spartans fall to 1-9 on the season.

MSU opened the match with an early lead as Clemens claimed victory at 197 pounds, defeating Austin David, 6-4.  Senior co-captain Mike Keenan was unable to continue the momentum for the Green and White, getting pinned for the first time this season by Leonce Crump in 2:05.  The Sooners jumped out to a 6-3 lead through two matches.

Craig Trombly's 10-2 major decision loss at 125 and Tony Greathouse's major decision loss at 133 at the hands of Mimi Miller extended the OU lead to 14-3, but Simmons looked to score for the team.

Simmons defeated Shane Kidd, 3-0, to give the Spartans three team points and what would become the final MSU scoring of the meet.

Senior Ryan L'Amoreaux lost narrowly to Jeff Ecklof, 7-4.  Classmate and co-captain Arsen Alexsanyan also dropped a close 2-1 decision on riding time to Rafael Maturino. Redshirt freshman Mike Escobedo could not break the Spartans skid at 165 with a 11-2 major decision loss.

Seniors Anton Hall and Nate Mesyn dropped consecutive matches, Mesyn losing in overtime, to make the final score 29-6.

Michigan State returns to conference action in East Lansing on Sunday, Feb. 8.  The Spartans host Purdue at 1 p.m. at Jenison Field House.

Michigan State wrestling team drops dual to No. 10 Iowa

Redshirt freshman Tony Greathouse picks up first Big Ten win of his career.

Feb. 1, 2004

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Michigan State wrestling fell to No. 10 Iowa Sunday, 31-6, in Iowa City. MSU is now 1-8 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten action. The Spartans' tough schedule continues with another road trip to Norman, Okla., to face Oklahoma Friday before returning to Jenison Field House in East Lansing next Sunday.

Redshirt freshman Tony Greathouse picked up the only win of the afternoon for the Spartans, pinning Trent Goodale in 2:33. The victory is the Mason, Mich., native's first dual meet win of the season and the first Big Ten dual meet victory of his career.

Starting at 141 pounds, MSU's Andy Simmons lost the first Big Ten dual meet of his career with a 3-0 loss to Cliff Moore. Simmons is 23-7 on the year and 3-1 in Big Ten action. Despite the loss, the redshirt freshman wrestles at the NWCA All-Star Classic tomorrow (Feb. 2) in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

At 149 pounds, senior Ryan L'Amoreaux dropped a close 5-2 decision to Ty Eustice. The Hawkeyes then strung together three straight major decision victories as Matt McCarty, Mike Escobedo and Anton Hall dropped meets at 157, 165 and 174, respectively.

Senior Nate Mesyn nearly got the Spartans on the board, but lost to Paul Bradley, 6-4, in sudden-victory overtime. Jeff Clemens lost to Ryan Fulsaas at 197 pounds, 8-4 while Mike Keenan narrowly lost to Ryan Fuller, 3-1. Craig Trombly lost by major decision at 125 pounds to Luke Eustice.

Michigan State returns to action Friday at Oklahoma at 8 p.m. EST and faces Purdue Sunday at Jenison Field House. That match is set for a 1 p.m. start.

MSU falls to No. 4 Michigan

Andy Simmons and Nate Mesyn pick up wins in 31-6 team loss to the Wolverines.

Jan. 30, 2004

East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State wrestling remained without a victory in Big Ten action with a 31-6 loss to No. 4 Michigan Friday in Ann Arbor at Cliff Keen Arena. The Spartans fall to 1-7, 0-3 in the Big Ten.

MSU's Andy Simmons won the 141-pound match, defeating Clark Forward 4-2 to give the Spartans their first points of the match. Nate Mesyn picked up the only other victory, defeating Josh Weitzel, 3-0, at 184 pounds.

Despite the margin of victory, Michigan State kept the individual bouts within reach, posting just one loss by major decision and two losses by pin.

The Spartans travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to face the No. 10 Hawkeyes Sunday. Simmons then competes at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Monday. Simmons will face Northern Iowa's Dylan Long in the Classic.

Michigan State vs. Michigan

125       Mark Moos (UM) pin Craig Trombly (MSU), 2:44
133       Foley Dowd (UM) major Tony Greathouse (MSU), 14-3
141       Andy Simmons (MSU) dec. Clark Forward (UM), 4-2
149       Ryan Churella (UM) dec. Ryan L'Amoreaux (MSU), 9-6
157       Jeremiah Tobias (UM) dec. Matt McCarty (MSU), 8-3
165       Pat Owen (UM) pin Mike Escobedo (MSU), 2:02
174       Nick Roy (UM) dec. Anton Hall (MSU), 4-2
184       Nate Mesyn (UM) dec. Josh Weitzel (UM), 3-0
197       Chase Verdoorn (UM) dec. Jeff Clemens (MSU), 6-5
HWT     Greg Wagner (UM) dec. Mike Keenan (MSU), 5-2

Spartans fall to No. 2 Illinois, 22-10
East Lansing, MI
1/23/04

Jeff Clemens and Andy Simmons pick up second straight dual meet victories.

Jan. 25, 2004

EAST LANSING, Mich. - No. 24 Michigan State fell to No. 2 Illinois, 22-10, at Jenison Fieldhouse Sunday (Jan. 25). Jeff Clemens, Ryan L'Amoreaux and Andy Simmons registered wins for the Spartans. With the loss, MSU drops to 1-6 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten.

"It's always difficult when you don't win," said MSU head coach Tom Minkel. "This afternoon, we wrestled really close to our potential. I'm really proud of our guys and their performance today and overall, I'm pretty happy with where we are as a team."

The afternoon's dual meet kicked off at 165 pounds, as redshirt freshman Mike Escobedo suffered a tough defeat at the hands of Illinois' Donny Reynolds. The match's deciding factor proved to be riding time, as Reynolds accumulated more than 1:30, riding Escobedo for the entire third period. Escobedo made just his third appearance of the season at 165 pounds. He is now 0-3 at 165 and 3-5 overall.

The Spartans fell behind 6-0 after Anton Hall dropped a 9-2 decision to No. 4 Brian Glynn at 174. In a very defense-oriented match at 184 pounds, senior Nate Mesyn lost 4-1 to No. 4 Brian Glynn to give the Illini a 9-0 edge.

In an upset at 197, currently unranked Jeff Clemens put the first MSU points on the board, defeating No. 7 Jason Potter. Clemens notched two early takedowns and continued attacking throughout the match. Clemens went undefeated for the weekend with a victory against Minnesota Friday.

The heavyweight matchup pitted MSU's Mike Keenan against Illinois' Mike Behnke. Keenan fought for a late escape to send the match into sudden-victory overtime. No. 10 Behnke picked up the 6-4 decision with a takedown.

At 125, No. 4 Kyle Ott amassed nearly four minutes of riding time en route to a 13-4 major decision over Craig Trombly. In a hard-fought battle at 133, Tony Greathouse fell to No. 4 Mark Jayne, 10-4.

In an impressive performance at 141, No. 9 Andy Simmons picked up his 22nd victory of the season. Simmons scored the first 11 points, including a three-point near-fall at the end of the first period. Simmons improved to 4-2 in dual competition and a perfect 2-0 in the Big Ten.

At 149, Ryan L'Amoreaux picked up his first victory of the season with a 3-2 decision over Illinois' Cal Ferry. L'Amoreaux registered all three of his points in the third period for the come-from-behind win. L'Amoreaux sat out the early portion of the season with an injury but returned to open Big Ten competition against the Illini.

In the final match of the day, MSU's Matt McCarty held top-ranked Alex Tirapelle in check, despite losing the match 5-0.

The Spartans hit the road to face in-state rival Michigan Jan. 30 in Ann Arbor before traveling to Iowa Feb. 1.

165- Donny Reynolds def. Mike Escobedo, 3-2
174- Pete Friedl def. Anton Hall, 9-2
184- Brian Glynn def. Nate Mesyn, 4-1
197- Jeff Clemens def. Jason Potter, 9-3 
HWT- Mike Behnke def. Mike Keenan, 6-4 SV
125- Kyle Ott def. Craig Trombly, MD 13-4
133- Mark Jayne def. Tony Greathouse, 10-4
141- Andy Simmons def. Michael Martin, 12-1
149- Ryan L'Amoreaux def. Cal Ferry, 3-2
157- Alex Tirapelle def. Matt McCarty, 5-0

No. 24 Michigan State falls
to No. 12 Minnesota, 22-16
East Lansing, MI
1/23/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 24 Michigan State wrestling opened the Big Ten season with a 22-16 loss to No. 12 Minnesota.  The Spartans fall to 1-5 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten Competition.  Andy Simmons, Darren McKnight, Arsen Alexsanyan, Nate Mesyn and Jeff Clemens recorded wins.  This marks the second time this season MSU has won five individual matches and not won the dual meet.

After falling to an early 12-0 deficit, the Spartans surged to bring the match within striking distance, 18-16, heading into the heavyweight bout. Unfortunately, MSU was unable to pull off the upset against the Golden Gophers.

“Two words. It hurt,” said MSU head coach Tom Minkel. “We dug ourselves into a big hole with pins at the first two weights. The kids worked hard to get back in the match. We’re learning each time, but it’s discouraging to be in a position to beat a team like Minnesota and fall just short.”

The meet was delayed for nearly an hour due to severe winter weather conditions throughout the Lansing and mid-Michigan areas.

The Spartans were forced to come from behind as they opened the match with two consecutive losses. At 125, Craig Trombly was pinned by No. 16 Bobbe Lowe at 5:50 mark.  In a similar scenario at 133, Quincy Osborn pinned Tony Greathouse at 5:55.
At 141, No. 9 Andy Simmons continued to shine for the Spartans as he defeated Danny Williams, 8-1.  Simmons got off to a quick start, accumulating more than 1:30 of riding time in the first period.  The redshirt freshman maintained control throughout the match and won Michigan State’s first bout. With the win, Simmons improved to 21-6 overall and 4-2 in dual meets.

In an exciting back and forth match at 149, Darren McKnight picked up the Spartans’ second victory of the evening.  Despite trailing 7-5 after two periods, McKnight escaped and moments later executed a picture-perfect duck-under to win, 8-7.  With the win, the Hixson, Tenn., native picked up his fourth dual meet win of the season. 

In an all out battle, MSU’s Matt McCarty dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 11 Matt Nagel.  The match remained tied through two periods and despite amassing an impressive 1:30 riding-time advantage at one point, McCarty could not pull off the upset.

Riding time proved to be the deciding factor as Arsen Alexsanyan notched another Michigan State victory at 165.  Although Alexsanyan and Casey Flaherty were deadlocked at 3-3 after regulation time expired, Alexsanyan totaled 1:32 of riding time for the one-point, 4-3 victory.

A takedown in the closing seconds of the 174 bout gave Minnesota’s Jon Duncombe the 7-5 victory over Anton Hall.  Hall overcame more than a minute of riding time to keep the match a nail-biter until the end. 

In a defense-oriented match at 184, Nate Mesyn shutout Josh McLay, 1-0.  Mesyn rode McLay for the entire second period, picking up an escape early in the third for the lone point of the match.  With the victory, Mesyn moves to 5-1 in dual meets this season.
In a convincing victory at 197, Jeff Clemens scored 11 unanswered points to open the match and accumulated over two minutes of advantage time en rout to a 13-1 win.  Clemens picks up his second dual meet win of the season.

A late rally by the Green and White left the heavyweight match-up to decide which team came out victorious.  Redshirt freshman Spencer Nadolsky made just the second dual start of his career and dropped a tough decision to No. 5 Cole Konrad, 13-3.

The Spartan wrestling team returns to action Sunday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m., when they take on No. 3 Illinois at Jenison Field House.

Match Score
125 – Bobbe Lowe pinned Craig Trombly, 5:50                  0-6     Minn.               
133 – Quincy Osborn pinned Tony Greathouse, 5:55      0-12   Minn.
141 – Andy Simmons def. Danny Williams, 8-1                    3-12   Minn.               
149 – Darren McKnight def. Jeremy Anderson, 8-7            6-12   Minn.
157 – Matt Nagel def. Matt McCarty, 4-3                             6-15   Minn.
165 – Arsen Alexsanyan def. Casey Flaherty, 4-3        9-15   Minn.                             
174 – Jon Duncombe def. Anton Hall, 7-5               9-18   Minn.
184 – Nate Mesyn def. Josh McLay, 1-0                                12-18 Minn.
197 – Jeff Clemens def. Mike Schmidt, MD, 13-1                       16-18 Minn.
HWT  -  Cole Konrad def. Spencer Nadolsky, MD 13-3      16-22 Minn.

MSU falls to Missouri and CMU
 at the National Duals
Cleveland, Ohio
1/17/04

CLEVELAND, Ohio - No. 24 Michigan State wrestling opened competition at the NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals Saturday with a first-round loss to No. 5 Missouri, 29-3. Redshirt freshman Andy Simmons was the only Spartan to win, defeating J.P. Reese, 7-5, in the 141-pound match.

Senior Nate Mesyn dropped his first dual meet of the season to Matt Pell, 2-1. At 149 pounds, Ryan L'Amoreaux saw his first dual meet action of the season against the Tigers, falling to Jeremy Spates, 11-8 while Mike Escobedo also made his first dual meet appearance of the year, losing to Gabe Cohen, 7-3.

In the consolation quarterfinals, MSU faced in-state rival Central Michigan, ending in a 20-15 defeat. Michigan State faced the Chippewas earlier this season and lost that dual meet, 19-15.

Simmons could not continue his winning ways, falling to Jason Mester, 3-0. In the first meeting between the two grapplers, Mester won by the same score.

At 149 pounds, Darren McKnight defeated Adam Cunningham, 8-5. McKnight defeated Andy Keller of CMU by the same margin earlier this season. At 157, Matt McCarty won 5-2 over Josh Mester. McCarty lost to Mester, 6-4, at the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 1, 2003.

At 184, Nate Mesyn defeated Matt McCartney, 3-2 . The grapplers squared off at the MSU Open earlier this season and Mesyn won that match, 1-0. He is now 4-1 in dual meets on the season.

Michigan State moves to 1-4 in dual meet competition on the year. The Spartans return to East Lansing and Jenison Field House to host two Big Ten dual meets next week. MSU hosts Minnesota Friday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m., and Illinois at 1 p.m., at Jan. 25.

#5 Missouri vs. Michigan State
125 Austin Devoe (MO) dec Craig Trombly (MSU) 8-2
133 Paul Collum (MO) dec Tony Greathouse (MSU) 9-3
141 Simmons (MSU) dec JP Reese (MO) 7-5
149 Jeremy Spates (MO) dec Ryan L'Amoreaux (MS) 11-8
157 Kenny Burleson (MO) dec Arsen Aleksanyan (MS) 11-1
165 Gabe Conhan (MO) dec Mike Escobedo (MS) 7-3
174 Ben Askren (MO) dec Anton Hall (MS) 8-5
184 Matt Pell (MO) dec Nate Mesyn (MS) 2-1
197 Foust (MO) dec Jeff Clemens (MS) 4-1
285 Mike Whitehead (MO) dec Mike Keenan (MS) 8-1

#16 Central Michigan vs. Michigan State
125    Kyle Stoffer (CM) dec Craig Trombly (MS) 4-1
133    Jordan Webster (CM) dec Tony Greathouse (MS) 4-1
141    Jason Mester (CM) dec Andy Simmons (MS) 3-0
149    Darren McKnight (MS) dec Adam Cunningham (CM) 8-5
157    Matt McCarty (MS) dec Josh Mester (CM) 5-2
165    Dave Bolyard (CM) tf Mike Escobedo (MS) 16-0
174    Kevin Carr (CM) dec Anton Hall (MS) 3-1
184    Nate Mesyn (MS) dec Matt McCartney (CM) 3-2
197    Joe Yager (CM) dec Jeff Clemens (MS) 6-2
285    Mike Keenan (MS) wins by forfeit

MSU vs. Kent State
Kent, OH
1/6/04

No. 25 Michigan State wrestling team opened the new year with a victory over Kent State in Kent, Ohio, Tuesday night. The 22-15 win is the first dual meet victory of the season for Michigan State.

The Golden Flashes jumped to an early 6-0 lead with victories at both 125 and 133 pounds. For MSU, Craig Trombly lost a 12-6 decision to Kent State's Drew Opfer as the Golden Flash scored a takedown and three-point near fall in the final 30 seconds to put the win in Kent State's favor. At 133, redshirt freshman Tony Greathouse faced Kent's Jared Opfer, losing by pin in 4:21 as the Golden Flashes took a 9-0 lead into the 141-pound match.  

With a win over Nate Daugherty, redshirt freshman Andy Simmons has now won 12 of his last 14 matches. Simmons pinned Daugherty in 5:33 to put the Spartans on the board. His victory gave MSU six team points, pulling them to within three of Kent State.

At 149 pounds, Michigan State's Darren McKnight gave the Spartans the win they needed to tie the match as he defeated Jason Bake, 3-1. McKnight's takedown in the second period was the difference in the meet and marks McKnight's 18th win this season.

Senior Arsen Alexsanyan could not keep the Spartans on the winning track, dropping a hot contest to Mike Tolar, 6-4. Tolar led by a score of 5-1 at the end of the second period while Alexsanyan made his charge late in the bout. The loss put the Golden Flashes ahead by the narrow margin of 12-9 and marks the first dual meet loss of the season for Alexsanyan at 157 pounds.

Matt McCarty brought the Spartans back to even in team scoring, winning 3-2 against Nick Brenner in the 165-pound match. Tied 2-2 at the end of the second period with Brenner holding a 44-second riding time advantage, McCarty maintained control throughout the final period to earn the victory with a one-point riding time advantage. His three-point team victory made the score 12-12 heading into the 174-pound matchup. The win also marks the first victory of the season at 165 for the junior.

At 174 pounds, senior Anton Hall wrestled Ardian Ramadani to a scoreless tie through the first period. Ramadani led at the end of the second stanza, 1-0, while Hall held the riding time edge with a 1:37 advantage. Hall pulled through in the final 11 seconds, scoring a takedown to make the score 4-3. The extra point for riding time gave Hall a 5-3 win and put Michigan State ahead in team scoring for the first time of the match, 15-12. It is also the second-straight dual-meet victory for Hall, bringing his record to 17-7 on the season.

At 184 pounds, like his teammate before him, Nate Mesyn battled Alex Camargo to a scoreless tie at the end of the first period before taking a 1-0 lead at the end of the second period. With an escape and riding time advantage in his favor, Mesyn scored the 2-0 win to give the Spartans three team points and an 18-12 advantage.

At 197 pounds, sophomore Jeff Clemens squared off against Nick Hiller and led 2-0 at the end of two periods before scoring eight points - including three takedowns - in the final minutes to earn a 10-2 major decision and guaranteed a Spartan victory with the 22-12 advantage.

Wrestling in his first dual meet for the Green and White, redshirt freshman Spencer Nadolsky took to the mat against Willie Leonard. At the end of the first period, Nadolsky led, 4-2, while Leonard evened the score in the second period at four, and held the 1:32 riding time advantage. Nadolsky could not reduce the advantage time, while Leonard scored four additional points in the final minutes to make the final score, 8-4.

Michigan State returns to East Lansing for nearly two weeks of practice before traveling to Cleveland, Ohio, and the National Duals, Jan. 17-18. The Spartans open the Big Ten season at Jenison Field House against Minnesota on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.