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Simmons
brothers lock up OKLAHOMA CITY – Nick Simmons claimed fourth place for the second-consecutive year, and Andy Simmons improved on last season’s finish by taking fifth as the Michigan State wrestling team wrapped up its season at the 2006 NCAA Championships. The junior brothers garnered All-America honors for the second-straight season, as the team finished in a tie for 18th place with 35 points. It marks the first time since 1998 that two MSU wrestlers have finished in the top five at the NCAA Championships. David Morgan (second at 118) and Pat McNamara (fifth at 126 pounds) accomplished that feat for the Spartans in Cleveland, Ohio, that season. Oklahoma State wrapped up its third-straight national championship while 10 of 11 Big Ten teams finished in the Top 25, led by Minnesota’s second-place finish. “We’re all disappointed that Nick and Andy were not able to reach their ultimate goals of winning national titles this season, but at the same time, everyone is very proud of their All-America finishes and how hard they both worked to get here,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “R.J. Boudro and Darren McKnight also had very solid seniors years and as we send them off, I want to thank them for all their contributions to Michigan State and the wrestling program. Our team will miss them both next season.” In the consolation semifinals, Nick Simmons and Oklahoma State’s Coleman Scott battled tough in front of a Cowboy-dominated crowd, but the Spartan prevailed by a 7-4 score. Simmons came out of the gates aggressively, taking Scott down in the opening 30 seconds of the bout and using that momentum to catapult him to his second-straight appearance in the consolation finals at the NCAA Championships. Two escapes by the OSU grappler tied the score heading into the final frame, but Simmons tallied two reversals and tacked on a riding-time point for his fourth victory of the tournament. Nick Simmons could not defeat Oklahoma’s Sam Hazewinkel for the second-consecutive time this season, as the elder Simmons fell in a rematch of last season’s third-place match, 6-2. Hazewinkel tallied two takedowns early in the opening period and maintained the top position for nearly four minutes of the bout. “It’s obviously very disheartening that I didn’t accomplish my goal of winning a national title,” Nick Simmons said. “This off-season, I will just be training harder, and I will compete at the upcoming Senior Nationals and World Team Trials.” An All-American in each of his first three collegiate seasons, Nick Simmons had his most successful season as a junior, going 36-2 with 16 falls. His 36 wins are good for a five-way tie for 13th on MSU’s single-season list while his pins total ranks sixth for a single year. Simmons’ 13 NCAA victories put him in a four-way tie for fifth in school history. The Williamston, Mich., native will enter his senior year with 97 career victories and 35 career falls, just 10 pins away from reaching MSU’s all-time record-holder Jim Mason (45 career falls). Andy Simmons improved on last season’s sixth-place finish at nationals with a dominating, 11-2, major-decision over West Virginia’s Brandon Rader in the fifth-place match. Simmons was firing on all cylinders from the get go, as he dropped Rader for takedowns twice in the first and third periods, and once more in the middle frame. The 11 points was Andy’s highest total since a 16-0 technical fall versus Dan Manzella in a dual meet against Illinois Feb. 12. Andy Simmons could not claim his third win of the season against Northwestern’s Ryan Lang in their consolation semifinals match, as Lang notched a 3-0 shutout, sending Simmons to the fifth-place match. The rematch of the Big Ten 141-pound finals entered the third period scoreless, after an uneventful first three minutes and a mad scramble in the second resulting in no points awarded. Simmons chose the bottom position at the start of the third, and had his back exposed for a three count, securing the win for Lang. “I really thought that I had a good shot to win this tournament, so right now, I’m disappointed with my finish,” Andy Simmons said. “But at the same time, there are quite a few former All-Americans and NCAA finalist that didn’t even get All-America honors this season. I’m going to go back to the drawing board this summer and try to gain any edge that I can for next year.” Like his brother, Andy Simmons finishes the 2005-06 season with 36 victories, good for 13th on MSU’s single-season chart. Four victories this weekend give him 101 for his career, placing him 15th on MSU’s all-time list in that category. He also ranks 15th on Green and White’s NCAA tournament wins list, with 10 in three appearances. The annual Michigan State wrestling banquet – to reflect on the 2005-06 season and its accomplishments – will be April 8 at the Kellogg Center on the MSU campus. Reservations can be made through Nancy Wing, by calling (517) 355-5270. Session V Consolation Semifinals 125 lbs – No. 1
Nick Simmons dec. No. 6 Coleman Scott (Okla. State), 7-4 Consolation Finals 125 lbs – No. 2 Sam Hazewinkel (Okla.) dec. Nick Simmons, 6-2 Fifth-Place Match 141 lbs – Andy Simmons maj. dec. No. 9 Brandon Rader (West Va.), MD, 11-2
Nick and
Andy Simmons secure All-America honors OKLAHOMA CITY – Nick and Andy Simmons both secured All-America finishes at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships, as Michigan State stayed steady in the team standings and sit in 21st place with 29.5 points with one day of competition remaining. “Both Nick and Andy were in the contention for national titles, so falling short of that goal is definitely a disappointment,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “But at the same time, almost anyone would trade places with them in a snap.” It took a little more work than his two matches Thursday, but Nick Simmons earned his third straight pin of the tournament against Chad Mendes of Cal Poly to reach the final four at 125 pounds. Simmons’ 16th fall of the season came at 6:44 of the match, as he countered a near takedown by flinging Mendes to his back. Nick Simmons moves into sole possession of sixth place all-time on the MSU falls in a season list, moving out of a tie with Jim Mason (1982-83). He also moves into a tie with Erich Harvey (1992-97) for fifth on the career falls list with 35. Nick Simmons dropped a heartbreaker in the semifinals to red-shirt freshman Troy Nickerson of Cornell, 2-1. The two grapplers spent the first five minutes of the match tied at zero, exchanging unsuccessful shots. Simmons chose the top position, but relinquished a reversal 1:15 into the period. The Spartan junior could not escape Nickerson’s grasp, and his lone point was a stalling call. Nick Simmons clashes with Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State in Session V. He shut out Scott in their last meeting, 6-0. Andy Simmons reached the semis for the second consecutive season by defeating Michigan’s Josh Churella for the first time in his career. Simmons scored an exhilarating, 4-2 sudden-victory decision to advance. While Churella scored his two points in a more conventional fashion with a second-period reversal, Simmons sent the match to overtime with a pair of points awarded by separate illegal holds by the U-M 141-pounder. In a rematch of last year’s semifinals, the younger Simmons failed to defeat Iowa State’s Nate Gallick, dropping a 4-2 decision. Gallick tallied the lone takedown of the bout with a quick ankle pick early in the first, and fended off Simmons’ attack for the fourth time in two seasons. Andy Simmons will attempt to defeat Ryan Lang of Northwestern for the third time this season in his first match Saturday. Darren McKnight’s wrestling career came to a close Friday morning, with a narrow, 3-2, loss to No. 9 Tyler Turner of Wisconsin. With the score tied a 2-2 late, McKnight just ran out of time attempting to complete a single-leg takedown, and a riding-time point gave Turner the win. McKnight finishes out his career at Michigan State with an 89-54 mark after going 22-19 in 2005-06. The Hixson, Tenn., native will finish his Master’s degree in accounting this December, and will go to work in the field in Grand Rapids, Mich. R.J. Boudro closed out his collegiate career in an unfortunate manner as well, dropping a 7-4 verdict to Oklahoma’s Wes Roberts. Boudro scored first, but gave up the next five points, and could not overcome the deficit. The Spartan senior captain ends his season with a 29-8 mark. For his career, the Richmond, Mich., native finished 70-44, going an impressive 48-16 after transferring from Michigan following the 2003-04 season. The Simmons brothers will wind down their season tomorrow in the morning session, which begins at 11 a.m. EST. Session III Quarterfinals 125 pounds – No. 1
Nick Simmons fall No. 9 Chad Mendes (Cal Poly), Fall, 6:44 Consolation Second Round 149 pounds – No. 9
Tyler Turner (Wis.) dec. Darren McKnight, 3-2 Session IV Semifinals 125 pounds – No. 5
Troy Nickerson (Cornell) dec. No. 1 Nick Simmons, 2-1
Nick and
Andy Simmons advance
Team sits in 21st place; OKLAHOMA CITY – Nick and Andy Simmons both posted a pair of convincing victories Thursday, March 16 to advance to the quarterfinals at the 2006 NCAA Championships as the Michigan State wrestling team sits 21st after day one. Seniors R.J. Boudro and Darren McKnight are also still alive for the Spartans at 174 and 141 pounds, respectively. “It is great to have everyone on our team still alive with a day of competition under our belt,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “Nick and Andy wrestled tremendously today, with three falls between the two of them in just four matches. Darren and R.J. also worked hard to win their first matches in the wrestlebacks.” Nick Simmons made short work of his first two opponents of the tournament as he pinned them in a combined 1:44. The top seed at 125 pounds recorded his 14th fall of the season against Northern Iowa’s Seth Wright just :44 seconds into their first-round bout. He caught the NIU wrestler in a “spladle” immediately off his first takedown to awe the crowd minutes into the start of the tournament. Simmons did it again in the evening session, notching his 34th career fall against Lock Haven’s Obenson Blanc in a mere minute to reach the quarterfinals. The Williamston native is now tied with Jim Mason (1982-83) for falls in a season with 15, and is just one away from tying Erich Harvey (1992-97) for fifth on the MSU all-time pins list. He will face Cal Poly’s Chad Mendes Friday morning. Andy Simmons followed his brother’s lead to the quarterfinals, notching his third fall of the year in the first round and his eighth shutout of the season in round two. First, he made short work of Bloomsburg’s Brad Forbes. Simmons carried an 8-0 lead into the second period, where he worked Forbes for three near-fall points before pinning him at 4:30. The younger Simmons set up a rematch with Michigan’s Josh Churella in Friday’s quarterfinals, with a 6-0 decision over Northern Iowa’s T.J. Ettleson. Wrestling as the fourth seed at 141 pounds, Simmons used a first-period takedown and a pair of reversals in the final four minutes to secure his 99th career win. McKnight was the victim of a tough draw in his opening round match, facing the defending national champion Zack Esposito of Oklahoma State. The Spartan captain was caught in a cradle and pinned at the :31 mark, but the Hixson, Tenn., native persevered to win his first bout in the consolation bracket, 8-6, against Kent State’s Jason Bake. McKnight captured the first takedown in the final 10 seconds of the first, which proved to be the difference in his 22nd victory of the season. He will face Wisconsin’s Tyler Turner in Session III. Like McKnight, Boudro used the match’s first takedown to claim an 8-6 victory in his first consolation bout against Oregon State’s Jeremy Larson. Next, MSU’s 174-pounder takes on Oklahoma’s Wes Roberts in the Friday morning session. Boudro was upset in a heartbreaking, triple-overtime bout against Edinboro’s Eric Ring in the first round. After a scoreless first period, the grapplers exchanged two minutes of riding time in the second and third frames, sending the match to sudden victory tied at zero. An uneventful first overtime and a tiebreaker set with no escapes left both wrestlers physically drained heading into the second sudden-victory session, where Ring countered a Boudro shot to claim a 2-0 win. Wrestling resumes Friday, March 17, with Session III at 10 a.m. and continues at 6 p.m. Following Friday’s evening session, each weight class will be narrowed down to the top eight. NCAA Championships Notes - With two wins on the day, Andy Simmons is just one victory short of 100 for his career, tying him for 15th on the MSU all-time wins list with Brian Picklo (1994-97). - Nick Simmons’ two victories give him 95 for his career, tied for 17th with Stacey Richmond (1986-89). - The Simmons brothers enter day two of the NCAA tournament with 34 wins, moving into an 11-way tie for 19th on the Spartans’ single-season wins list. Session I First Round 125 pounds – No. 1
Nick Simmons fall Seth Wright (N. Iowa), Fall, :44 Session II Quarterfinals 125 pounds – No. 1
Nick Simmons fall Obenson Blanc (Lock Haven), Fall, 1:00 Consolation First Round 149 pounds – Darren
McKnight dec. Jason Bake (Kent State), 8-6
Nick and
Andy Simmons crowned Big Ten Champions BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Nick Simmons won his second consecutive Big Ten Championship, and his younger sibling Andy won his first, as the brother combination became the first since Pat and Tom Milkovich in 1972 to win conference titles in the same season at the 2006 Big Ten Championship hosted by Indiana University. R.J. Boudro claimed third in exhilarating fashion at 174 pounds and Darren McKnight also qualified for the national tournament as he earned one of two wild card selections. Overall, the Michigan State wrestling team took eighth with 68 points, Sunday, March 4 at Assembly Hall. “I’m really proud of how we did as a team today and think we are building momentum heading to NCAA Championships,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “What Nick and Andy accomplished today was such a great thing for Michigan State wrestling and R.J. fought through a heart-breaking loss early to really redeem himself.” Nick Simmons won his second straight conference title over Illinois’ Kyle Ott, 7-0, to remain unbeaten on the season. Simmons did not care to duplicate the 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Ott in the 2005 finals, and instead dominated the two-time NCAA finalist for the second time in a month. He scored a takedown in the first 15 seconds of the contest and accumulated 4:13 of riding time in the first two frames en route to his 11th shut out and 31st victory of the 2005-06 season. The back-to-back 125-pound Big Ten Champion also exposed Ott’s back in the middle period for three near-fall points, and extended his lead to six with a stalling point midway through the frame. Simmons will likely enter the NCAA Championships as the top-seeded wrestler in the nation. “I was able to get the top position and really execute our game plan going into the match, which I wasn’t able to do last year,” Nick Simmons said. “Hopefully I can build on this as the No. 1 seed at nationals in a week and a half.” Nick Simmons becomes the first Spartan wrestler to win back-to-back individual conference titles since David Morgan in 1996. That was also the last time the Green and White crowned multiple Big Ten champs as Brian Picklo at 190 pounds joined Morgan at the top of the podium. Morgan won three 118-pound titles from 1995-97. Andy Simmons duplicated his brother’s performance two matches later in the 141-pound final with an 8-2 decision against Northwestern’s Ryan Lang. Similar to the match where he pinned Lang Feb. 12, Simmons fought back after he relinquished the first takedown to claim victory. Trailing 2-1 following the opening three minutes, the Spartan All-American rode Lang early in the second, then threw the fifth-seeded Wildcat to his back, nearly pinning him again as the period expired. Simmons added a takedown, an escape and a riding-time point in the final two minutes to beat Lang for the second time since falling to him, 6-5, in the finals of the Michigan State Open in November. The MSU junior captain enters the NCAA tournament with a 31-4 record. “He caught me with a five-point move back at the MSU Open and that is what won him the match, so I knew I had to be aware of him trying for the big move,” Andy Simmons said of Lang. “It is really exciting for my family, and I couldn’t ask for anything more. Now we just need to turn these Big Ten titles into NCAA titles in a couple of weeks.” Boudro scored an awe-inspiring victory in the consolation finals to join in on the trip to Oklahoma City, defeating Minnesota’s Gabriel Dretsch, 3-1, in the final seconds. Boudro was injured part way through the first when Dretsch threw him onto the hardwood floor, but persevered to improve on last season’s fourth-place finish. With the match tied 1-1 late in the contest, Dretsch appeared to have the victory locked up when he got a clean shot in on the Spartan captain, but Boudro countered it on the edge of the mat for a takedown and a two-point win. Boudro reached the third-place match with a 6-2 defeat of fourth-seeded James Yonushonis from Penn State. The Richmond, Mich., native remained in control for virtually the entire seven minutes, as he notched takedowns in the first and third periods, and rode Yonushonis for more than a minute to acquire a riding-time point. Seniors Jeff Clemens, Max Lossen and McKnight, as well as sophomore Joe Williams failed to earn automatic berths to the national tournament, as they all fell in the seventh-place matches on Sunday morning. The Big Ten is awarded 72 spots at nationals, the top seven at each weight, in addition to two wild cards, as voted on by the head coaches. The four MSU national qualifiers continue their seasons in 11 days, when they head to the 2006 NCAA Championships at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, March 16-18. 125 pounds 141 pounds 149 pounds 174 pounds 184 pounds 197 pounds 285 pounds *Numbers denote seeds not national rankings
Simmons
brothers advance BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Nick and Andy Simmons both advanced to the finals at the 2006 Big Ten Championships for the second straight year, as the 18th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team sits in eighth place after day one of competition. Five other Spartans are still alive in the consolation bracket. The top seven finishers in each weight class advance to the NCAA Championships March 16-18 in Oklahoma City, Okla. “Nick and Andy are really our story today,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “They stepped it up in dramatic fashion. Those were two of the best matches I think I have seen in a long time.” Nick Simmons, the No. 2 seed, punched his ticket to the 125-pound Big Ten finals for the second consecutive season in wild-and-crazy fashion, dropping third-seeded John Velez of Northwestern, 6-3. Simmons gave up an early takedown, and trailed 3-1 for the majority of the match, but countered a shot as time expired in the third to knot the bout at 3-3. After no action in the sudden-victory session, the two-time All-American locked up his 30th win of the season by putting Velez to his back for three near-fall points in the first tiebreaker. Simmons will face Illinois’ Kyle Ott in a rematch of the 2005 finals. In his first match of the afternoon in the quarterfinals, Simmons notched a 7-0 decision over Minnesota’s Travis Lang. His team-leading 10th shutout victory of the season was secured in the opening minute of the match, when he took Lang down and notched three near-fall points for a 5-0 lead. Andy Simmons followed his older brother’s lead as he advanced to the finals at 141 pounds, dropping the No. 3 seed as well, Iowa’s Alex Tsirtsis, 6-2. Similar to his brother, the younger Simmons gave up the first takedown, but rallied to score the next six points in the final four minutes with an escape, a reversal, two near-fall points and a riding-time point. Andy Simmons, now 30-4, will face Northwestern’s Ryan Lang in the finals. He pinned Lang in a dual meet in early February after falling to him at the MSU Open last November. Andy Simmons wrestled twice in the morning session, knocking off Ohio State’s T.J. Enright in the opening round, 8-0. It marked his team-leading 10th major-decision and seventh shutout of the 2005-06 campaign. In the quarters, the Williamston, Mich., native dropped No. 7 Manuel Rivera of Minnesota, 7-4, to catapult himself to the semifinals. After winning his first match of the tournament, Darren McKnight fell to the consolation bracket following a 17-3 loss to top-seeded Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. In the first round, the Hixson, Tenn., native jumped on Indiana’s Matt Cooper early, and claimed a 6-2 decision, then dominated his first consolation bout, dropping Northwestern’s Marty Gould, 15-3, for the fourth major decision of his season. McKnight moved into the seventh-place match following a 6-3 loss to No. 3 Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan. Controversy dominated R.J. Boudro’s quarterfinal clash with sixth-seeded Donny Reynolds of Illinois, and the despite a protest by MSU coaches, the Spartan captain fell, 9-8. Boudro rebounded in his first consolation bout, scoring five takedowns to defeat Indiana’s Marc Bennett, 12-8, then moved on to the consolation semifinals with a 6-3 win over Purdue’s Nick Corpe. Boudro is the only other Spartan besides Nick and Andy Simmons to secured a spot at nationals. Joe Williams recovered from a first-round loss as well, as he put Ohio State’s Alex Picazo to his back midway through the third and claimed a 9-3 decision in the first round of consolation matches at 184 pounds. Williams fell to eighth-seeded Tyrel Todd of Michigan in session one, then Northwestern’s Mike Tamillow, 7-3, in the evening session. He will go for seventh place Sunday morning. Jeff Clemens scored his first victory of the tournament in one of the more exciting matches by a Green and White grappler Saturday, as he dropped Iowa’s Dan Erekson, 4-3. The MSU 197-pounder trailed by one late in the match, but scored the clinching takedown in the final 30 seconds and held Erekson down for the final ticks off the clock. Clemens dropped his next two matches: 6-2 to Northwestern’s Matt Delguyd and 3-2 to Michigan’s Willie Breyer. He also will compete in the seventh-place match on Sunday. Max Lossen avenged a dual-meet loss to Wisconsin’s Lee Kraemer by upsetting the No. 5 seed, 3-2, in his second match. Northwestern’s Dustin Fox dropped Lossen, 5-1, for the third time this season in the first round of championship competition. The Spartan senior dropped into the seventh-place match after a 3-2 loss to Illinois’ Matt Weight. Jeff Wimberley (133 pounds), Tony Greathouse (157 pounds) and Bryan Harney (165 pounds) all dropped their first two matches and were eliminated from competition Wrestling at the 2006 Big Ten Championships concludes Sunday, with the first session set for 12 p.m. EST. A round of consolation matches and seventh-place bouts will precede the medal round at 2 p.m. EST. 125 pounds 133 pounds 141 pounds 149 pounds 157 pounds 165 pounds 174 pounds 184 pounds 197 pounds 285 pounds *Numbers denote seed, not national ranking.
Nick
Simmons completes unbeaten regular season, NORMAN, Okla. – In a battle of undefeated wrestlers at 125 pounds, Spartan All-American Nick Simmons dropped No. 2 Sam Hazewinkel for the first time in his career, but the 18th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team fell to No. 11 Oklahoma in its season finale, 24-11, Thursday, Feb. 23 at McCasland Field House. The dual got underway at 285 pounds, where sixth-ranked Jake Hager claimed a major decision over Spartan senior Max Lossen, 12-3, to give OU an early lead. Hager scored the first six points of the match, and took Lossen down four times in the victory. Things got interesting in the second match of the evening with the bout the wrestling world had been waiting weeks to see. Nick Simmons, ranked third in the nation, clashed with Hazewinkel. In a rematch of the 2005 NCAA consolation finals and the past two 125-pound matches at the NWCA All-Star Classic, all matches that Hazewinkel won. After a scoreless first period, Simmons held Hazewinkel on the mat the entire second, accumulating two valuable minutes of riding time. In the third, Simmons immediately escaped, then scored the match-clinching takedown midway through the period. Trailing 3-0, Hazewinkel escaped and was awarded a penalty point, but 2:27 of riding time gave Simmons the two-point win, beating the two-time All-American, 4-2. Simmons will enter the 2006 Big Ten Championships with a perfect 29-0 record, and finishes the dual-meet season with a flawless 14-0 mark. The win over Hazewinkel is Simmons’ first in five tries. The Sooners reclaimed a four-point lead at 133 pounds, as OU’s Joe Comparin, wrestling for the first time since Nov. 12, defeated red-shirt freshman Jeff Wimberley by the same score as the 125-pound match, 4-2. An escape and a penalty point in the second frame was the difference for Comparin, as he added a takedown in the third and fended off Wimberley’s attack in the final seconds. Another highly-anticipated match between two top-five wrestlers came at 141 pounds, where OU’s two-time national champion Teyon Ware dropped Spartan All-American Andy Simmons, 10-3. Ware scored all the points he needed in the opening period, as he took fifth-ranked Simmons down at the 1:19 mark and compiled five near-fall points for an early 7-0 lead. Simmons’ only points came on two escapes and a stalling point in the final four minutes. The next three decisions went Oklahoma’s way. First, sixth-ranked Sooner All-American Matt Storniolo shut out senior captain Darren McKnight, 5-0, at 149 pounds. OU took a 13-poing lead behind Will Rowe’s 6-2 decision over MSU’s Tony Greathouse at 157 pounds, and secured the team victory thanks to No. 16 Jarrod King, who beat Bryan Harney by technical fall, 17-0, at 165 pounds. No. 7 R.J. Boudro put the Spartans back on the board with a commanding 16-4 major decision over Chris DeVillbiss at 174 pounds. Boudro came out clicking on all cylinders following his loss Sunday to Minnesota’s Gabriel Dretsch, scoring two takedowns in both the first and the third periods, and adding three more two-point moves in the middle frame. The Richmond, Mich., native improves to 24-5 and finishes the dual-meet season 11-3. He will most likely enter the Big Ten tournament as the second seed behind Northwestern’s Jake Herbert. Joe Williams gave the Green and White their second straight major decision, with an 18-8 defeat of Travis West. With six takedowns, two near-fall points and a reversal, Williams shattered his previous season high in points, set at the Nittany Lion Open Dec. 4, and notched his ninth win of the season. The dual ended with a 7-3 decision by two-time Oklahoma All-American Joel Flaggert over State’s Jeff Clemens at 197 pounds. Flaggert tallied takedowns in the first and third, and added a reversal in the second to give the Sooners the 24-11 team victory. Michigan State has completed the
regular season, and will next head to the 2006 Big Ten Championships
at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, March 4-5. The top
seven wrestlers at each weight class at Big Tens advance to the NCAA
Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla., March 16-18.
No. 18 MSU
Wrestling Falls To No. 1 Minnesota On Senior Day EAST LANSING, Mich. – Honoring its seniors in the final home dual meet of the season, the 18th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team dropped nine of 10 matches in a 41-3 loss to No. 1 Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Jenison Field House.“Minnesota is an outstanding team from top to bottom,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “I don’t think we wrestled as well as we could have, but that doesn’t take away from what Minnesota did today. I just wish we could have sent our seniors out on a better note.” Senior Max Lossen had his hands full in the first match of the afternoon, as he clashed with No. 1 Cole Konrad. Minnesota’s NCAA finalist remained undefeated on the season by taking Lossen down eight times for a major decision, 17-6. No. 3 Nick Simmons completed a perfect Big Ten dual season with a 9-2 victory over Minnesota’s Travis Lang at 125 pounds. Simmons compiled nearly six minutes of riding time over the course of the match, and tallied two takedowns and two near-fall points to improve to 28-0 on the season, including 13-0 in dual meets and 8-0 in the Big Ten. Simmons will attempt to finish off a perfect regular season against fellow undefeated 125-pounder, No. 2 Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma on Thursday, Feb. 23. 2005 Big Ten Champion and Freshman of the Year Mack Reiter claimed a 14-point major decision at 133 pounds, defeating MSU’s Jeff Wimberley, 17-3. Reiter, ranked third in the nation, controlled Wimberley for the majority of the bout, putting the red-shirt freshman in a cradle twice as well as tallying four takedowns. Wrestling in the first dual meet of his Michigan State career red-shirt freshman Tim Hammer was pinned by No. 13 Manuel Rivera at 6:09 of their match at 141 pounds. Hammer held his own in the opening period, but was trailing 13-2 when Rivera registered the fall. State All-American Andy Simmons took the day off Sunday to prepare for his bout with No. 1 Teyon Ware of Oklahoma on Thursday. Golden Gopher Dustin Schlatter showed why he is the premier true freshman in the nation and No. 1 ranked wrestler at 149 pounds, as he defeated Spartan senior captain Darren McKnight by technical fall, 15-0. Schlatter needed just 4:01 to notch the technical, as he took McKnight down and racked up 11 near-fall points in the opening period. The first takedown of the second frame stopped the match and gave Minnesota a 19-3 advantage at the midway point of the dual. UM recorded its second fall of the afternoon at 157 pounds, as No. 4 C.P. Schlatter, Dustin’s older brother, pinned State junior Tony Greathouse at the 1:46 mark. In the next match at 165 pounds, Minnesota All-American Matt Nagel, ranked ninth, also tallied a fall, putting Spartan sophomore Bryan Harney to his back and pinning him at 1:22 of the first period to extend the Gophers’ lead to 31-3 with three matches remaining. No. 13 Gabriel Dretsch scored an upset victory for Minnesota at 174 pounds, as he claimed the decision against fifth-ranked MSU senior R.J. Boudro, 4-1. After a scoreless first three minutes, the wrestlers exchanged escapes in the opening moments of the second and third periods. With 45 seconds remaining in the match, Dretsch caught Boudro off-balance and scored the match-clinching takedown, then held the Richmond, Mich., native down to add a riding-time point. Minnesota claimed its seventh straight decision at 184 pounds, as No. 10 Roger Kish defeated Joe Williams by major decision, 16-5. Kish, a native of Lapeer, Mich., and four-time Michigan high school state champion at Lapeer West High School, took Williams down three times in the first and third periods, and added one more takedown in the middle frame. State lost a heartbreaker at 197 pounds, as Mitch Kuhlman dropped Jeff Clemens by a riding-time point, 5-4. Clemens took the lead early in the third period, taking the Minnesota wrestler down to move ahead 3-2, but was quickly reversed. Kuhlman was called for stalling in the final 30 seconds, but withstood the Spartan senior’s late attack to claim the one-point decision. The Spartan wrestling team will close out its regular-season dual-meet schedule against 11th-ranked Oklahoma on Thursday, Feb. 23 at McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla. Start time is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST. 285 - Cole Konrad
maj. dec. Max Lossen, MD, 17-6, UM, 4-0
No. 18 MSU
Wrestling drops the close matches, EAST LANSING, Mich. – The 18th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team won the first two matches of the night, but lost three close bouts by two points as it fell to No. 23 Wisconsin, 22-15, on Friday, Feb. 17 at Jenison Field House. Fifth-ranked R.J. Boudro kicked things off for the Spartans with a 16-11 decision over No. 14 Kelly Flaherty at 174 pounds. Boudro trailed 5-4 after the first period, but poured it on in the second and third, tallying five takedowns. The Spartans’ senior captain for the Spartans improved to 23-4 on the season and 6-1 in the Big Ten. With Friday night’s victory, Boudro has produced 36 dual-meet points and 10 dual-meet victories on the season. Michigan State jumped out to a 6-0 lead, thanks to Joe Williams’ decision by the same score over Matt Maciag at 184 pounds. Williams came out of the gate aggressively, scoring a takedown in the first 15 seconds of the match, and adding one more late in the third period for his first shutout of the year. The Orange, Calif., native improved to 8-10 on the 2005-06 season, 3-6 in dual meets. Wisconsin got on the board at 197 pounds, where Dallas Herbst claimed the decision over MSU senior Jeff Clemens, 8-4. The bout was tied at 4-4 following a crazy first period that saw reversals by both wrestlers as well as near-fall points for Herbst and a takedown for Clemens. Herbst held Clemens down the entire second period, and then notched an escape and a takedown in the third for the win. Max Lossen dropped a close at 285 pounds, falling to Wisconsin’s Lee Kraemer, 5-3, in the final seconds. Lossen led 3-2 until late in the third, when he was nailed for stalling, then gave up a takedown as the Badgers evened the dual-meet score at six apiece. Spartan All-American Nick Simmons continued his tear through the Big Ten, pinning Collin Cudd just 1:39 into their 125-pound match. Simmons compiled a 6-0 score before notching his team-leading 13th fall of the season to remain undefeated at 27-0. The Williamston, Mich., native recorded his 32nd career fall, putting him within three pins of fifth-place Erich Harvey (1992-97) on State’s all-time list. In the night’s sixth match, Wisconsin’s Tom Clum, ranked fifth, returned the favor at 133 pounds, pinning State’s Jeff Wimberley at 2:08. Clum, who finished third in the nation last season, caught Wimberley in a cradle in the opening seconds, but took nearly 1:30 to finish the match after the initial lock-in. All-American Andy Simmons put Michigan State back on top, 15-12, with a 7-5 victory over UW’s Ed Gutnik at 141 pounds. After a scoreless first three minutes, Simmons went up 7-0 in the second frame, by taking Gutnik down and compiling four near-fall points. Simmons, currently ranked fifth in the nation, raised his record to 28-3 on the season. His 28 wins lead the team, while his 11-1 dual-meet record ranks second, trailing only his brother Nick. MSU’s No. 15 Darren McKnight was once again faced with a formidable opponent in the featured match of the night at 149 pounds, as he met No. 11 Tyler Turner. Despite taking an early lead, McKnight dropped a heartbreaker, 11-9, as the Badgers managed to tie the dual after eight matches. With the match tied at 8-8 midway through the third, Turner scored the match-clinching takedown, and held the senior captain down long enough to gain a riding-time point. Wisconsin took its first lead at 157 pounds, where No. 5 Craig Henning defeated Tony Greathouse by major decision, 12-2. Greathouse scored on two escapes, but Henning racked up three takedowns, a reversal, three near-fall points and a riding-time point. No. 17 Jake Donar clinched the dual for the Badgers, defeating Spartan sophomore Bryan Harney at 165 pounds, 6-1. Donar weathered an aggressive seven minutes by Harney, and scored takedowns in the final two frames to claim the decision. The Spartans close out their 2005-06 home season with a Senior Day clash against the nation’s No. 1 team, Minnesota, on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. in Jenison Field House. 174 - R.J. Boudro
dec. Kelly Flaherty, 16-11, MSU, 3-0
No. 6
Illinois takes down the No. 18 Spartans, 22-15 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Junior All-American Nick Simmons avenged a loss to No. 6 Kyle Ott in the 2005 national semifinals in dominating fashion, but the 18th ranked Michigan State wrestling team fell, 22-15, to sixth-ranked Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 12 at Huff Hall. “Illinois is a very good team, but I think if we would have won just one more match, like Darren McKnight’s close one, it would have been an entirely different dual,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “But by far, the most reward part of the afternoon was seeing Nick Simmons’ completed domination of the defending national runner up. He needed that, especially after the controversial match at the NCAA Championships a year ago.” The Fighting Illini gained the early momentum at the opening weight class of 149 pounds, where Illinois’ Troy Tirapelle upset Spartan captain Darren McKnight, 6-4. Following a scoreless first period, Tirapelle notched a takedown in each of the next two frames to McKnight’s one in the third. MSU’s Tony Greathouse gave him a match early, but ultimately two-time All-American Alex Tirapelle prevailed by major decision at 157 pounds, 11-2. Tirapelle, ranked first in the nation, led 2-0 after the first, then tallied a pair of two-point moves in each of the next two periods to improve to 20-1 on the season. Illinois jumped out to an 11-0 lead after three matches thanks to standout red-shirt freshman Michael Poeta at 165 pounds. Poeta, ranked eight in the nation, earned a major-decision victory over State’s Bryan Harney, 14-2. Poeta scored five takedowns as well as an escape and two near-fall points in the win. Senior captain R.J. Boudro put the Spartans on the board at 174 pounds, knocking off No. 16 Donny Reynolds, 10-4. Boudro, ranked fifth in the nation, jumped out to an early lead, taking Reynolds down twice in each of the first two frames. The Richmond, Mich., native added a riding-time point and an escape in the third to improve his season record to 22-4. Boudro is now 9-2 in dual meets, good for 33 team points, second highest on the team. Two-time All-American Pete Friedl boosted the Illini lead to 12 points at 184 pounds, defeating Michigan State’s Joe Williams by major decision, 9-1. The sixth-ranked Friedl caught Williams in a cradle and put him to his back late in the first period, but was only awarded three back points as time ran out. He scored his only other takedown midway through the second and accumulated over three minutes of riding time for the match. Senior Jeff Clemens wrestled a tough match for the Spartans at 197 pounds, but fell to No. 8 Tyrone Byrd by decision, 4-3. Clemens staged a comeback late in the third period, earning an escape point following an Illinois stalling to tie the match at 3-3. But, he could not takedown the three-time NCAA qualifier in the closing 30 seconds, and over three minutes of riding time earned Byrd a point that proved to be the difference in the bout. At 285 pounds, Max Lossen picked up a crucial victory for the Green and White heading into the lower weights as he defeated Matt Weight, 4-1. Lossen trailed 1-0 heading into final two minutes, but notched a takedown, an escape and a riding-time point for his second victory of the Big Ten dual-meet season. Lossen evens his record to 12-12 on the year, and is just one win away from doubling his dual-meet total of three last year. No. 3 Nick Simmons kept the pressure on Ott from the opening whistle, defeating the two-time national finalist by major decision, 14-0. Simmons controlled Ott from the top position for more than five of the match’s seven minutes, tallying takedowns in the first and third periods, and racking up nine near-fall points. The two wrestlers clashed twice last season, with Simmons beating Ott in the Big Ten Finals, 4-2, before falling in the national semifinals two weeks later by sudden victory, 3-1. Nick Simmons remains undefeated at 26-0 on the season, and improves on his team-leading totals nine of nine shutouts, and 46 dual-meet points. Gabe Flores gave Illinois its fourth major decision of the afternoon, defeating MSU’s Jeff Wimberley, 14-3, at 133 pounds. Flores compiled four takedowns, a reversal, three near-fall points and a riding-time point to lock up the team victory for UI. No. 5 Andy Simmons finished the dual off on a winning note for the Spartans, recording a technical fall, 16-0, at 141 pounds over Dan Manzella. Simmons improved on his team-leading victory total of 27 by putting Manzella to his back on four separate occasions, compiling 12 near-fall points and adding two takedowns. The Williamston, Mich., native now sits at 10-1 in dual meets, good for the second-best winning percentage on the team. The Spartan wrestlers return to Jenison Field House next weekend for their final two home duals of 2005-06 season. State will clash with No. 23 Wisconsin at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, then take on No. 1 Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m.
149- Troy Tirapelle dec. Darren
McKnight, 6-4, UI, 3-0
No. 18 MSU
Wrestling falls at No. 13 Northwestern, 21-13 EVANSTON, Ill. – The 18th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team won three of the first four matches against No. 13 Northwestern, but faltered down the stretch and fell 21-13 at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday night, Feb. 10. “I’m really proud of the matches that R.J. Boudo and Andy Simmons wrestled, but there were other places where I think we lost because we just didn’t give it our best effort,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “We’re going to have to learn form this and regroup in a hurry.” Nick Simmons gave the Spartans an early 3-0 advantage at 125 pounds, with a 7-2 win over eighth-ranked John Velez. Tied at two apiece following the first period, Simmons countered a Velez shot with a takedown and two near-fall points as time expired in the second period. Simmons, ranked third, rode Velez out for the final frame to capture his 25th win of the season and remain undefeated. At 133 pounds, Northwestern’s Daniel Quintela used a takedown midway through the third to beat MSU’s Jeff Wimberley, 5-4, and tie the dual at 3-3. Wimberley led 4-2 early in the third period, but could not hold on for his second straight win. The featured match of the night at 141 pounds between Michigan State’s fifth-ranked Andy Simmons and No. 6 Ryan Lang lived up to its advanced billing, as Simmons avenged an early-season loss to Lang by catching him on his back and notching the fall at 6:14. Simmons trailed 4-3 heading into the third, but quickly escaped tying the match at 4-4. After a brief scramble on their feet, Simmons caught Lang in a bear hug, putting him to his back and improving to 26-3 on the season. The Williamston, Mich., native recorded his second fall of the season and 18th of his career. Darren McKnight extended the Michigan State lead to 10 points at 149 pounds, with a 13-4 major decision over Marty Gould. McKnight outscored the Northwestern 149-pounder, 7-1, in the final period to get the major, his first since the Nittany Lion Open on Dec. 4. The Hixson, Tenn., native improved to 19-10 on the season. Wrestling at 157 pounds for the Spartans, junior Tony Greathouse put together a valiant third-period comeback, but fell 7-6 to Greg Hagel. Trailing 4-0 after five minutes, Greathouse compiled three quick takedowns, but over one minute of riding time was the difference, and Northwestern’s Hagel narrowed the MSU lead to 13-6. The State lead dwindled to four following the 165-pound bout, as No. 18 Will Durkee defeated Spartan sophomore Bryan Harney, 9-2. Durkee executed a five-point takedown with near-fall points in the opening minute of the match, and though Harney got in deep on shots throughout the match, he could not finish the takedowns. The 174-pound bout showcased two of the nation’s top five wrestlers as State’s No. 5 R.J. Boudro attempted to hand second-ranked Jake Herbert his first loss of the season. After a scoreless first, Herbert scored an escape and the lone takedown of the match in the second, winning the period 3-1. Boudro could only manage an escape in the third, and fell to Herbert for the third time this season, 4-2. The 184-pound match was characterized by the final 15 seconds, as Northwestern’s Mike Tamillow, ranked No. 11, narrowly escaped John Murphy, 7-4. Tied at with just 15 ticks left on the clock, Murphy reversed Tamillow, but the Wildcat quickly returned the favor, and added two near-fall points and a riding-time point to claim the decision. Northwestern took a five-point lead into the final match thanks to Matt Delguyd’s 3-2 decision over Jeff Clemens at 197 pounds. The defending Big Ten Champion took down Clemens for the lone takedown of the match early in the first, and the majority of the remainder of the bout was spent in the neutral position. In the final match of the night at 285 pounds, MSU senior Max Lossen took eighth-ranked Dustin Fox to a second overtime, but ultimately gave up a takedown to drop a 4-2 decision. Michigan State now heads to Champaign, Ill., for a Sunday afternoon tussle with sixth-ranked Illinois. The dual is scheduled for 1 p.m. CST.
125 - Nick Simmons dec. John Velez, 7-2,
MSU, 3-0
Spartans
down No. 7 Iowa, 19-17 EAST LANSING, Mich. – The No. 18 Michigan State wrestling team (4-5) used a fall by junior All-American Nick Simmons to upset seventh-ranked Iowa (8-6), 19-17 on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 5, sweeping its weekend series and improving to 2-2 in the Big Ten. “That was another very satisfying win for our team,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “Once again, we had all 10 of our guys contribute in some way. We know we are a solid tournament team, but winning dual meets like this one proves we can compete in duals as well.” Iowa took an early 3-0 lead following a 5-2 win by No. 7 Paul Bradley over Joe Williams at 184 pounds. The two-time All-American took Williams down in the first and third periods and wrestled a predominately defensive-oriented match to claim the victory. Senior Jeff Clemens tied things up for the Green and White at 197 pounds, dropping Dan Erekson, 8-4, for his 14th win of the season. Clemens fell behind early, giving up a takedown in the opening minute, but rallied to tally four takedowns of his own, in addition to eliminating Erekson’s riding-time advantage in the final four minutes. The victory was the Bellbrook, Ohio, native’s first of the Big Ten season. Ryan Fuller put the Hawkeyes back on top at 285 pounds, dropping MSU senior Max Lossen, 7-3. Similar to Bradley’s win at 184 pounds, Fuller took Lossen down early in the first period, and sealed the match with a takedown in the closing seconds. Nick Simmons turned in another dominating performance at 125 pounds, pinning Lucas Magnani at 2:39 of the first period to give State its first lead of the afternoon at 9-6. Simmons came out on the offensive, putting Magnani to his back twice before notching his team-leading 12th fall of the 2005-06 campaign. Simmons, ranked fourth in the nation, is now 24-0 and 9-0 in dual meets. He is in sole possession of sixth place on MSU’s all-time falls list with 31. MSU extended its lead to 12-6 following red-shirt freshman Jeff Wimberley’s first dual-meet win of his career at 133 pounds. Wimberley defeated Daniel Dennis in come-from-behind fashion, 9-6. Trailing 5-1 midway through the second period, Wimberley put Dennis to his back and notched another takedown in the third, earning a standing ovation from the Spartan faithful heading into the intermission. No. 5 Andy Simmons won an intense match, 2-1, over No. 12 Alex Tsirtsis to extend the Michigan State lead to 15-6. After a scoreless first period, Simmons chose bottom to start the second and reversed Tsirtsis 1:20 into the period. The junior All-American held on amidst a scramble as time expired in the third period to claim his team-leading 24th win of the season. Iowa’s Ty Eustice took the 149-pound match, defeating Darren McKnight, 9-5, to narrow the MSU lead to 15-9. Eustice, ranked second in the nation, took McKnight down twice in both the first and the third periods and is now 19-1 on the season. Spartan junior Tony Greathouse scored the first takedown of the 157-pound match, but 2005 national finalist Joe Johnston ultimately prevailed for the Hawkeyes by major decision, 18-8. Iowa reclaimed the lead at 165 pounds, as Eric Luedke defeated Bryan Harney by major decision, 11-1. Luedke spent the majority of the match in the top position, accumulating more than three minutes of riding time. He scored a takedown in each of the three periods and tallied two near-fall points late in the first. It all came down to the 174-pound bout, where No. 6 R.J. Boudro clinched the upset-victory for the Spartans, defeating Ben Stedman by major decision, 13-3. Boudro never stopped attacking, notching five takedowns and a reversal en route to his 21st win of the season. The Richmond, Mich., native tallied major decisions in both of his matches this weekend, and now has eight victories by eight points or more on the season. The Spartan grapplers head west next weekend for a pair of duals against Big Ten teams. They will clash with No. 16 Northwestern on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m., before going to Champaign-Urbana to meet third-ranked Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m.
184 - Paul Bradley dec. Joe Williams,
5-2, Iowa, 3-0
No. 18 MSU
Wrestling takes EAST LANSING, Mich. – Senior captain Darren McKnight wrestled an inspired match against ninth-ranked Doug Withstandley at 149 pounds as the Michigan State wrestling team (3-5, 1-2 Big Ten) dropped Purdue, 22-11, for its first Big Ten win of the season Friday night, Feb. 3 at Jenison Field House. “We wrestled a terrific dual as a team tonight, which is what we have been looking for all season,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “Everyone wrestled hard, and we had some guys step up big at a few weight classes. Darren’s match was really the marquee one of the dual. It was as good of a college match as I have seen in a while.” The Spartans stole the early momentum, with junior Tony Greathouse taking the 157-pound match to start the dual. Greathouse gave up an early takedown, but took Jake Murphy down in the closing seconds of the first period, in addition to holding him down the entire third period, to claim a 4-2 decision. Greathouse now stands at 13-9 on the season and evens his dual-meet record to 4-4. One of the top bouts of the night came at 165 pounds where MSU’s Greg Goidosik won a thrilling match, 5-3, in the second sudden-victory period against Dan Bedoy. Tied at two after seven minutes, neither wrestler scored in the first overtime session and they exchanged escapes in the round of tiebreakers, which puts both wrestler in the down position. Goidosik countered a Bedoy shot in the closing seconds of the second overtime to pick up his 11th victory of the season. R.J. Boudro picked up his 20th victory of the season at 174 pounds, defeating Purdue’s Barry Jackson by major decision, 13-4. Boudro took a 6-1 lead into the third period, where he tallied three takedowns and a riding-time point to extend Michigan State’s lead to 10-0. The win surpassed the Richmond, Mich., native’s total from last season, setting a new career high in victories. Purdue’s Ben Wissel showed why he is ranked third in the nation at 184 pounds, defeating MSU red-shirt freshman John Murphy by major decision, 15-5. Wissel tallied six takedowns and a reverse in the victory. The second overtime match of the night went Purdue’s way, as No. 20 Nathan Moore claimed the sudden-victory decision against senior Jeff Clemens, 3-1. Clemens took his chances on a quick ankle pick to start overtime, but was countered, leading to a Moore takedown. Senior Max Lossen put the Spartans back on the board at 285 pounds, scoring his 11th victory of the season, 5-3, against Aaron Keough. A stalling point was awarded to Keough late in the third to tie the match at three, but Lossen scored the match-clinching takedown in the closing seconds to even his dual-meet record to 4-4. Junior All-American Nick Simmons remained undefeated on the season for the Green and White, as he defeated Brandon Tucker, 8-4, for his 23rd win of the season at 125 pounds. Simmons fell behind 2-0 on a high-risk move early, but scored the next five points and added a reversal late in the second for the win. No. 6 Chris Fleeger put Purdue back on the board, defeating MSU’s Jeff Wimberley by major decision, 16-3, at 133 pounds. The two-time All-American outscored Wimberley, 10-1, in the opening period and held on to narrow the Michigan State lead to five at 16-11. No. 5 Andy Simmons secured the Spartans their first Big Ten win of the season, defeating Jake Patacsil at 141 pounds, 4-2. Simmons scored takedowns in the first and third periods to claim his team-leading 24th win of the season. The Williamston, Mich., native is now 7-1 in dual meets. Withstandley and McKnight, ranked 15th, rounded out the evening in the most highly anticipated match of dual, with the MSU 149-pounder coming out on top, 13-6. McKnight came out firing on all cylinders, taking the Purdue senior down three times in the opening period, and sealing the deal with a takedown and two near-fall points in the closing minute. The win broke a four-match losing streak against ranked wrestlers for McKnight, and improved his record to 18-9 on the 2005-06 campaign. The Spartans return to action Sunday, Feb. 5 when they take on the seventh-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes at Jenison Field House. The last time the two teams got together in East Lansing, MSU won a wild, 19-19, dual on criteria in 2003. Wrestling starts at 1 p.m. 157- Tony
Greathouse dec. Jake Murphy
4-2 MSU, 3-0
No. 18
Spartan Wrestling falls at No. 4 Michigan, 27-12 ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Junior All-American Nick Simmons recorded his team-leading 11th fall of the season in the opening match of the dual, but the Michigan State wrestling team (2-5, 0-2 Big Ten) fell to intrastate rival Michigan, 27-12, in front of a capacity crowd at Cliff Keen Arena on Sunday, Jan. 29. “There were some great matches today between some terrific wrestlers, but anytime you lose to Michigan it’s tough,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “We had some opportunities throughout the dual, but we weren’t able to take advantage of those situations.” Nick Simmons dominated the opening match of the dual, taking down Michigan’s Michael Watts in the first 30 seconds and recording six near-fall points before recording his team-leading 11th fall of the season at 1:34. Ranked fourth at 125 pounds, Simmons now has falls in back-to-back matches and is undefeated on the season at 22-0. Michigan answered back quickly at 133 pounds though, with No. 14 Mark Moos pinning Spartan red-shirt freshman Jeff Wimberley just 45 seconds into their bout. The featured match of the day was a rematch of the 141-pound Big Ten finals last March between two All-Americans, No. 4 Andy Simmons for the Spartans and No. 5 Josh Churella for the Wolverines. After a scoreless first period, Churella outscored Simmons, 3-2, in the second, notching a takedown and an escape to Simmons’ two near-fall points. Churella held down the Spartan junior the entire third period for the 4-2 decision. In the second straight match-up between ranked wrestlers, No. 6 Eric Tannenbaum defeated MSU senior captain, No. 15 Darren McKnight, 9-3, at 149 pounds. Tannenbaum’s two takedowns in the first period proved to be the difference, as the U-M sophomore defeated McKnight for the fourth consecutive time. Wolverine freshman Steven Luke put MSU’s Tony Greathouse to his back early in the first period, and used those five points to give Michigan a 15-6 lead heading into the intermission. Michigan senior Ryan Churella, ranked first in the nation, scored the third fall in six matches, pinning MSU’s Greg Goidosik at 4:54 of the 165-pound contest. Churella compiled 13 points, including 11 near-fall points before notching the fall to remain unbeaten on the season. Wrestling at his former school for the first time since transferring following the 2003-04 season, Michigan State senior captain R.J. Boudro defeated No. 7 Nick Roy for the third straight time, 4-2, at 174 pounds. Boudro, ranked sixth, took his former teammate down early in the first period, and accumulated 4:10 of riding time in the first five minutes of the match to improve to 19-3 for the 2005-06 campaign. The Green and White won its second straight match at 184 pounds behind sophomore Joe Williams, who defeated Omar Maktabi, 10-3, for his first dual-meet victory since Nov. 27 against Oklahoma State. After a scoreless first period, Williams scored three takedowns in the final four minutes to record his seventh win of the season. Michigan secured the dual-meet win in an exhilarating match between State’s Jeff Clemens and Michigan’s Casey White at 197 pounds. Clemens led the match 5-3 with less than a minute remaining, but White reversed the Spartan senior and tallied three near-fall points as well as a riding-time point to claim the 9-5 decision. In the final match of the afternoon, MSU senior Max Lossen provided All-American Greg Wagner a scare early, but Wagner ultimately prevailed with a 12-5 decision. After an early Wagner takedown, Lossen reversed the Michigan 285 pounder and put him to his back for two-near fall points, but was outscored, 10-1, for the remainder of the bout. The Spartan wrestling team continues Big Ten dual-meet competition at home next weekend when they take on the Purdue Boilermakers Friday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. and the seventh-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes Sunday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m.
125 - Nick Simmons fall Michael Watts,
Fall, 1:34, MSU, 6-0
Spartans
drop Big Ten opener at Penn State, 27-12 STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Despite convincing victories by Nick Simmons, R.J. Boudro and Andy Simmons, the 18th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team (2-4, 0-1 Big Ten) fell at No. 10 Penn State, 27-12, Friday, Jan. 27 in Recreation Hall. The 19th all-time meeting between the Spartans and Nittany Lions kicked off at 184 pounds where Penn State All-American and Big Ten Champion Eric Bradley scored a major decision over Joe Williams, 12-4. Bradley notched two takedowns in both the first and third periods, as well as one in the middle frame to remain undefeated on the season. Philip Davis, another 2005 All-American, put PSU up 7-0 after his 9-3 victory over MSU’s Jeff Clemens at 197 pounds. Davis only led 2-1 after the first period, but outscored Clemens, 5-0, in the second to claim victory. No. 20 Joel Edwards scored the second major decision in three matches at 285 pounds, defeating Michigan State’s Max Lossen, 12-3. Edwards scored five points in each of the final two periods after leading 2-0 at the end of two minutes. The Green and White got on the board following a dominant performance by junior All-American Nick Simmons. The Williamston, Mich., native led 5-0 in the second period when he put Penn State’s Tim Haas to his back and tallied his team-leading 10th fall of the season at 4:58 mark. The fourth-ranked Simmons improved his record to 21-0 on the season and cut the Nittany Lion lead to 11-6. Penn State extended its lead back to eight after a victory by No. 9 Jake Strayer over Jeff Wimberley, 9-2, at 133 pounds. Down 8-0 late in the third, Wimberley persevered to reverse Strayer and keep the match from becoming a major decision. Nick Simmons’ younger brother Andy put the Spartans back in the victory column with a 6-1 defeat of No. 9 DeWitt Driscoll at 141 pounds. No. 4 Andy Simmons produced his team-leading 23rd victory of the 2005-06 campaign by taking Driscoll down once in each of the first two frames, and added an escape and a riding-time point to cut the PSU lead to five. Penn State took each of the next three matches, extending its lead to 18 and securing its ninth dual-meet victory of the season. At 149 pounds, No. 10 James Woodall scored two early takedowns on Spartan captain Darren McKnight and held on for 7-3 decision. The 157-pound bout clinched the dual for Penn State as No. 14 Nathan Galloway notched the second fall of the evening at 1:46 of the first period against MSU junior Tony Greathouse. The third Penn State major decision of the dual came courtesy of surprising freshman David Erwin at 165 pounds. Erwin, ranked No. 11, was a takedown machine, tallying six of them en route to a 15-7 win against Michigan State’s Greg Goidosik. Boudro ended the night on a winning note for the Spartans, defeating No. 12 James Yonushonis, 5-2, at 174 pounds. As usual, Boudro wrestled a smart bout, using the clock to his advantage in the third after taking Yonushonis down once in each of the first two periods. The Richmond, Mich., native, ranked sixth in the nation, upped his record to 18-3 on the season for the Spartans, including a 5-1 record in dual meets. Michigan State returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 29 at Cliff Keen Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich., when the Spartans take on intrastate rival Michigan. The first bout is scheduled for 1 p.m. 184 - Eric
Bradley maj. dec. Joe Williams, MD, 12-4, PSU, 4-0
No. 18 MSU
wrestling team wins EAST LANSING, Mich.- The 18th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team (2-3) took five of 10 matches from No. 17 Edinboro, but fell 17-16 on Sunday, Jan. 22 at Jenison Field House. “This is a really tough one to take,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “I give Edinboro a lot of credit, they are good at every weight class, but we had some mistakes and letdowns at several weights that cost us the dual.” In the opening match of the afternoon, Edinboro’s Deonte Penn outscored Greg Goidosik 10-2 in the second period of their 165-pound match en route to a 15-4 victory, giving the Fighting Scots a 4-0 lead early in the dual. R.J. Boudro got the Spartans on the board, winning a defensive struggle, 5-1, at 174 pounds. Boudro scored a reversal late in the second period, and tacked on a takedown in the third to improve his season record to 17-3. Boudro, currently ranked sixth in the nation, is 4-1 in dual-meet competition. Edinboro went back on top by four points following the 184-pound bout, where No. 15 Alex Clemsen defeated Joe Williams, 5-3. Clemsen scored takedowns in the first and third periods, and withstood Williams’ attack in the closing seconds to pick up the victory. Riding time proved to be the difference at 197 pounds, as EU’s Joe Fendone beat Jeff Clemens, 3-2. After a scoreless first two periods, Fendone notched a reversal midway through the third and held on despite a stalling call and a Clemens escape late in the period. For the second-straight match there was no score heading into the final frame, but this time the Spartans prevailed to narrow Edinboro’s lead to 10-6. MSU’s Max Lossen held Koel Davia down the entire second period, then tallied an escape early in the third to improve to 10-8 on the season. The decision was Lossen’s third consecutive dual-meet victory and first shutout of the season. Nick Simmons picked up his 20th win of the season at 125 pounds, defeating Ricky Deubel for the second time this season, 11-4. Simmons gave up the first takedown, but outscored Deubel 10-2 down the stretch to improve to 5-0 in dual meets, and narrow the EU lead to one point. At 133 pounds, No. 1 Shawn Bunch showed flashes of why he was a 2005 national finalist, defeating redshirt freshman Jeff Wimberley by major decision, 14-4, and extending the Fighting Scot lead to 14-9. MSU picked up its first major decision of the dual courtesy of No. 4 Andy Simmons at 141 pounds. Simmons used three takedowns and six near-fall points to knock off Rick McLaughlin 14-2 for his team-leading 22nd victory of the season. Simmons is now 5-0 for the 2005-06 campaign and also leads the team in major decisions with nine. No. 7 Gregor Gillespie used a takedown and three near-fall points in the first 30 seconds of the match to defeat senior captain Darren McKnight 6-2 at 149 pounds. In a hard-fought battle at 157 pounds, Tony Greathouse notched the match-clinching takedown halfway through the third period to defeat Eric Hill, 4-2. Greathouse wrestled smart throughout the seven minutes after falling behind 2-0 early. The Mason, Mich., native improved to 12-7 on the season, but because the Green and White needed at least a major decision to tie the dual, Edinboro claimed the 17-16 team win. The Spartans begin the Big Ten portion of their schedule next weekend, when they head to State College, Pa., to take on Penn State Friday, Jan. 28. MSU rounds out the weekend Sunday against intrastate rival Michigan in Ann Arbor. 165 -
Deonte Penn maj. dec. Greg Goidosik, MD, 15-4, EU, 4-0
No. 18
Spartan wrestling team drops Pittsburgh, 28-9 PITTSBURGH, Pa.- Redshirt freshman John Murphy and sophomore Greg Goidosik picked up their first career dual-meet victories as the 18th-ranked Michigan State wrestling team (2-2) crushed Pittsburgh, 28-9, at Fitzgerald Field House Friday night, Jan. 20. “It was a heck of a dual,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “It was a real team effort and a good way to start off the second half of our schedule, especially after the long layoff we have had.” The dual got started at 197 pounds where senior Jeff Clemens gave the Spartans an early lead, defeating Mike Heist, 5-1. Clemens notched two takedowns: one on a counter as time expired in the second period, and another in the closing the seconds of the third. The Bellbrook, Ohio native improves to 13-8 on the season and picks up his second straight dual-meet victory. Max Lossen took the second match of the night, 5-2, in a hard-fought battle with Lou Thomas at 285 pounds. With the score tied midway through third, Lossen looked to be in trouble, but came away on top in a scramble to take a two-point lead and cruise to victory. Lossen now has a record of 10-9 on the year, and like Clemens, claimed his second consecutive dual-meet win against the Panthers. Fourth-ranked Nick Simmons extend his streak of not giving up a point to seven matches as he pinned Brad Gentzle at the 3:22 mark of their 125-pound bout. Simmons notched his team-leading ninth fall of the year by rolling Gentzle up in a cradle early in the second period. The Williamston, Mich., native is now 19-0 on the season with four dual-meet victories. Despite taking an early 5-0 lead, Jeff Wimberley could not hold on against Pitt’s Mike Ciotti, and dropped the 133-pound match, 12-5. In the most anticipated match of the night, No. 4 Andy Simmons edged No. 8 Ron Tarquinio in thrilling fashion, 2-0. Both wrestlers had their opportunities in scrambles near the edge of the mat, but neither scored a takedown, and Simmons won on an escape and a riding-time point. The victory is Simmons’ 21st of the season and he is now a perfect 4-0 in dual meets. Andy Simmons is now only second to his brother Nick in team shutouts with six. Darren McKnight dropped a controversial decision by fall to the Panther’s Joey Ecklof at 149 pounds. The score was tied late in the third period when Ecklof countered a McKnight takedown and took the Spartan captain to his back. Time expired and the official called a fall simultaneously, and Pittsburgh narrowed the MSU lead to 15-9. “I really feel bad for Darren,” Minkel said. “He wrestled his heart out and was in control of the match the entire time. He just got a bad break.” Tony Greathouse put momentum back on Michigan State’s side with his first | |||
