Kendle registers big upset in Spartans' loss to No. 1 Hawkeyes

Wins by Jones, Kendle, Hinton and O'Donnell keep top-ranked Iowa close

EAST LANSING, Mich., 2/06/09 - Michigan State senior Rex Kendle (Edwardsburg, Mich.) defeated Iowa's third-ranked 165-pounder Ryan Morningstar, 5-4, but it wasn't enough to hold off the top-ranked Hawkeyes (19-0, 3-0 Big Ten), who took the dual meet, 22-15, Friday night at Jenison Field House.

Kendle, sophomore 157-pounder Anthony Jones Jr. (Highland Park, Mich.), redshirt freshman 174-pounder Ian Hinton (Nappanee, Ind.) and heavyweight senior Alan O'Donnell (Lakewood, Mich.) picked up wins for MSU (6-5, 1-3). The wins give Jones and Kendle each their 20th this season.

"I was really, really proud of how we competed," said MSU head coach Tom Minkel. "Every guy had to give everything he had. We weren't afraid, we weren't intimidated, and we went out and battled hard. There were some great matches."

Action began in the 125-pound class, where fourth-ranked Charlie Falck earned a 25-13 major decision over MSU redshirt freshman Eric Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Va.).

The marquee matchup of the night followed with No. 6 Spartan 133-pounder Franklin Gomez (Brandon, Fla.) dropped a tight bout to No. 1 Daniel Dennis. The bout was tied, 2-2, going into the third period, but Dennis earned an escape early on to get the win. Gomez is now 13-2 this season, with both of his losses coming against top-10 wrestlers.

Iowa extended its lead to 16-0 after No. 2 141-pounder Alex Tsirtsis earned a 6-2 decision over MSU redshirt freshman Collin Dozier (Virginia Beach, Va.) and top-ranked 149-pounder Brent Metcalf pinned redshirt freshman David Cheza (Grand Blanc, Mich.) in 6:41.

Jones earned the Spartans' first win of the night, notching an escape with 49 seconds left in the bout to claim the 1-0 victory. Kendle then earned three more points with his win over Morningstar, cutting the Hawkeyes' lead to 16-6.

"One thing you can say about Rex is that he's just been persistent," said Minkel. "He just epitomizes what you want in college athletics. He's all about work ethic and he's all about character."

Hinton made it three-straight victories after beating Iowa's Colby Covington, 3-2, in a thrilling bout that needed double overtime to claim a winner.

Third-ranked Hawkeye 184-pounder Phil Keddy then picked up an 8-2 decision over MSU junior Nick Palmieri (Highland Heights, Ohio) and No. 18 Chad Beatty defeated redshirt freshman Tyler Dickenson (Pewamo, Mich.), 12-5, to extend their lead to 22-9.

Seventh-ranked Iowa heavyweight Dan Erekson suffered an injury 27 seconds into the bout that forced him to default, giving O'Donnell the win and the Spartans six points.

MSU will return to Jenison Field House this Sunday, Feb. 8, to take on No. 18 Michigan at 1 p.m. The dual will be aired by the Big Ten Network on Sunday night at 8 p.m.

FINAL RESULTS
125: #4 Charlie Falck (Iowa) maj. dec. Eric Olanowski (MSU), 24-13; Iowa leads, 4-0
133: #1 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) dec. #6 Franklin Gomez, 3-2; Iowa leads, 7-0
141: #2 Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa) dec. Collin Dozier (MSU), 6-2; Iowa leads, 10-0
149: #1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) pins David Cheza (MSU), 6:41; Iowa leads, 16-0
157: Anthony Jones Jr. (MSU) dec. Matt Ballweg (Iowa), 1-0; Iowa leads, 16-3
165: Rex Kendle (MSU) dec. #3 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa), 5-4; Iowa leads, 16-6
174: Ian Hinton (MSU) dec. Colby Covington (Iowa), 3-2 (2OT); Iowa leads, 16-9
184: #3 Phil Keddy (Iowa) dec. Nick Palmieri (MSU), 8-2; Iowa leads, 19-9
197: #18 Chad Beatty (Iowa) dec. Tyler Dickenson (MSU), 12-5; Iowa leads, 22-9
285: Alan O'Donnell (MSU) inj. def. #7 Dan Erekson (Iowa); Iowa wins, 22-15