The No. 11 MSU wrestling team started off the new year on a sour note as the Spartans fell to 25th-ranked Kent State on Saturday.
The loss to the Golden Flashes (7-0) brings MSU's record to 1-2 and is leaving the team searching for answers.
"This team has got to figure out where it's going and we've got to figure it out in a hurry," MSU head coach Tom Minkel said. "We've been wrestling way below our potential."
Minkel said injuries may have played a part in the teams loss. The most notable being that of senior Karl Nadolsky, No. 10 in the 149-pound division.
"The injuries hurt, but we've had some pretty poor performances," Minkel said.
With the loss, Minkel remains two wins shy of 100 for his tenure at MSU with a 12-year record of 98-95-2.
Although the loss puts the team below .500, there were some bright spots to the afternoon.
Sophomore Shane Martin notched his first win in his first-ever dual appearance in the 133-pound division.
"I wrestled a couple of times last season," Martin said. "It felt good to get that first win today for us though."
Martin said even with his triumph the day was still a bit of a down one. However, his outlook on the remainder of the season is positive.
"I think we're going to turn it around. The season's still very young," he said. "The nucleus for us is there. I think it's going to end up being a good season."
Senior Gray Maynard, No. 6 in the 157-pound division, continues to shine as he brought his record to 7-1. He also finished second in the 157-pound division at the Midlands Championships, while posting a 4-1 record.
Fatigue also may have played a factor in the team's performance. After finishing 14th out of 50 teams at the Midlands Championships on December 28th and 29th, 165-pound senior Arsen Aleksanyan said the week leading up to the Kent State match was a strenuous one.
"We trained twice a day," he said. "We just didn't wrestle like we should have. Even with the injuries, there's still no excuse for us not wrestling to our potential."
Meeting potential seemed to be the theme of the day. And coach Minkel wants that potential to show sooner than later.
"There's no question we're a team with a lot of potential," he said. "But if we don't step it up, it's going to be a long season."
