More than 600 wrestlers from more than 29 schools throughout the country attended the the MSU Open on Saturday at Jenison Field House, competing in either the open or the freshman/sophomore division.
Sixteen MSU wrestlers placed in the top six of the tournament in either division.
“Every guy gave everything they had,” head coach Tom Minkel said in a statement released by the athletics department. “We had as good a tournament that we have had here, and the field was tougher this year than it ever has been.”
Though the tournament was competitive, MSU still had many wrestlers place near the top of their weight divisions.
Top MSU wrestlers at the meet included junior 149-pounder Dan Osterman (2nd), senior 184-pounder Ian Hinton (2nd), freshman 197-pounder Nick McDiarmid (2nd) and sophomore heavyweight Michael McClure (2nd).
Senior David Cheza finished first in the open division and won an individual title in the 157-pound bracket.
“(Cheza) did not give up a takedown the whole tournament,” Minkel said. “Cheza is certainly on track, and he is very focused and committed to winning a national title, and this was a good step in that direction.”
Freshman 165-pounder Nick Proctor also had top scores at the meet, winning all five of his matches.
Minkel said he was proud of the team’s performance.
“We have really good depth and really good commitment from a lot of guys,” Minkel said. “When half of your team places in a tournament like this, you are on the right track.”
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