After suffering a 23-12 loss to West Virginia on Friday night, the MSU wrestling team desperately needed a win.
The Spartans (3-4 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) began the first dual by losing their first four matches, putting them in a 17-0 hole.
Although the Spartans did show some life, ultimately it was not enough, and they failed to record any major decisions.
When the final bell had rung, head coach Tom Minkel said his team’s inexperience showed in that loss, and his wrestlers had much to work on before facing Indiana on Sunday.
When No. 18 junior 149-pounder Dan Osterman was pinned at the 2:30 mark to open the dual against the Hoosiers, it appeared the Spartans might find themselves in a hole again.
However, No. 13 senior 157-pounder Anthony Jones Jr. notched an 18-6 major decision to spark the team, setting off a three-match win streak and avoiding another meltdown.
“The momentum began to shift after the mishap with (Osterman),” Jones said. “With me getting the major points, followed by (senior 165-pounder David Cheza) and (senior 174-pounder Curran Jacobs) winning, it was a huge boost.”
From that point on, the dual was back-and-forth between two teams battling for their first conference win. Down 16-11, No. 11 sophomore heavyweight Mike McClure earned a sudden victory after scoring a takedown 49 seconds into overtime.
McClure’s victory was followed by senior 125-pounder Eric Olanowski scoring a takedown in the final seconds of the third period against Indiana’s Zach Zimmer, giving Olanowski a 5-4 decision and MSU the lead.
With two wrestlers to go and the Spartans clinging to a 17-16 lead, the dual rested on the shoulders of freshman 133-pounder Terry Turner, who was participating in his first ever dual match.
After wrestling to a 4-4 tie going into overtime, it took Turner 33 seconds to score a double-leg takedown, giving him a 6-4 decision and the team a 20-16 lead.
“It felt amazing,” Turner said. “It was definitely a reflection of all my hard work in the room and our coaches and teammates pushing us, and I’m pretty proud of it.”
Although redshirt freshman 141-pounder Andrew Ermatinger, dropped an 11-2 major decision — allowing the Hoosiers to tie the dual at 20-20 — MSU won the tiebreaker, taking six individual wins to Indiana’s four, making the final score 21-20.
“There were some really gutsy performances there,” Minkel said. “We just tried to get our kids to wrestle solid and stay focused on their match.”
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