In its final dual of the season, the MSU wrestling team suffered a 21-12 loss at the hands of head coach Tom Minkel’s alma mater, Central Michigan.
The Spartans finish the regular season with a 3-11 overall record (1-7 Big Ten) and will have a two week layover before the Big Ten Championships begin on March 3.
The dual began with the 184-pounders when senior Ian Hinton dropped a 14-1 major decision to No. 4 Ben Bennett. The Spartans responded when redshirt freshman 197-pounder Nick McDiarmid won an 8-3 decision over Chippewa wrestler Chad Friend, but Central Michigan regained control when sophomore heavyweight Michael McClure fell in a 5-4 decision.
The Chippewas then rattled off three straight individual wins, which put them up, 18-3, before junior 149-pounder Dan Osterman halted MSU’s skid with a 7-6 decision over Joey Kielbasa.
No. 9 senior 157-pounder Anthony Jones Jr. also recorded a win in his final dual with the Spartans, topping Donnie Corby, 2-1. And although No. 18 174-pounder Curran Jacobs, who was excited about the matchup, recorded a 3-0 decision over Anthony Bill in the last match of the night.
Minkel said with the extra time between now and the next competition, his team will spend a couple days to regroup before getting back to the mats in preparation for the Big Ten Championships.
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