Michigan State wrestling was dominated by Iowa, the number one nationally ranked program in the country, 32-3 Sunday afternoon.
Jenison Field House was packed as five seniors were recognized as part of Senior Day before the dual. “All five of those guys have had a dramatic impact on this program since I took over,” MSU coach Roger Chandler said. Chandler credits the seniors with changing the culture and work ethic of the team.
Senior Day, combined with the always-traveling Hawkeye fans, created an electric atmosphere from start to finish.
Iowa channeled some of that energy right away in the 125-pound matchup. MSU redshirt senior Logan Griffin could not have asked for a tougher matchup than against Iowa’s undefeated Spencer Lee, who is No. 1 in his weight class. Lee was able to take down Griffin by fall just two minutes and 21 seconds into the first period. Lee gave Iowa an early 6-0 lead, and also improved his own individual duals record to 9-0 on the season.
The 133-pound matchup was an intense and exciting one.
In the first period, MSU redshirt senior Garrett Pepple was able to jump out to an early 2-0 lead on Hawkeye senior Paul Glynn. He then held onto that lead and carried it into the final period. Pepple jumped out to an early third period lead of 3-0, which led to a back-and-forth finish. Glynn came storming back for Iowa, cutting the lead to one, with about one minute left. Then, with just a handful of seconds left, Glynn was able to take down Pepple, securing the 9-4 victory.
The next three matches were not quite as intense as the 133-pounder.
In the 141-pound matchup, Iowa’s Carter Happel was able to jump out to a 2-0 first period lead. He was able to hold onto that lead for the rest of the match, defeating MSU redshirt junior Matt Santos with a 4-1 decision.
The 149- and 157-pound matchups both went similarly to the 141-pound matchup. MSU’s Alex Hrisopoulos fell to Iowa’s Pat Lugo with an 8-3 decision, while the Hawkeyes’ Kaleb Young defeated the Spartans’ Jake Tucker 6-2.
Iowa senior Jeremiah Moody was able to get off to a five-point lead going into the second period of the 165-pound matchup. He held on and defeated MSU’s Austin Hiles with a 9-5 decision.
After Iowa’s Michael Kemerer defeated MSU redshirt freshman Layne Malczewski 13-3, the Hawkeyes took a 25-0 lead.
Despite the 25-point deficit, the Spartans continued to fight hard on an individual level, and they were finally able to earn a victory in the 184-pound matchup. The matchup between MSU’s star redshirt sophomore Cameron Caffey and Iowa’s Abe Assad was as long and intense as the 133-pound matchup.
Caffey was able to get out an early 2-1 first period lead when the match was stopped for an official review. They determined that Caffey never took down Assad, resetting the score 0-0. Later in the period, Assad appeared to take down Caffey, but after going to an official review again, they ruled that it was also not a takedown.
The two of them battled it out in the final two periods with Caffey able to squeak out a 3-2 victory, accompanied with a roar from the Spartan fans in attendance. The win by Caffey extended his individual win streak to six.
For Caffey, this win was personal, as Assad beat one of Caffey’s teammates in high school, as well as defeating his brother a few years ago.
“It was really a redemption thing ... for all the homies back home,” Caffey said.
Chandler was proud of Caffey’s performance Sunday.
“Cam can be a national champ, he knows it,” Chandler said.
The last two matchups of the day both went to Iowa, both by decision.
After the dual, Chandler gave credit to Iowa.
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“They are the benchmark program in the country and there is a reason,” Chandler said. “They don’t let you breathe. They are on you all the time.”
The Spartans now stand at a 6-8 record. They will travel to Northwestern Friday night.
