Michigan State wrestling returns home to Jenison Fieldhouse this Friday, Feb. 16 for the team's first home meet this month. The upcoming meet against No. 6 Ohio State will be Michigan State's final matchup against a Big Ten team.
The Spartans head into the meet with a 2-5 conference record and a 9-5 overall record after they dropped their previous two duals against Maryland and Indiana. During the team's match against Maryland, bonus points for the Terps early on were too much for the Spartans to overcome as they fell 28-15. Against Indiana, the Spartans won their first four bouts but later dropped the next six to be stunned by the Hoosiers 23-18.
The visiting Ohio State Buckeyes head into the dual 14-2 on the season and currently sit tied with Nebraska for second place in the Big Ten with a 6-1 record in conference meets. The Buckeyes have won nine of their last 10 duals with their only loss coming at the hands of unbeaten Penn State by a score of 28-9.
Key weigh-ins for the dual will include the 125-pound, 165-pound and 184-pound matchups.
In the 125-pound weigh-in, Michigan State's senior Tristan Lujan (14-11) will face off against Ohio State's No. 22 redshirt freshman Brendan McCrone (15-8). Lujan bested McCrone earlier this season in Sep. in a 6-1 decision and will look to repeat his success against a now-ranked McCrone. McCrone will enter the bout on a two-bout win streak with his most recent win coming by a 14-4 majority decision.
In the 165-pound weigh-in, No. 19 redshirt sophomore Bryce Hepner (11-3) will represent the Buckeyes as he will face off against No. 9 senior Caleb Fish (21-6), who will represent the Spartans. Fish will enter Friday on a three-bout win-streak but will need to be on his A-game with Wrestlestat predicting a Hepner upset decision victory.
The 184-pound weigh-in will feature another top-ranked matchup as an experienced player will be facing off against a "novice," so to speak. Michigan State's No. 15 graduate student Layne Malczewski (10-5) will face off against No. 23 freshman Ryder Rogotzke (12-6). Malczewski is currently on a five-bout unbeaten streak with his most recent victory coming in the form of a technical fall. Rogotzke, on the other hand, has shot up in the rankings recently after he pinned Penn State’s No. 6 Bernie Truax. Rogotzke will look to add a win over Malczewski to an already impressive first-year resume.
Starting time for the meet is set for 7 p.m. with streaming available on Big Ten Network.
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