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Michigan State wrestling closes out 2024 season at NCAA Championships

March 23, 2024
<p>Rutgers coaching staff watch as Michigan State No. 11 senior Caleb Fish (17-4) faces No. 86 junior Anthony White (9-8) of Rutgers. Michigan State fell to No. 12 Rutgers 22-13, falling to 0-2 in conference play.</p>

Rutgers coaching staff watch as Michigan State No. 11 senior Caleb Fish (17-4) faces No. 86 junior Anthony White (9-8) of Rutgers. Michigan State fell to No. 12 Rutgers 22-13, falling to 0-2 in conference play.

Five wrestlers represented Michigan State at the wrestling Division One NCAA Championships in Kansas City, Missouri, which spanned three days from Thursday, March 21 to Saturday, March 23. Two Spartans – senior Caleb Fish and graduate student Layne Malczewski – made it past the first day of sessions to advance further into the tournament. 

Fish fell in his first match against Ohio University's No. 12 seed Garrett Thompson in a 12-6 decision before securing victories in his following two consolation matches. In his third consolation match on day two, the 165-pounder was bested in a 4-0 decision by No. 14 seed Giano Petrucelli, who represented Air Force, which ended his tournament run.

Malczewski, who is in the 184-pound weigh-in, started his tournament in red-hot fashion as he secured a 1-0 decision victory over NC State's No. 10 seed Dylan Fishback. In his second bout, Malczewski faced No. 7 seed Thomas Stewart of Virginia Tech, who dominated all the way to a 10-3 decision.

On day two, the graduate student wrestled just once in consolation rounds as he dropped a razor-sharp decision to South Dakota State's No. 9 seed Bennett Berge, ultimately ending his tournament.

Michigan State senior Chase Saldate lost both of his bouts at the tournament, dropping his first-round bout against Michigan’s Will Lewan in a back-and-forth 4-3 decision. In consolation rounds, Saldate faced No. 25 seed Trevor Chumbley of Northwestern, who knocked Saldate out of the tournament with his 4-3 victory.

Redshirt junior Tristan Lujan finished the tournament with one victory – hist first career tournament win – and two losses. Lujan’s first victory came in the pigtail rounds when he faced No. 33 seed Mike Joyce of Brown, taking an 8-4 victory. In Lujan’s second bout, he fell to Penn State's No. 1 seed Braeden Davis before being eliminated by Dean Peterson, who represents Rutgers, in the first round of consolations.

The final Spartan to be featured at the tournament was redshirt senior Jordan Hamdan. The senior, who is in the 141-pound weigh-in, came into the tournament with a broken rib from just a week ago, but reportedly insisted on wrestling in Missouri. Hamdan faced two returning All-Americans in his bouts and lost both by a score of 18-2.

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