Five Michigan State wrestlers are set to compete this week in the wrestling NCAA Championships, which takes place from Thursday, March 21 to Saturday, March 23 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Although after the Big Ten Championships only four Spartans qualified, senior Caleb Fish was awarded an at-large big from the NCAA: he earned a spot in the tournament not for his work in the Big Ten Championships but for having a record throughout the season that demonstrates his skill and value for a shot at the national title.
Fish, in the 165-pound weigh-in, will even enter the tournament as the highest-seeded Spartan. The senior garnered the No. 21 seed in his weigh-in following a 25-9 record on the season. His first opponent will be Ohio University's redshirt sophomore Garrett Thompson. The pair faced off earlier this season with Fish cruising to a 7-1 victory.
Graduate Layne Malczewski earned Michigan State's second-highest seed in the tournament at No. 23. The Macomb, Michigan native will be returning to his fifth national tournament after a 14-8 record on the season and seventh place finish at the Big Ten Tournament. The 187-pounder's first opponent in the tournament will be North Carolina’s redshirt freshman Dylan Fishback.
Senior Chase Saldate sits at the No. 24 seed and the third-highest seed for the Spartans. Saldate won all but one of his Big Ten bouts this season, falling only to Penn State’s Levi Haines by sudden victory. Saldate will face the No. 9 seed, University of Michigan’s Will Lewan, in the first round, a marquee matchup featuring two of the Big Ten’s best 157-pounders.
In the 141-pound weigh-in, redshirt senior Jordan Hamdan will wrestle for the Spartans. Hamdan earned the No. 28 seed in the weight class in what will be the second appearance of his career in the NCAA Tournament. He will face off against Anthony Echemendia of Iowa State in the first round.
The final Spartan to earn a spot at the NCAA Tournament is redshirt junior Tristan Lujan. In his first appearance at the NCAA tournament, Lujan will hold the No. 33 seed and face off against No. 32 seed Mike Joyce of Brown University. With a win, Lujan would then face No. 1 seed Penn State’s Braeden Davis.
The first session on Thursday and Friday will take place at 11 a.m. and the second session on both days will take place at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the first session will begin at 10 a.m. with the final session of the tournament beginning at 6 p.m. Streaming for the entire tournament can be found on ESPN and ESPN Plus.
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