Little did the Spartans know, but the MSU wrestling team was in for an adventure on its way to a Thursday night dual meet against Oklahoma State. "Remember that movie 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' with Steve Martin and John Candy?" asked head wrestling coach Tom Minkel during the Monday press conference, "That was us." And he was being modest. The Spartans' adventure began with a 1 p.m.
The MSU wrestling team began the season on Saturday at the Eastern Michigan Open. Sophomore Nick Simmons took first place at 125 pounds, losing only one point in four matches and defeating Central Michigan's Matt Steintrager, 9-0, in the championship round. Sophomore Tony Greathouse was second at 141 pounds, winning three straight matches but lost to Brad Forbes of Bloomsberg in the championship round. Junior Darren McKnight placed fourth at 149 pounds, recording five consecutive wins. Freshman John Murphy was fifth at 184 pounds, winning the first two matches of his career and defeating Finlay's Dave Weinandy, 7-4, in the fifth-place match. Junior Jeff Clemens finished in fourth place at 197 pounds, defeating Muskegon Community College's Travis Wiley, 15-0, in his second match of the day.
The MSU wrestling season came to an end last week as redshirt freshman Andy Simmons, sophomore Darren McKnight and senior Nate Mesyn were eliminated from the NCAA Championships. In the consolation round, Mesyn faced Ohio State's Blake Kaplan, but came up short, losing, 3-0.
After posting just a 2-12 record on the season, the MSU wrestling team will look for better results at the Big Ten Championships this weekend, enjoying three pre-seeded contenders. Redshirt freshman Andy Simmons, sophomore Darren McKnight and senior Nate Mesyn each were selected as preliminary seeds in their respective weight classes. "I think Andy's seed is the best seed on our team," head coach Tom Minkel said.
In its final regular season meet, the MSU wrestling team captured a win Sunday afternoon, defeating Indiana, 19-14, at Jenison Field House. With just its second win of the season and first in the Big Ten, the Spartans (2-12, 1-7), took six individual matches, with three coming from seniors in their final home meet as Spartans. "It means a lot, actually," senior Arsen Alexsanyan said.
After a weak start and a dual loss last weekend, the MSU wrestling team hopes to produce better results with the start of Big Ten action on Friday. The Spartans (1-4 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) already have faced No.
Three MSU wrestlers earned wins during the Spartans' 29-12 loss to No. 1 Oklahoma State at Jenison Field House on Sunday. Nate Mesyn garnered the Spartans' first victory in the 184-pound weight class.
Six MSU wrestlers placed in the top eight at the Michigan State Open this weekend at the Jenison Field House. Sophomore Darren McNight placed fourth in the 149-pound division of the consolation bracket.
In any sport many rookies hope just to come in and contribute. They rarely expect to make an immediate impact and perform as if they are seasoned veterans.Freshman Nick Simmons and junior college transfer Ryan L'Amoreaux are excellent examples of the latter.
A couple of seniors ran out of gas on the road to seizing Big Ten titles for the MSU wrestling team.Nik Fekete, No.
Although many people are afraid to admit it, they - like me - are in front of their television sets every Monday and Thursday watching the superstars of the WWF. Yeah, I said 'F'. I just can't get used to World Wrestling Entertainment. I've watched this stuff basically my entire life and still have no idea why; although the scantily clad women who parade around the ring could have something to do with it.
The MSU wrestling team finished its six-match homestand with an unblemished record. The seventh-ranked Spartans (9-5 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) moved into a first-place tie with Iowa and Minnesota in the Big Ten after MSU slid past the No.
Three members of the MSU wrestling team had impressive showings over the weekend at the Edinboro Open.Freshman Andy Simmons garnered the most success, recording five pins to take first place in the 141-pound division.
The MSU wrestling team continued its successful homestand with stunning upsets against Iowa and archrival Michigan.The 14th-ranked Spartans (7-5, 4-1 Big Ten) defeated the No.
Coming back from one serious injury is difficult enough, but coming back from two, to the same body part no less, takes a huge amount of dedication, heart and love for your craft.Not only did senior Nik Fekete fight off two serious shoulder dislocations to return to the mat, but he says his confidence never wavered along the road to recovery."I had so much support, from family, friends and teammates," he said.
The MSU wrestling team's six-match homestand began with a bang as they turned in two impressive performances against top-25 opponents over the weekend.The No.
The MSU Athletic Department and the 15th-ranked Spartan wrestling team are offering a ticket package of six meets at Jenison Field House. The "Six-Pack," includes home matches against five teams ranked in the top 25. The first match in the package is against No.
Spartans wrestling head coach Tom Minkel recorded his 100th victory at MSU on Friday as his team dismantled Northwestern 33-7.But MSU (3-5, 1-1 Big Ten) couldn't maintain its winning ways through the weekend, falling Saturday to No.
The No. 11 MSU wrestling team started off the new year on a sour note as the Spartans fell to 25th-ranked Kent State on Saturday. The loss to the Golden Flashes (7-0) brings MSU's record to 1-2 and is leaving the team searching for answers. "This team has got to figure out where it's going and we've got to figure it out in a hurry," MSU head coach Tom Minkel said.
No. 16 MSU is hosting one of the nation’s largest tournaments this weekend. The Michigan State Open, held Saturday and Sunday at Jenison Field House, is a double-elimination tourney with each wrestler competing on an individual basis, and no team scoring. Last season’s event brought to the mats more than 300 wrestlers from 18 different schools, including five ranked squads. This year, the Big Ten features seven of its 11 teams ranked in the top 20, according to the National Wrestling Coaches’ Association poll released Wednesday. Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Illinois grace the poll’s top 10 list, with Minnesota nabbing the top spot.