MSU Wrestling Starts Home Season With MSU Open
11/13/2000 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 13, 2000
"Hey Coach": Head Coach: Tom Minkel, 11th season (100-91-3 overall (12), 85-73-2 at MSU) It's been a decade of consistency for MSU Head Coach Tom Minkel. Entering his 10th season at the helm of Spartan wrestling, the commitment to excellence and national respect continues to be Minkel's main focus.
Last season, Minkel led the Spartans to a 14th-place finish at the NCAA Championships and had two grapplers named as All-Americans. The team finished fourth in the Big Ten and crowned Nick Muzashvili as Big Ten champion at 197 pounds.
The reign of top-20 team finishes began in 1995 and 1996 when he guided Michigan State to back-to-back top eight finishes at the NCAAs, a feat that hadn't been accomplished since the 1971-72 seasons. The 1996 seventh-place showing at the NCAAs followed up a third-place finish in 1995, the school's best performance since the '72 squad captured second.
Minkel has continued to guide the program on the right path, producing 21 All-Americans, seven Big Ten champions and one NCAA champion.
What's Up For The Season?: Although the Spartans have lost a few key wrestlers from their lineup, MSU returns five NCAA qualifiers (Mike Castillo, Pat McNamara, Karl Nadolsky, Gray Maynard and Matt Lamb) and All-American Pat McNamara. This is one of the nation's best returning group of wrestlers, as all five are ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes.
Top Dogs: The Big Ten has proven that its bark is as bad as its bite when it comes to collegiate wrestling. The conference features 10 of its 11 schools in the top 25. This includes Iowa and Minnesota, who hold down the top two spots in the rankings.
