Michigan State University
Indiana
Spartan Wrestling Defeats Indiana, 20-12
2/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 16, 2001
East Lansing, Mich. - The #14 Michigan State wrestling team defeated the 20th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers, 20-12, on Friday evening in Jenison Field House. During the dual, the Spartans used two last-second victories to assist their effort. With the win, MSU improves to 6-7, 2-5 in the Big Ten. Indiana drops to 10-4, 2-4 in the Big Ten. The win stopped a five-game losing streak for the Spartans. (All rankings are according to the Feb. 13, 2001, InterMat Wrestling rankings.)
"It was a good win all-around," said Spartan 197-pounder Nik Fekete. "We've been in a slump lately. It is good for the morale of our team to get a victory over a ranked team and a Big Ten opponent."
The wrestling began at 165 pounds with Indiana's ninth-ranked Kevin Stanley taking a hard-fought 1-0 victory over MSU's Cory Posey (Sr., Columbia, Tenn.) to give the Hoosiers a 3-0 lead. The Spartans pulled even in the second match of the evening as 174-pound freshman Nate Mesyn (Clinton Township, Mich.) defeated IU's Jack Wade, 3-1, scoring a takedown as time expired in the third period. Mesyn improved to 10-15 on the season, 4-9 in the Big Ten.
After an Indiana decision by fifth-ranked Victor Sveda at 184, the Spartans took the next two matches of the evening and five of the next six. At 197 pounds, MSU's 12th-ranked Nik Fekete (So., Cranford, N.J.) scored a 25-11 major decision over Brett Becks. Leading 10-5 after two periods, Fekete exploded to score 14 points in the third period. The win improved Fekete's record to 18-6 overall, 8-3 in the Big Ten.
In the heavyweight match, Spartan sophomore Michael Keenan (Columbus, Ohio) recorded a last-second 3-1 sudden victory decision. With 0.1 seconds remaining in the first extra period, Keenan scored a takedown on Mike Dixon. The victory gave MSU a 10-6 team lead heading into the intermission. The Keenan victory was especially satisfying for MSU head coach Tom Minkel.
"It was a huge win for Mike," said Minkel. "That is a win that we could not count on going into the dual. The Indiana kid (Dixon) is a senior and an NCAA qualifier. We had lost the coin toss, so we had to get the takedown in the first overtime. Keenan showed a lot of character and a lot of fight. Personally, I'm very happy for him."
Indiana started the second half of the evening on a strong note, with 13th-ranked Greg Schaefer defeating MSU's 12th-ranked Chris Williams (Jr., Fowlerville, Mich.), 10-4, at 125 pounds. Michigan State, however, regained control of the dual as #4 Pat McNamara (Sr., Jordan, Minn.) cruised to a 7-2 victory over IU's Brian Smiley, giving the Spartans a 13-9 team advantage. McNamara's victory improved his record to 24-5, 11-2 in dual meets and 9-2 in the Big Ten. It was also the 104th win of his career.
At 141 pounds, 14th-ranked Mike Castillo (Sr., Ada, Mich.) scored a tough 4-3 victory over Indiana's Coyte Cooper. Castillo feel behind 2-0 early in the first period, but rallied to tie the score at 2 on a pair of escapes. With the score tied, Castillo scored the winning takedown at the edge of the mat with 35 seconds remaining in the match. Castillo improved to 19-9, 8-5 in the Big Ten. At 149, #17 Karl Nadolsky (So., Holland, Mich.) controlled IU's Josh Beals, recording a 14-5 major decision. Nadolsky scored six takedowns in the match. He improves to 21-9, 7-7 in the Big Ten. In the final match of the evening, Indiana's Gabe Cook defeated Charlie Sageman (So., Saginaw, Mich.), 2-1, at 157 pounds.
Michigan State returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 18, when the Spartans host the Penn State Nittany Lions in Jenison Field House at 1:00 p.m. The Spartans will then wrestle later on Sunday evening at Eastern Michigan at 8 p.m.
Michigan State 20 - Indiana 12Attendance: 309Results Match Meet Score Score165 - #9 Kevin Stanley (IU) dec. Cory Posey (MSU), 1-0 0-3174 - Nate Mesyn (MSU) dec. Jack Wade (IU), 3-1 3-3184 - #5 Victor Sveda (IU) dec. John Wechter (MSU), 8-3 3-6197 - #12 Nik Fekete (MSU) maj. dec. Brett Becks (IU), 25-11 7-6HWT - Mike Keenan (MSU) dec. Mike Dixon (IU), 3-1, SV 10-6125 - #13 Greg Schaefer (IU) dec. #12 Chris Williams (MSU), 10-4 10-9133 - #4 Pat McNamara (MSU) dec. Brian Smiley (IU), 7-2 13-9141 - #14 Mike Castillo (MSU) dec. Coyte Cooper (IU), 4-3 16-9149 - #17 Karl Nadolsky (MSU) maj. dec. Josh Beals (IU), 14-5 20-9157 - Gabe Cook (IU) dec. Charlie Sageman (MSU), 2-1 20-12
