Michigan State University
Northwestern
No. 18 Michigan State Dominates Northwestern 23-12
2/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 15, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 18 Michigan State wrestling team defeated Northwestern 23-12 Friday night (Feb. 15) at Jenison Field House. The Spartans improve to 5-8 overall, 2-3 in Big Ten competition.
Northwestern jumped out to an early 6-0 advantage as Michigan State's Shane Martin ( Fr. DeWitt) lost a hotly contested 10-9 decision to No. 16 John Giacche. At 149 pounds, Matt McCarty (Fr., Clarksville, Tenn.) lost a close match to Northwestern's Josh Ballard.
Michigan State received a dominating performance from No. 14 Karl Nadolsky (Jr., Holland) in the 157-pound match. Nadolsky scored a 17-6 major decision over Northwestern's Mike Kimberlin.
In the 165-pound match Anton Hall (Jr., Ada) battled Northwestern's Ryan Kane. Kane walked way with a 6-4 decision, which gave Northwestern a 9-4 lead.
The Spartans countered as No. 10 Rashad Evans (Jr., Niagara Falls, NY) defeated Northwestern's Jason Erwinski 7-2. Evan's entered tonight's match being ranked for the first time all season. The decision gave Evans his fifth consecutive win, which included victories over No. 12 Tee Wilcox of Oklahoma State and No. 10 John Kopniski of Missouri last week. Evans' victory narrowed Northwestern's lead to 9-7.
Michigan continued to apply the pressure in the 184-pound match. Nathaniel Mesyn (So., Clinton Twp.) downed Nothwestern's Andrew Curran 2-0. This gave the Spartans a 10-9 advantage, their first lead of the night.
The Spartan's extended their lead to 19-9, as John Wechter (Jr., Saginaw) earned a 10-4 decision at 197 pounds and heavyweight Mike Keenan (Columbus, Ohio) pinned Northwestern's Mike Little at 2:52.
No. 15 Chris Williams (Sr., Perry) turned in a dominating performance over Northwestern's Rob Patashnick. Williams' 17-5 major decision gave him 96 career collegiate victories. The victory also widened Michigan State's margin to 23-9.
In the final match of the night, Tommy Vargas of Northwestern scored a 9-3 decision over Scott Pushman (Fr., Fenton).
MSU returns to action Sunday, Feb. 17 as they travel to State College, Pa. to take on Penn State at 1:00 p.m.
MATCH SUMMARY:Wt. Winner Loser Score Team Score141 No. 16 John Giacche (NU) Shane Martin (MSU) 10-9 NU, 3-0149 Josh Ballard (NU) Matt McCarty (MSU) 4-2 NU, 6-0157 No. 14 Karl Nadolsky (MSU) Mike Kimberlin 17-6 NU, 6-4165 Ryan Kane (NU) Anton Hall (MSU) 6-4 NU, 9-4174 No. 10 Rashad Evans (MSU) Jason Erwinski (NU) 7-2 NU, 9-7184 Nathaniel Mesyn (MSU) Andrew Curran 2-0 MSU,10-9197 John Wechter (MSU) Brendan Curran 10-4 MSU,13-9HWT. Michael Keenan (MSU) Mike Little(NU) Fall, 2:52 MSU,19-9125 No.15 Chris Williams (MSU) Rob Patashnick(NU) 17-5 MSU,23-9133 Tommy Vargas Scott Pushman (MSU) 9-3 MSU,23-12
Players Mentioned
